I have to say that this was a story that definitely tugged at my heartstrings very early on in the book. There was quite a bit of racial acts going on throughout the book, which included much conversation about the KKK racist organization, so reading this was definitely a heavier read for me than I first thought it would be. It saddened me that people had to fear for their lives as each of the characters was doing throughout Mr. Miller’s book. Having Sophia be the one to find her brother’s mutilated body while walking in the woods with her best friend, Sammie, made me want to cry actual tears. That poor child saw what the KKK did to her brother, Timmy, and she would never forget that image in her head for as long as she lived.

The author wrote his scenes to be quite in depth in description, so each page I turned I felt I was another character seeing everything happening firsthand along with the characters. If the characters had something good happening to them, I felt that with them just as much as when they felt devastation. Mr. Miller made me become part of each scene that unfolded before me, especially during the highly intensified racism scenes. I found that my heart was pounding in my chest, and I was breathing quicker breaths than during the slower non-violent scenes. I became so engrossed with the characters and scenes that I lost that I was just a reader of the story. I believed I was there with the characters living through the scenes with them.

One thing that really resonated with me was how Sophia never forgot Sammie and tried many times to reconnect with him. What saddened me was that no matter how hard that they tried, these star-crossed lovebirds had horrible timing in reconnecting throughout the story. I wanted their luck to turn for the both of them and for them to still be in love with each other, but as each year passed, I dreaded that their feelings might have changed for one another.

I found a few themes to be central points in this story, and they were both wrapped around music as the title of the story mentions. I felt Sophia had strong determination that she was going to find Sammie again, and they were going to pick up where they left off many years ago. I also felt she displayed plenty of perseverance through every obstacle thrown her way. Music was the conduit for her because it made her feel safe and secure, something that life alone didn’t offer her. It was music that made her get up every day and continue to muddle through the daily challenges of her life ever since she was young. It was also music that caused Sophia and Sammie to become friends when they first met. I definitely enjoyed seeing how determined she was to make her singing and song writing an important part of her life throughout the book.

One drawback I found was there were times when I felt the author penned stilted and a bit immature dialogue with the characters. Having said that, I overlooked it and continued reading on. It didn’t distract me enough to not want to finish the book. I desperately needed to know if Sophia and Sammie ever made it back into each other’s arms again, and when it happened, if it happened, I had hoped they would still be in love with each other even though years had passed.

Overall, I enjoyed reading “The Music Within Your Heart,” especially since the main theme was wrapped around music throughout the story. If you’re looking for a story to get lost in for a few hours, than look no further.

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