Review : This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : This Song Will Save Your Life
Author : Leila Sales
Publication Date : September 17th 2013
Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Girroux
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Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.

Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.

Personal Thoughts

This Song Will Save Your Life is that book that everyone who has read it has loved. There was no way I could lower my expectations when diving into the book.While I initially had trouble connecting with the protagonist, I ended up enjoying the book as much as everyone else.

As soon as we step into This Song Will Save Your Life, we are introduced to Elise, the protagonist, who has never had any friends and is trying hard to find some for herself. Leila Sales did a remarkable job at portraying Elise's depth and personality through her beautiful words. Elise's voice came out as authentic, strong and it spoke to me, which happens only on rare occasions. When we meet Elise, she's broken from the inside. All Elise wanted was to have someone to call her friend and she would go to lengths to try to find some, like getting make-overs. Sympathizing with Elise was so easy because her loneliness, heartache and her anguish really transpired from the pages and words of This Song Will Save Your Life. There were times though when Elise made me wonder if she herself might be at fault for not having friends. For example, Elise sat during lunch hour with two girls from school, and all she did when she was with them was constantly judge them for their topic of conversations. That bothered me a little, because it was clear that these two girls were attempting to get her into their little group and she never saw how big-hearted they were. On those occasions, Elise grated on my nerves. It's like she needed specific people to be friends with her and when they didn't want to, she would be upset. Because of that, I was quite conflicted with Elise's character. However, I did appreciate the growth she underwent throughout the book, discovering her true self and learning to love the person she was in the bottom of her heart.

This Song Will Save Your Life had an eclectic and interesting cast of secondary characters that made this book lively. I loved how these characters weren't one dimensional and how each one had a crucial role in Elise's growth as an individual. Plus, these were realistic characters who had both strengths and flaws that were illustrated throughout the book. My favorite character was for sure, Vicky. I really liked her quirky personality and how confident she was. It also helped that she gave great advice to Elise. There was also a romance in the book although I don't think I should be calling it a romance. Char and Elise had more of a physical attraction to each other and it was clear that they were never emotionally involved. It wasn't a HEA kind of romance and I was pleased with that because it fit the genuineness of This Song Will Save Your Life. The writing was my favorite part of This Song Will Save Your Life. Leila Sales writes gorgeously. She really made me feel all the emotions coming through the pages and her prose flowed smoothly and beautifully. I loved how she showed Elise's growth from this quiet girl to a fiery spirit through her love for DJing. There was a scene in the book where Elise learned to DJ from Char that I adored. Despite me having some issues with Elise, I found myself being completely immersed in Leila Sales' writing.

This Song Will Save Your Life is a YA contemporary novel that possesses profoundness and depth. It's a book that's worth the read because Leila Sales' writing will make your feel with her realistic portrayal of teenagers and their emotions, leaving you completely satisfied at the end by the outcome of the plot-line. This Song Will Save Your Life is most definitely a book that needs to be read by teenagers and adults alike.


Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the e-ARC of This Song Will Save Your Life.