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cobwebcandy's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thatpine's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
smarinelli14's review against another edition
5.0
This book was so adorable. As a former band geek - it was so nostalgic and fun to read this book. I will be looking for more books from this author! I am obsessed!
bookmarvel's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn’t too invested in this book at the beginning, but it for sure grew on me. I wanted to give Jasmín a good shake and also a hug whenever she was playing family crisis mediator. But I’m very proud of her for growing and for befriending the low brass group and not pushing people away anymore.
I also appreciated the brief neurodivergent/ mental health / aspec / queer rep throughout, they weren’t important to the story basically at all (except maybe Jasmín’s anxiety and people-pleasing/perfectionistic tendencies) but I liked them that way.
I also appreciated the brief neurodivergent/ mental health / aspec / queer rep throughout, they weren’t important to the story basically at all (except maybe Jasmín’s anxiety and people-pleasing/perfectionistic tendencies) but I liked them that way.
betterwithabookinmyhand's review against another edition
4.0
Calling all former band nerds! I have a major book rec for you. I have never been a part of band but I was happily geeking out to all the marching band hype!
It Sounds Like This is a YA contemporary that follows Yasmin Treviño into her sophomore year of marching band season. Hurricane Humphrey took away her shot freshmen year so this year she’s ready to take Flute Chair-- even if it means competing with her best friend. Everything goes crashing to a halt when Yasmin reports an anonymous band gossip account and it results in nearly the entire low brass section getting suspended from band. What can Yasmin do? All she can do—fill in one more spot in the gaping hole of the low brass section and hope it’s enough not to ruin the season.
This story not only made me feel like an honorary band member (put me in low brass any day!), but it tackled some important issues. Toxic friendships, internet harassment, and the importance of speaking up for yourself all get addressed in this story.
This was also the first YA story I read that also introduced an asexual character. I really appreciated that character’s point of view and what they brought to the story.
The only struggle I had with this story was just letting Yasmin work out her people pleasing and prioritizing literally everyone else. I have some major triggers when it comes to not being heard/not speaking up and also making oneself the last priority. I was cheering for her while shaking my Kindle (lightly) in frustration but never fear, Yasmin has what it takes to come out of this book stronger than ever.
Would definitely recommend to a young YA reader, especially if they have any band nostalgia.
4 stars
It Sounds Like This is a YA contemporary that follows Yasmin Treviño into her sophomore year of marching band season. Hurricane Humphrey took away her shot freshmen year so this year she’s ready to take Flute Chair-- even if it means competing with her best friend. Everything goes crashing to a halt when Yasmin reports an anonymous band gossip account and it results in nearly the entire low brass section getting suspended from band. What can Yasmin do? All she can do—fill in one more spot in the gaping hole of the low brass section and hope it’s enough not to ruin the season.
This story not only made me feel like an honorary band member (put me in low brass any day!), but it tackled some important issues. Toxic friendships, internet harassment, and the importance of speaking up for yourself all get addressed in this story.
This was also the first YA story I read that also introduced an asexual character. I really appreciated that character’s point of view and what they brought to the story.
The only struggle I had with this story was just letting Yasmin work out her people pleasing and prioritizing literally everyone else. I have some major triggers when it comes to not being heard/not speaking up and also making oneself the last priority. I was cheering for her while shaking my Kindle (lightly) in frustration but never fear, Yasmin has what it takes to come out of this book stronger than ever.
Would definitely recommend to a young YA reader, especially if they have any band nostalgia.
4 stars
lesbrary's review against another edition
Discussed on the September 2nd episode of the All the Books podcast.
cboddie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
7th & up
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
coravinia's review against another edition
4.0
The most marching band of marching band books I have ever read, it had me reliving my high school band experiences. Friendships forming or falling apart, pandemic-surrogate hurricanes, social media toxicity, low brass being the ones getting caught with alcohol... a little something for every band nerd.
therese_nook68's review against another edition
3.0
3/5
This was such a cute coming of age!
I really liked the backdrop of using band since marching band does foster enough angst and drama in one week to last you the entire year. I thought that it gave Yasmin the chance to grow and challenged herself to grow out of what she was comfortable with.
The book does touch on quite a bit of things that a 15 year old would start struggling with: outgrowing friends, gaining new friends, getting out of your comfort zone, figuring out your sexuality, and struggling with fitting in this image that your parents built for you, versus who you find yourself becoming.
The one thing that really kept me from giving the book a 4 or even a 5, but I felt like Yasmin didn’t grow a ton in the book. She still felt the same as she did in the beginning.
This was such a cute coming of age!
I really liked the backdrop of using band since marching band does foster enough angst and drama in one week to last you the entire year. I thought that it gave Yasmin the chance to grow and challenged herself to grow out of what she was comfortable with.
The book does touch on quite a bit of things that a 15 year old would start struggling with: outgrowing friends, gaining new friends, getting out of your comfort zone, figuring out your sexuality, and struggling with fitting in this image that your parents built for you, versus who you find yourself becoming.
The one thing that really kept me from giving the book a 4 or even a 5, but I felt like Yasmin didn’t grow a ton in the book. She still felt the same as she did in the beginning.
wardenred's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I thought I was doing something right, something that would make me Section Leader Material, something I could write about in my college essays. Now I’m afraid I just did something I’m going to regret.
A refreshing, beautifully diverse quick read. I really liked Yasmín as a protagonist. She's flawed and sympathetic in equal measure, and I really enjoyed witnessing her journey as she became more introspective and started figuring out who she was, what she wanted and why. She really goes through considerable growth, and I'm here for it. I also really related to her struggle to balance what the adults in her life and her peers expected of her, and I liked her relationship with music.
In terms of plot, there's a lot going on here, between the marching band, the online harassment plot, Yasmín's struggles at home as she feels she has to manage her Mom/her Mom's tense relationship with her sibling Ellen, the pressure to succeed at school, and more. The storyline that runs through all of this and strings all the small plots together is Yasmín's relationship with her (ex) best friend Sofia, and it really was my favorite part of the book, from the start to the resolution. It's painful in many ways, and kind of bittersweet, and both of them messed up so much and were so unfair to each other in different ways—and the way it played out in the end feels really genuine.
I'm probably not the best audience to appreciate all the nuances of the school band setting; it's a rather unfamiliar subject for me, and while it's very clear the author is passionate about it, I did sometimes feel like the story got bogged down in the marching band details. Perhaps I would consider it a strength of the book if I was more invested in the subject, though, who knows! As it was, while there were those "bogged down" moments, I can say there was also a fair amount of the interesting interpersonal stuff injected into them, or some cool turns of phrase spicing up the band dialogue/Yasmín's narration. So I never really felt bored, simply a bit overwhelmed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Bullying, and Misogyny
Minor: Alcohol and Drug use