Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was so very good. This is the second book I’ve read by Silvia the first was Mexican Gothic which I loved!! If you like magic, family, love, friendships, and music then you will love this book!!

This story will transport you to Mexico in the 80s and 2009, it will take you on a ride with Mercedes “Meche” as she finds love, her friendships with Sebastian and Daniela, as she deals with conflicts, goes through breakups, and discovers her magic through music. I thought this story was witty, creative, magical, nostalgic, and enjoyed the modern take on Mexican folklore. I enjoyed that we got a taste of Mexican culture, got to experience the power of music, and I loved how Silvia incorporated vinyl records into the story, I don’t see that very often. This story also touched on sensitive subjects i.e., illnesses, dysfunctional broken families, bullies, and how it affects kids growing up. I thought this story was so unique and thoroughly enjoyed it. I cannot recommend this book enough. I thought Kyla Garcia did an amazing job narrating the story. Thank you to Spotify Audiobooks and NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia knows how to do magic realism and I eat it up every time. I loved the aspect of music leading to magic. I'm also a big fan of how she used 2 different timelines to show the characters as children and as adults and how their childhood shaped their future!

Signal to Noise is a historical fantasy novel about a teenage girl called Meche living in Mexico City in the 1980s who grew up hearing stories about witches from her grandmother. One day Meche discovers with her friends Daniela and Sebastian how to cast spells with music from the records that she has collected since she was a child. However, the power they have can quickly overwhelm them, and the three begin to disagree on how to use and why to use magic.

The concept for this novel immediately jumped out at me as unique and interesting, and I was happy to find that it’s supported with some really solid worldbuilding as well. We didn’t get a lot of Mexico City specifically, but we did get a lot of 1980s culture, and the time frame supports and incredibly well thought-out fantasy world as a baseline for the action. Meche has a slow but consistent discovery of magic, and as the characters experimented with what they could and could not do, the reader was able to learn more about how the magic works and some of the basics for why. Some of the technicalities of the magic are still left unexplained, which makes sense for a group of teenagers that don’t quite get why they can do magic, but enough is fleshed out to reveal an internal consistent logic.

The plot in this novel jumps back and forth in time from Meche in high school, when the majority of the action happens, to Meche as an adult after her father’s death, when she has returned to Mexico City for his funeral. There are a great many years between these two threads, and I really respect the way the author showed the passage of time upon Meche and Sebastian as adults, the ways their core personalities stayed the same but how they both matured and grew over the years. This is partially due to the characters’ complexity from the very start: Meche, Sebastian, and Gabriela all behave exactly like one would expect out of teenagers: passionate about their interests and their dislikes, convinced that their perspectives are the right ones, and deeply wounded by the conflict around them. This gives them room to grow and change, and the author followed through with that growth into their adulthood.

In all, I’ll give Signal to Noise a 9 out of 10. Between it’s incredible worldbuilding, dynamic and relatable characters, and compelling plot, I think most readers willing to try an urban fantasy will enjoy it.

Fans of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow -- don't sleep on this book! Sylvia Moreno-Garcia never misses. This was a magical, heartwarming book that immediately nestled its way into my favorites.

Spooky thoughtful with Moreno-Garcia flawless ability to write complex female characters in rich settings

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book!
◇ Synopsis
In 1988 Mexico City, 15-year-old Meche discovers she can cast spells with music, using mixtapes to mend her broken family and find love. Twenty years later, she returns for her estranged father's funeral, confronting buried memories and wondering if any of that childhood magic still exists.
◇ Thoughts
In Signal to Noise, music is literally magic for Meche and her friends in 1980s Mexico City. The teens use vinyl records to cast spells, hoping to improve their bleak social situations with mixed results. The narrative seamlessly shifts between the teens' magical adventures and adult Meche's return to Mexico City for her father's funeral, revealing how past and present intertwine. While the teens' story escalates toward disaster, adult Meche's journey is more about personal transformation, exploring the loss of youthful belief in magic. Despite her flaws and tendency to take advantage of her friends, Meche’s relationship with her grandmother adds depth. The author has even provided a playlist to enhance the experience, though I haven’t listened to it yet. Overall, I enjoyed this novel and recommend it if you're seeking a touch of magic in your life.
◇ Publisher
Solaris

