Tonight the Streets are Ours by Leila Sales

Title: Tonight the Streets Are Ours
Author: Leila Sales
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Source: BEA

Summary from Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Arden Huntley is recklessly loyal. Taking care of her loved ones is what gives Arden purpose in her life and makes her feel like she matters. But she's tired of being loyal to people who don't appreciate her—including her needy best friend and her absent mom.

Arden finds comfort in a blog she stumbles upon called "Tonight the Streets Are Ours," the musings of a young New York City writer named Peter. When Peter is dumped by the girlfriend he blogs about, Arden decides to take a road trip to see him.

During one crazy night out in NYC filled with parties, dancing, and music—the type of night when anything can happen, and nearly everything does—Arden discovers that Peter isn't exactly who she thought he was. And maybe she isn't exactly who she thought she was, either.

Review

Tonight the Streets are Ours was a story that was so easy to fall into. It was emotional, honest, heartfelt and packed with food-for-thought and important takeaways. It was incredibly easy to love.

Arden’s whole self-identity is wrapped up in this idea of herself as being recklessly loyal. She’s there for her friends and family in whatever capacity they need, even if it’s at a detriment to herself. But then her life starts to crumble around her, beginning with her mom leaving, and she starts to question how much her love is reciprocated. Posing this question to the world wide web leads Arden to discover Peter who writes Tonight The Streets are Ours, a blog chronicling his life. Peter seems to be struggling with similar feelings. His parents won’t support his dream of becoming an author, his brother has run away and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t seem to make the girl he loves love him back. Arden gets swept up in Peter’s story. So much so, that when her perfectly planned night goes up in flames, she takes off to New York City to find him. However, Arden’s expectations and Arden’s reality end up being two very different things.

I always love a story within a story and I found myself invested in both Arden and Peter’s lives. But most of all, I loved that things didn’t turn out as they seemed in more ways than one. There were so many important messages in this book, but the one about there being two sides to a story, was the one that hit home the most. But I also loved the idea that loving someone doesn't necessarily mean sacrificing everything for them and that you have to love yourself too. And I loved that Arden gave up something good in the hope of something better. I could definitely relate to that.

Leila Sales really nailed it again with this one. Arden lived and learned over the course of these pages and I lived and learned with her. I really feel like I am walking away from this book with a better perspective and that is the most I can ask of any book. This is a must read.

ARC REVIEW #165: This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Title: This Song Will Save Your Life

Author: Leila Sales

Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Release Date: September 17, 2013

Pages: 288, Hardcover
Source: ARC obtained at BEA

Summary from Goodreads:

Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.

Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.

“You think it’s so easy to change yourself. You think it’s so easy, but it’s not. True, things don’t stay the same forever: couches are replaced, boys leave, you discover a song, your body becomes forever scarred. And with each of these moments you change and change again, your true self spinning, shifting positions – but always at last it returns to you, like a dancer on the floor. Because throughout it all, you are still, always, you: beautiful and bruised and unknowable. And isn’t that – just you – enough?”

It’s extremely difficult to capture the essence of This Song Will Save Your Life. Leila Sales has created something truly and simply beautiful with Elise’s story. This book is so much more than a girl who, when all hope was lost, found something to keep her going. It is a beacon of hope for anyone who has ever felt down about themselves.

This Song Will Save Your Life is told in an easy and open manner largely through Elise’s internal dialogue. It begins with her at her lowest, when she has given up trying to change the way others see her. But then she discovers Start, true friends, and a passion for DJ-ing. Slowly her life starts to change, including her attitude about herself and others. She finally starts to grow into her own skin and build some confidence. But it’s not an easy process. Her school life is very much still hell for her and she barely keeps her head above water.

Elise was very matter-of-fact as she described the way things were. She had this understanding and awareness about the world around her. The tone wasn’t depressing, but rather honest. Elise didn’t hate herself. Not really. She just accepted the way others saw her because she had no evidence to the contrary, at least none that she could see. She was stoic, resigned.

Elise was really amazing. She was smart and true and good. I just loved her voice as she told her story. I think she can be a real pillar of strength for teens that that are bullied or isolated for being different because ultimately she endures, and she excels. High School is not the end all, be all. But it's really hard to see that when it's all-consuming.

It’s really hard to describe this book. At the most basic level, it’s about a girl who is different and it’s those differences that bring her torment in one environment but allow her to blossom in another. I think everyone will experience this book a bit differently depending on their own personal history/feelings. But it is sure to cause you to feel something.

I loved the music theme in this story. I loved how every chapter began with a song lyric. I loved the quirkiness of the characters.I loved the secret of Start. I loved the change we see in Elise. I loved how immersed herself in tasks. I loved how she became the best at whatever she tried. I love how she used the word precocious to describe herself. I love that she was funny. There is literally so much to love about this book. It was serious but light. Refreshing and relevant. Beautiful and sad.

I strongly believe in the influential power of music. But even more so, I believe in the power of books. And that is why I am always going on and on about the message that a book sends to its readers, ESPECIALLY in the young adult genre. If authors are going to approach a difficult subject (i.e. teen pregnancy, suicide, bullying, sexting, etc.), then they need to do so in a way that is relevant, relatable, supportive, and healthy. By the end of that book, readers should be taking away something positive, some lesson learned, some hope.

This Song Will Save Your Life was a perfect example of what an author should strive to do. The message was strong and clear and encouraging. I really loved this book.

“What’s wrong with me, Ms. Wu? What’s wrong with everybody else?”