Sunday, April 20, 2014

Review: This Song Will Save Your Life

Author: Leila Sales
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Release: Sep 17th 2013
Source: Borrowed
Pages: 279 (hardcover)
( Amazon | Goodreads )
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.

This Song Will Save Your Life is an incredibly personal read in the sense that no other books or characters have ever reflected so much of myself in them like this one. It is a book about being an outcast who desperately tries to belong and the inexplicable process of finding one's true self. If you have ever struggled with these hurdles growing up, you will for sure see a hint of yourself in Leila Sales' breathtakingly realistic and relatable protagonist - Elise Dembowski.

Elise has been a social pariah her entire life. Even in kindergarten when kids were too small to understand, somehow they all knew that there was something strange and odd about her. No friends. Unpopular. Constantly being made fun of. Easily forgettable. These are the words that come to mind when I think of Elise. This year though, everything is going to be different, or so she thinks. When her strenuous effort at being "normal" fails miserably, Elise finds herself alone on the bathroom floor with a razor blade. She doesn't want to die. No, she just wants to be noticed and heard once in her life. But nothing ever changes. Not the world. And certainly not her.

My interest in realistic fiction has been increasing with quite the momentum lately, but what I find so irresistible about This Song Will Save Your Life is how down to earth and authentic the protagonist Elise feels to me. She has an ordinary family and loving parents. Nothing unusual or traumatic has happened to her and yet she struggles, every bit as earnest as those other characters who have suffered from abuse or rape or some other unthinkable. While those characters give me a heavy heart before I even start reading, Elise is someone I can easily visualize and slip myself into. Her struggles connect strongly to those of my own and while some of her reactions may be rash, I can totally see where she is coming from because they have certainly crossed my mind too once upon a time.

The feeling of not belonging is a shattering emotion, but invoking sympathy is not what This Song Will Save Your Life is all about. Aside from the heart-rending sadness, there is also hope. When Elise stumbled upon the mysterious night club Start, things finally took a turn for the better. For once, she is not regarded as weird or peculiar. She made friends, found her new passion, and became a fabulous DJ. It is in Start that Elise felt like being herself, immersed in music and having the crowd in the palm of her hand. We all have a "Start" in our life, though sometimes it is disguised as something other than a night club, but you know what I mean. "Start" is the moment when you realized who you are, whom you are meant to be, and what you have always intended to accomplish. "Start" is the light to your tiring journey of finding purpose in life. It gives you direction. It embodies hope. It is certainly not easy to find but it is there, quietly awaiting your discovery.

Charlotte from the Gypsy Reviews once said that This Song Will Save Your Life "is a type of book that varies on the experiences of the reader to really leave an impact on them". I cannot agree more. I saw so much of my past self in Elise and in turn it affected me more deeply than I have ever expected. I  wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone who has had or is current having similar struggles to Elise's and I hope you all find your own "Start" one way or another. 


My Rating: ★ (4 stars)

16 comments:

  1. I had been considering this book a little more lately, but now, it's not even up for debate, I need this book! I like the books that I slid myself into and be that character, no matter how painful or how distressing it may be, they leave a place in my heart, make me cry and give me such a deep feeling that I doubt what I'd have done had I not read it. Beautiful review Angel! :)

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    1. YESSS :D It always make me dance a little bit to have convinced somebody reading the book I love. I hope you enjoy it Amanda. This book has A LOT of feels :P

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  2. Wow...this sounds like this book really hit home! Even though it's heartbreaking the hope is always inspiring, isn't it. And the only way I can handle a sad book is when I know there's hope. I seriously need to get o it and read this one! :)

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    1. It sure did! I had so many connections with this book and it totally made me emotional all over. I was so happy when Elise finally found "herself" and I love it so much!!

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  3. I love books that make an impact! cannot wait to read this one!
    Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings

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    1. I hope you like it Missie! Leila Sales' narrative in this book is amazing! It's so authentic and accurate that it reminded me of myself when I was struggling with the same issue.

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  4. Awesome heartfelt review Angel, I am glad you really enjoyed it. This one hits close to home for a lot of people and I'm glad it's so relateable. I really enjoyed this book as well!

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    1. I'm glad to hear that Jeann :P It definitely made me reminisce my old days.

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  5. Okay...I think this is the only book we've had such different opinions on. I'm definitely a black sheep for this one, so it's probably just me! ;) For me personally, I loved the writing, the characters, and Elise... but I felt it was missing something huge. :( Although I am SOO glad you like this as much as you did! It's definitely a powerful book! Thanks for sharing Angel, and, as always, brilliant review! <3

    ~ Zoe @ The Infinite To-Read Shelf

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    1. Awwww :/ Noooooooo... I really liked this one, that's sad :( I think one of the major reasons why I like it so much is because how Elise's thoughts felt so similar to those of my own in the past. I struggled with the "I don't belong" issue a lot when I first came to the U.S. by myself, so I feel her in so many levels!

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  6. I have wanted to read this book for such a long time! What a great review. So good to hear how normal and understandably the MC is! I have a problem with reading contemps' with characters who have suffered some traumatic experience, because while I can sympathise, empathy is a little out of my reach (depending on how well it is written).
    Can't wait to pick this one up! Thanks Angel. (:

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    1. Exactly! I always think it's crucial for realistic fiction to be able to connect with us readers. Not just make us sad, but make us feel like as if we were the characters ourselves! Elise is someone I understand on a extremely personal level, it is super easy for me to empathize with her.

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  7. What a wonderful review! I loved this book so much and I agree that it will be different for everyone but powerful nonetheless. And that we all have our own Start :)

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    1. Thanks Nicole :) I'm so glad you enjoyed this one too! I will definitely look out for more books from Leila Sales!

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  8. lovely review! Its apparent how much this book affected you i can see the love bleeding through your words. :) Amazing
    I'll try to read this soon, hopefully ill have the same (or similar) experience as you!
    Boyanna @The Bookmaidens

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  9. This book has been sitting on my TBR for way too long. I hope to remedy that immediately.

    I nominated you for the Liebster award over at my blog: http://spraypaintedtunnels.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-liebster-20_18.html Please do the needful. :P

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