Name: Mijs Franssen's review of Music From Another World by Robin Talley
Item: Music From Another World
Rating: 5
Author: Mijs Franssen

Robin Talley

'An utter joy to read' NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars The brand-new novel from the 2020 CILIP Carnegie medal nominee and New York Times bestseller, Robin Talley. ************************************************************* 'I'm just so sick of blending in...' It's 1977, and the USA is tearing itself apart. And so is Tammy Larson. Seventeen and scared, Tammy has a secret that her strict community and conservative family must never find out; one that she's only ever shared in unposted letters to her hero, Harvey Milk. She's gay. Hundreds of miles away, Tammy's new pen pal is dealing with a few secrets of her own. Sharon Hawkins lives in foggy San Francisco, an exciting city full of protests and punk music. But as the letters pile up in her desk drawer, Sharon begins to realise that her world might not be that different to Tammy's after all... Set to a soundtrack of Bowie, Blondie and a whole lot of Patti Smith, the girls' worlds converge in ways they could never have imagined. With a fierce sense of rebellion and a feminist attitude to boot, Tammy and Sharon soon discover what it means to be their true selves, and one thing's for sure: they're both sick of blending in. The perfect empowering and life-affirming read for fans of Caitlin Moran, Becky Albertalli and Meredith Russo. ************************************************************* Praise for Music from Another World: 'Difficult to put down... an empowering read with a powerful message' Paper Lanterns 'Absolutely LOVED it! So funny and romantic and incredibly tense' Tom Ellen Praise for Robin Talley's previous novels: 'The main characters are terrific in what is a moving novel. And an important one.' The Telegraph 'absolutely loved it - romantic and funny and gripping and just generally excellent!' Tom Ellen, author of Freshers 'touching, clever and absolutely hilarious' The Herald 'I really loved the book... it was just a lovely, refreshing read for me, and I'm so glad there are authors like Robin Talley out there.' Bookseller 'One of the most interesting and informative LGBT books I've read recently!' Reader 'a must-read for anyone interested in LGBTQ+ history' NetGalley reviewer

Music From Another World

Mijs Franssen

It’s summer 1977 and closeted lesbian Tammy Larson can’t be herself anywhere. Not at her strict Christian high school, not at her conservative Orange County church and certainly not at home, where her ultrareligious aunt relentlessly organizes antigay political campaigns. Tammy’s only outlet is writing secret letters in her diary to gay civil rights activist Harvey Milk…until she’s matched with a real-life pen pal who changes everything. Sharon Hawkins bonds with Tammy over punk music and carefully shared secrets, and soon their letters become the one place she can be honest. The rest of her life in San Francisco is full of lies. The kind she tells for others—like helping her gay brother hide the truth from their mom—and the kind she tells herself. But as antigay fervor in America reaches a frightening new pitch, Sharon and Tammy must rely on their long-distance friendship to discover their deeply personal truths, what they’ll stand for…and who they’ll rise against. A master of award-winning queer historical fiction, New York Times bestselling author Robin Talley once again brings to life with heart and vivid detail an emotionally captivating story about the lives of two teen girls living in an age when just being yourself was an incredible act of bravery.

Music from Another World

alice nunes

4.5

This had some Miseducation of Cameron Post vibes but less sad....
I love the music references, the narrative style and all the emotional stuff that happened. Got me almost crying about a law that was passed almost 50 years ago in a country I don’t even live in.

Kayla Smith

I received this ARC from the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’d like to start off this review by saying homophobia is a huge trigger warning within this book, as I’m sure you’d expect from that description but just in case, if that’s a sensitive topic for you please skip this one. If it’s not, please go pick this book up IMMEDIATELY. Okay, I guess I wouldn’t go that far, I do think I loved this book so strongly because of the emotionally personal attachment I had to the characters and their journeys. I’m sure if you’ve read more than one of my posts, or my ‘About Me’, you’ll know I identify as queer, more specifically I identify as pansexual. It definitely wasn’t easy for me to come to terms with that idea and I had quite a hard time understanding my feelings so I really searched for books that could help me figure things out. Unfortunately, I didn’t have this book when I was in high school but I’m SO happy it exists now and I truly hope more people start talking about this one.

