*A Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this. This is my honest and unbiased review*

This book is so much more than a coming of age young adult book, and explores so many themes that I'm surprised they all fit into this book. I wish I read this book as a teenager or at least very early adulthood but since I am much older than the target audience it didn't make as big as an impact as it should. This does not mean that the book is bad, quite the opposite actually.

Gilbert has a magical way of making you feel everything that Beth (the main character) is feeling from the very beginning which sucks you in. Considering the contents of the book and being so invested in the emotions of Beth will make some parts very hard to read and get through for some readers. They were times however that I found Beth to be a bit irritating, not sure if that was the adult in me but certain actions or times (especially around her mother) which made me want to reach in a pull her out to explain that she should stop.

I had remind myself multiple times that Beth is just a teenager and combined with her neglectful father, picking a college, and being faced with what's going on in Jason's life, this is a very tumultuous time in her life. She is not always going to make the most logical decisions and what may seems obvious to us won't be for a teenage girl who has no reason to rely on anyone but her friends.

Overall, this is a very powerful book ( )

*A Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this. This is my honest and unbiased review*

This book is so much more than a coming of age young adult book, and explores so many themes that I'm surprised they all fit into this book. I wish I read this book as a teenager or at least very early adulthood but since I am much older than the target audience it didn't make as big as an impact as it should. This does not mean that the book is bad, quite the opposite actually.

Gilbert has a magical way of making you feel everything that Beth (the main character) is feeling from the very beginning which sucks you in. Considering the contents of the book and being so invested in the emotions of Beth will make some parts very hard to read and get through for some readers. They were times however that I found Beth to be a bit irritating, not sure if that was the adult in me but certain actions or times (especially around her mother) which made me want to reach in a pull her out to explain that she should stop.

I had remind myself multiple times that Beth is just a teenager and combined with her neglectful father, picking a college, and being faced with what's going on in Jason's life, this is a very tumultuous time in her life. She is not always going to make the most logical decisions and what may seems obvious to us won't be for a teenage girl who has no reason to rely on anyone but her friends.

Overall, this is a very powerful book ( )

As mentioned in the 'resources' section at the end of this book, the story contains many sensitive topics; suicide, mental health, abuse, racism, and microaggression. Hopefully, that won't scare off a potential reader because although it does address all of those hot topics, it does so in a beautiful way. There are many many references to music; the joy of playing in a group, the spirituality of what playing a piece can do to an individual, the importance of discovering and experiencing something that becomes an integral part of who you are, like playing was for Beth... and this is what really made the book enjoyable for me. This is one of those books where my review is so clunky and inadequate that I'm almost tempted to not even try. I can't properly express the beautiful sadness, the heartbreak and joy contained in the words, nor can I properly detail the skill of the author. It is exquisitely written and easily relatable if you have music in your blood, and even if you don't, you'll appreciate the story.
Obviously, due to the mature content, I do recommend it for older teens (high school and up). ( )