A DJ Saved My Life Tonight

 

Expected Publication:  September 17th, 2013

This Song Will Save Your Life

By: Leila Sales

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (BYR)

ISBN-13:  9780374351380

 

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.

 

Review

 

     I got this book as part of a tour site I'm a member on and we get five passes per year.  I almost used a pass towards reviewing this one, just because of the sheer personal pain that reading it brought me.  As someone who was bullied from grades 1-8 and spent the rest of my teenage years in awkward, shy distrust (and a few of my adult ones too), this was very difficult.  When I was reading Elise it was like looking in a mirror.  A little kid doesn't realize that they're doing something 'wrong' by being different - until other people start pointing it out and mistreating them for it.  I was lucky enough that when I reached high school the bullying ended and I found a measure of piece.  I also never got quite far enough to attempt suicide, but I did consider it many a time when I'd come home crying and heartbroken that no one liked me. 

 

 

 Me as a Zombie Princess in 5th Grade, LONG before it was cool.

 

     Elise wears all the wrong clothing.  She listens to all the wrong music.  And for the life of her, she can't figure out why everyone seems to hate her so much.  So this year, Elise is going to try something completely different.  She's going to buy clothes like everyone else wears, stop being the first with an answer in class and most of all Elise is going to be anyone but herself.  When even that doesn't work, Elise tries to kill herself.  Even that doesn't turn out how she though she wanted it to.  So when walking one night Elise stumbles on party girl Pippa and her musician friend Vicki, headed for the hottest underground party around.  Elise goes with them to Start and it changes her life.  Connecting with hot DJ Char, she starts to learn how to DJ as well and finds something she's truly passionate about.  But having friends for the first time in her life, and the complications they bring with them, Elise's entire life is turned upside down.  With the bullying at school intensifying and things at home blowing up as well, can Elise figure out what the right thing is?  And can she manage to figure out who she is in the process?

     I think that Elise was a startlingly realistic character.  That didn't always mean that she was the best person or the most interesting one in the room, but it meant that I cringed when she was treated like dirt.  I felt bad for her, even when she did stupid things like try to commit suicide and destroyed her little sister's school project (to try and get her to be normal like everyone else).  And as someone who's been there, it's difficult to feel like you're from a different planet than everyone else.  Romance was not a large factor in this book, but Elise did get into a quasi-relationship with Char (the hot, college-aged DJ who mentors her at first).  He turned out to be someone different than she though, acting like a womanizing douchebag most of the time.  But I think the dynamic between them and Char's twisted relationship with Pippa, a messed up British girl, help Elise realize that not everything's always what it seems.  Other people have problems too, they can just be better at hiding them. 

     Vicki's acceptance of Elise and her refusal to be shut out by her was awesome.  Not to mention Mel the doorman, who is just downright awesome.  I did like that Elise's parents were involved in her life, but agree with some other readers that they were somewhat clueless.  Sometimes parents just don't get bullying and how devastating it can be.  The resolution with the kids at her school was realistic as well.  Elise's attitude towards other people and her snobbery when it came to music was just downright mean at times though.  And the way she treats two gossipy, fellow unpopular girls from school who actually make an attempt to be her friend is rude and condescending.  That was the only thing that bugged me really in this book as an annoyance factor - Elise acting like she thought she was better than everyone (but feeling so lost without their approval).  Overall it was an intense read and I highly recommend it as a realistic look at bullying, especially for teachers and parents who feel like they just don't get it.  For former victims of bullying and those who might have had a suicide attempt, WARNING.  THIS BOOK CONTAINS TRIGGERS.

 

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

 

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book's expected publication is September 17th, 2013.*



Lemonade Mouth Puckers Up

Published: November 13th, 2012

Lemonade Mouth Puckers Up (Lemonade Mouth # 2)

By: Mark Peter Hughes

Random House Children's Books

ISBN-13: 9780385737128

Olivia, Wen, Stella, Charlie, and Mo—the members of the legendary band Lemonade Mouth—have been labeled many things. But just how did this little group of misunderstood outcasts end up rocketing from high school nobodies to household names?

In their own words, the band tells the story of the momentous summer when an overworked music promoter, an unwanted visitor from India, and an unexpected reappearance by a figure from Olivia’s past shook their world and launched them on their roller-coaster ride to destiny. There are plenty of false rumors out there, but this is the real story, the continuation of the official history of Rhode Island’s most influential band. Lemonade Mouth is going worldwide and taking no prisoners. The outcome will be nothing short of revolutionary.

