Beautiful But Nonsensical: Tumble & Fall, Alexandra Coutts

Tumble & Fall

Alexandra Coutts

A novel about the end of days full of surprising beginnings 

The world is living in the shadow of oncoming disaster. An asteroid is set to strike the earth in just one week’s time; catastrophe is unavoidable. The question isn’t how to save the world—the question is, what to do with the time that’s left? Against this stark backdrop, three island teens wrestle with intertwining stories of love, friendship and family—all with the ultimate stakes at hand. 

Alexandra Coutts’s TUMBLE & FALL is a powerful story of courage, love, and hope at the end of the world. 

One of my most anticipated reads of the year, I was increasingly disappointed when the average rating for Tumble & Fall began dropping lower and lower and lower as its release date neared. Now I can admit that though Alexandra Coutts’ debut was a lyrical and beautiful novel, it was somewhat meaningless, and even now, I have no idea what the whole point of the book was.

Passion Comes From the Heart: This Song Will Save Your Life, Leila Sales

This Song Will Save Your Life

Leila Sales

Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.

Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.

“Sometimes people think they know you. They know a few facts about you, and they piece you together in a way that makes sense to them. And if you don’t know yourself very well, you might even believe that they are right. But the truth is, this isn’t you. This isn’t you at all.”

Deeply emotional and unexpectedly dark, Leila Sales’ latest is one told from the perspective of a girl I very much related to. What surprised me most, though, was that even though I don’t usually like reading books with music as its main focus, This Song Will Save Your Life totally changed that mindset. This book impacted me so much; not only did I enjoy the book, but life feels a little more incomplete — in a good way, if that makes sense — because of it.