This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Macmillan)    
Publication date: September 17th 2013
My rating: 4 stars

Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.

Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.

This Song Will Save Your Life struck too close to home. 

I don't think I've ever read a book about the character which so openly discussed not being accepted. Sure, there are those sad books about bullying but there was just something special about Elise's character. Most of the time while I was growing up (and even occasionally, now) I didn't have a real true friend after my family moved into another country. When we moved everything changed. But when I think of it, people were always looking at me differently, even when I was a girl who refused to wear long hair like the rest of the normal girls around me, who would dress as a geisha on Halloween while other girls were princesses. But when we came back to the place I never even remembered because I was just a toddler when we had to move (there was a war raging back then). I was called all sort of bad things and none of my new 'friends' stuck up for me. It was natural to call me names, trip me so I would fall and rip my knees and arms and even spit on me. But the problem with those bullies is I never let them see me defeated. Sure I questioned if something was wrong with me. Why didn't they like me? Should I grow my hair out? Will I then be pretty just like the rest of those skinny adolescent girls?  But my mom would Now I can just thank them for making me the way I am because if it weren't for them I wouldn't be my awesome self today. I wouldn't have impeachable taste in music and my hair wouldn't look like a rockstar's.  Hell, when I come to think about it, if they haven't gone after me, they would find another victim and I might've been one of the bullies. 

I was checking out reviews for this book and one of the bloggers said she didn't like the heroine because she was whining how hard her life is. She obviously wasn't bullied and doesn't understand how it feels to be an outcast. I love strong characters and Elise was one of them even though her power wasn't in open confrontation with the bullies but in self discovery and believing in herself. 

This Song Will Save Your Life is my second Leila Sales novel. I read Past Perfect two years and wasn't the biggest fan. Leila redeemed herself with her latest work and I'm so glad I had the chance to get to know Elise, Vicky, Alex, Sally and Chava. 

Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols

Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols

Publisher: MTV Books    

Publication date: July 16th 2013

Bailey wasn’t always a wild child and the black sheep of her family. She used to play fiddle and tour the music circuit with her sister, Julie, who sang and played guitar. That ended when country music execs swooped in and signed Julie to a solo deal. Never mind that Julie and Bailey were a duet, or that Bailey was their songwriter. The music scouts wanted only Julie, and their parents were content to sit by and let her fulfill her dreams while Bailey’s were hushed away.
Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie’s debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey’s antics and ship her off to granddad’s house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey’s fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey’s heart once before. She isn’t sure she’s ready to let Sam take her there again…

I was so happy when I heard Jennifer Echols is writing a book about music. She's been one of my favorite authors since I read Going Too Far three years ago. You can never go wrong with her books. They are perfect beach reads, even if you're not really anywhere near the sea/ocean. 

Bailey and her younger sister Julie have spent their whole childhood playing as a duo when Julie, who sings and plays guitar got offered a contract, which left Bailey all alone. Her parents moved cross the country to help Julie out and Bailey went to stay at her grandpa's house because she was acting out. 

Who would blame her. If my parents completely deserted me while they ran around my brother or sister I would be mad too. Bailey's parents raised her to fight for her music but they turned their backs on her as soon as she did something appropriate. Something that might hurt Julie's image. What kind of parent would do such a thing? Not a good one, that's for sure. 

Bailey's torn up with following her dream and listening to her parents. When she meets Sam everything changes. He invites her to play with his band and Bailey slowly opens to performing again. They also have unmistakable feelings to one another which makes playing in a band even more difficult because Sam is a known ladies man. But he is not your guy who dates a lot of girls. 

What I loved about this novel is it sends out a great message to never give up on your hopes and dreams. You need to work hard before you get everything you wanted. 

I would recommend Dirty Little Secret to people who love to read more realistic YA contemporary novels with interesting characters. And it's Jennifer Echols we're talking about here! 

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

Publisher: Speak   
Publication date: June 2012
My rating: 4 stars

When it comes to relationships, Remy doesn't mess around. After all, she's learned all there is to know from her mother, who's currently working on husband number five. But there's something about Dexter that seems to defy all of Remy's rules. He certainly doesn't seem like Mr. Right. For some reason, however, Remy just can't seem to shake him. Could it be that Remy's starting to understand what those love songs are all about?

This is my third Dessen book and it's the most relatable, so far. 

It's a story about Remy, a girl who doesn't believe in love because she witnessed her mother getting divorced way too many times. Mum is planing to marry for the fifth time and Remy's had enough but she's still going to keep her mouth shut cause she's leaving for college in the fall. Dexter literally collides with Remy and he is ready to fight for her even though they just met. Soon they start casually dating but Remy knows there is no future for them. 

