A Thousand Perfect Notes

This is a literally one of those books that wants to rip your heart out, play with it, then give it back to you, but will you ever be the same???? NOOO!!! You'll probably be crying for the next millennium. Thanks Cait.Okay, so I've been reading Cait's blog for a few months now, so it was fun getting to see Cait's dream come true. I am one those shy-types and have never commented, but I will make my little peep-peep here, I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!! THANK YOU CAIT!!!!!*Ahem* With that out of the way, let's do this review!I love music. I have never had the chance to ever learn how to play any kind of instrument, but listening to it, oh joy! To be honest, I haven't listened to too much classical, but after reading this book it makes me want to listen to something with piano in it, I mean you could almost hear the perfect notes being played.And CAKE!!! I now really want to try the recipe.Characters:Beck was a character that I think everyone will root for. He was just going through so much, I'm not even sure how he could deal with it that long. He was a pianist, a good one, and yet, he was so much more. He wanted to be loved. He loved his sister Joey. He was just a poor, special soul.... Can I keep him?August!!!! First of all, guys!!! SHE LOVES BLUE!!!! I mean!!! I can't even!!! Seriously, after I read that, she instantly became my favorite character. And she loves indie rock bands and animals!!! And she was just so happy and didn't let anything Beck said get under her skin!Actually, the whole reason why I love her so much, is because she didn't go out there to save Beck, she went out there to give him some of her happiness. And sometimes that is all we need to do to one another, to give them a little of our happiness, help them see that there isn't just bleak things laying around. THAT, my friends, is friendship.Joey.... Ummm.... Keep up the good cooking??? I was both terrified of this girl and loved her at the same time.There was one little part that did bother me a little. *SPOILER* So, Beck is like, really, REALLY, protective of Joey. Like a lot. So there is one part where his mother has a very violent act, and Joey calls the ambulance and Beck's mother tells Beck to leave. It really bothered me that Beck didn't take Joey with him when he went to August. And when he told August a little about what was going on, he was like, "Yeah, Joey is with her at the hospital." And I was like WHAT!!!! He leaves her with his mother?!? So this part kinda bothered me, just a little. *SPOILER*Content in Book:1. Swearing in German. Look, I can't actually read German all too well (mainly because I only know English) but they said that they swore in German, and I know enough to sort of know what they were saying.2. Using God's name in vain, in German.3. Swearing once in English.4. Abuse (very violent physical, verbal, mental, withholding needs (food, clothes, etc.) Actually this was the big theme of the story so trigger warnings).5. Joey and August both being a little violent at times.6. Injuries related to abuse. A foot bleeding.Who Would I Recommend This Book To:Those who like happy friendships. Those are okay with stories about people getting out of an abusive situation *SPOILER* they are hard to read, but it is so happy and the person gets out and into a better life). *SPOILER* Those who like Cait's blog (this book is sad, but there is cake and a few happy moments. =)

Fifteen year old Beck has been playing the piano for as long as he can remember. He longs to play the music he composes in his head, but is forced to play the classics by his violent mother. The more mistakes he makes, the worse the consequences are. As Beck strives for perfection to please his mother, he begins to resent playing the piano all together.When Beck is forced to partner with a girl named August for a school project, he is drawn to her eternal optimism, but feels forced to push her away. His mother would never approve of the distractions a friendship would create. As August refuses to give up on Beck, he can't help but wonder if a new life could be waiting just around the corner if he only dares to stand up to his mother. Is he willing to risk everything he's known for a chance at happiness?A Thousand Perfect Notes is the debut novel of C.G. Drews, and I absolutely adored her novel. I'd been in quite the reading slump, and this was the first book in a while that I couldn't put down - in fact, I stayed up until almost 1am finishing it, even though I needed to be up early for work the next day.If you're part of the book blogging or bookstagram community, you've probably read Cait's blog, PaperFury, at some point, and you know she has an amazingly distinct voice, which is a huge part of why people love her! She's funny, honest, and relatable, and that translated really well into A Thousand Perfect Notes. There were points throughout the book that made me laugh, and parts that broke my heart, and I loved every second of it.Speaking of the writing, it was so clear to me that this book was so thought out. The title, A Thousand Perfect Notes, comes up at the end of the book, but throughout the novel, there are multiple uses of "thousand", (for example: "a thousand little knives" and "a thousand pieces of dread") which I loved. I felt like it was a really nice touch, and wasn't overdone. The book obviously features music, but I loved how well the theme was carried out. You can tell that Drews is very knowledgeable about music, and you can feel that in the book.On a more heavy note, this book does contain abuse, and it's a big part of the story line. The emotion that these parts of the book evoked shattered my heart. Seeing Beck try and remain strong, shield his baby sister from the violence, and yet still try to please his mom really endeared his character to me. This all comes to a head at the end of the book, which of course, I wont spoil for you. I will say that I loved the ending of the book, and I felt like it was very realistic and hopeful despite not being an ending many readers of YA contemporary are used to reading.All in all, I rated A Thousand Perfect Notes 5 incredible stars! If you're a fan of contemporary stories, you should definitely pick this one up!"Music is nothing unless it fills your soul with colour and passion and dreams"

