— 5 stars —

Poignant. Intense. Heartbreaking.
This book destroyed me.

TW: child abuse, mental illness

I felt scared. I felt angry. I felt trapped, unable to escape. I felt what Beck was feeling. I cried.
And I loved every second of it.

Beck, I love you. You’re so precious and you deserve the world.
All the characters are incredible, don’t get me wrong. But Beck... He is something else. Joey is the little sister I would have loved to have (I only have little brothers, so). Beck's relationship with her is the best. I'll do anything for her, and I love it.
I would have loved to know a bit more about this little sunshine that is August, or even the Maestro and her background, how she ended up being the way she is, but that wasn't the story, so that's fine.
I still loved the book.

His relationship with music and the piano was interesting and I kept wanting more. As much as he hates this music he was forced to play, as much as he loathed it with everything he had, all I wanted to was hear him and see him play.
Play Chopin, Rachmaninoff and others. Play the piece he played at the concert hall,

when the notes left him

. Play the song he

composed for August, the same thatmade him bled, and break down, when he poured everything in his music because he felt too much

. How the emotions were described, the responses after his public performances, everything. Everything made me want to hear him play.

The end was raw and real. It made me love the book even more.