Adrift after her sister Bailey's sudden death, Lennie finds herself torn between quiet, seductive Toby—Bailey's boyfriend who shares her grief—and Joe, the new boy in town who bursts with life and musical genius. Each offers Lennie something she desperately needs... though she knows if the two of them collide her whole world will explode.
Join Lennie on this heartbreaking and hilarious journey of profound sorrow and mad love, as she makes colossal mistakes and colossal discoveries, as she traipses through band rooms and forest bedrooms and ultimately right into your heart.
As much a celebration of love as a poignant portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often uproarious, and absolutely unforgettable.
Download and start listening now!
"A supremely interesting story to experience. Lennie, the protagonist, loses her older sister and through her grief, falls in love with the new boy in town, Joe Fontaine. Although the plot may sound ridiculous, after all, a teenage girl who has just experienced death for the first time is not supposed to be thinking about some boy with a smile "that could brighten the night sky". But that's the whole point of this book, the author and his protagonist both acknowledge that this is abnormal. Lennie's unorthodox method of mourning explains to the reader how people all deal with grief differently, and there is no "wrong" or "right" way to grieve. After all, who says cloaking one's self in black and crying into the night is any more effective than looking for the light, however less bright it is, left in life? Nelson further elaborates on Lennie's life, including the fact that she, along with her sister, had been abandoned by her mother as a toddler. This adds dimensions to the story, rather than leaving it as a bland, one-dimensional story of loss. Finally, Lennie's "voice" throughout the story is truly enthralling: quirky, humorous, real -- not a monotonous mourning melody. Maybe not for everyone, but teenage girls who have sisters should give this book a chance."
—
Basma (5 out of 5 stars)