Signal To Noise is Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s debut novel. A re-release of the audiobook happened August 20. Thank you to Spotify Books and NetGalley for the advanced listener copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read Mexican Gothic and really enjoyed the unique premise and creepy, gothic atmosphere of that book and was excited to read this. I didn’t know that this was her debut novel upon starting it, but it makes sense why I didn’t like it as well as Mexican Gothic.

The audiobook narrator was great; I thought that she did the story well.

I mostly had trouble with the pacing and found it to be slow, especially in the beginning. Signal to Noise features a dual timeline between Meche’s childhood in the late 1980s and coming back for her father’s funeral in 2009. At times, it was hard to follow on the audiobook version. I got a physical copy and found it easier to reference back to events. I generally disliked Meche and found it hard to root for her, which contributed to my rating. But what I really enjoyed was the concept of music as magic and thought that the plot was original and unique.

While this may not have been the book for me, check it out If you’re looking for a magical realism book set in Mexico City with a unique magic system of transforming songs into magic.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia just has a way of weaving a story together that I find almost irresistible. I only started reading her work about four or five years ago, but I’ve become a big fan. Her prose sings and her characters are always complex and believable. But because I only started reading her work in the last four or five years, I never read her debut novel Signal to Noise, but now I’ve had the pleasure of listening to the audio version and it definitely cast it’s spell on me. Focusing on Meche, who has returned home for her father’s funeral, we are treated to a fascinating tale jumping back and forth in time from the present to Meche’s teenage years, learning about how she discovered and explored magic via music. I was surprised by how much I connected with Meche and really enjoyed this nostalgic and emotional tale. Kyla Garcia does a superb job with the narration. Certain Dark Things is still my favorite book by Silvia, but this one isn’t that far behind. 4.5 stars. I’d like to thank Spotify Audiobooks and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of the audio version of Signal to Noise.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R3OMW1NQB1W3QH/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This book was so interesting and I am obsessed. I loved the way Silvia mixes the magical elements to real life. The way they did magic and how it came between the friendship. This was so fun to read and I am obsessed with it.

I got an alc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I will say Silvia Moreno-Garcia comes up with some very intriguing ideas for books, but I'm not sure if their writing is necessarily for me. I really struggled with the slow pacing of this book -I nearly DNF'd around 40%, but then pushed through with speeding up the audiobook, which I don't usually do but it did help. I loved the concept of magic through records, but I found the characters a bit ... not likeable, but also not intriguing enough to make up for it, and they read much younger to me than I thought they were.

I think if you're looking for an almost slice of life magical realism book with dual POV from childhood to adulthood, you might enjoy this, even if it wasn't quite my cup of tea!

Thank you Netgalley for the ALC

This is my second book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and I liked it. I gave it 3.5 because I felt like the story would've been better as just the kids using the music for magic. I didn't care for the present timeline in the book. Meche is a complicated character who is a terrible friend to Daniela and Sebastian, especially Daniela. I didn't like that she accused them of wanting to hex her, when she was the one that not only threatened to hex them if they didn't do what she wanted but followed through with it when it came to Sebastian. Like girl, your parents were not going to get back together.

All in all, I liked the story.

I didn’t realize this was a rerelease when I was given the audio copy. Now that I know it’s a debut I think I have a better understanding of why I didn’t like it as much as I was prepared to. I thought the idea was really neat, but the execution fell flat.

I didn’t really care what happened to any of them.

In Mexico City in the 80s, Meche and her friends, Sebastian and Daniela, discover magic through the use of music. They try to make things better for themselves by casting spells. Still, life is hard for awkward teenagers.
2 decades later, Meche comes back to Mexico City for her father's funeral. Hopefully, she will rediscover her magic and friendships as well.
First published in 2015.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Spotify Audio for this audio e-arc.*

Thank you to Sylvia Moreno-Garcia and Spotify Audiobooks via NetGalley for the eARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is one of my favorite authors and I loved listening to this story. It’s a dual timeline following Meche in 1988 when she discovers she can perform magic with her friends and in 2009 when she returns for her father’s funeral. There’s also romance and something that happens in the earlier timeline that causes a rift between Meche and her friends, something she has to navigate later in 2009.

I thought this book was so fun and also pulled at my heartstrings. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s books, as well as anyone who enjoyed “My Heart Is a Chainsaw” by Stephen Graham Jones. It’s far less gory and horrific, but Meche and Jade are the angsty teen girl protagonists I love to follow.