A dark coming of age tale featuring music and magic set in Mexico City in the 80s and 2000s. A group of misfits stumbles across a power they barely understand and are ill equipped to handle that may grant them their greatest desires, but at a steep price. I expected a slightly darker feel, but thought the story was well done. I think you’ll love the twisted relationships, the musical allusions, and the powerful lessons. This release features a gorgeous new cover and a new audio treatment.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

For the most part I really enjoyed this book. I thought the story was interesting and I loved the idea of magic tied to music. I also liked the back and forth between the past (them in school) and the present. Unfortunately sometimes this did make the story feel a little disjointed or hard to follow. Also for some reason the characters fell really flat for me. They didn’t have much in the way of personalities, and what they did have felt almost forced and cliche. Overall though it was a really fun read.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the audiobook.
I am typically a big fan of Moreno-Garcia, but this one didn’t hit the right way for me. I suspect it was because the female protagonist was just so unlikable, and honestly I don’t feel like she had enough of a redemption arc or character growth to root for her even by the end of the book.

Since 2019, Silvia Moreno-Garcia has become one of my favorite authors, and I’ve read nearly all of her books by now. However, I still hadn’t read her first two novels. Now available in audiobook form, I’ve finally read her debut novel, Signal to Noise. It starts in Mexico City in 1988, when teenagers Meche, Sebastián, and Daniela are friends who’ve stumbled upon a form of magic tied to music. But fast forward to 2009, and Meche is returning to Mexico after her father’s death. She hasn’t seen her former friends in 20 years and isn’t sure she’s ready to make amends. What happened back then that tore them apart?

Tropes & Narrative Devices:
- Dual timeline (1988-1989; 2009)
- Unlikeable main character
- Coming of age arc
- Third-person narration

What I Liked:
- So much music! What initially drew me to Signal to Noise (besides it being by Silvia Moreno-Garcia) is how central of a role music plays in the story. These characters are able to wield magic from the vinyl records they pick out, but only some records have magic attached to them. I also love how much Meche talks about music, especially with her dad, himself a radio broadcaster who’s writing a book about Mexican music. Numerous artists, albums, and songs are referenced throughout the novel, many of which I know, and many more which I’ll need to listen to.
- The magic. This novel is set in a normal world, but magic exists for the three protagonists. They’re essentially practicing witchcraft, guessing as they go about what works and how and why. It feels like something tangible, like the kind of magic you secretly hope you’ll stumble upon someday, despite living in this ordinary world.
- The complicated friendships. Meche is a tough girl to like. She can be cruel and vindictive, and yet her two friends stick with her. Sebastián has to work after school and on weekends; Daniela has lupus and is overprotected by her parents. All three are outcasts, misfits in some way, and the roles in their friendship aren’t always even. They argue, they make mistakes, and yet it rings true to how friendships can be in high school.
- Meche’s relationship with her dad. This is another complicated relationship. How does she go from idolizing her dad, with whom she shares a love of music, to not having seen him in 20 years? What went wrong in their relationship? Like Meche, her dad Vicente has his own issues: alcoholism, an ability to see his book to completion, and a toxic relationship with his wife. It’s a lot to sort through, but Meche will have to do so eventually.

What Didn’t Work for Me:
- Nothing, this was great!

Audiobook
Kyla Garcia does a magnificent job of narrating Signal to Noise. She gives each character a distinctive voice, yet never overdoes it, either. I appreciated how she brought out their personalities and made them feel true to their teenage years.

Final Thoughts
Signal to Noise is a captivating novel steeped in music, subtle magic, and complicated, thorny relationships. It’s a coming of age story in many ways, but also one that hints at growth 20 years later. I enjoyed this novel and especially the audiobook version.

At this point the only Silvia Moreno-Garcia novel I have left to catch up on is Certain Dark Things. Stay tuned for my review of that very soon!

It was cute. Didn’t love narration but will eyeball read it soon because I think it would have been easily 5 stars had I done the ebook. Love finding books with Mexican rep

Thank you #partner #spotifyaudiobooks for my #gifted copy. 💜

Signal to Noise
Silvia Moreno-Garcia

📖 Signal to Noise is a magical, coming-of-age historical fiction with a romance subplot, set in Mexico City, Mexico. It's dual timeline, alternating between 1988 and 2009, and follows a group of teenaged misfits. Mercedes "Mecha" Vega and her friends discover that they can harness magic from vinyl records, and they use it to get what they've always wanted... money, love, revenge, and more. But magic doesn't come without a price.