This book is about two high-school aged girls who were born and raised in very religious households. They are assigned as each others pen-pals which is when their friendship truly begins to develop. The story is told through diary entries and letters, which I thought was a fun format. This book is full of beautiful quotes and I’m thinking I’ll have to re-read the physical copy I just purchased so I can tab it up. The budding romance between these two girls felt authentic and I totally believe the way they fell for each other because of the way they were written as friends for the majority of the novel. The friendship and support these two provided each other honestly brought me to tears. They saw past the bigotry and hate their family had towards people like them. They were true to themselves, even if it took one of the main characters awhile to get there, and I loved reading about it. I also appreciated that one of the main characters wasn’t always so accepting. She does speak about how when her brother came out to her she wanted to tell her mom and her church about it because she thought it was wrong and she was scared for him. I loved that that was touched on and I think it’s important. People’s views change and develop and as long as we realize our viewpoints were bigoted and wrong before, we can move on and become better people. But that’s a whole different tangent. The side characters in this story were well developed as well and I enjoyed the ways they continued to move the story forward. These side characters were used throughout the novel to help our main characters in one way or another and I loved reading about this found family.

I also really loved the political aspects of this story. This all takes place in the 70’s when Proposition 6 was being passed in many states, allowing schools to fire teachers for being gay. Harvey Milk is prominently featured throughout the story as most of it takes place in San Francisco and there were multiple moments where I felt empowered reading about the ways these high school girls found ways to help spread his message. This book is especially poignant right now with the current political climate and the way our administration seems to be trying to take steps back rather than steps forward. I think the author did a fantastic job of weaving the politics into the plot. It didn’t seem like it just took a back seat to the romance and at the same time, it didn’t feel like it was overdone.

This book is also about women finding their voices through music, which I absolutely love. I don’t listen to any 70’s punk but, the way the author described the experience completely put me in their shoes and made me want to listen to it. Music is a prominent topic in this story and it’s another thing that helps bond these characters. It’s also what helped them to develop from the passive, quiet women they start this story as to the angry, loud, confrontational women they become. I just think the development was so subtle until it really hits you in the face at the end and you can’t help but root for them both. It also doesn’t feel like it comes from left field because the author continues to develop this as a subplot for most of the book.

If you’ve ever questioned your identity, if you want to feel some hope in this current political climate, or if you just like reading contemporary fiction set in the past, I’d highly recommend this story. This one will stick with me for years to come and I’m so disappointed this book is flying under the radar. If you know any girls who are struggling with their sexuality, please recommend this book to them. It’s so important and I just wish I had a bigger platform so I could boost this book in the way it truly deserves. If you’re a librarian or if you can request books for your library to purchase, please request this one. It could truly change the world for a young girl who needs it.

You can also find this review on my blog.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher! Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Music From Another World

Author: Robin Talley

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Publication Date: March 31, 2020

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 17+ (love, some language, forced outings TW, some abusive language)

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Pages: 304

Amazon Link

Synopsis: It’s summer 1977 and closeted lesbian Tammy Larson can’t be herself anywhere. Not at her strict Christian high school, not at her conservative Orange County church and certainly not at home, where her ultrareligious aunt relentlessly organizes antigay political campaigns. Tammy’s only outlet is writing secret letters in her diary to gay civil rights activist Harvey Milk…until she’s matched with a real-life pen pal who changes everything.

Sharon Hawkins bonds with Tammy over punk music and carefully shared secrets, and soon their letters become the one place she can be honest. The rest of her life in San Francisco is full of lies. The kind she tells for others—like helping her gay brother hide the truth from their mom—and the kind she tells herself. But as antigay fervor in America reaches a frightening new pitch, Sharon and Tammy must rely on their long-distance friendship to discover their deeply personal truths, what they’ll stand for…and who they’ll rise against.

A master of award-winning queer historical fiction, New York Times bestselling author Robin Talley once again brings to life with heart and vivid detail an emotionally captivating story about the lives of two teen girls living in an age when just being yourself was an incredible act of bravery.

Review: Overall, I thought this was a good book. I loved how the story was told and I thought all of the characters were compelling. The world building was divine and overall I really enjoyed it.

The only issue is that I felt like there were multiple occurrences of forced outings, which can be triggering, and the letters and diary entries did get a bit stale after a bit. 

Verdict: It’s pretty good! Definitely recommend!

