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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
“You have to shake your notions of good and bad, and create outside of judgement. Follow the instinct, not he convention.”
I wanted to love this so much and I just didn’t and that makes me really sad. I was looking for this moving story of grief and family and Susannah finding herself, but this book made me feel absolutely nothing. I didn’t connect to it at all - not the characters, not the relationships, not the plot. Nothing. I can’t remember the last book that I was completely apathetic towards.
I found the pacing in the beginning to be really disjointed and rushed. Because of that I never bought any of the relationships. This was really detrimental because Susannah’s relationship with her dad is incredibly important to the story and it’s progression, but I just didn’t care about it. There was also this reflective quality to the writing, that while worked for the story, felt out of place. There was moments when the narration read like a voiceover looking back at what happened, but it was used infrequently and pulled me out of the story. Even the music element, which I usually love in story fell flat here. I didn’t feel Susannah’s connection to the music. I just didn’t feel much of anything.
So The Midnights was a super unfortunate miss for me, but I’m sure A LOT of people will really love it and connect with it, so it’s worth a shot if you’re in the mood for a contemporary with a little more depth. Hopefully it will work out for you, but I think this was a case where the book just isn't for me.
I received a copy of the book from HarperTeen via Edelwiess in exchange for an honest review.
I picked this up initially to try with two other similarly themed books in an effort find a book pairing for a class I teach. While the theme is definitely there, this book didn’t really do much for me and perhaps that’s because I had an idea of what this book would do and it just didn’t.
I thought this book would explore grief and family and the way music connected with Susannah and helped her heal. This book didn’t approach any of those ideas until the final 40ish pages, everything prior featured Susannah getting herself in situations that lead to her lying to family, ignoring friends, and struggling to find her father’s band members in an effort to figure him out as a person.
Susannah was a really difficult character to connect with, she felt isolated and alone for much of the novel and was experiencing constant grief and sadness. While there is some sympathy for her, it was a true struggle understand her actions and justify her choices (sometimes even bad choices make sense but none of her choices did for me).
I thought this book would explore grief and family and the way music connected with Susannah and helped her heal. This book didn’t approach any of those ideas until the final 40ish pages, everything prior featured Susannah getting herself in situations that lead to her lying to family, ignoring friends, and struggling to find her father’s band members in an effort to figure him out as a person.
Susannah was a really difficult character to connect with, she felt isolated and alone for much of the novel and was experiencing constant grief and sadness. While there is some sympathy for her, it was a true struggle understand her actions and justify her choices (sometimes even bad choices make sense but none of her choices did for me).
This book has musical prose to match the music in the plot. The entire book sings a sad, beautiful song as it dives into grief, becoming lost in others, and finding yourself again.
Susannah, the MC, is a musician, and all the details the author includes about her guitars and the song writing and recording process make her and the book come alive. I also love how the book reads as a love song to Southern California.
Susannah, the MC, is a musician, and all the details the author includes about her guitars and the song writing and recording process make her and the book come alive. I also love how the book reads as a love song to Southern California.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was just what I was looking for, something different. Well written for a 1st time published author. If you like music, southern CA setting, and a relatable narrator check it out. Some of the details were a little fuzzy like what Susannah's mother did to keep them financially afloat, even after she had a part time job before she moved in with the grandmother she didn't know she had. I suspect not necessarily needed with a 17 yr old POV. Good read.
So so so many feelings that review for this will be more unconventional than rest.
CW: alcohol use, sex, heterosexual sex, marijuana use, cigarette smoking, death
CW: alcohol use, sex, heterosexual sex, marijuana use, cigarette smoking, death
Initially, when they had a house phone with a machine and she was going to the library to get on the internet I was confused to what time period this took place in. Then to read that her dad wasn't even born in 1969 I was like damn. I also spent a lot of time wonder what type of band the Vital spades were. Usually you can tell pretty quickly who a band in a book is modeled after. Were they 70s Fleetwood mac or more 90s Black Crows?
*I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway*
I really, really enjoyed this read! It's definitely a young adult read but I would recommend it to anyone. It's a great coming-of-age novel that is incredibly well written. While I was never sure what year the story was set in, I got the impression it was set in the late 90's-early 2000's which helped me make a connection to it. It reminded me so much of my own teenage years and I felt a strong connection to the main character, Susannah. I read this book quickly and found it hard to put down. So relatable, cute, and well done.
I really, really enjoyed this read! It's definitely a young adult read but I would recommend it to anyone. It's a great coming-of-age novel that is incredibly well written. While I was never sure what year the story was set in, I got the impression it was set in the late 90's-early 2000's which helped me make a connection to it. It reminded me so much of my own teenage years and I felt a strong connection to the main character, Susannah. I read this book quickly and found it hard to put down. So relatable, cute, and well done.
Dreamy, interior, and bursting at the seams with rock'n'roll, this debut is great for fans of slice-of-life stories, settings so vivid they become characters, and budding musicians.
I received this through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Susannah has always had a special bond with her father. They connect through music. He is a washed up rock star, who continues to record and work with music in their home recording studio in the garage. Susannah writes songs and tweaks music to make something beautiful that will impress her father. He has had mental challenges, and addiction issues for years, which threatens family bonds and the relationship between Susannah's parents. One morning, Susannah's father is in a deadly car crash and she is left with the grief. Her mother quickly moves them to her mother's house, so that she and Susannah can take care of the ailing woman. Susannah attempts to use this move to heal and remake herself. She soon connects with a local band and gains a new group of friends. Drama follows and Susannah will have to confront everything that has happened within the last year.
I found that the characters were extremely shallow, though I believe they were intentionally developed to be that way. However, it made it difficult to connect to both characters and story. I felt that this wasn't any overly emotionally narrative of an emotional occurrence, though it didn't seem to bother me.
Susannah has always had a special bond with her father. They connect through music. He is a washed up rock star, who continues to record and work with music in their home recording studio in the garage. Susannah writes songs and tweaks music to make something beautiful that will impress her father. He has had mental challenges, and addiction issues for years, which threatens family bonds and the relationship between Susannah's parents. One morning, Susannah's father is in a deadly car crash and she is left with the grief. Her mother quickly moves them to her mother's house, so that she and Susannah can take care of the ailing woman. Susannah attempts to use this move to heal and remake herself. She soon connects with a local band and gains a new group of friends. Drama follows and Susannah will have to confront everything that has happened within the last year.
I found that the characters were extremely shallow, though I believe they were intentionally developed to be that way. However, it made it difficult to connect to both characters and story. I felt that this wasn't any overly emotionally narrative of an emotional occurrence, though it didn't seem to bother me.