Happy Thursday and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for YOU, ME, AND OUR HEARTSTRINGS by Melissa See! I’m so excited to share my review with you today, AND my interview with Melissa, PLUS more information about the author and tour! And now without any further ado, let’s get to the review!
I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
You, Me, and Our Heartstrings by Melissa See Published on August 2, 2022 by Scholastic Press
Genres: Contemporary, Neurodivergent, Queer, Romance, YA
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: Edelweiss
Add to Goodreads
Author Links: Website, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram, TikTok
Daisy and Noah have the same plan: use the holiday concert to land a Julliard audition. But when they're chosen to play a duet for the concert, they worry that their differences will sink their chances.
Noah, a cello prodigy from a long line of musicians, wants to stick to tradition. Daisy, a fiercely independent disabled violinist, is used to fighting for what she wants and likes to take risks. But the two surprise each other when they play. They fall perfectly in tune.
After their performance goes viral, the rest of the country falls for them just as surely as they're falling for each other. But viral fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. No one seems to care about their talent or their music at all. People have rewritten their love story into one where Daisy is an inspiration for overcoming her cerebral palsy and Noah is a saint for seeing past it.
Daisy is tired of her disability being the only thing people see about her, and all of the attention sends Noah’s anxiety disorder into high speed. They can see their dream coming closer than it’s ever been before. But is the cost suddenly too high?
tl;dr
- OH MY STARS I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!!!!!
- #ownvoices disability rep is just *chef’s kiss*!!!!!!
- VERDICT: read this as soon as you possibly can!!!
favorite characters?
Daisy! Mazhar! Amal! Noah! Douglas! Gavin!
will i re-read it?
YES DEFINITELY I ALREADY CAN’T WAIT!!!
three words to describe the book
ANTI INSPIRATION PORN
but also: love, music, disability
goodreads review
YOU, ME, AND OUR HEARTSTRINGS is absolutely AMAZING and WONDERFUL and I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!
Thank you so much to Colored Pages Tours, Scholastic, and Melissa See for sending me an early copy of this WONDERFUL book to read and review!
when this cover was revealed, I was already SUPER EXCITED for You, Me, and Our Heartstrings. AND THEN– look at Daisy’s feet! they look like my feet look!!! I’ve never seen this before and I just LOVE LOVE LOVE that! ALSO, the flowers and the scarf and the colors and everything else about this cover is just BEAUTIFUL!
10/10 stars!!!
- #Daisy Abano is NOT here to be your inspiration porn, thanks
- #julliard is the ultimate goal here
- #(turns to the camera) this is a love story
- Follow Your Arrow by Jessica Verdi
- Speak for Yourself by Lana Wood Johnson
- One For All by Lillie Lainoff
- A Sisterhood of Secret Ambitions by Sheena Boekweg
- Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli
“Music exists outside of eighteenth-century Germany. He has to know this.”
“{…} the duet is epic- equal parts dramatic and tender.”
“They see an inspiring disabled girl who plays violin, not a talented, disabled violinist. Even though that’s what I am.”
“There is glitter on every possible surface of the gym, and I’m convinced the DJ things everyone from here to Long Island needs to be blessed with his curated playlist.”
“The reason I haven’t asked you to dance is because you look beautiful tonight!” I blurt out.
“The familiar sounds of the instruments calms me, even though it’s all chaos, scales, and people tuning their strings.”
“{…} to swim through the notes, crafting a story without need for words or pictures.”
“I’ve spent so much time pretending it wasn’t a problem, I never found the right words.”
“I smile at her and say thank you because it’s easier than explaining why what she said is wrong.”
“Sir, what’s disrespectful is your ableism,” I manage to fire back. “I’m pretty positive God doesn’t care that I’m sitting.”
“Growing up, I thought music was the only thing I needed.”
“I mean, once you’ve witnessed a guy in nothing but his underwear and a cowboy hat playing the guitar during a snowstorm in Times Square, I guess you’ve seen everything.”
“Everyone applauds me as I bow. Not because I am “inspiring,” but because I am talented.”
“A truth so painful it can only be shouted within the confines of my family and our flowers.”
“It’s such an amazing opportunity, being around all of that talent and knowing you’re there because of your talent.”
“We don’t need to apologize for ourselves. Especially not to each other.”
“{…} in this moment, right now, nothing else matters. Just me, him, and our strings.”
What would you do if you spent the day with Daisy and Noah? Where would you go to eat, hang out, relax, etc.?
Oh! I think we would eat at Max Brenner’s in Union Square, then probably go to Central Park, just to talk about everything related to orchestral music and being disabled. (But specifically, this would happen in autumn. And when you read the book, you’ll know why!)
If Daisy and Noah were to hang out with other fictional characters, who would they be and why?
Daisy and Noah would definitely hang out with Emmett from A Little Bit Country by Brian D. Kennedy, because Emmett is just as passionate about music as they are. I think they would have a great conversation about why their music means so much to them!
If there was one fictional place you could travel to for a day, where would it be and why?
Speaking of A Little Bit Country, I’d love to travel to Wanda World, located in the fictional town of Jackson Hollow, Tennessee. I’d love to go there because Brian D. Kennedy did such an amazing job bringing the theme park to life. I’m not much one for a lot of rides, but eating delicious theme park food is something I would absolutely love.
If you buried a time capsule with three items inside, what three items would you choose and why?
1) My first finished copy of You, Me, and Our Heartstrings, because it would be a reminder that I’m achieving my dreams
2) My first set of Dungeons & Dragons dice, because I love the game
3) I also would have my mom write her recipe for chocolate chip walnut cookies on a card and include that, because we bake cookies every holiday season
What was your favorite bit of research you ended up not using?
When I knew I was setting a portion of this book in Scotland, I researched a lot! I think my favorite bit of research I didn’t end up using was on the fairy pools on the Isle of Skye. (The Isle of Skye being the area of Scotland that Noah’s dad is from.)
What is your favorite quote, scene, or moment from You, Me, and Our Heartstrings?
Here are just a few of my favorite moments!
1) The dance
2) The first kiss
3) The love confession
coming soon!
About Melissa See
Melissa See is a disabled author of young adult contemporary romances. She currently lives in the New York countryside where she’s pursuing her education to work in children’s publishing. When not writing, she can be found reading, baking cookies, or curled up with her cat, most likely watching anime or 90 Day Fiancé. Her work has previously appeared in Anime Impact: The Movies & Shows that Changed the World of Japanese Animation.
What do you think about You, Me, and Our Heartstrings? Have you added it to your tbr yet? Let me know in the comments and have a splendiferous day!
Leave a Reply