Review: This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Published: September 17, 2013

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

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, THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.

My Thoughts

Powerful and incredible!!
A YA book that makes me proud of being a YA reader.

“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.”

Elise Dembowski is facing what every teenager in middle and high school fear - social failure. Since she was young, her unique and precocious ways have branded her as the girl that wasn’t cool enough to be your friend. After a summer of studying and practicing how to be just like the accepted crowd, she once again fails miserably at simply fitting in. When she makes a harsh choice that catapults her into an even deeper level as a social outcast, she takes to wandering the streets at night to ease her mind and face her reality of never fitting in.

That’s when she stumbles upon Vicky and Pippa who introduce her to a warehouse party where she eventually begins DJ’ing for a lively crowd. At Start, she’s an immediate success as a disc jockey. Her music choices move the crowd and her “unique personality” that brands her as an outcast in high school, catches the attention of the mysterious and handsome Char.

This Song Will Save Your Life was incredible! I loved every word of it and there were moments of reflection that not only caught my attention but also moved me emotionally.

I’ve always been a huge fan of music, and I’m convinced my brain is mostly filled with song lyrics. I can listen to a song about two or three times and know the lyrics for a lifetime. It’s just something that resonates with me, so I get how powerful music can be and I loved how Leila Sales used this medium as an anchor for this book.

As for the characters in this book, they were all so unique and powerful in their own way. I remember this about Sales’ writing. She casts and develops her characters so carefully that you feel privileged to know a small part of their story.

Overall, Leila Sales proves she knows what incredible YA writing can do to a reader. She has the ability of branding your brain with a message that filled with heart and hope. Love this one!

4.5 Snowflakes