I love this book because I haven't read any romance like this one. Pippa, the main character, wanted to stay focus on reaching her lifetime goal and play her cello, which I love those kind of character. Then, when she saw that she has competition, she ended up pushing herself to be better, and Pippa found out that she had to do a duet with him. As a reader, it made me want to find out what happens after that moment in the book. I enjoyed the characters, the romance, and how the plot went along with the story really well.

When I was in high school, this was the book I wanted. A realistic high-school romance with healthy relationships as the fore, conversation around toxic relationships and interactions, and a focus on classical music. Yup. You heard that right! High school Jackie had dreams of becoming the principal percussionist of a major orchestra. My friends and I spent all our time practicing and gabbing about our favorite music. We wrote transcriptions of our favorite pieces of music and played along solo and in groups. There was nothing like my high school experience reflected in literature. That is, until now.

As with any romance, it's the characters which make the story. Pippa is immature, but this voice felt appropriate for a 17-year-old. Thankfully, Albright gave Pippa the space to grow leaps and bounds throughout the book. As the narrator, we got to unpack and understand how Pippa processes information and comes to know herself. While I was frustrated at time with Pippa, I know younger Jackie could have learned a lot about how to understand my own feelings by reading Perfect Harmony. Pippa's healthy emotional processing techniques are ones I would love to adopt even now!

My favorite character is Pippa's mother. The relationship Pippa and her mother shares is incredibly realistic and shockingly healthy. I envy the relationship Pippa and her mother have. It's obvious they care for and trust each other, but Pippa's mother also wants to give her daughter space to grow and learn. I love that she lets Pippa try to work things out on her own and learn through failure, yet she will also have the tough conversations with Pippa to keep her on track and honest with herself. Beautiful.

Despite some wonderful characters, I struggled with the writing. There is a focus on little details which distracted me from complete immersion in the story. I don't need to hear about how the rosin tickles Pippa's nose or how the pieces of paper crinkle. I appreciate what Albright was trying to do, but I was frustrated by the poor execution.

In the end, this is a book I'd recommend to any high schooler looking for a romance. Or any avid reader who is a passionate musician. It's not a perfect book, but it was a fun experience. I just wish this had been in my hands 20 years ago!

I loved this book so much. I really needed to read a really good romance novel that has some quirk in it and I think that's it.
So well wirtten with a beautiful base for it to be built upon.
I never knew that I could love a musical instrument as much as I know adore the cello. I kinda got connected.
I loved reading about Pippa and Declan's friendhip/realtionship and I think you will too!

I instantly enjoyed this book and wondered if that feeling would continue throughout. As time went by I found that I was more into it at some points compared to others but it always stayed at an unputdownable (new word alert! 🚨😂) level.

Pippa (the main character) was very relatable which I was glad to discover as recently I haven’t had that with many books. She stuck to her guns even when the going got tough and despite worrying if she was doing the right/wrong thing she always managed to push forward and came out the other side. At times I was unsure of her and doubted her choices but I grew (alongside her in a way) to understand her viewpoint more clearly as the plot thickened.

It wasn’t too lovey-dovey and that helped a lot as with that being the main focus of the book it had to be done just right in order for the reader to not be baying for Declan, the love interests, blood with the amount of time she could have gone on about him 😂 It was kept at an entertaining level especially with Noah, Pippa’s long-term crush added to the mix (I was unsure how to take him as at times I felt sorry for him but then I saw that he doesn’t really know what he wants so can’t really expect others to aswell).

As I mentioned above, I was more into it at some points compared to others and in these moments I felt like it was dragging a little bit and I’d say to myself “I know how this is going to end so why can’t it just get there already!” but then it picked up, stuff started to happen and I understood why we had to take the longer route round (as readers) to reach the expected result.

Although occasionally it got to be predictable as soon as I acknowledged this fact the story caught me and threw in something I hadn’t seen coming. When I had no idea what was going to happen next, I held onto the fact that with these kinds of books there wasn’t exactly going to be an unhappy ending was there? (did I just reveal a massive spoiler? You already knew that anyway because great minds think alike! 💫….without even having read it on your side yet too 🤔😂).

Friendships were tested, relationships both shrank and blossomed at exceedingly fast rates and our main protagonist, Pippa, learnt a lot about herself and what her hopes and goals should encompass all while staying true to her self.

