Hello, hello! Today we are reviewing Noteworthy by Riley Redgate and hint, hint: I inmensely enjoyed it! It comes out May 2nd, 2017. As always for my disclaimer click here. The description:
It’s the start of Jordan Sun’s junior year at the Kensington-Blaine Boarding School for the Performing Arts. Unfortunately, she’s an Alto 2, which—in the musical theatre world—is sort of like being a vulture in the wild: She has a spot in the ecosystem, but nobody’s falling over themselves to express their appreciation. So it’s no surprise when she gets shut out of the fal ...
I give this 5 pennies out of 5.
"Monday morning was the worst possible time to have an existential crisis, I decided on a Monday morning, while having an existential crisis." This has to be the most relatable first line in a book that I have ever read. After reading that I had a feeling I was going to really enjoy this story (Spoiler alert! That feeling was right).
Noteworthy is a relatable tale about a girl, Jordan, not only finding herself, but of her personal growth in a performing arts school in a rather intriguing way... she crossdresses as a prep boy. A fair,warning, I might overuse the word relatable, but I just couldn't find any other word that is more appropriate than it to describe this book.
Jordan is confused about not only her sexuality, but who she is as a person. With no friends and no callbacks she starts to wonder what she has actually done with her life at Kensigton-Blaine Academy. This leads us to the first aspect I liked, the characters! Flawed characters in a way that is so relateble you forget that they are fictional. Even the less likeable characters are fleshed out so well I couldn't bring myself to completely dislike them. Diversity! Refreshing to read a book wwith such diverse characters.
Sexuality is a major theme in this book, from the main character's struggle with it to the way some side characters act. The way it is approached felt very organic. None of it felt forced which I appreciated. Important issues were addressed in a tasteful and respectful way. For example (spoiler, sort of), when Jordan comes accross advise she uses to crossdress from a trans website/blog.
One thing I didn't like was how while reading it brought me back to those unsure and self-conscious feelings from high school. THis is in no way negative, as it shows the authors ability to engage the readers.
Overall, Noteworthy was a great read! I enjoyed the humor (Ah, the banter) in the story, there was a good amount without it being excessive or out of place. I'm new to the YA Contemporary genre and this was a great addition to my growing love of said genre. I would definitely recommend this to not only contemporary lovers, but newbies like me.
Oh by the way the relatable word count went up to 4, less than I thought it would be but more than it should have been. What is your favorite YA Contemporary book?
Con Amor,
Yaris ♡