Leelynn Brady

Read my full review on my blog Sometimes Leelynn Reads

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Netgalley, and Inkyard Books for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Ahhh wow this book actually makes me cry. I was really into this book, literally staying up all night reading the letters between Sharon and Tammy, and their diary entries. I think that Talley did a great job with having the prose in the form of letters because I think it worked out way better for this book to have it told that way. I also really loved that Tammy also had her diary as letters to Harvey Milk because that helped her feel like she wasn’t alone in her feelings.

Becca Futrell

Thank you to Inkyard Press for providing me with an e-ARC of Music From Another World in exchange for an honest review!

In the early pages of Music From Another World, I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt. I was not 100% into the writing style, and I wasn’t sure if I was in the mood for another book written in the form of letter and diary entries. Reader, by the time that I finished this book — I knew this was something I needed when I was a teenager/young adult.

Music From Another World tackles a difficult subject & that’s being a closeted teenager in the ’70s. This takes us into the world of gay rights & being constantly told that you’re going to Hell for falling in love with someone others don’t agree with. It dives into situations where homophobic friends bring you down and parents kick you out.

Music From Another World has scenes that may be difficult to digest & at times, you might end up seething with anger. I am thankful things have changed dramatically for the LGBTQ+ community since the ’70s, but unfortunately, there are still people that are not okay with same-sex love. And to be honest, we should be angry about this.

The punk music scene serves as the backdrop of this LGBTQ+ read. I love books that feature alternative music and loved the mentions of Patti Smith. I even queued up Smith’s Horses album to play while I read. Descriptions of the local shows and fashion choices were vivid; making it easy to visualize what was happening.

If you’re looking for a book centering around LGBTQ+ rights, especially one in a real-life setting, then definitely give Music From Another World a read.

It's summer 1977 and closeted lesbian Tammy Larson can't be herself anywhere. Not at her strict Christian high school, not at her conservative Orange County church and certainly not at home, where her ultrareligious aunt relentlessly organizes antigay political campaigns. Tammy's only outlet is writing secret letters in her diary to gay civil rights activist Harvey Milk...until she's matched with a real-life pen pal who changes everything. Sharon Hawkins bonds with Tammy over punk music and carefully shared secrets, and soon their letters become the one place she can be honest. The rest of her life in San Francisco is full of lies. The kind she tells for others--like helping her gay brother hide the truth from their mom--and the kind she tells herself. But as antigay fervor in America reaches a frightening new pitch, Sharon and Tammy must rely on their long-distance friendship to discover their deeply personal truths, what they'll stand for...and who they'll rise against. A master of award-winning queer historical fiction, New York Times bestselling author Robin Talley once again brings to life with heart and vivid detail an emotionally captivating story about the lives of two teen girls living in an age when just being yourself was an incredible act of bravery.

Jessica 

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Tik Tok | You can find my review here.


  As always, a copy of this book was provided by the author or publisher in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.


There's one thing I know about Robin Talley: she represents WLW relationships in a way that feels real. She also provides some of the best representation that the young adult literary community is desperately lacking. And she does so beautifully, believably, and with her whole heart.

Honestly, there's something that makes me want to swoon about this book. Straight up swoon out of my chair and just lay around for a while. Talley is that great of a writer. She compels you instantly. She grips you and her prose doesn't leave you for quite some time. She has that spark.

To put it bluntly: Music From Another World is proof that Robin Talley needs to be praised far more than I hear. Because, holy crap, I adored this book. Aside from the obvious facts (representation and the era in which it takes place) there was a lot to be admired within Music From Another World. It tackles many issues and topics that were relevant then, and still relevant now.

Not only does it tackle these serious issues and handle them with a sensitivity that doesn't feel like a cheesy, badly written after-school-special, it will give readers the warm and fuzzies. It goes without saying that it takes a particular special ability, a gift, to write stories that balance both honesty (harsh realities, check) but still gives you hope and feels soft/safe. Robin Talley is a pro at this.

If you love love-stories that give you a buzz of electricity, set with backdrops in music and activism, this book is for you. Ultimately, Music From Another World feels like a triumph in young adult fiction. It reaches great heights in terms of honesty, representation, historical settings and so much more.

Mijs Franssen &
Music From Another World by Robin Talley

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