I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I’ve only recently started reading romance. This book had everything that I was looking for. The setting, characters and themes were well crafted.

The Sound of Us is an emotionally impactful book that connects two characters through music, so prepare yourself before reading it. You’ll need tissues at times. Any author who can evoke strong emotions in me about the characters’ experiences is definitely someone I want to read more of, and that is what Sarah Castille did while I read Skye and Dante’s story. I loved how Sarah included a different song at the beginning of each chapter and incorporated music throughout the book because it’s important for Skye and Dante’s journey.

In the beginning, these two characters faced significant struggles, largely stemming from their past traumas. Skye’s life changed dramatically after a car accident while Dante was still grieving the loss of family members. Additionally, Dante had a father who was pressuring him to join the family business despite Dante’s desire to distance himself from that life. I couldn’t blame him; his father was a terrible person, and Dante deserved to live free from his father’s control, especially given the damage his father had caused to their family.

I really enjoyed the way Dante and Skye first met in the story, even though they struggled with their relationship at first due to complications, mostly with Dante. Dante, who has a reputation as a player, unexpectedly falls for Skye, something he has never experienced before. Although he frustrated me at times because he struggled to navigate his feelings, I understood his hesitation. Their situation was complicated since he had helped her secure an internship at the radio station where he worked, making their connection somewhat forbidden. If there’s one trope I love in romance novels, it’s the forbidden romance, and Sarah did it well.

I absolutely adored Skye because she was such a strong female lead, and I really rooted for her to find her own path after everything she endured. She deserved to discover her own happiness rather than simply fulfilling her father’s wishes. It took her some time to figure that out. I empathized with her feelings for Dante, especially since he seemed to lead her on at first. She just wanted to feel wanted for once. Skye went through so much in her life, and if anyone deserved love, it was her. Her story definitely impacted me, and I’m glad she had friends who were there to support her along the way.

While reading, I found moments of miscommunication between the characters frustrating, but they ultimately resolved these issues. It simply took some time for them to make amends. Aside from that, this book is one I will never forget, and I hope Sarah Castille writes more stories set in this world, particularly featuring the secondary characters she introduced.

Please be aware that this book contains content that may be unsettling for some readers, so it’s important to check for any triggers you may have. There is a mention of sexual assault in the book, but it does not involve the main characters.

Overall, I give this book four stars, and I’m excited to read more from Sarah Castille. Before I conclude my review, I want to highlight that this book does include spicy scenes (very spicy scenes in random places on campus). The connection between Dante and Skye is intense when they finally give in to their feelings for each other.

Single/Dual POV: Dual POV

Standalone or Part of Series: Standalone.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy deep, emotional romance stories about two characters who have endured trauma in their lives but find love with each other through their shared passion for music. You may want to add all the songs from this book to your playlist after reading it.

What to Expect:
🩵Contemporary College Romance
🩵Workplace
🩵He Falls First
🩵Bad Boy Musician
🩵Sports
🩵Forbidden

DNF.

God, did I try to like this, but I couldn’t get past the 30% mark. My breaking point? When Skye says she overheard her father say they should've returned her because she can’t throw a ball and he wanted a boy??!! Excuse me?! That’s a child, not a toy. You don’t “return” a kid because they don’t fit your gender preference! How did this guy even get approved by the adoption agency in the first place? Honestly, after reading that, I’m glad he died—he was clearly a terrible person.

The first half of the book was nothing but endless fawning over each other and a complete inability to communicate. Like… ever. At all. I couldn’t handle it. Honestly, I couldn’t even care less about the characters. Their separate backstories might’ve been interesting, but the way they interacted—constantly refusing to talk or make any progress—was exhausting.

Maybe it’s just me, but this book leaned way too hard into characters mooning over each other without giving me any reason to root for them. And the constant music references? Completely over my head. There were far too many of them, and they should’ve been toned down because I couldn’t bring myself to care.

A contemporary, steamy college romance featuring music cleverly ingrained not only how the characters connect, in chapter titles, the meet-cute, but it also drives the plot. Both characters have trauma in their past preventing them giving it all to each other-their journey to admission/openness, acceptance, connection and intimacy were compelling; I couldn’t help but root for them. I found myself playing the songs mentioned in the titles or within the conversations throughout the book-it really added an extra dimension of relatedness and heightened the reading experience.

Skye & Dante are two lost souls who find each other is music & love. Both are dealing with past trauma. They are going through the motions and being something they not instead of being who they want to be.
Both of them have walls up & not fully letting anyone in. They find they both have this love of music and the chemistry is undeniable.
I loved the way Skye & Dante’s relationship grew. This was more than just a romance between two people. It was trying to find their real passion and finding not only each other but also finding a group of friends who stand by you and believe in who you truly are, even when you don’t believe in yourself.
This is my first book of Sarah’s. The way she wrote these characters was so beautifully done. Adding the music to each chapter was just a bonus. The secondary characters also elevated Skye & Dante’s story. I found myself crying & wanted to make a playlist of my life.
“Do you know what I hear?” “The soundtrack of your life.”

