A Thousand Perfect Notes Review

Title: A Thousand Perfect Notes
Author: C.G. Drews
Series: Not Applicable
Publisher: Orchard Books
Publication Date: 07 June 2018
Source: Pan Macmillan South Africa
Format: Paperback (ARC)
Pages:  282
Rating: 3.65 Stars
Reading Timeline: 19 August 2018

Goodreads Synopsis:

An emotionally charged story of music, abuse and, ultimately, hope.

Beck hates his life. He hates his violent mother. He hates his home. Most of all, he hates the piano that his mother forces him to play hour after hour, day after day. He will never play as she did before illness ended her career and left her bitter and broken. But Beck is too scared to stand up to his mother, and tell her his true passion, which is composing his own music - because the least suggestion of rebellion on his part ends in violence.

When Beck meets August, a girl full of life, energy and laughter, love begins to awaken within him and he glimpses a way to escape his painful existence. But dare he reach for it? 

Book Review:

Pre-reading Thoughts:

This is one my most anticipated for the second half of the year. I love following C.G. Drews on Instagram because her pictures are honestly goals. I have also heard a lot of people saying that this book is heartbreaking. I don't know if I am ready for it but here goes nothing.

Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan South Africa for providing me with a copy of this book. Just a small disclaimer for those reading this review. I have received this book for free. Please note that this does not affect my opinion in any way. All thoughts are my own.

Writing Thoughts:

II enjoyed the writing. It was rich in both details and metaphors. It definitely attracts the reader, however, I felt as if it was a little heavy at times. Instead of making the reader flow through the story, it made me sit and reread a sentence again every now and then. I really enjoyed the dialogue between the two characters. I felt the warmth in the words but I also felt the pain. Drews definitely makes the readers feel everything that her main character does. The hope, the pain and even the regret.

Plot Thoughts:

The plot in this book was heavy to read. But I think that the hopefulness in some of the scenes really breaks the dismay and sadness quite well. It allows the reader to think of all the possibilities the future will hold. However, whilst the plot is definitely a masterpiece, I felt myself wanting a little more.

Character Thoughts:

I had heard so much about the character and I just found that I couldn't connect to them. Yes, I resonated with their emotions but I didn't feel a connection to them. I also wanted a little more development besides the obvious change that Beck goes through. I liked August because she was truly a light in the darkness. Joey, however, stole the scene for me every time she was on the page. 

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I liked the book. It made me feel everything that I was supposed to but I didn't end up loving it as much as I had hoped. It could be because of the fantasy book I had read before the but It could also be something else. I liked the writing but it felt a little heavy sometimes. The topic of the plot was difficult to read but I liked how realistic the ending was. I couldn't connect with the characters on a personal level but they each had quirks that made them stand out. Thank you so much ti Pan Macmillan South Africa for sending me a copy of this book.

Yours in Reading,

Melleny