By: Rayne Lacko
Many thanks to Books Forward PR for the ARC of this book!
Life isn’t easy for Shelby Rey. She’s lost of her father, and since then, her mother hasn’t really been a mother. On top of that, she has this special secret that when she touches someone, she can hear the music inside them. Then she meets Zac Wyatt, the head of a rock band. He seems to think she’s his muse. But he’s super jealous of his bandmate. Shelby then finds out the truth and has an important decision to make.
When I read the synopsis to this book, I knew I had to read it. I love books that have the music element to it. The way that Lacko has Rey and other characters describe music is exactly how I feel about it. While these aren’t direct quotes, the sentiment is there: it’s the greatest form of expression; a well written song can evoke emotions and memories, it can make you feel like the song has been written for you. In this book, all Zac wants to do is write a meaningful song so that it connects with his audience. Music is a connection.
Now, getting to the characters: Zac I waivered with! At first I liked him and then I didn’t. Shelby I felt really bad for – she wanted a way out of her life, but it’s difficult when you don’t know how to do that. I was happy that she was provided an opportunity to better her life, even if she made some terrible choices once she was able to make her own choices. Sometimes, someone has to make terrible choices and go on the wrong track in order to get right back on track.
This book discusses a lot of heavy topics, substance abuse, mental health, suicide, and toxic relationships. So if those are triggering for you, please take pause before reading. However, this is a beautiful book and I really enjoyed how it ended. It didn’t end how I thought it would as I was reading the book, but nonetheless, it was the perfect ending for some of these characters.
Publish Date: June 3, 2025
Find the book here.
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