Janelle Milanes

Something of a hidden gem, when it comes to contemporary young adult I haven’t heard this one talked about nearly as much as it deserves.

Analee’s body image issues, her social anxieties and introversion, her anger and her heart, just really everything about this heroine felt real and relatable, there were plenty of times where it very much echoed how I felt in school (and sometimes now, too).

Analee has two romantic possibilities, I guess it technically qualifies as a triangle though to show more be clear one emerges far more as a romance than the other and I really enjoyed that romance, the sparks, the sweetness, and the way things were pretty open and honest between them.

Most of all, I loved the family aspect of this one, Analee still working through the grief of losing her mother, the distance she feels with her dad, the arc of her relationship with her potential step-mom and step-sister, all of it really delivered emotionally.

Something occurred towards the end that I didn’t love, it’s not like it felt like a false note, it just wasn’t how I wanted things to go, so I was a tiny bit disappointed in that but overall extremely satisfied with how everything else concluded. show less

Analee has lost a lot recently - her mom, her best friend and even her dad in a sense as he gets ready to marry a life-style guru. She just doesn't seem to fit. She is most comfortable online playing a game and chatting with Harris.
When Seb, the school heartthrob, becomes her biology partner the two concoct a plan to get back the things each of them want most. A friendship develops.
Analee has a strong inner life. She can wallow in self-pity at times.
The book doesn't settle for the show more predictable, happy ending. Analee is challenged, grows, discovers herself. show less

3.5 stars

I love books with music. I find that they’re
always fun and guarantee a good time. This one is no different. We follow shy girl Victoria Cruz as she combats the monotony of her daily life by joining a band. We see Victoria’s personality and get to rock out along side her.

Things I Liked:
Victoria is a really relatable character. She’s bored with the monotony of her life and starts to want more, hence the band. She feels pressured by her family to get into a great school because show more that’s what they want for her. She experiences many firsts - boyfriend, kiss, detention - and we’re along for the ride. She is so very human. She makes mistakes and has regrets, but she also wants more but feels stuck.

I LOVED the music in the story. The band aspect was fun and really helped Victoria come out of her shell. Even beyond that she has a love for music that was great to see. I also loved that the chapter titles were songs. It created an instant playlist for the book - something I’m sure Victoria would love!

Things I Didn’t Like:
While I did think Victoria was a relatable character, she was also a little unlikeable to me too. Basically I had mixed feelings about her. She was immature at times and a little over the top with the teen angst. She is also a little self-involved, which I guess is a pretty typical teenager response to life, but it did make me like her a little less.

I wanted more at the end of the story. I was left feeling a bit unsatisfied. I wanted to know what was going to happen with the band moving forward - now that Victoria has went after what she really wants; what is she going to do about college; and is she going to be more open with her parents? I would have liked to get a few more answers before the story closed.

This was a fun book that was a breeze to get through. I loved exploring Victoria’s firsts alongside her, even though she was frustrating at times, and the music was a highlight for sure. I’m happy that I liked the book enough to want more, and I think this is a fantastic debut from Janelle Milanes

I received a copy of the book from Simon Pulse via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. show less