Why doesn't anybody love me as much as I love them?
Here's my response: Why can't I love this as much as I loved This Song Will Save Your Life?
Unev
Why doesn't anybody love me as much as I love them?
Here's my response: Why can't I love this as much as I loved This Song Will Save Your Life?
Uneven is how I would describe this book. I can appreciate the message behind it, and Leila Sales always manages to subvert the typical YA romance tropes (in rather unexpected ways at that). But while TSWSYL was heart-wrenching from cover to back, I finished this feeling more 'that was sooo unrealistic'.
The main character Arden is the proverbial good girl - has a good theatre-loving boyfriend, gets good grades, always supports and covers for her best friend Lindsey even if Lindsey stashes pot in Arden's locker and gets Arden into trouble. She was mostly fine, just doormat-y. The boyfriend was a fucking dickhead. Lindsey wasn't that great either. I can understand Arden's frustration and eventual willingness to ditch those she loves to find some random blogger guy in New York City.
Actually... can I?
When she becomes hooked on Peter's blog, Tonight the Streets Are Ours, she ends up driving hours from her town to find him. It really didn't help that this doesn't happen till more than halfway through the novel, and that part turns out to be the more interesting half.
(I also just wound up thinking that nooooo way a girl would do that with only her best friend. Girl, you gonna be chopped into pieces by a serial killer. Especially when your car dies on the road.)
The whole premise of Arden and Peter's relationship never felt real to me, though. It seemed like a convenient plot device to teach Arden (and us readers) important life lessons. The way it turned out was extremely interesting - I just didn't get Peter's manic pixie dream boy appeal.
The writing style was pretty choppy too, fluctuating from third person conversational to narrative to limited. Didn't help me get into the story at all.
I'm just very torn about this in general. I like elements of it. I just didn't connect with the whole novel on a visceral level.
If you haven't already, read This Song Will Save Your Life. Trust me, that is a better gauge of what Leila Sales can do....more