REVIEW: ARC of A Thousand Perfect Notes
I received an ARC of this book for free from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G. Drews
Page Count: 300 pages
Release Date: June 7, 2018
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis:
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?
My Review: I didn't know what to expect from this book, only that I sincerely believed it would be amazing. AND IT WAS. Cait has created the most heartbreaking, ultimately hopeful story and paired it with the most cinnamon roll characters possible. The characters are the BEST part. Some I passionately hate, some I passionately loved, but I had such honest reactions to all of them because they seem so REAL. Beck was so fragile but also very strong, and I loved the PURE LOVE he had for his little firecracker of a sister, Joey. Seeing him come out of his shell with help from August, the Best Person Ever™, was one of the highlights of the book.
The writing is gorgeous, and the author is able to effortlessly portray both scenes of abuse, and scenes of witty banter. This book was both funny and completely heartbreaking, but never seemed jarring. I felt like I was watching the plot play out in real time, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!
^^^^ Me, ignoring the world and everything in it so I can finish the book in three hours All in all, if you want a contemporary that hits you in the gut with honesty and meaningfulness and emotions, pick up this book. This book is a great debut.