For Skye Jordan music is everything to her especially after her basketball career was taken away by a drunk driver that also killed her dad. She was in college with hopes of going on to play professionally but now after 18 months she's back at college now working in a journalism program. She is hoping to get an internship to be able to stay at Havencrest and if not she's back home.

Dante Romano goes to Havencrest University working toward getting into law school and is one of the DJ's at the independent campus radio station. He's known as Dante's Darkness and has the highest ratings of any late night shows in Chicago.
He also has a past that has haunted him, he's consumed with guilt and has lost everyone that has been close to him. He has no time for relationships and keeps to himself for the most part until a certain new intern shows up and she has the same passion he does when it comes to music.

There's a lot of angst in this story. The secrets they both hold and how they are drawn to each other but really need to stay away because of certain things.
It's also an emotional journey for both. The things that have happened in both of their lives have shaped the way they are.

For me the book was too long and drawn out and I got bored. I will say there were also some parts that just tore at your heart and I like how they all came together.

3.5-4 stars

Dante and Skye are both music lovers and music is also their method of coping with their respective troubles in life. Both of them are studying at Havencrest University and end up working closely together at the radio station. As the story goes on, their past is slowly revealed and there is so much pain and trauma in both their lives.

It was not easy to read this book because a lot of the dialogue between Skye and Dante made reference to various songs or musicians. The problem is I am not that familiar with these songs and it sort of hampered my understanding of what they were insinuating in those scenes. The push and pull between them was blazing hot but it slows down the pace towards the end.

I loved the found family vibes in the books especially with Noah being the “father” and mentor which Dante needed to push him through the darkest moments in his life. As for Skye, I loved how Isla and Hayley were always there for her too. On a side note, I liked the romance between Nick and Isla too.

Usually a good musical troupe works for me. This was ok, but I don't know that I would say it's a must run out and read. But grab it and toss it in your beach bag for a good chill vibe read!

2.5⭐️

Las historias de Skye y Dante me gustaron, por separado. Ella vive con la idea de ser lo que su padre adoptivo quería, se desvive por lograr la aceptación porque no quiere volver a sentirse rechazada por la gente. Él, por otro lado, tiene un objetivo: convertirse en abogado, acercarse a personas importantes y vengarse de la persona que causó la muerte de su madre y hermana.

Me gustó ver cómo ambos cargaban con muchas responsabilidades, pero seguían adelante sin dejarse vencer. Sin embargo, el romance arruinó todo.

Algo que tampoco me gustó y me incomodó mucho fue que había muchas escenas sexuales, incluso en momentos en los que no venían al caso. Por ejemplo, cuando estaban hablando del caso que Skye estaba investigando sobre la violación de alguien cercano a ella, y al poner en pausa el tema porque estaban esperando a la chica para hablar, de repente empiezan a tener relaciones, ¿cómo vas a tener cabeza para eso después de averiguar quién violó a tu mejor amiga???



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a lovely book and I wish I read more from the author and which I plan on doing just off this book alone.

This book was so beautifully written and it show the ups and downs that the main characters had during whole book. Like her coming back to school after everything that she went through and he is just trying to become a lawyer and not go into the family business. Like then meeting each other at the one moment change everything for them and fallen in love with each other and then stuff happen and there were the letter at the end of the book.

As a fan of Sara Desai's works, I was super excited to read The Sound of Us, written under her other penname Sarah Castille! The Sound of Us is a New Adult college romance between a basketball player and a DJ. This book really celebrates music and radio, and the connections we form with people over our love of music. I really enjoyed seeing Skye and Dante bond over their favorite songs and artists. The way they express their emotions using music was very cool to see. Their romance was tender, steamy, and emotional. I was very pleasantly surprised to read a more serious romance from Sarah Castille. Under her rom-com penname, I usually find myself laughing out loud at how ridiculous her books can get. However, with The Sound of Us, the romance and drama is very grounded and consuming.

The characters in this book really stood out to me. Of course, Dante and Skye are the stars of the show, but I really loved the ensemble of characters surrounding them. Dante and Skye's classmates, friends, and mentors all help form a very well-rounded story. I can't wait to read the next standalone romance in this series next!

If you love an angsty romance this is definitely your next read. The characters have both gone through loss, but music makes them cope.

(3.5 Stars)
Skye Jordan had her life planned out until one tragedy changed everything. Now back a college and needing money she accidentally bumps into a gorgeous stranger leaving a bar. She doesn’t have time for anything but staying focused but DJ Dante Romano and her have a connection and not just around music. When his campus radio station needs an intern maybe not only can he help her with her career path but to heal as well. This is a college aged emotional journey bathed in a musical background. I did find it slow to begin but still a touching story about finding yourself. Told in first person and dual POV.

This book struck a deep chord with me. The chemistry between Skye and Dante is electric, and their journey from fiery attraction to something deeper is both intense and heart-wrenching. Skye’s struggle to rebuild her life and Dante’s battle with guilt create a powerful backdrop for their romance. Their connection, driven by shared pain and passion, is beautifully portrayed, making their story both moving and memorable. It’s a raw, emotional ride that captures the complexity of love and healing. And, I highly enjoyed reading it.