Book Review: “The Music of What Happens” by Bill Konigsberg
“The Music of What Happens” by Bill Konigsberg (2019)
Genre: YA, LGBT, Fiction, Romance
Page Length: About 8hrs (Audiobook Edition)
Synopsis:
Max: Chill. Sports. Video games. Gay and not a big deal, not to him, not to his mom, not to his buddies. And a secret: An encounter with an older kid that makes it hard to breathe, one that he doesn’t want to think about, ever.
Jordan: The opposite of chill. Poetry. His “wives” and the Chandler Mall. Never been kissed and searching for Mr. Right, who probably won’t like him anyway. And a secret: A spiraling out of control mother, and the knowledge that he’s the only one who can keep the family from falling apart.
Throw in a rickety, 1980s-era food truck called Coq Au Vinny. Add in prickly pears, cloud eggs, and a murky idea of what’s considered locally sourced and organic. Place it all in Mesa, Arizona, in June, where the temp regularly hits 114. And top it off with a touch of undeniable chemistry between utter opposites.
Over the course of one summer, two boys will have to face their biggest fears and decide what they’re willing to risk — to get the thing they want the most.(description from Goodreads)
Review:
Thought I listened to the audiobook in the Fall, The Music of What Happens gave me all of the summer feelings. There was a food truck (with the most delicious food), a opposites attract romance, and just an overall since of summer fun. While the book has many-lighthearted moments that made me smile and laugh it also tackles some deeper issues as well. I liked how both aspects of this story were balanced out and it make the characters feel very real.
This summer is a journey for Jordan and Max as not only as two strangers developing feelings for each other, but also growing up and dealing with incredibly heavy stuff. Both have this way of keeping their walls up and in doing so, it hurts them by not letting others know that they’re not okay. By meeting each other it helps them to try to cope with their situations and find healing from very traumatic events. And my heart went out to them both because while they pretended to put up a brave face, they were struggling to keep it together.
All in all I really enjoyed this book. The audiobook narration really gave the characters depth and brought them to life. The voice actors and story combined had me hooked into the story and it felt like it flew by as I listened to it. I loved the sweet, tender moments between Max and Jordan as they develop feelings for each other and there comradery of working to make a successful food truck. Their learning process doesn’t come without hiccups and it also made me realize how much work goes into that industry.
If you’re looking for a summery romance with interesting characters and a theme of self-discovery, you may want to give a this book a listen/read.
TW: Sexual Abuse, Homophobic & Racial Slurs
Final Verdict:
