Sometimes the order of things you've planned for your life get out of whack. When best friends April and Zee are separated into different schools, April is sure she won't make another friend like Zee. Zee is a talented violinist and now attends a school focused on developing his talent. April wants to be a professional drummer but can't seem to "get off the start line" and get serious about her lessons and practice. April figures that she and Zee will have years together and so she promises not to tell anyone about the chest pains and fainting that Zee has been experiencing while practicing for his solo at the school's performance night. A promise that April cannot forgive herself for when Zee collapses and dies at school. Trying to understand the major changes in her life with her mother's new girlfriend, Zee's death, Papa Zee's depression and the shocking circumstances of her "could be" friend, Asa leaves April feeling adrift. Expressing her emotions through her drum playing and allowing the reader to follow the beat of her life through verse lets us connect with her on a deeper level. Highly recommended.

I read this novel going in "blind" and think this is the best decision because even though I suspected Zee had heart trouble, I was completely devastated when he died. This verse novel made me feel everything Alice felt and I found that powerful and it kept me reading, wanting to know what was going to happen next.

I loved the family and found family as well as the budding friendship between Asa and Alice. The LBGTQIA representation was also welcome and showing adults in this relationship will help so many readers gain compassion and understanding.

April and Zee have big plans for the music world. But as Zee pushes himself harder and harder to excel in his new school, his heart starts causing him issues. When the unthinkable happens, April, her mom (and new girlfriend), and Zee's dad are left trying to pick up the pieces. April is sure it's her fault, and that she should have done something sooner. So when she notices Zee's mail carrier dad is shoving all his deliveries in his closet as he struggles through grief and depression, she starts making the deliveries herself, and soon witnesses another home where if nothing is said, things will only get worse. April must find courage inside herself to reach out for help, even if it means admitting how guilty she feels over Zee.