Guitar Notes

by Mary Amato

Summary:
A heartwarming story about an unlikely friendship forged between a straight-A, classical musician and a bad-boy guitar player told through notes, lyrics, texts, and narration.


















 

Rating: 3.5 /5


Review:
Guitar Notes was exceptionally funny and witty. Its well written. I loved the style Amato used to tell her story.
It would have been a 5star book up to about 80%of the story. Then it suddenly took a turn, which I really didnt care for and I was left startled at the end.
I have been thinking what put me off about the story line and still cant quite put my finger on it. But somehow it feels like there are two books somehow put together or like there isnt a clear thread through the book...

The book is about Lyla and Tripp. Layla being the classically trained Cellist and Tripp the guitar player.

Layla is a straight A student, she is always at her best behavior and a hopeful for a music career.
Tripp is antisocial, a problem kid so seemingly the complete opposite to Lyla.
The two of them end up in an unlikely friendship, that seems to make them both stronger and open. (well a little) They both discover that they have more in common than any one would think. And through their music find a way to express themselves.

I enjoyed watching their friendship grow and love Tripps thrum and vibrations theories! Amato described their feeling for their music beautifully.
The thing that bogs all of it down are all the cliches that are thrown at you. Every other character is total cliche, from the teachers to the best friends even to both parents they were written a million times before. But that actually didn't disturb me that much. for the first 80% that is.

Same goes to the story line. It starts cute and fun and then its just cliche. So sad because I believe that Amato could have done better, way better actually. She shows such finesse, subtlety and wit on hand, on the other hand she is totally unimaginative.

The whole book actually fails on the story line. It feels like there was a rush at the end and Amato had to quickly add a twist and end. The twist being proceeded by a huge cliche and the end being an sudden HEA, which is the mother of all cliches!

The whole thing is so very disappointing because I believe that Amato has way more talent than that and this should have been a 5star book!