As a result of my various committee appointments and commitments I am unable to disclose my personal thoughts on this title at this time. Please see my star rating for a general overview of how I felt about this title. Additionally, you may check my GoodReads for additional information on what thoughts I’m able to share publicly. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this and any other titles you are in charge of.

A Song Only I Can Hear
by Barry Jonsberg

Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Children's Fiction
Pub Date 07 Apr 2020



I am reviewing a copy of A Song Only I Can Hear through Simon and Schuster Publishing and Netgalley:



Rob starts getting text messages from an unknown number, in these text messages he’s given challenges that will push him beyond his comfort one. He must make a choice, either sty under the radar, or risk being exposed in a way he was not prepared for.



Rob Fitzgerald has his heart set on impressing Destry Camberwick. In his eyes, she’s perfect and he’s in love with her, devastatingly so, but just talking to her is desperately hard for a wall flower like him, he’s prone to panic attacks and would prefer to hang out with his Grandfather.



But when he starts getting mysterious text messages from an unknown number with challenges designed to encourage him to get out of his comfort zone. Is Rob Fitzgerald on the road to getting the girl? Will he take on the challenges or will fear keep him out of the spotlight forever?




I give A Song Only I Can Hear five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

Rob represents a character that many teenagers need to see. He is struggling with himself and his anxiety. He is also one that really wants to be noticed by the girl that has his heart set out on. I feel this one we all can see ourselves in. As young teenagers, the struggle to accept one's self and be proud of it is a long and difficult journey. I think this message was tried and true, and I see students liking Rob and his realness. I do agree with many other reviews that the chapters got choppy at times.

I didn’t like the writing style of this book. Inserting the word “blankety” throughout the text in place of swears was weak. There was dialogue that was attempting to be humorous but really fell flat. There was a twist at the end that was interesting. But, young readers facing questions about sexual identity benefit from seeing the struggle throughout the story and not just as a twist at the end.

I don't foresee this being a book I will reread. The line to line writing isn't compelling enough. It's an interesting concept with a decent execution. We have a sense, through much of the book, that there's more going on than we are told. That "more" is gradually revealed in a natural way. There's also a sense of unreality to much of the plot which is explained by the final chapters. I like the general thrust of the plot I just don't know that it will hold up to increased scrutiny.

The cover pulled me in and the characters kept me there as I turned page after page until the last one. The grandfather and best friend kept me in a constant stream of muffled giggles. The characters almost seem too good to be true which is why the epilogue with the therapist made the perfect ending. I was reminded of Perks of Being a Wallflower but really only when I reached the end. I love this story. I will admit I knew the theme was LGBTQAI+ but didn't read the back of the book so I was patiently waiting for that theme to appear. Children ages 13 and up.

This book has a fun, snarky kind of voice that will be very appealing to a lot of kids. It's about Rob, who is trying to be a writer, get the girl, and basically live a happy life, but lives with debilitating panic attacks. Rob starts getting anonymous text challenges and Rob decides to embrace them. There are funny characters and dialogue along with the heart wrenching pain that Rob's going through. Terrific story for middle graders, but it has some implied bad language.

I wanted to read this book because my daughter has panic attacks and I wanted to see how this played out in a character. I had trouble following this book and the chapters were choppy.

I found the format of this book somewhat hard to follow, the switching back and forth in the timeline.
I did like the look into mental health and panic attacks. I know a lot of books out there deal with mental health now, but its nice to see it in it's different forms and looked at in different lives and how it affects everyone.
I liked how Rob slowly came out of his comfort zone with all the little "tasks" he was receiving. I also really liked his relationship with his grandfather.
There is a love story here too, but I think this was more concentrated on Rob finding himself and feeling more confident in himself while he was trying to get the girl.

I received this ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rob is in love. He's desperate to figure out how get his crush to even notice him. In the meantime, he gains new conviction (and with it, new confidence). He spends a lot of time with his crotchety, yet beloved grandfather, learning more than he anticipated about his grandfather's past.

I actually really liked this in the beginning but as the book wore on, I was distracted from the story by the way the chapters were laid out. I found it disrupted the story to keep going back and forth in the timeline.