💭Signal to Noise is an angsty, nostalgic, engaging novel that touches on the tumultuous nature of adolescence and the nearly universal experiences of high school. Despite the young cast in the 1988 timeline, this isn't marketed as a YA novel, though it often reads like one (and I'm not complaining)! As a music lover, I love the unique concept of music-as-magic! At its core, Signal to Noise is a story of friendship, family, love, and the price of power.

🎧 This is one of those books that's enhanced by the audiobook. Narrator Kyla Garcia is wonderful, as always, and she truly elevated the story with her performance. I'm not I'd have enjoyed this as much if I'd read it with my eyes, so I'm grateful I had the opportunity to listen to it. 💜

📌 Available now!
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A beautifully heartfelt and magical story that is so well narrated you cannot help but be transported to the world of the story.

I have decided to DNF (not finish) this book. I just couldn't get into it unfortunately. But thank you for the opportunity amd the advanced audio copy!

This was a weird book, but I would expect nothing less from Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
No one does magical realism quite like SMG.
Meche is a MC you love to hate and I was actively routing for her to get hers.
In the end I realized you need to hate her a bit to make the story as powerful as it is.
If you like music, magic and powerful friendships this book is for you.
Much love to NetGalley & Spotify Audiobooks for my ALC.

This is a rerelease of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s debut novel, and it is my least favorite of her stories despite the appealing concept. I expected to love a story about a trio of teenagers in late 1980s Mexico City using records to cast spells. Music holds so much power for most of us at that age. Unfortunately, the main character, 15-year-old Meche, is thoroughly selfish, rude, cantankerous, and at times shockingly vicious.

The story is told in chapters alternating between 1988 and 2009, when Meche returns to Mexico City for her father’s funeral. The plot unfurls slowly, gradually building in intensity. I found the story interesting, but I just hated spending time with Meche and seeing how she treated her friends, who put up with entirely too much from her.

The audiobook production was fine, aside from my review copy containing a couple of repeated chapters. Based on the length of the audiobook listed on retailers, I trust that that problem has been corrected in the published version. I enjoyed the narration by Kyla Garcia, whose accent helped bring the Mexico City setting to life. She’s fun to listen to, with good pacing, clear pronunciation, and distinctive voices to suit the characters. She is able to convey the mood and emotions of the story effectively. The story works very well as an audiobook.

I’d cautiously recommend this for fans of the author and magical realism. Note that the book contains swearing, violence, child abuse, alcohol abuse, sexual assault of a minor, and occult content.

Thanks to Spotify Audiobooks for providing me with a free review copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

This is such a beautiful, emotional story, touching on themes of of friendship, family, and the power of music as magic. The writing was eloquent, yet very accessible. I loved all the characters in the novel, particularly Sebastian & Meche. The author did a fantastic job of creating relatable characters, who felt like realistic teenagers. The narrative is slower than the page-turners I usually read, yet I quickly fell into this immersive story. I would recommend this novel to a wide range of readers. I look forward to reading more by this talented author.

I read this awhile back. I was excited to experience this story through audio for a second time. The narrator did a great job of keeping me intrigued. The story is so fun and unlike anything Sylvia Moreno-Garcia has done.

This was a fun, interesting & thought-provoking read.
Tackles the age of tale of how much is enough and what would you do to get there.

I adored Meche, Sebastian and Daniella’s friendship dynamic. Also the commentary on family dynamics, power, grief, regret and reputation; specially in a small community.
Moreno-Garcia’s choice to have the passages be from different povs created very rounded main characters. The way she weaved the magic within the story made it feel grounded and realistic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for this alc in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure at first about this book but it grew on me. There's the perfect amount of real issue mixed with magic and watching Matche and Sebastian's relationship through time was literally magically even though they both had moments that made me want to shake some sense into them. I loved the balance that Daniela provided to the trio as well as how she developed from doing what ever Meche wanted and eventually finding the voice to tell her she was wrong. This author has become one of my favorite. Such an amazing writing style and the stories are always so interesting and heart filled.