"This Song Will Save Your Life" by Leila Sales, Review

"This Song Will Save Your Life" is another novel I picked up on my visit to the little local library of Zurrieq. After swiftly scanning the first couple of pages, I could tell this is a story about teenagehood, a young-adult coming-of-age novel. This is exactly the genre I'm into at the moment, so I immediately swiped it up! At first I was afraid that this book would play into stereotypes and clichés a little too much for my liking, however I was completely mistaken. This book somehow managed to capture the charm of teenage girlhood without being full of banalities and cringe.

"This Song will Save Your Life" takes us along the journey of Elise Dembowski, who has always been somewhat of a social reject and feels completely isolated in her school. This sense of loneliness and non-belonging drives her to the birk of suicide. However, during one of her midnight-walks (a habit she frequently engages in, to clear her mind) she discovers an underground party called "Start". While, yes, she is underage, over here she creates some of the closest friendships of her life, and also, uncovers a new passion - DJ-ing! This newly discovered identity at the night-club gives Elise a new chance to reinvent herself as an up-and-coming, sparkling DJ.

I began reading this book while I was on the plane, on our way to Wales. I had quite a shock at first, since themes of suicide are mentioned within the first couple of chapters. I thought that this book would be a heavy read, however, "This Song will Save Your Life" is the only book I packed with me so I decided to commit to it. I'm so glad I gave it a chance. This novel beautifully demonstrates how chaotic and confusing it can be, to be a teenage girl. It deals with themes of friendship, relationships with parents, embarking on new romantic relationships, but most importantly the topic of self discovery. Throughout the book, Elise is afraid to truly express her greatest passions for fear of judgement. However it is so heartwarming seeing her reach her full potential as a DJ by the end of the book, while also giving a hand to her close friend, Vicky, by providing her band with a space to perform. This was a really wholesome moment.

I'd say this was the perfect book to read while on holiday, the writing style is straightforward, easily understandable and the chapters are short and flowing, creating a fast-paced structure.

Overall this book was easy and light to read, with many twists that kept the plot engaging and exciting. This would be a great book for anyone stuck in a reading slump.

Notable quote:

"Some people think they know you. They know a few facts about you, and they piece you together in a way that makes sense to them. And if you don't know yourself very well, you might even believe they are right. But the truth is, that isn't you. That isn't you at all"

Love,

Ann ❤️