The Song I'm In

I remember seeing this book in the back of another book from West 44 publishing and I can confidently say I've been pleased with every single book they've sent me for reviews. 'The Song I'm In' is no exception and I enjoyed it from start to finish. I loved the characters even though Katy and Troy felt a bit flat as well the mother and Ray, Skylar had good friends by her side who were interesting. The prose was also poignant and I loved how Skylar looked up to Whitney!! It's very inspirational and a good book centered around a character with dermatrichotillamania.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rosen Publishing Group, West 44 Books, and Maija Barnett for the opportunity to read The Song I'm In in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is written as a HiLo novel-in-verse, making for a fantastically accessible book. After reading Barnett's Heart Like a Broken Arrow, I jumped at the chance for more from this author!

Skyler is a twin. Her and Katy are struggling with their parents divorce. When they move in with their mom's boyfriend, Skyler has a hard time adapting, but Katy seems to enjoy her new side of the family, including the son, Troy. While Katy and Troy hit it off, Skyler faces a skin condition of which she cannot help picking. Katy's face is smooth, while Skyler's is pocked with scars. Try as she might to cover it up, people still notice through her makeup.

When she makes some new friends that accept her for who she is, they find her singing voice to be quite the rare gem. They encourage her to try out for the musical, and she ends up in a choral group called Belle Voce (without having to audition in the same way the other girls did, so there is some bitterness within the Belle Voce group).

Skyler may have found something that she can call hers, but it doesn't take away from the hardships of divorce, the rivalry of family, and the challenges of the high school status quo.

This is a quick read, an accessible novel for most readers, with relatable scenarios that other high school students might be going through. This novel explores the importance of family, self-confidence, and friendship, as well as being able to accept oneself for who they are. A must-read for a teen audience.

Thank you so much to Rosen Publishing / West 44 and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Skyler is shy and withdrawn, struggling with her mental health since her parents divorced and everything changed. Her skin picking disorder gets worse as she struggles to cope with change, the only thing that helps her is music, singing it, writing it and feeling it.

I really liked Skyler, she had a lot to deal with and nothing was easy for her like it was with her twin Katy. Her skin disorder was really sad, anytime her mind struggled it was her go to thing to help her, but she didn’t want to do it and she took a giant step to help herself even though it made things harder. I really enjoyed how strong she was, things were hard and sometimes hit harder but she overcame them. I really liked her journey trying to make friends Harmony and Lisa were wonderful girls who accepted and cared for her instantly and I loved that she found them.

I loved her love and enjoyment for music how it was her special thing, she learnt to sing by listening to some iconic artists, and became incredible herself that even the bullies were in shock and awe of her. It was wonderful seeing her attachment, how much the music integrated into her soul. I really enjoyed her growth with her music connection and how it helped her really over come a massive fear she had inside.

The storyline was sad and I did feel so bad for Skyler a lot through the book, I also found some areas in which I actually connected with her, as I found that we had similar mental struggles, had a similar family situation happen and also had the same types of intrusive thoughts as her. Which I think a lot of readers will find parts within her character, within her story and connect with it, with her.

This was a wonderfully written story, I loved it being in verse as I always enjoy this style of book, they are always so fun to read, they tell so much story in a really condensed and easy way. However I do also think this would have made a great chapter story too, adding in more details and extending the story, not that it had to be that style as it was wonderful, but that it could have been and would still have been an amazing story.

Anyway I do recommend this story it’s a great read for the teen and upwards audience it shares a great look into mental health, into the struggles and minds of the younger generation. It shares of a skin disorder that you don’t hear about much, but it’s important to be aware of. The protagonist will literally tug at your heart and you’ll want to be her friend and help her. It’s a really beautifully crafted story and I throughly enjoyed reading it.

Thank you to Rosen Publishing / West 44 and Netgalley for an e-arc for my honest review. I enjoyed this book so much.

An enjoyable and eye-opening story from the POV of a teen who suffers from dermatillomania and anxiety. I think this is a book that many youths will be able to resonate with, as it highlights a good range of important real-life issues. The part where Sky says, "Every time someone does something that hurts me, I take it personally," sounds very much like me... just saying.