Review

     Lemonade Mouth is still riding on the high of what happened at Catch a RI-ZING Star when they start their summer vacation.  They are recording new music and their friendship is stronger than ever.  So of course things immediately start to go wrong.  Wen's Dad quits his job to start a hot dog food truck business and enlists Wen to be a dancing hot dog on street corners - unpaid.  Olivia is contacted by the Mom who abandoned her when she was just a toddler.  Mo's parents force her to be friends with Rajeev, the Indian teenage son of their college friends who is staying with them for the summer, with the obvious hopes of an eventual arranged marriage and Charlie is going through a philosophy crisis.  Oh yeah, and Stella just might be falling in love!  Life is never boring for the band, especially when a famous music producer named Earl Decker reaches out to them and they sign a contract with his record company.  But when the music and the things they believe in begin to fade into the background in favor of corporate greed, it's time for Lemonade Mouth to take a stand again.  Even if it means that they lose their chance at the big time.

     I was hesitant at reading a sequel for a book that I felt didn't really need one.  I was afraid that it was just scheme to make more money, based on the popularity of the Disney Channel movie from the first book.  But once I started, I couldn't put it down!  It is once again started off by Naomi Fishmeier, aspiring reporter and friend to the band, who is assembling the real story of their rise to fame.  It is also in the POV of every member of Lemonade Mouth, with a few other POVs thrown in like some of the parents, Naomi, Larry, a limo driver, and some other contestants on a reality show that they audition for.  I feel like it managed to capture the somewhat magical quality of the first book, but also with some serious realism thrown in.  I especially loved the crack that Olivia makes about like not being a Disney movie when Charlie asks where all the cool clothes and the money went to.  It made me laugh so hard.  The addition of Rajeev was a good one and I liked the tension/balance he provided to the group.  And the pros and cons of being indebted to a corporate mind by contract were definitely represented, especially in the ad campaign that eventually makes them break the contract and quit.  I loved the interactions with Sista Slash, the resolution of Olivia and Wen about whether or not they're dating, and Ray's secret soft spot for animals.  The characters matured a lot through the novel and by the end they had each changed for the better.  The ending was perfect and left the way open for it to really be the end OR for there to be another book, which I think would be perfectly okay with me.  Overall, fans of the original might really like it if they can get past the fact that it came on the heels of the Disney movie.  It is not at all related to it! :)

VERDICT:  4.5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published November 13th, 2012.*

Dear Book, You Smashed My Heart to Pieces

Expected Publication: March 5th, 2013
Eleanor & Park
By: Rainbow Rowell
St. Martin's Press
ISBN-13: 9781250012579

"Bono met his wife in high school," Park says.
"So did Jerry Lee Lewis," Eleanor answers.
"I’m not kidding," he says.
"You should be," she says, "we’re sixteen."
"What about Romeo and Juliet?"
"Shallow, confused, then dead."
''I love you," Park says.
"Wherefore art thou," Eleanor answers.
"I’m not kidding," he says.
"You should be."

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

Review

     Eleanor has just moved back in with her Mom and siblings after being kicked out by her Step-Dad a year ago for refusing to bow down to his authority - or his abuse and volatile moods.  She's got crazy red, curly hair, wears ill-fitting thrift store clothes and is overweight.  Park is just trying to stay unnoticed, which he's managing although it's not easy when you're half Korean and half White.  When Eleanor starts riding the same bus as Park and the other kids immediately begin to bully and reject her, he reluctantly lets her sit next to him.  At first they don't talk or even acknowledge each other.  Then she begins to read his comic books over his shoulder and he waits for her to turn the pages.  Park starts talking about music with her and making her mix tapes, giving her batteries for her un-used walkman at home.  It isn't long before they're defying the odds and starting to have romantic feelings for each other.  But with Eleanor's abusive Step-Dad always in the background waiting to strike and Park's disapproving Mom, will they be able to make things work?  And when Eleanor is forced to leave hom yet again and go live with her Uncle out of state, will they be torn apart for good? 

     I absolutely loved this book.  Those are the only words that I have for it, even if they aren't quite the right ones.  Eleanor's home situation was something that hit really close to home for me.  I grew up as the poor kid in class, rejected and bullied by my classmates for being different.  Luckily, while my Dad was a verbally abusive alcoholic, he wasn't physically abusive.  But I do know what it feels like to be afraid to go home and to have no one at school to turn to.  Park's life is normal and happy for the most part, but he's struggling with identity issues and the idea that his Dad doesn't understand him, or love him as much as his brother, Josh. 

     I felt like the gradual build-up of the relationship was very believeable.  Eleanor's prickly personality and relctance to accept help or 'charity' was very real to me.  It's all about pride, when you really have nothing else left.  Whereas in most books I read gushy romance rubs me the wrong way, I felt like Eleanor and Park were both so innocent and sheltered, that it rang true to me.  She was old in other ways, but romance was strange and new to her.  There was always a hint of cynicism that kept the "I-can't-live-without-yous" from getting to sickly sweet and unpalatable.  The ending and the way their relationship sort of dies and gets pushed away because of the distance really smashed me to pieces as a reader.  But it was so true that I couldn't help but nod my head and sigh in understanding.  I think this might be one of the best books I've read this year and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good, realistic teen romance, but doesn't mind some heartbreak along with it.

VERDICT:  5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is March 5th, 2013.*