Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.
Listen, if I start sobbing while reading your book, and not because I am in physical pain, you automatically get 5 stars. In 2021 it was Chasing Fireflies by Chloe Fowler, in 2022 it is THIS BOOK, that will go down as causing me pain and heartbreak – but in a good way?
This book follows Anna and Weston, both in marching band in a small town in Texas, who get put together for a duet solo during the performance competition routine. They help each other grow throughout the book, and subsequently, fall in love. The symbolism in this book is stunning, it is incredibly well written, and it broke me. Once I realized what was going to happen I started panicking, which led to me crying for a solid hour as I read the end of this book.
My one criticism is that this book should have had some trigger warnings – because I was not in the emotional/mental state to handle the content of this book right now, as I was going into it thinking it was going to be a sweet YA love story with some growing pains. I wasn’t completely wrong, but I also think it is valid to have warnings for its content. I will put my trigger warning recommendations here: this book has divorce, depression, and death. Three D’s of Doom you could say. While all of it is handled really well, so well that I was emotionally connected to the characters and breaking down, it should still be noted before picking up the book blind.
All in all, this book was beautifully written. Like the songs and the birds in this book, it will leave an imprint on me, but I think I am good with letting this book fly away for a bit. 5/5