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genieinanovel's Reviews (752)
I will forever be a fan of the good, never-gets-in-trouble girl falling for the outcast, troublesome boy. I know it’s a major cliché, but when it’s done right, you can’t help but love it. That’s what drew me into this book (along with the cover).
I felt for both characters. Anna was too sheltered by her parents to the point where they didn’t even want her dating, especially anyone like Weston. In fact, they’re not even happy about the two being paired up for their band duet. So when Anna and Weston begin to have feelings for one another, they have to keep it secret – which Anna hates, but knows she would never in a million years be allowed to date him publicly. I just felt so bad that she had to hide away so much of herself from her parents – not just liking Weston – but even her “shadows,” as she called her anxious thoughts.
Weston was a lovable character and I hated that he got so much crap from the entire Enfield community. He made some mistakes in his past, but everyone does, yet he got ripped apart for his. He knew how the community felt about him, and when he realizes he likes Anna, he tries to keep away from her. In fact, he even tries to discourage her from doing the duet with him. The two of them together were honestly perfect in my opinion, and I even enjoyed Weston’s friends – especially with them teasing Weston about liking Anna before he admitted it.
What I didn’t care much for in this book was the band information, only because I was never a band student and a lot of the information just went over my head. I do appreciate music, and wish I had seriously taken up an instrument as a child/teen, so I didn’t hate the band stuff… I just didn’t get it. What I really didn’t like was how judgmental Anna’s parents were, especially toward Weston. Sure, they came around and gave him a chance, but as adults they should’ve known that rumors are only rumors until proven true.
I will not give anything away, though you can probably assume from the book synopsis that something happens, and I spent the entire book waiting for it to happen. I honestly don’t think it was necessary and it was unfair to the characters, but obviously the author thought differently. I have to respect that, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Overall, this was a good read. It was quick, cute, and heartbreaking – in other words, a must-read for YA romance lovers… and probably band/music lovers too.
I felt for both characters. Anna was too sheltered by her parents to the point where they didn’t even want her dating, especially anyone like Weston. In fact, they’re not even happy about the two being paired up for their band duet. So when Anna and Weston begin to have feelings for one another, they have to keep it secret – which Anna hates, but knows she would never in a million years be allowed to date him publicly. I just felt so bad that she had to hide away so much of herself from her parents – not just liking Weston – but even her “shadows,” as she called her anxious thoughts.
Weston was a lovable character and I hated that he got so much crap from the entire Enfield community. He made some mistakes in his past, but everyone does, yet he got ripped apart for his. He knew how the community felt about him, and when he realizes he likes Anna, he tries to keep away from her. In fact, he even tries to discourage her from doing the duet with him. The two of them together were honestly perfect in my opinion, and I even enjoyed Weston’s friends – especially with them teasing Weston about liking Anna before he admitted it.
What I didn’t care much for in this book was the band information, only because I was never a band student and a lot of the information just went over my head. I do appreciate music, and wish I had seriously taken up an instrument as a child/teen, so I didn’t hate the band stuff… I just didn’t get it. What I really didn’t like was how judgmental Anna’s parents were, especially toward Weston. Sure, they came around and gave him a chance, but as adults they should’ve known that rumors are only rumors until proven true.
I will not give anything away, though you can probably assume from the book synopsis that something happens, and I spent the entire book waiting for it to happen. I honestly don’t think it was necessary and it was unfair to the characters, but obviously the author thought differently. I have to respect that, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Overall, this was a good read. It was quick, cute, and heartbreaking – in other words, a must-read for YA romance lovers… and probably band/music lovers too.
The premise of this book drew me in, and the ease of the narration was what kept me going. I’d say I enjoyed the first third or so of the book, as it was telling of how Natalie was dealing with her parents’ divorce while also trying to make changes in her own life to be more social. Her decision for being more social stemmed from her two best friends being a couple and her not wanting to be an awkward third-wheel all of the time.
