I received a copy from Netgalley.

I really don't know what to make of this one. On the one hand, I simply loved the main character. And the writing is done in such a brilliant way it so easy to identify with Arden and understand where she's coming from. However, the whole randomly deciding to track down some random guy who's blog you love. I just can't get my head around that at all.

Never, ever, under any circumstances is it okay to just randomly show up at someone's place of work or home because you found their blog! Even if you loved the blog, and like the person who writes it...it's still creepy! You like the blog? Email the blogger, tweet them. Start a dialogue. Don't just show up because you decide they need you!

Rant over, for the most part, this was a pretty damn good book.

Arden is a fairly average teenager with a nice boyfriend, she's a good student, has nice friends, though her best friend is something of a wild child and it's Arden who often picks up the messes. Starting off with a suspension for her BFF's drugs found stashed in Arden's locker. Arden takes the blame because she knows bad things will happen to her friend who's already been in a lot of trouble. Arden's level of loyalty is sweet, but ridiculous at the same time.

She's the girl who's always there, always reliable. The sensible one, the smart one who listens to everyone else's needs but when she needs people, they rarely seem to listen to her. Which leads her to the discovery of Peter and his blog, Tonight The Streets Are Ours. Peter seems like nice guy, works in a bookshop, in love with a beautiful unattainable girl. Jock for a best friend, family drama.

Arden is hooked. At its easy to see why she gets so fascinated by Peter's blog. Peter's words are fun, he's intelligent. She identifies with his trouble. Arden has her own boyfriend, drama club star, Chris. Though they've been together for a while, he's nice enough, but seems obsessed with his theater stuff. So it's not surprising when Arden is captivated by Peter.

When Chris blows off their anniversary, Arden is moping with BFF Lindsay, and at the same time reading Peter's blog, she decides Peter is just like her...the giver who never gets the love he deserves. So she and Lindsay go to find him. Just like that.

I don't get it. I really don't. For the most part, the writing i s captivating and the story is pretty gripping, even becoming attached to Peter's blog. But the going to find him was where I started...not loving the book less really. I just don't. Get. Why. Anyone. Would. Do. That!

Of course when Arden arrives in New York where Peter lives, nothing is what it seems. She has a crazy night of fun, but not without its drama. Ugly truths comes out and Arden finally explodes and lets out what she's been holding back. Drama with Lindsay, trouble at home...it all comes pouring out. Peter is not the sweet quirky guy she thought he was.

Though things are wrapped up, its not exactly in a romantic way. Its again, sweet, but oddly, believable and easy to understand why it happened that way. Truths come out and things are finally out in the open to be dealt with. Arden's character growth is pretty amazing.

So while I may not have got some of the plot, I did really love Arden. While I didn't like all the characters, I think they worked extremely well for the way the story was told.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for approving my request to view the title.

***This review has also been posted on The Social Potato

Confession: I never read This Song Will Save Your Life, so I had no idea what to expect when I read this book. Let me tell you, the hype surrounded Leila Sales is not a lie. She is a fantastic writer and also a fantastic story teller.

For starters, this book features a main character who is a person of color. YAY! I adored the diverse set of characters but my favorte part about the characterization was that none of the characters were casted as the 'bad guy'.With the kind of situation Arden was in, it would be so easy to make someone the villain of her story so that she could be the hero but Sales never did that. People make mistakes, things happen, but that doesn’t always make people despicable. Even Arden, the main character, isn’t perfect. She makes mistakes and sometimes she doesn’t always see what is right there.

Arden feels under appreciated. She feels like she always supports her friends and boyfriend but no one wants to be there for her. She is tired and fed up of feeling this way and when she discovers a blog called Tonight the Streets are Ours, she feels like someone finally understands.

This book could probably be classified as a coming of age story because this book primarily deals with Arden’s growth. Arden’s development over the course of the book was a joy to read. She is a realistic, relatable character that you cannot help but cheer for.

Is this book perfect? No. Sometimes Arden did bother me (even though she was realistically portrayed) and there were some things that never added up, but I still managed to enjoy the book and  loved the way things wrapped up.

Fair warning though, don’t pay attention to the blurb. The blurb is basically a spoiler. Arden doesn’t go to New York until the second half of the book and while her time in New York is a major catalyst for various realizations about herself, a lot of this book focuses on Arden’s initial struggle and those aren’t explored in New York but rather resolved.  I would have liked if more of the book took place in New York, especially since that is what I went in expecting. I felt like there was all this built up to her trip to New York and not much happened there (in terms of actual physical events.)

At the end of the day though, this was a fantastic read and I think there is much to be learned from Arden’s struggle.  Her story was beautifully told and I absolutely adored getting to be a part of it for the 300 pages or so. This is a book I wouldn’t fail to recommend for someone looking for a thought provoking coming of age tale.

 

Note that I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

This review was originally posted on Bookish Things & More

Thoughts on Tonight the Streets Are Ours

As much as I wanted to love this book, I just didn't.  I absolutely loved This Song Will Save Your Life, and was hoping for the same amount of amazing.

The number one thing was the characters.  I didn't care for Arden or Lindsey.  Arden took being responsible to the extreme, and Lindsey just didn't care for other people's feelings.  They both pretty much used each other to validate how they viewed themselves.  This is evident but the first scene in the book.  There's no way in hell I would take the fall for a friend in that situation. I don't care if we were like sisters.

I also didn't care for the stalking type behavior that Arden.  It's weird, and the whole finding Peter thing was odd too.  It might be because I'm much older that I couldn't connect, but it's just not something I would have considered doing.

Even though those two things didn't pull me in, I did like the overall sense of the story.  I've always been a fan of Sales's way with words, and it's no exception with this one.  She writes beautifully.  And the story is always much more than it seems when you start it.  That is the reason I will continue to read her work.