Sing Like No One’s Listening by Vanessa Jones
Publishing: September 1, 2020
Genre: YA Contemporary
3 Stars
“A moving story of grief and healing – sure to be a pure joy for any musical theater aficionado.
Nettie Delaney has just been accepted into a prestigious performing arts school–the very same school her superstar mother attended. With her mother’s shadow hanging over her, Nettie has her work cut out for her–and everyone is watching. To make matters worse, Nettie hasn’t been able to sing a single note since her mother died. Whenever she tries, she just clams up. But if Nettie’s going to survive a demanding first year and keep her place in a highly coveted program, she’ll have to work through her grief and deliver a showstopper or face expulsion.
All may not be lost, however, when Nettie stumbles upon a mysterious piano player in an empty studio after class. Masked behind a curtain, can Nettie summon the courage to find her voice? Or will the pressure and anxiety of performing come crashing down?
All about finding and raising your voice, and not throwing away your shot, Vanessa Jones’s well-crafted journey of grief and healing will pull readers along with its strong narrative voice and satisfying sense of mystery.” (Source: Goodreads)
Oh, this book. I have struggled with where to start with this one.
There are so many things to discuss, so I think I’ll start with the good!
Let me start with this disclaimer: I really, really wanted to love this book. The description and the plot themes are right up my alley and I was beyond excited that this was my first Netgalley book.
From the get-go, I was cheering for Nettie – I mean, a gifted singer who loses her voice that just so happens to share the same nickname as one of my favorite aunts? What’s there not to cheer for?? Add in the mystery of Nettie’s mother’s past, some hilarious characters, and I am a happy camper.
I adore side characters who steal the spotlight. The best of friends, Alec, Leon, and Kiki, made the entire world come more to life. While some of their development relies on stereotypes (Alec is the typical gay ballet dancer, Kiki is a dancer with body image issues) they provide enough color with their personalities to bring a smile to my face. They pulled me through with their wit and honest friendships.
There are some interesting antagonists, from a jealous classmate to an abusive teacher subplot (which reminded me a lot of Dance Academy’s Saskia), and these characters are so well written that I was genuinely disturbed on Nettie’s behalf.
Lettie herself was a bit of a typical high school heroine, and I wanted her to have a bright, shining star moment where all the pieces fall into place. Alas, this was not the case.
My biggest issue is that the story feels completely unfinished. There are so many questions left unanswered, both for Nettie and the reader, that it completely threw me off when the book just…ended. I was left wondering why bother mentioning the mother’s past storyline because there was no resolution, and I wanted to know what happened!
I am also not the biggest fan of Fletch, the love interest. I am not sure if it is because he seems to fall into the “good looking boy with a guitar” trap and is too stereotyped for me, but I was much more interested in Luca, his best friend, as a character. It’s similar to the P.S. I Still Love You storyline, but once again, the boy I root for comes in second place.
I sincerely hope that this is the beginning of a series, and that we have answers to look forward to. I adore Vanessa Jones’s writing style and voice, but I was left feeling like I missed something.
Thank you to Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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