Leila Sales

This Song Will Save Your Life

Nearly a year after a failed suicide attempt, sixteen-year-old Elise discovers that she has the passion, and the talent, to be a disc jockey.

Monicap

Kritika Narula

A few glitches here and there notwithstanding, THIS BOOK WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE.

Soha

3.75/5 stars

I bought this book as a birthday gift for a close friend of mine, years ago. Probably 3-4 years ago. Later, I borrowed it from her to read it and I found it to be quite refreshing!

Now, I read this years ago, so I don't really remember the exact details of the book to comment on how a particular part was really well written and all of that, but I will tell you this :
I clearly remember enjoying the writing style of the book. It was a bit blunt but that is what made it refreshing. I liked the flow of the story, it seemed to all connect together at the end. 

I read some reviews here and found that people couldn't connect to the female protagonist. For me, I couldn't relate to her, but I could definitely connect because of how her character was written; it pulled me into the story and after I finished it, I just had a small smile on my face for a while. 

All in all, it was an enjoyable read for me :)

A powerful coming-of-age story about an outsider who finds herself when she enters the underground music scene. Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski's strong suit. All throughout her life, she's been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing. Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, Leila Sales' This Song Will Save Your Life powerful young adult coming of age novel is an exuberant story about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together. “Heartbreaking, heartfelt, and eventually heart-lifting, this YA novel is one I won’t soon forget. If you’re a music junkie who also loves YA, read it alongside Len Vlahos’s The Scar Boys or Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park.” —Janet Geddis, Avid Bookshop “Pulsates with hope for all the misfits.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review “Readers will be fascinated and touched by the first-person voice because of what is roiling beneath it. . . . Teens will connect with [Elise] viscerally.” —Booklist, starred review “Sales gets everything right.” —MTV.com A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults A BuzzFeed Best YA Book of the Year A CCBC Choice

Macy Johnson

Okay so it's possible I just really like books about music... but I did like this. Fun fact: I almost gave it away! Glad I didn't!

Likes:
-It was different and niche! DJing is a very cool topic to learn about; no one really writes about it.
-The characters were kind of just what they were; the author didn't try to make everyone likable all the time, and Elise was darkly witty and relatable in the way that she sets big goals for herself. 
-I appreciated that the parents weren't blamed for Elise's mistakes and that they reacted in a fairly reasonable way in the end, because parental overreactions very much bug me. It felt like a realistic portrayal of those relationships. 
-No one person was The Enemy. Everyone had flaws.
-Elise wasn't over sexualized, despite my expectations! Yay for that.
-Her dad and the bat though 😱 icon
-I LOVE BOOKS WITH PLAYLISTS SO FREAKING MUCH AND DID I MENTION THE MUSIC REFERENCES?

Dislikes:
-Steve.
-Because the part at the end with him?? So uncalled for!! And then everything was just fine?? 
-A bit angsty sometimes.
-Not necessarily a dislike because it's pretty positive and unproblematic, but it seemed weird to me that the club was so very tame? 
-The castle 😭😭😭 

Suicide trigger warning, for anyone seriously affected by that.

Nessa Luna

Read this review, and many more on my blog October Tune!

I had heard a lot of people saying good things about this book, so though normally I don’t read contemporary books that quickly, I bought it at TBD near the end of last year. It took a while to arrive (some problems with my first copy being lost in the mail and an email that didn’t arrive), but when I did get it, I started it immediately.

I immediately found myself relating to Elise a lot. I had had a similar youth, it was difficult for me to fit in, and every time I did fit in, something would go wrong and I would have to start all over again. I did have some friends throughout the years, but I kept on losing them because of stupid fights, and I never really thought they were ‘real’ friends.

And like Elise, the thing that kept me going was music. I am not an awesome DJ like Elise is, but I found some bands that were (and still are) amazing and through those bands I met new people, some of which I am still friends with right now. I could safely say that those bands saved my life.

