I requested this on impulse on NetGalley based on the cover, because music is like catnip in books for me. If I'd read the synopsis I'd probably have hesitated. Which is such a shame as I raced through this book and I absolutely loved it. So I'm sharing my gushing review below and hoping you'll want to pick it up too!
The link at the bottom leads to a sneak peak of a playlist for the book by the author herself.
Seventeen-year-old Mira has always danced to her own beat. A music prodigy in a family of athletes, she'd rather play trumpet than party - and with her audition to a prestigious jazz conservatory just around the corner (and her two best friends at music camp without her), she plans to spend the summer focused on jazz and nothing else.
She only goes to the warehouse party in a last-ditch effort to bond with her older sister. Instead, she falls in love with dance music, DJing... and Derek, a gorgeous promoter who thinks he can make her a star. Suddenly trumpet practice and old friendships are taking a backseat to the packed dance floors, sun-soaked music festivals, outsized personalities, and endless beats of the EDM scene.
But when a devastating tragedy plunges her golden summer into darkness, Mira discovers just how little she knows about her new boyfriend, her old friends, and even her own sister. Music is what brought them together... but will it also tear them apart?
Source: NetGalley
5 Words: Music, family, love, secrets, hope.
Well boy, that was a ride. And one I wasn't expecting.
I was expecting something light, and probably fluffy, with a musical backdrop.
What I read was something far darker than I could have imagined, where the music came to life on the pages. And I could not stop reading. It's almost like there's a beat behind the story itself. Music is everywhere for Mira, it's part of her very character, and it was everywhere in this book. I could almost hear it.
I was absolutely blown away by the story. The pace was steadily rising, with various small story-lines all weaving together into one hell of an ending. And the story was more complex than I had prepared myself for, with more strands and deeper meaning. And trigger warnings for substance abuse and grief most definitely apply. As heavy as the story is at times, any issues are handled sensitively (even if I wanted to cry at times) and I felt it was done in a very responsible and non-preachy way.
This is not a light, fluffy, summer read. But it is excellent and you should absolutely read it.
