No Cap: Book Reviews

The Melody of Silence

Oh my lord. Where do I even begin with this book. I read it quite a bit ago. 6 months at the least. And boy, did I eat this up. I couldn't tell you how I found this book but I'm so happy it showed up on my radar. I can honestly say that this book does not get the love it deserves.

The book is about a girl and a guy who meet at a young age and become best friends in spite of their obvious differences. And through a series of dramatic and depressing events brave life together.

The book is narrated in the perspective of both love interests, and really well done. Each voice is clear and distinct yet vaguely similar. The girl's (Alex) voice was softer more naive, and the guy (Nate) was straight to the point, it is what it is. The book is written more like a stream of consciousness than a book. It is unafraid in mentioning difficult subjects such as rape, drugs, and abuse. And it does so in a way that isn't glorifying. It shows the true consequences of peoples actions and how life can sometimes seem like its rigged against you. The writing although blunt had an air of poetic-ness. It was never layers to dig into, but instead just written in a way that made something beautiful out of the suffering.

Alex (the female protagonist) wasn't your typical good girl gone bad. She was more good girl, eyes opened. She was good simply because that was all she knew, that was what was expected of her. She appears to be soft on the outside, but she's a storm on the inside. She's fighting so much around her and has gone through so much heartache but puts on a brave face for everyone. You don't quite understand the level of her hardships at the beginning of the story but as it progresses one comes to see just how much she keeps under wraps. Nate (the male protagonist) is more in your face. You know straight off the bat the struggles that he's gone through and the role he plays in his family. And as you read you grow close to him and his personality because he's actually really sweet and yet not without fault.

As I said previously, it was written like a stream of consciousness, but in past tense. This meant that the author was able to implement the use of subtle foreshadowing and future musings. This made the book even more interesting and the itch to know what was going to happen next was relentless throughout.

When I tell you this book made me cry...I was sobbing. Multiple times. This book is the definition of emotional rollercoaster. I remember thinking, "when will their pain end? Haven't these people suffered enough?" These characters are so--I hesitate to say--perfectly flawed. They grow together and apart just as real people do and they come together when they're truly ready. In saying this because the characters are so layered the plot does take a bit of a hit. For the most part the plot is absolutely amazing but there were times when I'd be reading and some minor plot that I completely forgot about resurfaced and made everything a little more crazy. Don't get me wrong I still loved every second of it but there was the rare instance where I was just overwhelmed.

Aaaaanyway I'm getting ahead of myself. The point that I'm trying to make is that this book is a masterpiece and it deserves so much more credit that it has. If I can do anything to put this book in the spotlight I'll do so without hesitation. The read was worth every tear shed.

NO CAP SUMMARY

Characters: 10/10

Plot: 9/10

Writing: 10/10

Overall: 10/10

Blurb: Alexandra Winger was just a girl when she snuck out her bedroom window and took a midnight excursion to her secret spot in the woods. She wanted an adventure, and she found one-- an adventure that would twist and transform her from a single, unfettered soul into half of an unbreakable, unconquerable duo. An adventure that would last from the second she saw him to the moment she drew her last breath.

Nathan Reynolds just wanted to be left alone for what remained of the worst day of his life. With a present in shambles and a future too bleak to comprehend, a new friend was the last thing he needed. He should have left the second she showed up, but something about the dirt-smudged girl in the cargo shorts and stained t-shirt made him want to stay. So he did. Through the night, he stayed. Through tragedy and heartbreak, he stayed. Through time and betrayal, he stayed, because what use would there be in leaving with only half of his soul? This is not a neatly packaged romance-- complete with charming meet cute, surmountable struggles, a white wedding, and a happily ever after. This is a messy tale of pain, loss, loyalty, redemption, and passion in all its beautifully imperfect forms. It's about the poignant agony of loneliness, and the sound of hope in moments of silence and suffering.This isn't a romance. It's a love story.

I forgot to add that this is actually a trilogy but you could read the first one as a stand alone.