I hated almost all of the characters (apart from the people at Start, and Elise’s family of course), because they all reminded me of people from my high school. The fact that the principal (or vice-principal) acted all like there wasn’t really much to do when Elise was being bullied, reminded me so much of the teachers at my schools.

The story was very well written, I really wanted to keep on reading and reading, but ended up having to stop myself because I needed sleep.

I do want to give everyone a slight trigger warning, though. (view spoiler)[Because at the beginning of the book, Elise decides that she wants to kill herself, so she goes home and cuts herself with a scalpel. (hide spoiler)]
The end of this book just made me really happy, because after all those bad things, Elise finally had some things to smile about, she finally found things worth living for. And so did I.

I definitely recommend it to anyone, because it’s just a really good book!

Victoria

"You think it’s so easy to change yourself. You think it’s so easy, but it’s not. True, things don’t stay the same forever: couches are replaced, boys leave, you discover a song, your body becomes forever scarred. And with each of these moments you change and change again, your true self spinning, shifting positions—but always at last it returns to you, like a dancer on the floor. Because throughout it all, you are still, always, you: beautiful and bruised, known and unknowable. And isn’t that—just you—enough?"

If you're looking for a cheesy teen romance, then this book isn't the one for you. This Song will Save Your Life is a coming-of-age tale about Elise and her journey to overcoming the struggles of an unpopular, uncool high school teen to finally figuring out who she is and who she wants to be. 

This was a pretty easy read and it was good for the most part but it just seemed a little too whiny for my liking.

The song references, though, were great and I'm pretty stoked about that. I mean, hello, The Cure was mentioned several times!

But at the end of the day, there are better books out there.

It is scary how much I can relate to the main character, but also calming to know that in some ways I am not alone. I compelling read with a simple plot and a hopeful ending.

“Sometimes people think they know you. They know a few facts about you, and they piece you together in a way that makes sense to them. And if you don't know yourself very well, you might even believe that they are right. But the truth is, that isn't you. That isn't you at all.”

I get it. I totally do. That's what really hit me as I read this book. Everyone feels left out and unwanted, judged and even hated. What I don't get is why she would want to kill herself over it. I mean, yes, she felt sad and depressed, and I accept that people want to end their lives when they feel that way, but I just feel like Elise's reason was very very very shallow and therefore, unacceptable. She wanted to commit suicide because her attempt at popularity did'nt work. She changed her style and read all the good magazines and stalked all the celebrities and listened to the Top 40, losing her personality in the process, and when she still was not popular, she therefore wanted to commit suicide and I just don't see the sense in that. But the thing is, I've never been in her shoes. 

Plus, a thousand other people are just like her out there. Probably a hundred others in the same school. Maybe not everyone has to be popular. Maybe she shouldn't judge popular people so quickly. I really think Leila Sales failed to deliver the message here. Everyone goes through this phase. Everyone get's shunned at high school. Doesn't mean you get to sneak out in the middle of the night to an underground club to feel good about yourself and solve all your problems.

And I don't mean to insult other people who felt the same way as her before, because seriously, in all innocence, I just don't get it. Popularity has never been such a HUGE issue in a third world country such as the Philippines. If you're lucky enough to get into school, then you just grab that opportunity and make the best of it, and that's your priority. I've been raised to feel that way and that's the reason why I don't get Elise's vibe. But Im willing to keep an open mind. 



I love how music was the central idea in the book, though. It gave her life meaning, something worth living for. And music really does that. That, at least, was a good concept of this book.

Siya S

4/5 Stars!!!! 


  I had this feeling suddenly. I get this feeling a lot, but I don’t know if there’s one word for it. It’s not nervous or sad or even lonely. It’s all of that, and then a bit more. The feeling is I don’t belong here. I don’t know how I got here, and I don’t know how long I can stay before everyone else realizes that I am an impostor. I am a fraud.




