Review: THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE by Leila Sales

Title: THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE
Author: Leila Sales
Published: September 17th, 2013
Series: N/A
Genre: YA contemporary
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR
POV: 1st person, past tense
Pages: 288
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher / Publicist
Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf

"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, Leila Sales' THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together."

Elise Dembowski is that girl – the girl that doesn't fit in no matter how hard she tries, who exists along the outskirts of her high school hierarchy, the girl others notice only when they're harassing her, and the girl who is completely and utterly lost in her own life. I don't know about you, but when I younger, I was sometimes that girl. So, it was easy for me to sink into this story and let Elise's words and newly discovered musical life wash over me. From high school annoyances to DJing in the hottest underground club in the world¹, you'll likely find yourself up late at night, still reading THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE, and loving every second of it. This was my first Leila Sales novel, and it definitely will not be my last.

Highlights: Sales brings Elise Dembowski to life and makes her a genuine protagonist that readers will love to root for. This story is about more than suicide² – it's about family, friendship, music, dancing like a total fool, finding yourself, and figuring out your place in life. Characters were a definite highlight, especially Vicky and Mel. The DJ aspect was very cool, and Elise's song preferences gave me more music to check out. I enjoyed how the romance aspect didn't pretend to be more than it actually was - there's attraction, but not love. 

Lowlights: It's hard to say what kept me from falling head-over-heels for this book. Maybe her parents lack of attention? I mean, really. She's sneaking out every Thursday night and NOBODY notices?

Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf. THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is fantastic, worth owning, and has earned a spot in the royal library. I enjoyed this story very much, and would recommend this book to other readers.

1 Unless you're Pippa, in which case, Start is not the hottest underground nightclub in the world. Also, why can't my city have the hottest underground nightclub?! I want to dance! *sighs*

2 The suicide aspect of this story is very small, actually.

Top Ten Books At The Top Of My Summer TBR List

SUMMER TBR – REVIEW BOOKS
1.   STARRY NIGHTS by Daisy Whitney
2.   THE BITTER KINGDOM by Rae Carson
3.   THE BONE SEASON by Samantha Shannon
4.   WHERE THE STARS STILL SHINE by Trish Doller
5.   THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE by Leila Sales

SUMMER TBR – PLEASURE READS
6.   IN HONOR by Jessi Kirby
7.   SLICE OF CHERRY by Dia Reeves
8.   FROI OF THE EXILES by Melina Marchetta
9.   THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS by Sarah Ockler
10.   DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT by Laini Taylor

Now, I just have to decide what to read first. That will be challenging....if you want to participate in this meme, visit The Broke and The Bookish for more information!

What's at the top of your summer TBR list?

The Queen's Library (33)

This week was amazing, and not just because of the books. First, I attended an incredible book signing on Sunday that featured six fantastic authors.  

Then, I found out on Monday that I received four A's for this past college semester - my first ever 4.0 GPA! I could hardly believe it, especially since two of those were from senior-level classes that made me work for those grades. I've been a crazy-happy mess all week!

Finally, I changed the design for YA Book Queen. Changed, as in, I gave it a clean slate. It's not flashy, but I'm happy to see YA Book Queen looking less cluttered. I deleted most of the items in my sidebar, moved a few around, and changed my social media icons (thank you Lori, for the free & fabulous options). I'm attempting to find / make a decent background, but in the meantime, I'll likely keep changing it to different colors. Although, I'm pretty sure I screwed up coding somewhere, because I don't seem to be capable of using bullet points without it looking like a mess...but that's what I get for messing with HTML myself! I'll have to put "professional blog design" on my Christmas list!

Now, onto the books! 

GIFTED FROM FAMILY
IN HONOR by Jessi Kirby (autographed to me)
LET THE SKY FALL by Shannon Messenger (autographed to me)
THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS by Sarah Ockler (autographed to me)

FOR REVIEW
NOT A DROP TO DRINK by Mindy McGinnis (via Edelweiss)
THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE by Leila Sales (via the fabulous Ksenia)

PURCHASED
JANE by April Lindner ($3.60 at Amazon!)

I also got my copies of THE BODY FINDER, THE DESIRES OF THE DEAD, MOONGLASS, and all of Sarah Ockler's books autographed. I still can't believe I got to meet the authors! Many thanks to my family for the books, to Ksenia + Macmillan for TSWSYL, and to Edelweiss and HarperCollins for NaDtD!

What books did you get this week? 

The feature is inspired by Pop Culture Junkie's This Week In Books, The Story Siren's In My Mailbox, and Mailbox Monday. The Queen's Library is a way for me to feature books that I add to my bookshelves and a place to post my weekly recommendations. This is not a new meme, but merely an adjusted feature that is better suited to my blog and needs.

In My Mailbox 41

IMM is hosted by The Story Siren, inspired by Pop Culture Junkie

Books from November and from December so far, because it's been awhile since I've done an IMM post! 

For Review (accepted for review and randomly showed up):

• Sinful by Sara Dailey and Staci Weber
• Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton (Yay!!)
• Butterfly by Sonya Hartnett (two copies)
• Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences by Brian Yansky (two copies)
• The 10 p.m. Question by Kate de Goldi (two copies)
• The Anti-Prom by Abby McDonald
• Sister Mischief by Laura Goode (two copies)

Bought: 

• Ruined by Simone Elkeles ("How to Ruin" trilogy - I couldn't resist buying it after sneaking a peak at the first chapter)
• Vanished by Meg Cabot (first two books in the 1-800-Where-R-U series)
• The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray (with Buzz Bucks - loved this book! So glad I finally have my own copy)
• Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead (It is killing me to have to wait until I finish with finals before I can start this one)
• Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen (Kindle for PC version - not pictured)

Won:

• Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales (I've heard this one is hilarious!)

Looks like I'll have some books for a giveaway! Thanks to Lauren from Candlewick, as well as Simon & Schuster, The Book Scout, Kelly Keaton, and Sara Dailey. 

Ah, anyone else have finals coming up in school? Best of luck to those who do!

What did you get this week?