I started to read this book at night, but I had all good intentions of pausing for sleep.... I blame my insomnia for not sleeping until I finished but we all know It is all Caits doing. When I went to sleep at least I had cried enough to wash all the bad thoughts my mind was throwing me in the last days. She gave me the best kind of tears.Now I need The Boy Who Steels Houses, because Caits writing (her writing is perfection) is my new addiction.

I loved this book by C. G. Drews! It was sweet, witty, and full of emotion. The characters are vibrant and funny, the storyline was easy to follow, and after it was over, I just wanted to keep reading! Drews does a great job of writing trauma without making it depressing ... and conveying pain without being overwhelming in the slightest. This book would make a great gift! I can't wait for her second release.P.S. it's also a loose fairytale/historical retelling ... which is just extra fun!

"Chocolate is a substance worth existing for."- definitely the best line of the whole bookHave you ever read a book that you then need to put away for several days so that you can process what it did to your heart? This is one of those books.A Thousand Perfect Notes is about an abused teenager who is basically only living for the piano. It's about him meeting someone who actually cares about him and this girl just won't let him go. It's about his family life kind of imploding and it's about friendship and what family should be and difficult choices and what obsession can mean to everyone involved.I honestly want to give this five stars but I've been so critical with other books this year that I just can't and it pains me.Beck and August are such wonderful children. Beck isn't exactly loving to those around him but he's so great and needs happiness and I immediately felt so deeply for him. He made me cry like 15 times, okay? August is sunshine and caring and 5646 pets and I really want a person like her in my life.They are complicated kids who have been through stuff and their relationship isn't easy and it takes a long time to get *somewhere* but that felt so realistic and it hurt my heart.Beck has basically the worst family life ever, his mother is terrible, he is not allowed to care about any important things and she doesn't do so either and it also has effects on his young sister who he loves so much. Everything about this just made so much sense to me, I don't know how else to say it.Also, as a German the wonderful insults and other phrases that are thrown in there made me feel incredibly happy. I didn't expect this at all but I just really loved it.What I wasn't quite as happy with is the school - it just felt so unrealistic to me how the teachers are and how little anyone seems to care about anything, but maybe that's just because of my own experiences - and I'm not 100% satisfied with the ending. I mean, most of it was AMAZING but there's a part of me that says "uhm, excuse me, why didn't xyz happen"Still, A Thousand Perfect Notes a great book, I can't wait to read more of the author's books and I hope I will fall in love with the other complicated and wonderfully (and heartbreakingly) original characters she comes up with.

The piano is Beck's obsession, and his curse. When he's paired with August for a school assignment, he finds it impossible to keep up the walls he's erected around himself and his home life.Beck's mother, termed the Maestro, is physically and emotionally abusive, forcing him to play Chopin for hours and putting his playing above school, friendships, and even his health. Through his friendship with August, Beck discovers that there is more to life, but how can he convince the Maestro of this?Drews handles a difficult subject well in this heartbreaking, but ultimately satisfying, debut.Content warning: physical and emotional abuse, self harm ideation.

- Looks like: butterfly wings on piano keys- Sounds like: thunderous bass notes contrasted with light, airy notes- Tastes like: delicious, healthy cake (yes, that is a thing)- Smells like: dreams, nightmares, and friendships- Feels like: a thousand perfect notesSide note: C.G. Drews’s blog is very humorous and true.