I found this book quite personal. And I'm pretty sure many fellow book lovers shared the same high school life with our dear Elise. As a weird teen who listened to a great music nobody seemed to appreciate (ever) back in high school, this book got me right at the synopsis. This book has reminded me so much of my younger self! Back then (2000s, conservative girl school, right in the heart of Bangkok) I was the odd one out. I read encyclopedia during lunch time instead of playing with other kids, that's like tattooing WEIRDO on my forehead. And more importantly, I believed I was the only one (among 241 students of the same grade) who excessively listening to something alternative (e.g. Depeche Mode, The Flaming Lips, Joy Division). Well I wasn't wrong, and it infuriated me how ignorant my peers were.Read more...


  “I do want to believe that there’s some place in the world that’s more mature than high school,” Vicky said. “But I haven’t found it yet.


There were times I wanted to change, to fit in. But then my stubborn self would protest and choke me awake, reminding me to stay true to myself and f*** the rest. High school wasn't the best time of my life, that's for sure. But by the time I hit senior year (and learn not to care about their opinions anymore) my peers learned their words couldn't hurt me and I had a way sharper tongue to get back to them if necessary, so things ended in good terms. So that's the most I could ask for a high school life, I guess. And of course true friends stick around, 10 years, 20 years, so why care so much about people who's not gonna stick with you for long?

(But maybe that was just my way to shut off the external evils for that at 26 I was still confused and lost about my identity as ever. It's only natural, I suppose. )


  I could buy new jeans, I could put on or take off a headband, but this was who I was. You think it’s so easy to change yourself, but it’s impossible


Anyway, enough about me. TSWSYL by Leila Sales was yet again a story about a confused, middle class teenager who felt out of place and alone in the cruel world known as high school. Elise Dembowski hit rock bottom when she attempted to commit suicide last semester. But then she stumbled upon a warehouse party, where she met new friends and discovered her passion for DJing. Elise was given a second chance to redemption; it's a chance to reflect herself on life, friendship, identity, and everything that made her a mere human being with all the happiness she deserved.


  Sometimes people think they know you. They know a few facts about you, and they piece you together in a way that makes sense to them. And if you don’t know yourself very well, you might even believe that they are right. But the truth is, that isn’t you. That isn’t you at all.


I felt that in every other pages as I advanced through the story. So relatable. So real.

But, honestly, I would have rather been kidnapped by these girls than remained un-kidnapped among my classmates. If getting kidnapped meant a trip to Manchester, I was all for it
So TSWSYL got me because I had a weak spot for a good friendship. And I must say the friendship game in this book is on point, thus the 4 stars. I always believe the course of your life depends on who you met and mingle about at certain times. And meeting Vicky and Pippa was the thing that helped Elise survive and finally find her own self. And that's the most beautiful part about friendship portrayed in this story.

The character development was amazing, and Elise was such a great character (partly because she was every single one of us in high school) that I couldn't help but root for her.




Her journey through passion in music was so relatable that I feel connected to Elise. For one thing I love all the music references. By introducing Elise to DJing, Sales has made the book extremely more enjoyable for me by 400%. To us, music was our radar. It led us out of depression and personal life crisis at every single stage of our life. It brought us out of the pit. Also, we both shared the same idea on things when it came to anything music-related.


  The popular music wasn’t interesting-bad, it was bad-bad. Auto-Tuned vocalists who couldn’t really sing; offensively simplistic instrumentation; grating melodies. Like they thought we were stupid


Exactly.

So listen to me for once. Just read the book if you were the one who just didn't get it. the high school. This book will make you reflect a lot on yourself and your former life in the land where people thrive to be recognized and accepted. One of the best books on teen identity that will stay with you for a long time after you reached the last page.

Find out more at:
https://thebleedingeyes.wordpress.com/

Annie

Pop Sugar Challenge:
- a book set in high school

jess

A relatively light-hearted, if somewhat unrealistic story that's about music being uplifting. I don't know, maybe I'm just naive and they sometimes do let sixteen-year-olds into underground clubs. I really did love Elise's voice. It was unique and compelling.

