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june release

Book Review: A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G.Drews

Title: A Thousand Perfect Notes

Author: C.G.Drews

Published: June 7th, 2018

Publisher: Orchard Books

Rating: 🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

Find the Author: Goodreads 


Disclosure: I received this ARC in exchange for an impartial review. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.


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An emotionally charged story of music, abuse and, ultimately, hope.
Beck hates his life. He hates his violent mother. He hates his home. Most of all, he hates the piano that his mother forces him to play hour after hour, day after day. He will never play as she did before illness ended her career and left her bitter and broken. But Beck is too scared to stand up to his mother, and tell her his true passion, which is composing his own music – because the least suggestion of rebellion on his part ends in violence.
When Beck meets August, a girl full of life, energy and laughter, love begins to awaken within him and he glimpses a way to escape his painful existence. But dare he reach for it?

First Thoughts…

I was so freaking excited to read A Thousand Perfect Notes that I actally asked BKMRK for an ARC. I’m pretty sure I did a happy dance when they said yes! Cait has long been one of the best bloggers I know and her tweets are literally *exactly* how I’m feeling 100% of the time. She just gets it, you know? If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out her perfect tweets right here. 

My Review…

The story in itself is quite unique. Beck is this painfully beautiful character created by Cait, who pretty much hates his life. But more importantly, his evil mother. She’s violent and aggressive and makes him play the piano for hours on end until the cycle repeats, and he hates his life over and over again. His mother can no longer seek her own dreams of playing the piano, since illness has struck her career down the drain, but she was once world renowned for her talents. So the energy that she has, that passion for playing, she’s forced on her son, Beck. I truly felt for his character, having to suffer in the shadow of his mother. All he wants is to compose his own music, but even the minor mention of doing so is ended with clap-back from his mother, often violently and hurtfully. Throw in the fact that he wants to protect his younger sister from secondhand violence, and you have a reason for Beck to continue the torturous playing over again.

Beck soon meets August (can I just say, I ship these two SO MUCH, it’s insane!), a girl with this spark that follows her wherever she goes. She’s got this special kind of soul, full of smiles and love and something within her dwells perfectly with Beck. Her family needed more scenes! I truly, truly loved how their kindness was the complete opposite of Beck’s family. The more time he spends with August, the spark between them developing into a loving bond, the more he can finally see a future without his Mother’s violence ruling his life with an iron fist. The romance is slow-burn, but I mean, that slow-burn could light up fireflies. It’s so precious and just effortless.

Overall, A Thousand Perfect Notes is in a word, perfect. Everything boils down to an epic finale and it really surprised me! I didn’t see it ending in that way…or that conclusion, but it makes sense. It makes perfect sense. The musically-fueled pain reeled me in, but the healing when Beck met August kept me reading, turning the pages faster than I could blink. I was in awe at just how beautiful Cait has made these characters and made me connect on such a deep level to them, Beck especially. This beauty isn’t out until June, but ohmygosh, if you don’t read this when it’s out: you’re missing out on one perfect note of a story (couldn’t help the pun). Five cats!


Have you heard of A Thousand Perfect Notes or read it?

What did you think?

Let me know in the comments, on twitter @LittleMemoirs or on Facebook!

happy reading!
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Book Review: “Once And For All” by Sarah Dessen

Title: Once And For All

Author: Sarah Dessen

Published: June 6th, 2017

Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers 

Find the Author: Goodreads 


I bought this book myself and was not gifted in any way! As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.

As bubbly as champagne and delectable as wedding cake, Once and for All, Sarah Dessen’s thirteenth novel, is set in the world of wedding planning, where crises are routine. 


Louna, daughter of famed wedding planner Natalie Barrett, has seen every sort of wedding: on the beach, at historic mansions, in fancy hotels and clubs. Perhaps that’s why she’s cynical about happily-ever-after endings, especially since her own first love ended tragically. When Louna meets charming, happy-go-lucky serial dater Ambrose, she holds him at arm’s length. But Ambrose isn’t about to be discouraged, now that he’s met the one girl he really wants. 


Sarah Dessen’s many, many fans will adore her latest, a richly satisfying, enormously entertaining story that has everything—humour, romance, and an ending both happy and imperfect, just like life itself.

First Thoughts

Sarah Dessen is a staple author for those books that make you feel all the feels. I’ve read a few of her books before I started blogging a few years ago, and since then, collected her releases. But Once And For All just appealed more to me than anything else when I saw it in Waterstones. It just had one of those gorgeous covers and intricate, delicious sounding blurbs that I couldn’t help but fall in love with. So ultimately, I had to feature it. I finished it a few weeks ago but because of some busy IRL stuff, my blogging schedule has been all over the place. So I’m back with a bang!

Review

Let me just start by saying that this is THE novel you want on a summer vacation, cooped up on a beach somewhere or at a Lake House, absorbed in another beautiful Sarah Dessen world (or maybe to take along to a destination wedding?). I finished it in three sittings, mainly because I was busy, but I would have devoured it in one sitting if I had the time, trust me. 
Despite the happy cover, our main character Louna doesn’t have a bright and beautiful life. Her story is hard-hitting and emotional, working at a wedding planning business and keeping everyone’s special day the best day of their lives. She wants everything to go smoothly, but it doesn’t always, and the stress that she was under definitely echoes though the pages to me as a reader. Bonus; I loved Louna’s relationship with her mother and business partner. They had this chemistry all together as a dynamic and it was just so realistic, you know? Like I could honestly believe every word. 
But, enter Ambrose. He’s Louna’s love interest and the kind of boy that’s your typical bookish boyfriend material. He’s charming, suave and kindhearted through and through. After Louna’s bad relationship in the past, she’s forced to feel like she needs to distance herself from Ambrose – so they become friends instead. In fact, they begin caring for each other in ways Louna feels bittersweet about. She can’t help but remind herself he’s got female attention all the time and enjoys it, but this changes the more that they spend time together. He becomes more attentive and drops the annoying act, and they click and spark like a wildfire together. Something inside Louna tells her that she can open her heart back up to love, in many forms and ways, if she believes that she deserves a little happiness, too.
I love, love, loved Once And For All. Although at times I felt it was slow, or a tad predictable (it’s not hard to be in YA romances, though) I can’t deny that this was such a pleasantly sweet book that I fell head over heels for. Overall, you will definitely benefit from reading this! Sarah Dessen has truly outdone herself with characters, words and romance to make your heart soar with love.

Rating

Perfect For

YA romance and contemporary fans!

What do you think of Once And For All? 


Have you read it?


Let me know in the comments or on twitter @LittleMemoirs!



happy reading!

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