therazzdazzler's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ethannku's review against another edition
5.0
This book was one of the sweetest things I've ever read! As a band nerd and flute player myself, this book felt like the representation I sorely needed. The way that the book describes being in band and playing flute and marching on the field during halftime all struck a chord (hah) within me. This book perfectly captures what it means to be a band kid. Other than the representation of band kids, the casual queer representation in this book was so amazing to read. The main character, Yasmin, is on the aroace spectrum, her love interest is aroace, her other love interest is queer of some sort, her sibling is nonbinary, and there is a smattering of identities represented in the rest of the low brass section (including a transmasc character!!).
The story focuses more on the main character's personal journey and relationships with her friends and family than any potential romances, which I thought were very well explored and defined. The main interpersonal relationships were between Yasmin, her childhood best friend Sofia, her mother, and her sibling Ellen. The broader relationships, such as Yasmin and the band and Yasmin and her section, were also well done and captured the spirit of being a band kid very well. I went into this story thinking it would be more romance-heavy, which it wasn’t, but the subtle moments between Yasmin and her love interest were so cute! I also loved the treatment of anxiety and social media in this book, plus the toxicity in band. People might think that band is a harmless activity where we just play instruments and make cool shapes on a football field, but there is so much drama and tension in band. I thought that this book captured the toxic parts of band just as well as the exhilarating parts.
The main thing I loved about this book is that Yasmin’s character arc is really defined. She starts out as a goody-two-shoes who is dependent on her best friend and bottles up all her emotions (as a gifted child in a nontraditional household does). She finishes the book as, well. Still a goody two shoes, but with an understanding that just because you’ve been friends for a long time doesn’t mean that who will always be friends, and with a realization that she doesn’t have to be perfect all the time. If you like smaller stories about personal growth and overcoming obstacles, I would highly recommend this book!!
Arc was provided by NetGalley and Penguin Teen in exchange for an honest review!
The story focuses more on the main character's personal journey and relationships with her friends and family than any potential romances, which I thought were very well explored and defined. The main interpersonal relationships were between Yasmin, her childhood best friend Sofia, her mother, and her sibling Ellen. The broader relationships, such as Yasmin and the band and Yasmin and her section, were also well done and captured the spirit of being a band kid very well. I went into this story thinking it would be more romance-heavy, which it wasn’t, but the subtle moments between Yasmin and her love interest were so cute! I also loved the treatment of anxiety and social media in this book, plus the toxicity in band. People might think that band is a harmless activity where we just play instruments and make cool shapes on a football field, but there is so much drama and tension in band. I thought that this book captured the toxic parts of band just as well as the exhilarating parts.
The main thing I loved about this book is that Yasmin’s character arc is really defined. She starts out as a goody-two-shoes who is dependent on her best friend and bottles up all her emotions (as a gifted child in a nontraditional household does). She finishes the book as, well. Still a goody two shoes, but with an understanding that just because you’ve been friends for a long time doesn’t mean that who will always be friends, and with a realization that she doesn’t have to be perfect all the time. If you like smaller stories about personal growth and overcoming obstacles, I would highly recommend this book!!
Arc was provided by NetGalley and Penguin Teen in exchange for an honest review!
mora55's review against another edition
5.0
i rly like anna meriano's writing! it's very conversational and funny and i enjoy the reading experience
in hs i very briefly entertained the clarinet-to-tuba switch (though it was voluntary and we used contras and not sousas) but noped the heck out of there pretty quick (mostly bc i didn’t want to give up my clarinet rank status, i am not as brave as yasmín) and honestly kind of regret it (i want to know how to play brass). yes i get a little snooty when their band experience isn’t Exactly like mine because i loved mine (only one comp? smh) but there are those things like flutes/clarinets having to share cubbies and eating lunch on the floor in the band hall and instrument group stereotypes
bloom and yasmín's relationship was cute and i loved the low brass boys and gilberto. also! friendship breakup treated seriously! and ellen five years removed from this is how we fly! and honestly i rly liked the discussion of different communication styles and just different brain processing (yasmín having trouble processing written word and communicating that way and bloom having auditory processing issues). and we cannot forget the subtle snow white retelling aspect seeded in all the little details which i, retelling-obsessed, enjoyed greatly
in hs i very briefly entertained the clarinet-to-tuba switch (though it was voluntary and we used contras and not sousas) but noped the heck out of there pretty quick (mostly bc i didn’t want to give up my clarinet rank status, i am not as brave as yasmín) and honestly kind of regret it (i want to know how to play brass). yes i get a little snooty when their band experience isn’t Exactly like mine because i loved mine (only one comp? smh) but there are those things like flutes/clarinets having to share cubbies and eating lunch on the floor in the band hall and instrument group stereotypes
bloom and yasmín's relationship was cute and i loved the low brass boys and gilberto. also! friendship breakup treated seriously! and ellen five years removed from this is how we fly! and honestly i rly liked the discussion of different communication styles and just different brain processing (yasmín having trouble processing written word and communicating that way and bloom having auditory processing issues). and we cannot forget the subtle snow white retelling aspect seeded in all the little details which i, retelling-obsessed, enjoyed greatly
ocobble's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is super cute and genuinely funny. It has a great message about standing up for yourself and finding a group of friends who will support you instead of bring you down. As a former band kid it was a great throwback too haha.
anniepala's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bookishcat's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
chippyreads's review against another edition
mc is aroace questioning, on page. sc is demi aroace, on page
theoverflowingbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
After her debut novel This Is How We Fly, Anna Meriano returns to the YA stage with a kind of spin-off book featuring Ellen’s half-sister, Yasmín. Filled with high school angst and drama, It Sounds Like This (which comes out on August 2nd) takes readers into the inner workings of high school marching band!
This book had a lot of characters I wasn’t a fan of and the plot felt a little drawn out in the beginning; however, once I got about halfway through the book, the storyline picked up a bit and some of the characters became likable.
The marching band theme of the book was interesting to learn about, since I never did marching band as a teenager, and it gave an inner look at the dedication band kids have to make many moving parts into a cohesive piece of art. This book also touched upon themes of sexuality, bullying, peer pressure, and mental health which made it a pretty relevant read.
Ultimately, the story was okay... I don't think I'll be reading any of Meriano’s other books in the future just because the struggle to get into the story wasn’t worth the ending in my opinion. However, a younger reader might feel differently than I did.
*I received an ARC from Penguin Teen in exchange for my honest review.
This book had a lot of characters I wasn’t a fan of and the plot felt a little drawn out in the beginning; however, once I got about halfway through the book, the storyline picked up a bit and some of the characters became likable.
The marching band theme of the book was interesting to learn about, since I never did marching band as a teenager, and it gave an inner look at the dedication band kids have to make many moving parts into a cohesive piece of art. This book also touched upon themes of sexuality, bullying, peer pressure, and mental health which made it a pretty relevant read.
Ultimately, the story was okay... I don't think I'll be reading any of Meriano’s other books in the future just because the struggle to get into the story wasn’t worth the ending in my opinion. However, a younger reader might feel differently than I did.
*I received an ARC from Penguin Teen in exchange for my honest review.
kenchan's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0