Allison Garrett

I really enjoyed this book, not for it's plot or the well written characters because those were both ok. But more the story of how Elise goes through this change from depressed and how the music really does save her life. It made me think about things and people in a totally new way thanks to this book.

Jas Wang

Amy Grieve

It takes a book like this to take away self-doubt you may have about yourself. There are a lot of things that make me feel good and this book has now been added to the list because it wasn't about falling in love with the perfect boy or any other high school cliché that I normally read. This book was about accepting who and what you are no matter what others say. I recommend this book to anyone who needs a little confidence, even if was just from one shitty day because this book can make it much better.

Jen Estrella

You think it's so easy to change yourself. You think it's so easy, but it's not. True, things don't stay the same forever: couches are replaced, boys leave, you discover a song, your body becomes forever scarred. And with each of these moments you change and change again, your true self spinning, shifting positions-- but always at last it returns to you, like a dancer on the floor. Because throughout it all, you are still, always, you: beautiful and bruised, known and unknowable. And isn't that - just you - enough.


Actual Rating: 4.5/5
Near-perfect from start to finish :')
That ending made me cry (almost)

Jennifer Merchant

Olivera Mitić

4.25/4.5

It's the book I needed in primary school to help me go through it.

Tw: suicide attempt

3.5, it's pretty unrealistic but still a cute story although I almost didnt give it a chance because the beginning pissed me off so bad. there is basically a suicide attempt, I'm not listing this as a spoiler because it's in the first 2 chapters and should have been in the description of the story. It's so abrupt and really messed me up, the rest of the story is so much better but man that is a huge shitty thing

Emily

People are who they are and, try as you might, you cannot make them be what you want them to be.

Every teenager can relate to at least one thing from this book. It follows the story of Elise as she tries to change and discover herself. It tackles the feeling of not fitting in, the feeling of escape, and the feeling of finding a secret part of your life that you can protect and keep from getting ruined. 

When you find a passion, or something that makes you happy, you must pursue it. Don't worry about what others have to say about being too precocious or enthusiastic; just embrace it. You won't be happy pretending to not like something you love. It's much easier to do what you love and put up with a few stares. 

In high school, it can be hard to think this way, and it is something that Elise must learn over the course of the book. She must learn that being who you are is essential. She must learn that, sometimes, when it seems like a person can be changed to fit who you want them to be, it is just as impossible for them to change as it would be for you to change. 

She must learn that

Sometimes people think they know you. They know a few facts about you, and they piece you together in a way that makes sense to them. And if you don't know yourself very well, you might even believe that they are right. But the truth is, that isn't you. That isn't you at all.

All of this takes a very long time to discover, and 

That's the problem with life. You never get enough time to stare at your ceiling and try to figure out what's going on.

Michelle Boyea

This is a great book to read if you are feeling sad/depressed or you just need a little bit of cheering up. It shows how, even when you are feeling that you are at your lowest, things will get better. All you have to do is believe in yourself.

Music is the non-medical antidote to depression. There is music for every type of mood you could be in.

Hannah

This is such an inspirational coming-of-age novel.<3

It follows a 15-16 year old girl named Elise Dembowski who is dubbed "not cool." She's been dubbed this since the fourth grade. So she spends the summer between her freshman and sophomore years of high school researching how to be cool. After this goes horribly awry, she starts thinking about suicide, but then cuts herself. The story then fast forwards a few months until the spring of her sophomore year. Elise is on one of her "midnight walks" and stumbles upon Start, an underground dance club. She then meets these new friends and ends up DJ-ing for awhile. 

This story is so amazing, I regretted not picking it up before. 

Elise is such a strong character and is so relatable. All she wants to do is be herself, but she knows that being herself won't make the bullying any better. 

Char. Oh Char. You really are The Charming Man, eh? (I applaud you if you can sense the obvious sarcasm there.) That is all I have to say on Char's behalf.

Vicky, Pippa, Sally, Chava, Henry, and Char. The friends she never thought she'd have. They were all so amazing throughout different parts of the story. They helped Elise develop and show her that it will be okay. 

