Review: Between the Notes by Sharon Huss Roat

Between the Notes
When Ivy Emerson’s family loses their house—complete with her beloved piano—the fear of what’s to come seizes her like a bad case of stage fright. Only this isn’t one of her single, terrifying performances. It’s her life.

And it isn’t pretty.

Ivy is forced to move with her family out of their affluent neighborhood to Lakeside, also known as “the wrong side of the tracks.” Hiding the truth from her friends—and the cute new guy in school, who may have secrets of his own—seems like a good idea at first. But when a bad boy next door threatens to ruin everything, Ivy’s carefully crafted lies begin to unravel . . . and there is no way to stop them.

As things get to the breaking point, Ivy turns to her music, some unlikely new friends, and the trusting heart of her disabled little brother. She may be surprised that not everyone is who she thought they were . . . including herself.

This was a brilliant book, I was hooked, I adored it. I would say that it's a pretty sound contemporary debut from an author that I am absolutely going to be looking out for from now on.

Enough gushing yet? No? Okay, I'll go on.

To start with I was pretty sceptical about the plot of Between the Notes. The privileged rich girl turns poor storyline is cliche and to start with, Ivy played out like the absolutely typical rich girl. She was a snob, a complete brat, she was spoiled and had no respect for the people for whom Lakeside wasn't a slum, it was a home. I was expecting the whole book to be Ivy being spoilt and people falling all over her. I was wrong.

Ivy redeemed herself. I am definitely one to hold grudges, but Ivy definitely redeemed herself. She mans up and realises that life isn't all puppies and roses and this it's time for her to make a life for herself and help her family. She has to make decisions greater than which boy to date and she becomes a hero for me. I loved that. I also loved how much she adored her younger brother, who was just a ray of sunlight in this book.

Even the love triangle didn't faze me. I loved both boys - James was charming and nice, he may not have been perfect but he would have been fine for Ivy. Lennie though, Lennie is the bad boy - the subject or rumors about drug dealing and someone Ivy should not feel so attracted to, but she does. Their relationship starts with hatred, then turns into a reluctant friendship. The ending, where Ivy's new life culminates in a decision between these boys was well written and went the way it needed to and I can't deny how much I loved that.

I have no bad words to say about Between the Notes. That is all. 

Book released 16th June by Harper Teen 
Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

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