LitPick Review
This book, "A Little Wanting Song" by Cath Crowlery, is about two girls, one named Charlie and the other Rose. They are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Charlie is a shy and easily intimidated girl who lives and breathes music, but she doesn't let anyone hear her play. Rose, however, is outgoing, always with her two guy best friends, and has a plan to move to the city to get out of small town life.
Since Charlie's grandpa lives next door to Rose, when Charlie visits from the city she sees Rose, but she has always been intimidated her, always watching but never joining Rose and her friends. Rose doesn't want anything to do with Charlie until she gets a scholarship to a school in the city and sees Charlie as a way to convince her parents that she could go. The girls' relationship later on gets complicated, as one of Rose's best friends, David, begins to like Charlie, and Charlie starts to open up.
Opinion:
"A Little Wanting Song" is a cute, romantic, well-written book about a good, if slightly overused, topic. The writing is good, not perfect, with a few flaws such as minimal setting description. I get that the story takes place in an average town, but not much detail beyond that is provided. The novel makes up for that flaw with its characters and its moods. It alternates between two characters, which I've seen go drastically wrong because you get bored with one or the other, but the author carries it out flawlessly. The voices of both are distinct, and I relate to both characters of the book equally. The mood, while changing from regretful to elated, always contains hope, which is perfect for a romantic book such as this; it never gets too dark and isn't always about the romance. It includes friendships between the characters which are just as important as the romance and add to the book. Also, this book achieves its purpose as a cross between a coming-of-age story and a cute romance, and is a rather simple read. This simple style fits the book well. It will not be the next Twilight, but it is a nice read. I find it interesting, and the ending is perfect. It isn't too happily-ever-after, and it has a positive but realistic feel. Though it does not teach much of a lesson, it gives you a good story that is a nice break from your life. I would recommend this book for someone who has time to relax, but doesn't want a complete fluff and nonsense story.
