"A Thousand Perfect Notes" by C.G. Drews
You are worth more than a thousand perfect notes.
Even in the midst of an emotionally raw book, there are still themes of found family, love, and forgiveness. This book is made of pain and beauty, music and chocolate, hate and love, and SO MANY FEELS. I did not cry. But I was very close.
I give “A Thousand Perfect Notes” 5 out of 5 perfect notes (or vegan chocolate cakes).
Until the next book!
~ K.J. Haakenson
Beck’s mother is living her music fantasy through him. Her hands shake as a result of her stroke as and as evidence of her anger. Beck will be the music prodigy she could not be. He will be the one that make the Keverich name famous. He will be what she could not.
Beck hates his life. He hates his mother. He hates the music. He plays from sun-up to sun-down, only stopping to eat their meager food or keep his little sister safe. He cannot escape the music. The Maestro will not let him. And any suggestion of disobedience ends in violence.
But then Beck meets August - the girl who hopes and dreams and sees the best in him. For the first time in his life, Beck dares to think about writing the music in his head instead of playing the music his mother wants. But at what cost? Will he risk his life to reach for it?
Beck hates his life. He hates his mother. He hates the music. He plays from sun-up to sun-down, only stopping to eat their meager food or keep his little sister safe. He cannot escape the music. The Maestro will not let him. And any suggestion of disobedience ends in violence.
But then Beck meets August - the girl who hopes and dreams and sees the best in him. For the first time in his life, Beck dares to think about writing the music in his head instead of playing the music his mother wants. But at what cost? Will he risk his life to reach for it?
This book y'all.
“A Thousand Perfect Notes” has been floating around bookstagram for a couple years now. It looked interesting so I added it to my mental TBR pile. But it wasn’t until a few of my reading/writing friends raved about it that I finally realized I should probably pick it up and give it a shot. AND I AM SO GLAD I DID!
I’m not typically a contemporary genre fan. It's a very rare that I find a contemporary/romance book that hooks me and keeps me emotionally invested. But holy moley, I was hooked from page 1. I devoured this book in less than 48 hours. (#sorrynotsorry but I am sorry that it's over.)
Let me start off by saying, "A Thousand Perfect Notes" is a literal masterpiece of a book. C.G. Drew's writing encapsulates the music in her words without hearing any actual music. Her prose is absolutely perfect for an emotionally raw and beautifully broken story centered around music.
The story is told in 3rd person present from Beck’s POV (brilliant move by the way). I love Beck to pieces, I wish him the absolute best. He is soft but guarded, he is afraid but courageous, and he is so talented - whether or not he realizes it. It was an honor to walk through this story with him.
August is a bit of a manic pixie dream girl but she seemed pretty realistic to me. She is kind but feisty, loving but protective. She doodles on her arms, wears no shoes, and will kick the kid that murders frogs in the school bathroom. I honestly think she and I would be good friends.
What I liked about Beck and August’s relationship was that it wasn’t perfect. They saw the good in each other but it wasn’t an insta-love or easy situation. Lots of ups and downs and I think that is beautiful.
What I liked about Beck and August’s relationship was that it wasn’t perfect. They saw the good in each other but it wasn’t an insta-love or easy situation. Lots of ups and downs and I think that is beautiful.
I love Joey, Beck's little 5-year old sister, but she isn’t perfect. For once, an author writes a child correctly! Joey is crazy, sweet, smart, and fierce but still childish. She is made of glitter and German swear words and chocolate and paper rockets. She is feisty and funny and a terrible little cook who loves her big brother a lot. Joey is as exactly as child should be - wiser than adults think but still very young and inexperienced.
Gosh, I hate the Maestro. I understand her perspective, I see her reasoning. I hate her for it. That’s all I’m going to say because she makes me really mad.
I inhaled this book. If this book was a piece of vegan chocolate cake, I literally inhaled it. The plot was not overly complicated and it didn’t take place over a long period of time. Yet it was so emotional, so so much happened, so much feeling. There were so many moments where my heart just stopped and yet I felt everything. THIS. BOOK. OOF.
Gosh, I hate the Maestro. I understand her perspective, I see her reasoning. I hate her for it. That’s all I’m going to say because she makes me really mad.
I inhaled this book. If this book was a piece of vegan chocolate cake, I literally inhaled it. The plot was not overly complicated and it didn’t take place over a long period of time. Yet it was so emotional, so so much happened, so much feeling. There were so many moments where my heart just stopped and yet I felt everything. THIS. BOOK. OOF.
Even though "A Thousand Perfect Notes" has a lot of cake in it, it is not a cake-walk. It deals with some more mature themes. Trigger warnings for this story include physical and mental abuse, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, fantasies of self-harm (not acted upon), and scenes with blood. Not every book is for every person, so please only read what you are comfortable with. <3
Even in the midst of an emotionally raw book, there are still themes of found family, love, and forgiveness. This book is made of pain and beauty, music and chocolate, hate and love, and SO MANY FEELS. I did not cry. But I was very close.
I give “A Thousand Perfect Notes” 5 out of 5 perfect notes (or vegan chocolate cakes).
Until the next book!
~ K.J. Haakenson
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