1 out of 5 stars
I hated this book so much.
I hated the main character.
I hated all the nasty profanity.
I hated the sexual content in a book for teens.
Why? Why is there sexual content in a book for under-age minors? And why does the cover look like it’s being marketed for young children? I picked up this book thinking it was Middle Grade, because of the cartoony style of the cover.
To see all the objectionable content in this book, you can check it out on the Screen It First website! https://screenitfirst.com/book/solo-2592942
Daisy is devastated when her boyfriend breaks up with her right after they have sex for the first time just weeks before her 18th birthday. She fails her music exams. She withdraws from her family. She mopes around depressed for months. She gives up playing the recorder. Her family and friends try to encourage her to dive back into music and find her way forward again, but she is a selfish brat and just wallows in her misery. Finally, almost an entire year later, she gains some maturity and realizes that she needs to actually do something with her life. She starts to embrace music again, and gets inspired to pick up the recorder and resume her music studies.
I liked the writing style okay. The story is told in modern verse, which lent a certain rhythmic emphasis to each sentence. However, the narrative jumps around in time as Daisy remembers things that happened months or years before, and then it jumps back to the present. That was mildly annoying.
I did not like the unhealthy obsession that Daisy has with her ex-boyfriend. I get that she is traumatized and depressed, but she doesn’t seek help. She doesn’t talk to her parents. She doesn’t ask a counselor or therapist for help. She just wallows in it, reveling in it, like her trauma is what makes her special or something. So unhealthy!
Ultimately, I just couldn’t get past all the profanity and nasty content in this book. This story could have been told without all of that and it would have been much more powerful and compelling.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.
Luminous Libro 