Remy is one cool chick. She's 'the mother' of her family. Since she's a neat freak, she cleans the house, organizes her mother's every wedding and she even has a steady job junior year. Even though she doesn't believe in love she still hooks up with a lot of guys. She doesn't want a relationship. This all changes when she meets Remy who's clumsy, irresponsible, jokester and a musician. He has so many faults which would usually make Remy have 'the talk' with a guy but something is different with Dexter. 

I did like Remy but I didn't like Dexter that much and that's the only bad thing I can say about this book. Dexter just wasn't unique enough for my taste. He was just like any other fictional boy. I was really surprised Dessen didn't do something more but with his character then again, maybe she wanted him to be more realistic, without too many embellishments. 

Other than that, I would recommend reading this book to those who're for a perfect summer novel. 

I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: May 17th 2011
My rating: 4 stars

Emily Bell believes in destiny. To her, being forced to sing a solo in the church choir--despite her average voice--is fate: because it's while she's singing that she first sees Sam. At first sight, they are connected.Sam Border wishes he could escape, but there's nowhere for him to run. He and his little brother, Riddle, have spent their entire lives constantly uprooted by their unstable father. That is, until Sam sees Emily. That's when everything changes.As Sam and Riddle are welcomed into the Bells' lives, they witness the warmth and protection of a family for the first time. But when tragedy strikes, they're left fighting for survival in the desolate wilderness, and wondering if they'll ever find a place where they can belong. Beautifully written and emotionally profound, I'll Be There is a gripping story that explores the complexities of teenage passions, friendships, and loyalties.

I knew I didn't made a mistake when I bought this book. It has this beautiful cover (one of my favorites), the blurb screams pain and devotion and it got an advance praise from Gayle Forman, Sara Zarr and A.S. King. 

This is a story about brothers, Sam and Riddle who were kidnapped by their scumbag father when they were very small. They travel all over the country, staying in their truck or in old houses, while their father steals and scams. Sam is the older brother and he takes care of Riddle who spends his time drawing in phone books. Sam works hard not to be like his father, he helps strangers to unload their garbage for a couple of dollars so they could have anything to eat. 

Everything changes one day in church when Emily sings I'll Be There while looking at Sam. They fall in love and her family warms up to them when they find out the boys are harmless. Soon, their father sees things changed, he follows Sam and sees he replaced him so he leaves with Sam and Riddle. Everything goes wrong from there. They find themselves in the mountain badly hurt. Sam and Riddle are all alone and they need to learn how to survive in wilderness without food, a warm place to sleep and with broken bones after their father abandons them. 

I'll Be There is written in third person omniscient point of view which means we get to read about a lot of characters, even the really small ones. I don't usually read books with this type of narrators so it was pretty new and refreshing. I liked it very much. It wasn't hard at all to follow what was everyone doing and what they were feeling at the time. 

This book does have a fairy tale quality. At times I felt like I was watching the movie where characters go through hell, only to be reunited in the end. This usually doesn't work for me because I dislike the fact everything wraps up so perfectly but in this case it was so well deserved. It made me wish certain heartbreaking books *cough* The Storyteller *cough* had a happy ending. 

The cover is gorgeous. Neil Swaab created it and he's made a lot of beautiful covers for other authors. But that is not the only cover of I'll Be There. Look at these pretties. 

Book Review: How To Kill A Rockstar by Tiffanie DeBartolo

Book: How To Kill A Rockstar
Author: Tiffanie DeBartolo
File Type: Paperback
Release Date: September 1st 2005
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

synopsis:

Written in her wonderfully honest, edgy, passionate and often hilarious voice, Tiffanie DeBartolo tells the story of Eliza Caelum, a young music journalist, and Paul Hudson, a talented songwriter and lead singer of the band Bananafish. Eliza's reverence for rock is equaled only by Paul's, and the two fall wildly in love. When Bananafish is signed by a big corporate label, and Paul is on his way to becoming a major rock star, Eliza must make a heartbreaking decision that leads to Paul's sudden disappearance and a surprise knock-your-socks-off ending.

Eh.

Before I begin I'd like to just inform you all beforehand that this book if you think about it in all it's entirety is..spectacular.
It's a book by an author who can seriously write. And I mean it. I've highlighted half of my copy and it's insane.
There are so many beautiful quotes. So many beautiful things that make you want to just crank out your music system and just simply die and flow into music. This book is MUSIC. It's so beautiful and weird. I feel stupid giving it three stars but the more critical side of me just won't give it more than that.

How To Kill A Rockstar is a really well written book. It's well paced and absolutely engrossing. I loved all the twists and turns and I loved the story in general.
It's fair to say that if not for some tiny things that really irked me every single time, I probably would have been a total groupie. You know like truly, deeply, madly and obsessively in love with it. 

