“People are who they are and, try as you might, you cannot make them be what you want them to be.”
This was one of those books I picked up on a whim. I didn’t know anything about this book besides the many people who have read it really enjoyed it. I decided to pick it up, and I definitely wasn’t expecting this kind of book, but I still enjoyed it regardless.
Eliza Dembowski is a pretty lonely highschooler. She has always been an outsider in every friend group and in conversations. When her attempt at some popularity goes completely wrong, Elise almost gives up. After wandering in the night, she finds a warehouse party where she would meet her future best friends; Vicky, a singer in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute but secluded DJ; Pippa, a teen from England; and of course her newfound obsession and love with DJing.
I’m not the biggest fan of listening to music (kill me all you want) because I always find I get distracted (kill me again). However, I do have a large appreciation for music and I enjoyed Sales’ take on it in this novel. It enhances the plot for sure, and I love that it helps to develop and shape Elise as a character.
I think one of the best aspects of this book is how realistic it was. The portrayal of bullying in this book is quite similar to the type of bullying present in our day-to-day lives. Not the cheesy physical fighter or other boring bullies we see in YA, but this book really accurately depicted modern=day bullying. Which I really enjoyed and appreciated a lot.
Sales also discusses some pretty heavy topics in this book, including suicide and bullying. I love how it is incorporated into the book as well, and again how it really molds the character into who she is now. I’ve heard that the representation is accurate, but of course, since I haven’t really experienced these things, I don’t exactly have a say in this.
This is a pretty quick read, but I like how much content was put into this book. Many short books end up having awful endings and leave so many unanswered questions, but this didn’t happen with this book. Sales is able to pack an emotional and deep story into just 200 pages, which isn’t something easy to do.
If you are looking for a quick, yet motivating and maybe relatable book, I would definitely recommend you picking this up. It does tackle some pretty serious and heavy topics, but regardless I think that this book is a great read.