Beck's life is miserable. He is forced to play the piano for hours on end by his mother, a once talented pianist whose career was shattered after a stroke. She forces expectations onto Beck that he can never meet, and as a result Beck internalises his own true aspirations. But all of that changes when he befriends August. Where Beck is described as a toasted marshmallow, August is orange peels and wildflowers and sunshine and lemonade. With her in his life, Beck starts to feel a little more brave.
The descriptions of the people and the food and the music in this book were incredibly vivid. It was like I could see the characters in front of me, taste the cake they were eating and hear their music in my mind. I could feel the passion and emotion that filled these characters and the writing made everything feel dreamy and lucid all at once.
The conflict inside Beck was so intense. The piano is torture for him, but it is also his life. He refuses to be anything like his abusive mother, but music lives inside of him. There are worlds of turmoil inside these characters and Drews explores them beautifully.
With a magical writing style and tragically hopeful characters, A Thousand Perfect Notes is a powerful tale.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
★★★★★
YA Contemporary
Standalone
Blood, violence, child abuse, physical abuse, domestic abuse
I'm so glad you enjoyed this one, Helia! I totally agree with everything you mentioned in the review. Beck's inner turmoil was so painful to read because he hated the same thing that made him feel special and alive. Gosh, I wanted to protect him so much! He was just a wee thing and going through far too much in his life. I loved the uplifting ending, though, even though it was bittersweet in some ways. I can't wait to read Cait's next book!
ReplyDeleteLovely review <3
Beck was absolutely my favourite and I wanted to protect him at all costs! Cait really did an excellent job with his character and showing how he was so filled with conflict. I loved the ending too, even though it made me cry a lot. I am incredibly excited to read The Boy Who Steal Houses - I'm sure that will be stealing our hearts too!
DeleteIt sounds like you absolutely loved this book! I am so happy you were able to enjoy it and especially how the characters truly came to life and lived outside of the pages for you. I do want to read this one and it's on my wishlist. I hope you'll be able to enjoy your next read just as much.
ReplyDeleteMy recent post: https://oliviascatastrophe.com/2018/05/looking-for-dei-book-review/
I really did. All I want is for the characters in the books I read to feel alive, and A Thousand Perfect Notes did that for me. I hope you get to read it, and that your next reads will be wonderful as well! <3
DeleteI'm so excited to read this book anyway, but your review has made me even more excited! I'll hopefully be reading this very soon (I don't know how I haven't already read it!).
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it so much :)