Devyani explains why she likes this book?

-Amazing male characters. And by male characters , I mean every single male character. It all began from Paul and then to Loring and oh yeah John the Baptist and oh yeah the four Michaels too and did I mention a guy called Doug Blackman? Well him too.

-PAUL.
What a guy. 
Ninety nine percent of my highlighting-madness was because of him. The things he says and this he DOES. Wowie ka Zowie. I am so in love.
He'd hit you with things like ,

“Personally, I don’t like inherently happy people. I don’t trust them. I think there’s something seriously wrong with anyone who isn’t at least a little let down by the world."

and..

“Note to self: Always remember how lucky you are to wake up next to someone who thinks you're the shit.”

AND..

"“I just want to sleep with a clear conscience and wake up with the ability to look at myself in the mirror. I also want my life to be my own. Even if it's a shitty goddamn life, it's still mine.” 

Tell me you don't love him already? *dies*

-Music.
I try to think of myself as a total music lover and I try but after reading books like these and experiencing music from these eyes..even if they are merely fictional..I feel really stupid and illiterate in terms of music.

-The Romance till one of the characters screwed it up.

-PAUL again.

-The element of taking risks for getting what you want and being who you want to be.

-The reality of life.

And now..Devyani explains why this book disappointed her?

Let's begin with the most pivotal thing.

-The female protagonist. Eliza 'fucking' Caelum.
Oops my language. Not.
I tried to be as empathetic as I could be but damn this female is just stupid. I've said it a million times and I'll say it yet again, If you can't make me believe that this stupid female has been going through a rough patch in her life and that I as a reader can't clearly see her growth, then I'm sorry this book is just not for me. Thank for lord that there were guy POVs also in this book or I would have seriously gone suicidal.

-I'm not trying to sound brash or be a party pooper but I felt that most of the book was really predictable. Now there were some smart elements and there were places that left me with a 'WHAT?!' in a good surprised-expression way but where it mattered was where I found it most predictable and that kind of let me down.

-The way things end.
I'm sorry but I totally with 100% clarity DONOT support that end. 

-The mid section of the book.
I was so irritated with Eliza that I couldn't really like the mid section of the book. And that also became a downside for me.

In the end, I feel that this book would have been a definite success for me if not for those irky things mentioned above. All I can tell you all is to give it a try. Because you all really should. Now is the time when it really stands true that you should be really open minded when it comes to such books. I feel that everybody needs to give this one a try. I may have not liked it as much the others did but I do have friends who have adored this book and I trust their instincts whole-heartedly. So go ahead, read it out and maybe if you must, we shall have a conversation about it.

Review: Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison

Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison
Release Date: March 4th, 2010
Number of pages: 301
Format: Hardback
Purchase: (TheBookDepository)

THE TRANSFORMATION Beth has always been "The Beast",that's what everyone at school calls her because of her awkward height, facial scars, and thick glasses. Beth's only friend is geeky, golden-haired Scott. That is, until she's selected to be her choir's soprano soloist, and receives the makeover that will change her life forever.
THE LOVE AFFAIR
When Beth's choir travels to Switzerland, she meets Derek: pale, brooding, totally dreamy. Derek's untethered passion,for music, and for Beth, leaves her breathless. Because in Derek's eyes? She's not The Beast, she's The Beauty.
THE IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE
When Beth comes home, Scott, her best friend in the world, makes a confession that leaves her completely torn. Should she stand by sweet, steady Scott or follow the dangerous, intense new feelings she has for Derek?
THE HEARTBREAK
The closer Beth gets to Derek, the further away he seems. Then Beth discovers that Derek's been hiding a dark secret from her ?one that could shatter everything.




This really is one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read. It had me laughing, and it had me crying. It had me feeling so low, I was effected when I put the book down, yet so happy and hopeful for myself, that it left me smiley and in a bit of a dreamy state. It's just impossible for me to put into words just how incredibly moving I found Sing Me to Sleep. This book has effected me so deeply, it will stay with me forever. Just beautiful. 

It’s hard to say why this book made such the emotionally impact it did on me. In part, it has to do with the character of Derek and what’s he’s hiding. What he goes though is so very heartbreaking, especially for Beth because just as she finds her inner beauty and strength, he must leave her. Angela shows with the character of Derek why some people are in our lives for only a short moment of time. Because Derek and Beth are so in love with one another, they are very intimate with one another. These two can’t stop kissing and touching. It’s handled very well, even when the topic of sex comes up. 

Sing Me to Sleep is a book you easily find yourself involved in, living. Toward the end of the story I felt like I was there, astonished by the actions of those around me, feeling the same feelings the characters were experiencing. The tears sliding down my face proved my involvement. 

5 stars