Farrar Straus Giroux - Expected Release Date: September, 2013
*ARC given by the publisher at ALA - Thank You!!*
All Elise ever wanted was friends. Even just one friend. Someone who she felt like she could talk to and was actually, really listening. It's why she spent the whole summer before her sophomore year trying to change herself so she'd be liked. Now almost a year after her plan and a suicide attempt failed, she might have found a way to the thing she's always wanted through unlikely means: by becoming the hottest new DJ at an underground club.
I can't remember where I heard about this book first, but I've wanted to get my hands on it ever since. Luck was on my side at ALA when the fabulous people at the FSG booth were kind enough to give me an ARC. My expectations were high, and this story blew away all my expectations.
Elise is a girl I can identify with in almost every way. She's been raised to believe that with hard work, with knowing who she is, she can accomplish anything. But that's not always true because there are so many things in this life we can't control like being the victim of bullying - sometimes it's blatant, other times it's more covert, but it always brings pain and leaves a scar. Music is her salvation and I loved how Sales started every chapter with song lyrics and so realistically showed how songs have a way of painting pictures, of bringing things together, of helping us make sense of our world or at least feel connected to someone else who knew exactly what we are feeling now when they wrote and recorded it sometimes years ago.
The protagonist is complex and confused and raw and honest and secondary characters fill out this story beautifully. It's a true to life portrayal of how people effect each other, how we don't always see or understand our own lives sometimes, and why we do things we know we shouldn't. The highs and lows and everything in between were sparkled with enough detail to give me an image, but never overwhelming.
If you love music, if you've ever wanted friends and felt alone, if you've ever worked hard and still feel like you're waiting for it to pay off, pick up a copy of This Song Will Save Your Life. I've already added Sales' other books to my Goodreads to-read list and can't wait to get more great stories from this talented writer.
Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!
Leila Sale's Website
Leila Sales on Twitter
I've been wanting to read this book since I first heard about it a few months ago, but now I'm even more excited. :) I must get my hands on a copy as soon as possible! I need to read some other books by Leila Sales too because I think I would absolutely love them.
ReplyDelete-Rachel
Yay! I love when a book gets good hype and it actually lives up to it. This book was great, but in the mean time while you're waiting for this to come out, check out her book Past Perfect - it's perfect for the end of summer =) Thanks for commenting!
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