This Song Will Save Your Life

By Leila Sales

ISBN: 9780374351384
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication Date: September 17th 2013
Number of Pages: 288
Source: Local Library

Goodreads Summary: 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.

My Rating:  

If you go on Goodreads, you will find a lot and lot of 4 and 5 star ratings for this book. Sure, I liked this book but I didn't fall in love with it. It was good but not amazing. 

Elise isn't too likable as a character. I did find her snobby and thinking that she was "better" than everyone else. At the same time, I did feel sorry for her. Things never did click into place for her. It was sad to me that she never connected with Amelia, especially since that's who she turned to in her time of need. 

Even once Elise has found Start (an underground dance club) things don't all work out. Someone is writing a blog as her - convincing everyone (including her parents) that she is suicidal and hates everyone (which at one point in her life was true - Elise even admits this) 

Wouldn't you know things would get messy when Pippa gets back and her "relationship" with Char is seen. I did appreciate that Sales didn't write a typical "love story." The so-called relationship with Char seems real and shows teenagers that hey - guys (even when they are almost 20 years old) are not looking for a serious relationship and of course he is going to choose the girl that will put out. There are some atypical guys out there and a lot of them aren't going to be as big of jerks like Char was but I think it was refreshing to see a more "true-to-life" relationship in a teen book.

"I don't believe you." - Elise

"That's good. That's a good policy. Try never to believe me unless you absolutely have to." - Char

- This Song Will Save Your Life, 65

I would like to point that the book comes full circle, using the same two sentences at the beginning & at the end:

"You think it's so easy to change yourself. You think it's so easy, but it's not." - This Song Will Save Your Life, 3 & 273

This seems to describe what Elise had come to discover over the course of this book and it is fitting that the author has brought it back to the reader.

Points for the cool cover. I recommend this book for fans of realistic fiction & for a more mature audience due to some of the content.