All the Wrong Chords by Christine Hurley Deriso

There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.Īfter surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.

Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends.

Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. Grandpa’s small Georgia town seems to be a pretty white one.Ī topical musical romance that mostly hits the right notes. When all is said and done, the key characters in this mostly pleasant drama stumble then pick themselves back up having learned something about grief and loyalty. However, the song lyrics and musical descriptions leave something to be desired: “Zach lurches into a searing solo that sounds like a car engine revving” is not atypical. Told through Scarlett’s intimate and sometimes-droll perspective, the story touches on the timely topic of opioid addiction while maintaining a swift and light narrative flow. Scarlett’s relationship with her best friend, Varun, gay and of Indian descent, is also suddenly mysteriously strained. As she gains a deeper understanding of the other members, especially guitarist Zach, it becomes clear that tensions are mounting within the band. It takes merely moments before Scarlett is smitten by the gorgeous and careless lead singer, Declan. Within short order she mingles with and joins the small town’s main musical interest, a band called the Beastings. Her beloved brother has recently died of a prescription drug overdose after a long struggle with addiction. The white teen is spending the summer at Grandpa’s house in Georgia before starting college. After the death of her brother, Scarlett finds solace and romance by joining a band.

All the Wrong Chords by Christine Hurley Deriso