However, as the book went on, the main character, Natalie, got to be a bit too much for me. It got to a point where she was always finding a way to bring up and complain about her bad skin/acne and how she felt no one would ever love her because of it. I get that she was meant to have bad self-esteem, but I think it was taken a bit to the extreme here.
She was also very vindictive about her parents divorcing and moving on with their love-lives. I totally am on Natalie’s side that her parents shouldn’t have waited ten months to tell her that they were separating/divorcing, but once they were, Natalie was such a brat about it in my opinion. Then again, it might’ve just been about them lying to her that caused her to act that way about it.
Now, onto the love interest. In a way, I was rooting for the Natalie/Alex pairing (mainly because Alex is her best friend, Zach’s, older brother), but when I step back and think about it, it seemed like it was too sudden of a thing. I mean, they have a moment at a party and then kiss when they’re all away with Zach’s family for the holiday… but before all that, there was no mention of any earlier attraction to Alex. In fact, Natalie was a little more attracted to Alex’s friend, Owen, who invited her to the party in the first place. Her attraction to Alex came out of nowhere and seemed more like a convenient plot device than character development.
I think that’s what bugged me the most with this book. There just wasn’t any real character development for Natalie… and I always like that better than plot. Natalie was just a very immature character for an eighteen year old and didn’t seem like she even wanted to change herself at all.
I will say that I did like Alex as a character, and had there been maybe a hint of Natalie pining for him prior to the story, I would’ve liked their relationship a little more. Alex was mature for being only nineteen, and was just very sweet, as well as honest. He felt some shame for his past with his ex, and didn’t try to hide it – he was open about it and took responsibility for being an idiot. Maybe if his side of the story had been told along with Natalie’s, I would’ve enjoyed this more.
So, I’m just going to stop here because I don’t want to keep putting down the book. I mean, I’m mainly putting down the main character, but… you know. Same thing and all, I suppose. I just had high hopes for this book and it didn’t live up to those expectations.
However, as the book went on, the main character, Natalie, got to be a bit too much for me. It got to a point where she was always finding a way to bring up and complain about her bad skin/acne and how she felt no one would ever love her because of it. I get that she was meant to have bad self-esteem, but I think it was taken a bit to the extreme here.
She was also very vindictive about her parents divorcing and moving on with their love-lives. I totally am on Natalie’s side that her parents shouldn’t have waited ten months to tell her that they were separating/divorcing, but once they were, Natalie was such a brat about it in my opinion. Then again, it might’ve just been about them lying to her that caused her to act that way about it.
Now, onto the love interest. In a way, I was rooting for the Natalie/Alex pairing (mainly because Alex is her best friend, Zach’s, older brother), but when I step back and think about it, it seemed like it was too sudden of a thing. I mean, they have a moment at a party and then kiss when they’re all away with Zach’s family for the holiday… but before all that, there was no mention of any earlier attraction to Alex. In fact, Natalie was a little more attracted to Alex’s friend, Owen, who invited her to the party in the first place. Her attraction to Alex came out of nowhere and seemed more like a convenient plot device than character development.
I think that’s what bugged me the most with this book. There just wasn’t any real character development for Natalie… and I always like that better than plot. Natalie was just a very immature character for an eighteen year old and didn’t seem like she even wanted to change herself at all.
I will say that I did like Alex as a character, and had there been maybe a hint of Natalie pining for him prior to the story, I would’ve liked their relationship a little more. Alex was mature for being only nineteen, and was just very sweet, as well as honest. He felt some shame for his past with his ex, and didn’t try to hide it – he was open about it and took responsibility for being an idiot. Maybe if his side of the story had been told along with Natalie’s, I would’ve enjoyed this more.
So, I’m just going to stop here because I don’t want to keep putting down the book. I mean, I’m mainly putting down the main character, but… you know. Same thing and all, I suppose. I just had high hopes for this book and it didn’t live up to those expectations.
The enemies-to-lovers trope is easily one of my favorites because I love that tension between two characters who can’t stand one another, but can’t imagine life without each other. I mean, that should be the dead giveaway, right? If the thought of that person no longer being in your life hurts you, then you know you actually like them (or are in love with them).
