Pippa Wyndham is a top cellist, first chair at her school. She has her life planned out – get into Goddards – the top music school in the country, graduate and find her way to the New York Philharmonic. She has had a crush on Noah, her twin brother’s best friend, since forever. When he starts noticing her, she thinks her life is perfect.“A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence.”
Enter Declan.
Declan is a cellist, just like Pippa. He moved from New York in his final year and has got on Pippa’s nerves ever since she found out he might be her competition. When their music teacher pairs them together to practice for a duet, falling for Declan is the last thing on her mind. But soon, she is unable to deny her growing feelings towards Declan, her sworn enemy. And there’s a possibility that Declan likes her back.. But she can’t fall for him or her dreams would all come crashing down.
Each chapter begins with a quote on music, which were absolutely amazing and I loved such warm-up reminders of how awesome music is.
First things first, the Albright’s writing is amazing. I don’t know what I expected, but this was perfect. Her tone is smooth and straight forward and touching at the right places. It kept me reading, and frankly, even if the plot felt dragged out a bit at places, that’s what kept me reading. I’d certainly check out more of her books.
The focus on music was an enchanting experience. But I wish it focused more on describing the feel of the music rather than just about how Pippa felt. I know it wasn’t songs and there weren’t lyrics, but I wanted more.
I love Pippa and Declan, though not necessarily together. Pippa’s voice was immature at times, but her character growth is undeniable. It had a certain nostalgic feeling in it, which made me reminisce my school days. Few high school books have achieved that level of impact, and this one is certainly one among them. And the way this book tackled the stereotypes of girls always vying for attention from boys is worth a mention.
I wasn’t a fan of Noah, nor of Quinn. She was a selfish friend, and thought about no one else but herself. Philip was barely present, considering he was Pippa’s twin. My favorite character might be Pippa’s mother. She was the best. A great listener, supporting Pippa through thick and thin, with the right advice at the right time – I just loved her!“You know, despite what you may think, having a boyfriend isn’t high on my list of things to do. I get that it’s a common stereotype for girls, but I think if you actually paid attention, you’d find far fewer of us actually care about it as much as you think we do.”
The romance was one of the best I’ve encountered in YA, but only in the beginning. It wasn’t insta-love by any means, but rather r the enemies-to-lovers kinda romance. There is a big love pentagon which was actually executed well. The only thing I felt lacking was the communication between Pippa and Declan. Every single time they are together, they’re either kissing or she’s thinking of kissing him. It didn’t feel right. You can only read so much about fireworks exploding in your stomach each time the love interests look at you.
Overall, this was a great read. If you’re looking for some nostalgic, light read with mild friendship and family dynamics, then this book is for you.