It’s a very lighthearted, easygoing romance filled book which I know can turn off some readers from wanting it on their shelves but I want to jump in there before you might decide to make that brash decision and say give it a go because at times we all want a refreshing read planted in between our usual jaunts. That being said I would recommend it to everyone and anyone who likes carefree yet predictable stories (because we want to know where we are in life sometimes so let a good book do it for you! 😂).

Sweet YA romance with realistic and believable characters and a good, strong premise. I enjoyed the story and the competition between the two characters. This is a good, clean book for teens with enough depth of character and story to make it more than a light, fluff story.

This was darling. I loved Albright's first two books, so was eagerly awaiting this one, though it is completely different. This is a super sweet YA romance, and I really enjoyed it. I loved all the characters and really wanted to know what happened next after the book ended. Hopefully we see more in this world.

Since I've been watching cute teen romances lately, Perfect Harmony can be said to be a perfect addition to that experience.

Though it has the typical story line where girl meets new boy in school, all the drama happens in between (love triangles, best friend problems, boyfriend problem), fate brings boy and girl together, I really enjoyed the chemistry going on, especially when it comes to music.

Yes, I'm a sucker for stories with musical instruments involved. And in this case, it's the cello. I loved how both the girl, Pippa, and the boy, Declan, were so passionate about the cello, they could express themselves and leave everyone in awe. Imagining that was amazing.

The only parts I found to be too much were the kissings. Although it did make me feel all warm inside, I think it was overdone. I was starting to wonder if it was true love or just physical. Every moment they were together, they just wanted to kiss. I find that a bit disturbing and misleading for teens who will think that this is an example of true love.

Overall, I still enjoyed the story. It was an exciting and relaxing read for me.

I want to thank Amberjack Publishing for allowing me to review a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to read this book, as I used to play the cello, and was in orchestras at school, like the main character. I thought the author dealt well with describing the instruments, their cases, the music room store, and so on, without it seeming patronising.

However, I found the set-up unrealistic: the children in the orchestra didn’t seem to like each other much, they seemed too competitive for a school orchestra - working together day in, day out it would have been more natural if this group was described as more collaborative. As it was, there was not enough contrast when Declan arrived as the disrupting force.

The writing felt very rushed, and very simple, and I found a lot of things explained retrospectively which disrupted the flow. As a result I did not enjoy the chapters I read, and I eventually gave up without finishing the book.

This was so adorably cute!

I greatly enjoyed reading this book! I found Pippa very likeable and admirable especially when it comes to her passion and dedication to music. I think it's also worth noting that she has a good sense of idea on the things she wants to accomplish in life. I could probably learn a thing or two from her, to be honest. Declan's character has its own charm, as well. Underneath his cocky personality is a warm, sincere, and gentle boy you wish you could keep in your life forever. The supporting characters are not doing so bad, either. Charisma is all over the place, and it's so nice to see how well they go together despite still having some differences. Lastly, I'd like to commend how skillfully contructed the words are. I was immensely absorbed by how beautifully they were strung together that it's so hard to put it down; I almost forgot the bacon I was cooking. There were just some preditable parts, but it's not really a big deal.

This was to me a cutesy albeit predictable YA romance. I got what I asked for from this book; I came looking for a YA romance that has loads of tropes and was light and fluffy and I got just that. To be honest, there wasn't anything in this book that I haven't already seen in other books but it didn't bother me one bit. I liked the slow burn romance, the cheesiness and the "which guy will she pick" (because obviously there was a love triangle in this one, just a heads up if you're over that trope). I have a weekness for books that are set on the West coast and/or have artsy characters so for my this hit all the right spots. However, I did dislike some semi minor characters quite a bit, the ending felt slightly rushed and the cheesiness almost got a bit much (YMMV, of course). All in all, for me this was a solid three star read.

Perfect Harmony by Emily Albright is an emotional, fun, and delightful YA contemporary romance. I love this genre, even though I am far from a YA. There is something so innocent about first loves. Pippa Wyndham has always been the top cellist in her school until Declan Brogan's arrival her senior year in high school. I love the quirky people and situations in this book, and watching the characters grow. I found this book to be a quick read, and recommend it to all YA romance readers, young and old.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

*I’d like to thank the Publisher for providing an ARC of this book through Netgalley*

It’s books like these that make me wonder if I’ve become too old for high school stories.

First things first – the cover and the synopsis made me think that music would be play an important role. I was wrong. Music was simply used as a plot device for Pippa having to spend time with Declan. It was also an excuse for Pippa’s sudden outbursts about her future and Declan being a threat to her.