This is the case for Natalie and Reid, who have been at each other’s throats since childhood clarinet lessons with Natalie’s father. Even years after Natalie quit playing the clarinet, she and Reid still have their prank wars once in a while. So when all the arts clubs, aside from band, get cut from school funding, their prank war goes too far and they end up having to co-direct a school musical that’s to be performed to save the arts programs.
I loved both Natalie and Reid as characters. Their banter was perfection as well as the slow-burn romance between them. Reid is the first to show some vulnerability toward Natalie when he begins composing for the musical (which is converted from a play she wrote with her best friend, Henry), and this shows Natalie that Reid isn’t necessarily as arrogant about music as she thinks he is. Natalie, on the other hand, realizes her resentment toward Reid is stemmed from the fact that her dad seems to favor him and the band over her. At times it seems like she’s just playing the victim, but I can also see where she’s coming from. Honestly, both of them could be immature at times, but that’s just natural for teenagers (and hell, even some adults are immature at times in a not-so-good way).
The other characters in this story were all fantastic as well. It was a diverse cast of characters, but the ones I really liked were Natalie’s best friends, Fitz and Henry, and Natalie and Reid’s younger sisters. I especially loved the interactions with all these characters. They had great chemistry, banter, and weren’t afraid to call each other out on their bull-crap. As far as the sibling relationships go, not only were Natalie and Reid good with their own sisters, but each others’.
Despite not being involved in theatre or band growing up, I really enjoyed those aspects of these characters’ backgrounds, and how they were put together with other arts programs to save their funding. I thought it was a great emphasis on how arts programs really are suffering in schools, when in fact, they’re just as important as the general education courses. I think it’s also great that this author included Jewish representation and discussed the issue of casual antisemitism.
There was just a lot to love about this book, and I think I would’ve loved it more if I hadn’t been struggling through a reading (well, more like “life”) slump while reading this. At least I never wanted to give up on it, as I normally do in slumps. So it’s one I obviously recommend, especially if you love theatre, band, and musicals.
This is the case for Natalie and Reid, who have been at each other’s throats since childhood clarinet lessons with Natalie’s father. Even years after Natalie quit playing the clarinet, she and Reid still have their prank wars once in a while. So when all the arts clubs, aside from band, get cut from school funding, their prank war goes too far and they end up having to co-direct a school musical that’s to be performed to save the arts programs.
I loved both Natalie and Reid as characters. Their banter was perfection as well as the slow-burn romance between them. Reid is the first to show some vulnerability toward Natalie when he begins composing for the musical (which is converted from a play she wrote with her best friend, Henry), and this shows Natalie that Reid isn’t necessarily as arrogant about music as she thinks he is. Natalie, on the other hand, realizes her resentment toward Reid is stemmed from the fact that her dad seems to favor him and the band over her. At times it seems like she’s just playing the victim, but I can also see where she’s coming from. Honestly, both of them could be immature at times, but that’s just natural for teenagers (and hell, even some adults are immature at times in a not-so-good way).
The other characters in this story were all fantastic as well. It was a diverse cast of characters, but the ones I really liked were Natalie’s best friends, Fitz and Henry, and Natalie and Reid’s younger sisters. I especially loved the interactions with all these characters. They had great chemistry, banter, and weren’t afraid to call each other out on their bull-crap. As far as the sibling relationships go, not only were Natalie and Reid good with their own sisters, but each others’.
Despite not being involved in theatre or band growing up, I really enjoyed those aspects of these characters’ backgrounds, and how they were put together with other arts programs to save their funding. I thought it was a great emphasis on how arts programs really are suffering in schools, when in fact, they’re just as important as the general education courses. I think it’s also great that this author included Jewish representation and discussed the issue of casual antisemitism.
There was just a lot to love about this book, and I think I would’ve loved it more if I hadn’t been struggling through a reading (well, more like “life”) slump while reading this. At least I never wanted to give up on it, as I normally do in slumps. So it’s one I obviously recommend, especially if you love theatre, band, and musicals.