Between the Notes

by Sharon Roat and Sharon Huss Roat

[Sam@WLABB]

Ivy seemed like the girl, who had it all. Fancy house, fancy clothes, fancy cars - she was a girl from the "right side" of the tracks, but all of that was an illusion.

I bought this book, because I adored every last thing about Roat's followup, How to Disappear, and like that book, Between the Notes was filled with fantastic characters and endless feels.

I think it would have been easy to be put off by Ivy in the beginning of this book. There were some really spoiled brat moments in there, but then she began to see things in a different way. By "walking a mile" in other people's shoes, her ideas of what was important and what made you "rich" began to change. This was one message I fully embraced. I have always felt like society was a bit too materially driven, and I love the idea of "simplifying". Though Ivy's family didn't do this by choice, I admired their effort, and I appreciated that they emphasized holding onto to one another a little tighter as they weathered the storm, adjusting to their new normal.

But, as I said, the star of this book for me were the characters. I thought Ivy was very real. She was 16, and her world view was in an amorphous state. She didn't always do the right thing, but the tremendous growth she experienced over the course of this story was beautiful to watch. I had a special affection for the interactions between her and her little brother. He had special needs, which presented some challenges, but seeing his sisters and him together was almost always smile inducing, as he often appeared as the embodiment of joy.

Inside all this tumult was a sweet little romance too. Our Ivy was torn between two young men - James, who represented the world she once lived in, and Lennie, who represented her new normal. James was terribly sweet, but just like Ivy, he was hiding his true circumstances. Then there was Lennie, a rumored drug dealer with tattoos. He was the school bad boy, or was he? I think I loved getting to know Lennie more than any other character in this book. Roat did a great job fleshing him out, and by the time she was done, he owned my heart.

It's difficult to fully express everything I loved about this book, but I just found myself so carried away by this story, and it came right when I needed that break from reality. I was so engrossed in Ivy's story, and found that her and her family's happiness was really important to me. I felt so many things as I read this book, and in the end, it filled my heart with much needed warmth and joy.

Overall: This was a story about change and dealing with change, seeing beyond the surface, the importance of family, and the value of non-material things, and it was beautifully told.

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