Genre: magical realism, historical fiction
Mexico City, 1988 & 2009

2009 - Meche is back in Mexico City for her father’s funeral, even though she hadn’t spoken to him in twenty years. Her mother and stepfather can’t go through his things, so Meche needs to sort his records herself, which digs up more memories of the past than she’s comfortable remembering.
1988 - Meche and her best friends Sebastián and Daniela discover the roots of power in music; real magic that can cast revenge spells and grant wishes. As Meche grasps for more, though, she drives away the friendships that were dearest to her.

I originally read this book five years ago, and I was nervous to pick it up again, because I remembered loving it so much. I shouldn’t have been nervous because Kyla Garcia’s narration still brought me to tears. I was glad to revisit it as an audiobook this time around. It’s not my favorite SMG at this point, but the whole book is tinted with nostalgia in such a beautiful way that I loved to reconnect with it, like meeting an old friend.

As always, with a Silvia Moreno-Garcia novel, it features an intensely unlikeable female main character, absorbed by the selfishness of youth and the allure of power (and in this case, magic). Meche, Sebastián, and Daniela are high schoolers in 1988, and they make the hurtful mistakes that young high schoolers do. And while the 1988 storyline verges on immature at times, because Signal to Noise is an adult novel, it’s palatable to those who don’t pick up YA, because the passion of youth is balanced by the measured view of adulthood twenty years later.

Part of the magic in Signal to Noise is Mexican witches, legends and magic that Meche learns from her grandmother. The other part of the magic is the music itself, and the way Meche connects to her world through vinyl. She has a song for everything. This book is perfect for anyone who is deeply into music. But it’s also a great read for anyone looking for friendship, grief, redemption, and just a touch of magic.

Thank you to Spotify Audiobooks for an ALC for review. Signal to Noise is available in print and ebook, and is out on audiobook on 8/20/24.

You really can’t go wrong with reading books by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and this is no exception. The book is structured with a dual timeline describing the relationship between Meche and her best friend Sebastian. From 15 year olds casting spells to meeting again in their 30s after living their lives apart for decades. This was a really enjoyable audiobook that I would definitely recommend. Thank you Spotify Audiobooks for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Signal to Noise might be one of the most unique reads I’ve ever read. Told in dual timelines of Meche’s life, it shows her at 15, awkward and trying to find her place when she discovers how to cast spells using magic with her friends Sebastian and Daniela contrasted with her life two decades later returning home for her father’s funeral only to have to revisit old wounds. A magical realism read focused on music, the writing is captivating and vivid, and I was so invested in these characters. I think the tricky thing is so much of the story takes place in Meche’s teenage years, so at times, it does get a little hard to like her—she’s young and selfish and impulsive, but she is also the epitome of a 15 year old. The teenage years are depicted so perfectly, and the friendships are just so well developed, with all the intricacies of both teenage years and how friendships change into adulthood. It’s an addicting read; I couldn’t wait for what was to come next. It’s a coming of age, magical childhood friends to lovers story. There’s so many delicate dynamics explored, and I just really enjoyed this one.

𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
4 🌟
-
This audiobook is phenomenal! The narrator Kyla Garcia did a phenomenal job. Her voice is so easy to listen to, and her male voice is amazing! I love how I was able to tell the differences between characters.
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬:
•dual timeline (past 1988, present 2009)
•magic
•romance
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 Aug.20
-
Thank you, Netgalley, and Spotify for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

My second SMG book and I can safely say I love the way she story tells. I had no idea that this was her debut, it feels like something from a seasoned author.

I appreciate this is the second book I have read that I notice the magical realism or her seamless merging of magic and everyday. I also LOVE that it revolves around music.

I also personally believe music has magic and is witchy... I feel it deep and this book felt so perfect as I listened.

I also appreciate the narrator! Love her engaging narration and lovely pronunciation.

I'd like to thank Netgalley for the ALC of the audiobook soon to be released on Spotify. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This book has been out for a while, so I will begin by reviewing the audiobook itself. The quality of the narration is well-done. They narrator had the appropriate tone and inflection to carry this story, and I enjoyed listening to it.

As for the book itself, I felt the pacing was rather slow. It enfolds in a dual timeline, one in the late 80s, a coming of age tale centered around teenage Meche, Sebastion and Daniella; and the other is in 2009, where Meche returns to her hometown upon the death of her father.

I think Moreno-Garcia has a way of creating stories that are spooky and unique. She writes things that feel original, and I always want to be a part of them when I read the blurb. This story was less charming that some of her others however. I found Meche wholly unlikable no matter her age, and I often wished I could piggyback along with a different character.

The writing is solid, the storyline is clever. It was the pacing and Meche that made me enjoy this less.

I have enjoyed other books by her more, but I am glad I was granted this opportunity to catch one that I missed.

A beautiful newly re-released edition of this fav Canadian author's debut novel. I am obsessed with the cover of this edition and really enjoyed getting to experience Silvia's debut on audio for the first time. Highly recommended with great narration by a fav audiobook narrator, Kyla Garcia. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book gave me the Craft vibes and I was here for it. Meche, Daniela, and Sebastian are friends in high school that stumble on magic and begin casting spells to get them what they want. This, of course, leads them to having a falling out. Fast forward twenty years and Meche comes back to her hometown for a funeral and runs into her old friends whom she has unfinished business with.

I loved the magic that was done through music and the jumping back and forth in time. We get both the past and the present side by side, and the unraveling of their friendship felt a lot like the Craft. However, the present day feels like a Hallmark movie which was kind of weird but it also kind of worked?

I loved the characters, though I did feel like Daniela was the cause of a lot of the problems between Sebastian and Meche, whether intentionally or unintentionally. There's a lot of teenage drama and miscommunication that goes on, and the ending felt a little too "feel good" for me. But overall, I enjoyed it. Would totally recommend this audiobook to everyone who wants something a little witchy to kick off their Halloween reads.

Signal to Noise shows the power of music and the complexities of friendship while jumping between the 1980s and the early 2000s in Mexico City... with a little bit of magic thrown in. I appreciate that Meche is a morally grey character that doesn't always make good decisions. The trio of Meche, Sebastian, and Daniela are a good pairing and are a good reflection of the "weird" kids at school they end up forming strong friendships.

The pacing was a little slow, but otherwise this was an enjoyable read with a satisfying conclusion.

Kyla Garcia does a good job with the audiobook narration.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the wonderful narrator, I listened to this audiobook in one sitting. This novel follows Meche, whose father’s passing has brought her back to her hometown for the first time in years. Running into some old friends-turned-nemeses, memories of her teenage years in the late ‘80s start to resurface.

This book had The Craft vibes in a story that absolutely stands on its own, in ways I’ve tried to find in other novels for so long but never quite met what I was looking for. I loved the setting, the outsider friend group navigating high school social hierarchies, and how each of the three friends were all dealing with their own issues.
Enter: magic.

Music as a conduit to magic is such a beloved concept to me, and the time period and setting this story was based in was perfect to bring it all to life. Of course, magic will always come with a price, so even when it seems this discovery has brought them some much longed for control over their lives, it’s not exactly what it seems.

“Magic will break your heart.”

Meche doesn’t pull her punches. She’s blunt and fierce and also a little bit oblivious to her affect on others. Her parents' failing marriage is only making her thirst for fixing everything that much stronger. Sebastian is dealing with his own family problems and love life, and sweet Daniela’s illness is more than enough to make them thirst for a bit of power – however reluctant they might be.

Switching between perspectives, we get an insight into Meche’s father’s mindset which provides a devastating contrast been how he feels about his daughter vs how he actually shows up for her as a parent. Everyone in this novel is facing a different hardship, and the way it’s written and how it affects each individual relationship was excellently woven in.

One of the things I loved most about the story was the portrayal of how the people we love, and the people who love us, live on through memory or mindset. How someone may remember a pivotal moment in their past in a darker light than the person who seen their bravery and kindness in that same moment. How music is a love connection in so many different ways, that can change overtime but also outlast the relationship itself. Overall, this was a memorable and hard-hitting read, but in that lovely way that leaves you with the feeling of bittersweet hope.

Trigger warning: This novel deals with a lot of heavy topics, including divorce, parental abandonment, death of a parent, poverty, alcoholism, physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault, bullying, and long-term illness.

In two timelines, 1989 and 2009, Meche and Sebastian fight, make up, break up, hurt each other, love each other, but above all, misunderstand each other. In 1989, they are written as two true 15-year-olds who don't understand mortality or consequences. As 35-year-olds, we see how they're still the same people they were back then, no matter how much they tell themselves they've changed.

This isn't quite a romance or a coming-of-age story. We know /something/ happened in 1989 to make Meche and Sebastian enemies. We see that she's followed their mutual dreams, while he's been stuck in Mexico City. But we also see that their experiences as teenagers have shaped them into the people they are today.

I listened to this one, and I appreciated the narrator's deft touch in differentiating not only between characters, but between 15-year-old Sebastian & Meche and 35-year-old Sebastian and Meche. This was easy to follow, despite the dual timelines. Silvia Moreno-Garcia really knows how to write a book with a story that can be /told,/ not simply read.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the audiobook.