Sure, we read about them playing cello and getting lost in it. Pippa tells us that music means everything to us. We also see her say that she gets lost in the music when Declan plays. Except, there’s only her talking and thinking about music. We read about her love for music, but we don’t feel it.

Look, I have no problem with music being used as a plot device. But if I am about to read about a protagonist whose whole life is about music, it’s not wrong for me to expect more than just casual and unfeeling proclamations about what music means to her, right?

Don’t even get me started on the love triangle (or triangles, rather). Pippa has a serious crush on Noah, her brother’s best friend. She starts off hating Declan, her new choir rival. And then suddenly after playing music together alone a couple of times, she starts to have feelings for him too? And we don’t even get any proper insight into what causes this shift in her feelings. No, we see her suddenly feeling jealous of her friend Quinn who goes out with Declan. So, out of the blue, we see two boys fighting for Pippa.

And then we have Quinn who is confused between Philip, Pippa’s brother and Declan, for both of whom she suddenly starts having feelings. And she shares her confusion with Pippa. The same Pippa whose brother is one of the two guys. The same Pippa on whom Quinn knows the other guy to have a certain serious crush on. These two friends sure had an interesting few weeks with their topsy-turvy feelings.

A lot of other things happen. But I think I was long past caring at that point.

Pippa was a superficial character that I couldn’t muster a single feeling for, at any point of the book. Quinn was not any better. Declan was probably the only saving grace. He was sweet and the only consistent character throughout. A waste, really.

https://rayasreads.wordpress.com/2018/09/15/arc-book-review-perfect-harmony-by-emily-albright/

I seriously enjoyed this book - a lot more than I thought I would! I went into it with average expectations, I knew it was a typical romancey-type book probably filled with cliches which are fine but usually my type of book. This, however, was so much better than I expected. I loved the narrator, Pippa, and her mom (and dad) were the kind of parents we need more of in YA - present, supportive, funny and just lovely! Quinn was someone I didn't like at all, and I do feel like a lot of the issues between Quinn and Pippa could have been avoided with a bit of communication. Declan was super sweet and although Noah redeemed himself at the end of the book, I hated him throughout the story. I'm not a musician, never have been, but I loved hearing about all of Pippa's cello adventures.

I love Pippa! I wasn't about her at first because her whole life is cello and music, and that's totally not me, but she was so relatable and funny. I loved Pippa's dynamic with her family, but I found her relationship with her friends (while pretty accurate for high school) frustrating. A good part of the book is Pippa denying herself happiness instead of doing what makes her happy. The budding love/hate relationship of Declan and Pippa is contentious and adorable, and I would like a Declan please. I've loved all of Emily Albright's books and I was so glad this one lived up on the cuteness factor.

This book was a pleasant surprise and one I have no doubt will be read by many in the coming months. I enjoyed reading about Pippa and how driven she was, there are times when reading a book I wish they had a soundtrack to go with them and this was one of those times! I would've loved to have heard Pippa and Declan's playing and duet. I'm not a musical person at all but I really enjoyed this book and still found I could relate to the struggles that Pippa was going through.

When I saw this books cover on netgalley I was completely mesmerised by its cover, I mean LOOK AT IT . Its so pretty ahhhhhh. To be honest the books cover is pretty important to be , I choose books with pretty covers 99% of the time . Once I read the synopsis of the book, the deal is sealed, Im definitely reading this book.

First up, FYI I finished reading this book or around 3 hours so by the time I finished reading it ,it was around 1 AM . Another thing about the book is that there is a quote related to music at the start of each chapter, the quotes are so relatable and are so nice reminders too!

Lets get into the book's content , I would say this is a pretty decent book. There are a few cliche scenes here and there and the plot is pretty predictable so if you don't like these sort of cliche scenes and stuff I'll recommend you stay off this book. Personally, i think Pip's liking toward Declan developed wayyyyyyy too fast , it surpassed her 10 year crush in a mere 2-3 weeks I find that unbelievable.

Now now not trying to hate on this book , the book is pretty good, the author's tone was very smooth and straight foward and the plot flowed smoothly. Because you know some books can be really boring at the start , and this is not the case. *cough another book i'm reading cough*

Another thing is that this book is very comfortable to read, there aren't any major plot twist inside , it's calm, cute, enjoyable and a light read . Pip and Declan's relationship is so cute and adorable . If you're into cutey adorable relationship this is definitely the book for you.

