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

Summary from Goodreads:

An emotionally charged story about the power of dreams, and how passion can turn to obsession.

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?


Thrilling and powerfully written, this is an explosive debut for YA readers which tackles the dark topic of domestic abuse in an ultimately hopeful tale.

Review:



What I Liked:

I went into this blind, buying the book because of the stunning cover. I also follow the author's blog and goodreads and love her humor so it was an auto buy for me! :D And it was smart choice because I loved and wanted more when it ended. 

Writing Style. I don't remember the last time I highlighted so many quotes! But I connected right away to the lyrical writing style. I flew through this book, with tears in my eyes because of the beautiful writing. 

Characters. It was refreshing to read a book from a single point of view (I've been reading a lot of fantasy). The abuse was hard to read but I would Beck to be a realistic and interesting character. Also, August was the cake in human form, I loved her.

Plot/Music. The plot was darker than I expected so I recommend reading it when you are not emotional (I might have started crying at only 10% in). It deals with the topic of abuse in a realistic way. I loved how the author incorporated music into the plot and how she described Beck composing it. I have negative music ability but it was interesting to read about it and the heavy focus on musical ability with Beck's domineering mother. 

I recommend checking out this great debut young adult novel for the stunning writing and characters. 

Rating:

5 Stars Out of 5 Stars