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A review by homoconnor
The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
The Music of What Happens entranced me with its characters. While the supporting cast was… well, you didn’t always want to hear from them (besides Rosa, she deserves the world), the two main characters, Max and Jordan, felt more real than pretty much any other YA protagonists I have ever encountered.
It fell short in that the author was trying to include too many storylines. If I had this story idea in my head, I’d imagine it as more of a mini-series on TV rather than a 300-ish page book.
I think there were some times where the characters didn’t always handle the tough topics in the books with much grace, but I would argue that despite the knowledge and sensitivity that many readers of LGBT books likely have, a lot of teenagers aren’t there yet. More importantly, the characters do have conversations about the way they talked and treated each other, and you do feel their growth in the story.
One of the really noticeable things in this book, which I feel a lot of romances attempt but don’t always succeed at, is how the characters learn and grow because of each other. I don’t want to spoil anything so I will leave it at that, but this is a must-read in YA LGBT literature.
It fell short in that the author was trying to include too many storylines. If I had this story idea in my head, I’d imagine it as more of a mini-series on TV rather than a 300-ish page book.
I think there were some times where the characters didn’t always handle the tough topics in the books with much grace, but I would argue that despite the knowledge and sensitivity that many readers of LGBT books likely have, a lot of teenagers aren’t there yet. More importantly, the characters do have conversations about the way they talked and treated each other, and you do feel their growth in the story.
One of the really noticeable things in this book, which I feel a lot of romances attempt but don’t always succeed at, is how the characters learn and grow because of each other. I don’t want to spoil anything so I will leave it at that, but this is a must-read in YA LGBT literature.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Addiction and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia and Racism