This book was a pretty massive cheese-fest. But that's not exactly a bad thing, I'm not going to lie, when i read any contemporary or romance, it's not because I'm looking for a new favourite, it's because they're fun to read, I read them quickly and I WILL NEVER REACH MY GOODREADS GOAL IF I ONLY READ HIGH-FANTASY.

I actually really enjoyed this, it was full of insta-love and very cliche love triangles, but I'm okay with a good ol' trope every now and again. This book doesn't come with any surprises, from the second Declan walks in, you will more-or-less know exactly what is going to happen in the book, but it was still enjoyable to read.

Writing wise, I thought it was decent, the word 'bestie' was definitely overused, certain parts definitely read like a mum writing about a teenagers life solely based on the stuff you see on Disney Channel and Claire's accessory slogans (everything says 'bestie' and 'yolo') and descriptive elements could be done better, but there was nothing I was overly bothered by to be honest

I loved the bits where Pippa was talking about and playing music, I think a lot of authors give their characters little quirks to make them special and then they never bring it up again, so I'm glad that didn't happen in this book.

I will say one thing, I hated Noah and I hated Quinn. Noah a bit less and I kind of felt bad for him because of the way he was treated, but Quinn, what a bitch I want to rant so I'm going to take us over to the spoiler section, it isn't anything major, it's just about a conflict, but if you're really sensitive to spoilers, stop reading, but me ranting is always a good time, so please do join us.
THERE ARE EXTRA PARTS TO THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG, THEY COULDN'T BE ADDED HERE DUE TO FORMATTING STUFF, THE REVIEW WILL BE UP ON THE 13TH AND THE LINK WILL ONLY WORK THEN

I enjoyed everything about this book and stayed up late reading it way too many times. It felt like a very honest representation of the high school experience, and I related so much with Pippa. There was plenty of drama, confusing emotions, friendship hurtles, music talk, great parenting, adorable banter - this list could go on and on!

Pippa is a driven teen who knew exactly what she wanted out of life. Her goals were solid, she put in the work to achieve them, and her support system was cheering her on along the way. But then Declan showed up and complicated so much of her plans in such a hilariously cute way. It was clear how things would develop (the love triangle in this book didn't stand a chance!), but I enjoyed seeing how it all came about. There were tons of scenes that had me grinning uncontrollably and rereading simply for the enjoyment I got out of them.

The supporting characters all had a part to play, and they definitely played them well - some a bit too well: *cough cough* Quinn. Pippa's family was so lovely and there were many great friendships and relationships featured throughout the book. There were just enough scenes with these characters to show how important they were to Pippa and Declan's story, but the focus was perfectly kept on the two main characters.

I loved all the musical talk and how important Pippa's cello was to her. I love the sound a cello makes, so I will definitely be looking up all the songs mentioned in this book! Also, the quotes at the beginning of each chapter were a lovely addition. Music was a way to bring Pippa and Declan together, but it didn't feel like a pawn in the story - it really mattered to who they both were deep inside. Pippa still had a strong storyline without Declan there, and I think that's missing from so many of the books that feature high school girls. Her life kept moving and she didn't have an identity crisis without a guy by her side, so it was lovely to read about such a strong and motivated young lady. The ups and downs of her senior year made for a great read that I would strongly recommend!

Perfect Harmony was a cute, sweet and really well-written book.

In it, we follow Pippa. She's a high school student and a talented cellist. She has her whole life figured out until Declan appears out of nowhere and challenges her.

I really enjoyed the romance between the two of them. It's not insta-love and I appreciated that. I really liked the enemies-to-lovers kinda trope here.

While I really enjoyed the book during the first half of it, around 60% I believe, the characters were so annoying and immature. I know it's a YA so some drama was expected but it was just ridiculous. I didn't like Quinn. She was a selfish friend and I wish the "problems" (which really weren't big problems at all) would have been solved more quickly with a bit of communication.

But overall, I really liked it!

I really enjoyed this light hearted story from Emily Albright. While the story was rather predictable and the characters were nothing I haven't seen before, it definitely satisfied me after several high fantasy books.

The enemies to lovers trope is one of my favorites to read in YA romance and this one definitely nailed it in terms of the trope. I also really enjoyed the giant love triangle (more like a pentagon) that was happening in Perfect Harmony. It created an interesting story line as the friendships and relationships wove together.

The music aspect of this story was another thing that really intrigued me. As someone who was in band in high school, it was interesting to be back in that state of mind while reading the story. While I never had dreams of pursuing music in college, it was really interesting to see it play out in the story.