This Song WiIl Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Title: This Song Will Save Your Life
Author: Leila Sales
Pages: 279

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.

Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.


When I first picked up  this book, I didn't know too much about it. By that, I mean I did not know that this book literally was going to be about "saving your life".  The beginning of the story was okay, but as the story continued, I started to enjoy this book more and more and really appreciate the real characters. I think that many teenagers would be able to relate to her in some way from what she's been through.

The story follows 16 year old Elise, who has been an outcast and very isolated separate person all her life.  This is something commonly seen with teens and high schoolers and I think this book did a great job of showing that. I didn't start liking Elise  immediately, but shortly I grew very fond of her and found similarities we shared.  How Elise is at school and what she goes through is very rough and even reading about it made be sympathize greatly. It did not take long for me to be able to relate the emotions and feelings she experiences. 

One night, Elise meets Vicky and Pippa who she becomes friends with and is introduced to the underground night club party, the Start. And from there, the story takes off as Elise finds her love for DJing.

I really loved all of Elise's friends, especially Vicky. Vicky was a great character and her friendship with Elise really made the story better. I also enjoyed reading about Mel, who we didn't see too much, but I still think he was a cool character.  The other members of Vicky's band, Dirty Curtains, were fun as well. I didn't love Pippa but I didn't hate her either. She was an interesting character for the story, but as an actual person she seemed a bit weak and too dependent on Char.

I'm not sure how most people feel about Char, but I didn't love him like I usually do with most books when it comes to the male love interest. Elise and Char's relationship seemed pointless and didn't really contribute to the story much as a whole. Their relationship seemed a bit too rushed and forced. I think the story could have been more if their relationship was actually focused on a  bit more.

The message this story sends is something that should be acknowledged upon and really looked at. Teenagers that deal with this sort of trauma should really try to find that one thing that they'll love and open up to new opportunities. The quotes and issues in this story made me really think and be grateful for what I have. 

This book was a nice page turner, which is something I don't get a lot when it comes to realistic fiction. I think the story was great and the writing was done well.

My Rating:
✰✰✰✰

I really enjoyed Elise's story and this book overall  and would recommend it to just about everybody. This book gave me the feeling of going through all of this with Elise and  was something that I really appreciated and loved reading about. I think more people should read this book and really listen to the message it potrays.

My overall thought: A thought provoking  story with a wonderful  message.