Sales' writing is incredible. I felt like I was in Start, and, man, I really want to go to Start! I loved all the music aspects in this book! I am a huge music geek and smiled ear to ear when Elise describes her DJ-ing experience. 

Anyways, enough of my rambling, I really recommend this. I finished it in a day, so it is a fast read, but a story that will stick with you forever. <3

Elad Schulman

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

4.5 stars!

“Sometimes you just have those days where everything goes wrong. But sometimes, and totally unexpectedly, something can go right.”

This Song Will Save Your Life starts off strong, but on a rather sad note. At first I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this story. Elise, who’s struggling with being unpopular and constantly bullied, attempts suicide. This one act starts a spiral upward that actually changes Elise for the better… but that mere act really hit me hard. It struck such sadness in me to read about a teenager going through such torture and torment. I was happy that that ended up just being a small (yet very substantial) part of this story. It was so much more than that. Such an awe-inspiring and beautiful story. I can completely understand the strong 4-star rating on Goodreads.

“That’s the problem with life. You never get enough time to stare at your ceiling and try to figure out what’s going on.”

Elise, out pacing and roaming the streets at night, stumbles upon a hidden gem: a dance club. She wanders in, where she immediately meets two girls that welcome her into their group of friends. These two girls don’t know her, have never heard of her, and have no idea the kind of life she lives. They immediately befriend her, which is such a life-changing event for Elise. Friends. Starting with a blank slate sounds great. She’s quickly captivated by this other life she’s found herself in. Music, dancing, friends… smiling and laughing. Elise can finally just be herself and not worry about others picking on her, making snotty comments, or turning this into something it’s not. It’s just her and her music. After several nights at this club she stops fighting her strong desire to learn how to DJ and takes the club’s DJ up on his offer to teach her. For just a few hours each week she’s able to be herself without anyone questioning her.

“Sometimes people think they know you. They know a few facts about you, and they piece you together in a way that makes sense to them. And if you don’t know yourself very well, you might even believe that they are right. But the truth is, that isn’t you. That isn’t you at all.”

This story was strongly about finding yourself. The REAL You, not the You that others see you as. Not the You that you think you are because of how others treat you in life. But the real, true You. The one you are on the inside. Elise finds herself through music. This is such a great message for teens. It’s so important to have a hobby or a talent that you’re good at, that you truly enjoy and that can let you be yourself without having to hold back. That, in and of itself, is priceless.

“I believe that a person’s taste in music tells you a lot about them. In some cases, it tells you everything you need to know.”

With a little added humor to break up the serious tones, this gorgeous story is a gem. Strong messages, realistic story and characters, tears and laughter. It has it all. If you’re looking for a story that will really touch you, this is one you don’t want to miss.

Audiobook Impressions:
I listened to two prior books narrated by Rebecca Lowman; Eleanor & Park and Landline, both by Rainbow Rowell. I read E&P so long ago that I couldn’t really remember how I felt about R. Lowman, but having listened to Landline recently I was worried that she may sound too old for this part. I remember thinking how great she did as a character in her 30’s, and this young, fragile teenager was going to be a tough one for her to do. Annnnnddddd I was worrying about nothing. She was great! Exactly how I pictured Elise. She completely brought her to life, along with the other characters. Char’s cockiness and charisma was brought out beautifully. Elise’s insecurities, anger, frustration and happiness were each portrayed accurately and what appeared effortless. I’m really enjoying audios narrated by R. Lowman, and I’ll be watching for more from her in the future.

(Thanks to Farrar Straus and Giroux (BYR) for the review copy!)


  Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Kate

I'm finding it hard to put into words why I didn't love this books. I enjoyed it, the second half much more so than the first but there was just something about it that I didn't like. I found it difficult to warm to the characters and the way they dealt with situations. I did enjoy the music element and I thought Vicky's character was great but besides that, I'm still not 100% certain how I feel about this book.