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A review by ariel937
Night Music by Jenn Marie Thorne
3.0
solid 3*
so...i have a lot of thoughts about this book.
overall, if you want a cute, romantic YA book that has a little family drama and comments on elitism sprinkled on top - i think just about anyone would enjoy this. it was full of emotion, regret, aspiration, and romance. a young girl trying to navigate her life after everything she knows is being twisted up and turned upside down makes for a really good read. it definitely talks about things on race that i haven't seen explored in YA very much at all.
the best, and i mean the BEST parts of this book that I wish Thorne had focused on more, was the personal growth Ruby experienced. the unique plot of this book being the youngest of a family full of world-famous classical musicians working out how to move on and figure herself out while a young, talented black man is being used as a check-marked "diversity" box are both equally as compelling story lines that i think work together beautifully. two people from completely different walks of life, not quite meeting in the middle, but finding solace in their shared, uncertain futures. and for Ruby, it's made even less clear because even by the end, as Ruby tries and fails to find another "calling" big enough to fill the void left behind, we never find out what, or even if, she finds it. that's also what makes this book so great - the fact that it doesn't end all neat, wrapped up in a bow. it felt real, raw, and questioning. that it's okay to be unsure, to not know.
however, the romance felt...forced (at least in the beginning). i honestly think that if the romance was put on the back burner, it would be more compelling to read about two kids figuring themselves out and flirting with each other - maybe even ending the book with a kiss! - while not totally wrapping their complete identity around each other. i mean, yeah, a hormonal, teenage boy calling a girl he has a crush on his "muse" is kind of sweet, but when Ruby brought it up as kind of weird but ultimately brushed it off was a little...odd. i don't know, i might just be looking too much into it, but the fact that Ruby finally, FINALLY, took a stand for herself and said "i don't want to be your housekeeper, your plus one, your muse," only for her to run back to him like he's her knight in shining armor... :/ idk, maybe i'm hard-hearted lol, but i think them making up was just a little too cheesy.
also, can i PLEASE get some more Jules. honestly, i felt more chemistry between Jules and Ruby, especially when Jules said that Ruby wasn't Oscar's prop/muse and that Ruby is her own person that doesn't need to be Oscar's prized possession....!! like GIRL! on god, i wanted them to be together. WHY THORNE, WHY DID YOU LET THIS OPPORTUNITY PASS!!
over all, i liked it. i just personally wish there was less romance and more figuring-life-out.
so...i have a lot of thoughts about this book.
overall, if you want a cute, romantic YA book that has a little family drama and comments on elitism sprinkled on top - i think just about anyone would enjoy this. it was full of emotion, regret, aspiration, and romance. a young girl trying to navigate her life after everything she knows is being twisted up and turned upside down makes for a really good read. it definitely talks about things on race that i haven't seen explored in YA very much at all.
the best, and i mean the BEST parts of this book that I wish Thorne had focused on more, was the personal growth Ruby experienced. the unique plot of this book being the youngest of a family full of world-famous classical musicians working out how to move on and figure herself out while a young, talented black man is being used as a check-marked "diversity" box are both equally as compelling story lines that i think work together beautifully. two people from completely different walks of life, not quite meeting in the middle, but finding solace in their shared, uncertain futures. and for Ruby, it's made even less clear because even by the end, as Ruby tries and fails to find another "calling" big enough to fill the void left behind, we never find out what, or even if, she finds it. that's also what makes this book so great - the fact that it doesn't end all neat, wrapped up in a bow. it felt real, raw, and questioning. that it's okay to be unsure, to not know.
however, the romance felt...forced (at least in the beginning). i honestly think that if the romance was put on the back burner, it would be more compelling to read about two kids figuring themselves out and flirting with each other - maybe even ending the book with a kiss! - while not totally wrapping their complete identity around each other. i mean, yeah, a hormonal, teenage boy calling a girl he has a crush on his "muse" is kind of sweet, but when Ruby brought it up as kind of weird but ultimately brushed it off was a little...odd. i don't know, i might just be looking too much into it, but the fact that Ruby finally, FINALLY, took a stand for herself and said "i don't want to be your housekeeper, your plus one, your muse," only for her to run back to him like he's her knight in shining armor... :/ idk, maybe i'm hard-hearted lol, but i think them making up was just a little too cheesy.
also, can i PLEASE get some more Jules. honestly, i felt more chemistry between Jules and Ruby, especially when Jules said that Ruby wasn't Oscar's prop/muse and that Ruby is her own person that doesn't need to be Oscar's prized possession....!! like GIRL! on god, i wanted them to be together. WHY THORNE, WHY DID YOU LET THIS OPPORTUNITY PASS!!
over all, i liked it. i just personally wish there was less romance and more figuring-life-out.