This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales: Review

Title: This Song Will Save Your Life

Author: Leila Sales

Publisher: Macmillan's Childrens Books

Buy This Book: Amazon / Book Depository

All her life, Elise Dembowski has been an outsider. Starting a new school, she dreams of fitting in at last – but when her best attempts at popularity fail, she almost gives up. Then she stumbles upon a secret warehouse party. There, at night, Elise can be a different person, making real friends, falling in love for the first time, and finding her true passion – DJ’ing. But when her real and secret lives collide, she has to make a decision once and for all: just who is the real Elise?An irresistible novel about hope, heartbreak and the power of music to bring people together. 

This Song Will Save Your Life is a book that I have seen everything, and without seeing any reviews I still got the idea that everyone seemed to love it. So it was with a little trepidation that I started this book. I was nervous, I didn't want to be end up being 'that guy', the one person who just doesn't seem to like the book everyone else seems to be raving about. I had absolutely no reason to worry, I devoured this in one sitting. And, quite seriously, this book changed my life.

Blown away  - that's the one word I feel best describes how I felt by the end of the book. I had been in a reading slump, my last read had been a DNF and I just couldn't seem to get into anything, or even just get excited about a book. And then this beauty came along. A book that was everything I could have wanted it to be and so much more: emotional, heartbreaking and uplifting all at once; inspiration, insightful and thought-provoking, and that wasn't all. I just fell completely in love with this.

Elise Dembowksi became my female Charlie (from the brilliant Perks of Being a Wallflower), and this book captured me the exact same way that did. Both books show you a character who is just desperate to find their place; for someone, anyone to notice them. Elise was a character that I couldn't help but root for, feel for and hurt for. I hadn't felt what she had felt but she made me completely understand her, and the way she was feeling. Her voice spoke to me, and that is so rare to find.

Secondary characters are important to me, and this book provided me with so many great ones. I adored Vicky, who Elise meets at underground dance club Start. She was funny, caring and a strong character. We also have Pippa, Vicky's best friend, and Char, the DJ from Start. Char was, for me, a great romantic interest because he was so unbelievably flawed. I actually really loved that about him, he wasn't at all perfect, nor was he the sweetest, loving guy that you would want someone to be with. But, Char was everything that Elise needed, and I think that was why I came to like him so much, because she did.

I loved Elise finding who she was, discovering who she wanted to be. It's something that everyone can relate to; that age where you are coming into your own and finding out who you are as an individual. Her love of music was something I could definitely relate to and I will be making up the playlist listed in the back. This book had me wanting to get up, listen to loud music and dance around - and I never dance. The DJ'ing aspect of the book fascinated me, as I didn't really know anything about it before I read this. It's not something I have ever thought about, but Elise's enthusiasm and love for it seemed to seep into me.

I was captivated by this, so much so I didn't even keep any notes for the review, or any quotes I wanted to add in. I honestly did not put this down once, I couldn't. I know I will still be thinking about this book weeks from now, it's one that has earned a pride of place spot on my bookshelf and one I will definitely be rereading. I can't recommend this enough. Read it.

5/5 Butterflies

Thought-provoking, moving, emotional, inspirational, uplifting.

 READ THIS BOOK.