This completely amazing book tells the story of two teen pen pals in 1977, one of whom, Tammy, is a closeted lesbian. Tammy and Sharon, who lives in San Francisco, are matched through the California Pen Pal Project. Each attend strict religious schools, where the idea of being lesbian is an utter and complete sin. The story is told entirely through their letters, Sharon's diary entries, and Tammy's diary, which takes the form of letters to gay rights activist Harvey Milk. The two have their religious teachings to guide them, but Sharon is dealing with learning that her brother, Peter, is gay, and Tammy, of course, is working out her feelings about her sexuality. Through their letters, the two find a friendship and honesty they have no where else, especially as the anti-gay movement in America becomes stronger and stronger .

This story is powerful and beautiful. I can’t think of a better book for these difficult days. I completely fell in love with Tammy and Sharon and their complicated, real lives. It took me a moment to adjust to the format of the book, which, as mentioned is told entirely in epistolary form. Once I did, I was off and running and never looked back.

"I've never fit. Not at school. Not at church. Not anywhere, really." ~Sharon

This is historical YA fiction at its absolute best--Talley's story is heartbreaking and touching. Reading about Tammy and Sharon, you realize that we've come a long way in terms of gay rights, yet it hurts knowing so many kids still feel as lost and scared as Tammy when coming out. The book has a terrifying relevance in these divided times. (For instance, Tammy's religious zealot aunt and her powerful anti-gay church--plop them in 2020 and we're off and running.)

"I'm getting out of this place, Harvey. Even if I only manage to do it in my head." ~Tammy

Watching Tammy and Sharon's friendship form over their letters is amazing; somehow Talley conveys so much through that format. These two come to life before our very eyes, and we become completely invested in these two vulnerable yet utterly strong and amazing young women. Their story is hopeful and heartbreaking and touches on religion and gay rights in such powerful ways. I found it to be timely, complex, and incredibly wonderful. We need more books like this in the world, and Tammy and Sharon will stay with me for quite some time.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Inkyard Press in return for an unbiased review. This book is available 3/31 and you can visit my blog to be a part of the blog tour for this wonderful title!

Okay, first off, can we please talk about this cover? I love it so much.

Anyway.

I know I usually sing Robin Talley's praises, because she's absolutely amazing. But *gasp* I'd never read one of her books before. I know. Horrible librarian move. But I've at least fixed that! This book was exactly what we need right now.

I've been listening to a lot of podcasts lately (because let's be real, what else am I gonna do during quarantine), and one of them is about the history of punk rock. Which fits in beautifully with this book, in case you needed a soundtrack!

The entire story is told through letters and diary entries, which is honestly one of my favorite styles. It's more about telling and not showing, which is the opposite of how storytelling works, but it works here!

Tammy is one of my favorite characters I've read in a minute. She's angry, she's scared, and she's not unnecessarily tortured!  I know in a lot of literature, our queer characters go through it, usually for no real reason. That's not at all the case in this book. Tammy's story, her life...it all makes sense. And growing up in an area very similar to 70s Orange County, I can get that fear and anger.

Sharon is also a delight, don't get me wrong! She doesn't truly "fit" anywhere until she goes to her first ever punk show, and the energy, the rush...hoo, man, giving me flashbacks to my first punk shows.

I love how many books are coming out set in the 70s, and I think this one is my favorite. I give Music From Another World 5 out of 5 copies of Horses. Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for review!

The first half of MUSIC FROM ANOTHER WORLD by Robin Talley is in epistolary form - one teen-age girl, from an ultraconservative and religious family in Orange County, California, secretly writing unsent letters to the gay activist Harvey Milk, while another girl living in San Francisco is writing in her diary. They become pen pals through a program at their respective schools. This section moves a bit slowly, but we do learn about the times (1977), as well as the lives and dreams of both girls. The novel picks up speed when the two finally meet in person in San Francisco. I liked the story, and I would recommend it to adults as well as young adults.
That said, I had difficult time reading the book. I downloaded the book from NetGalley via amazon to my Samsung tablet. The ebook version was a mess. Much of the time, I didn't know who was talking. There were odd paragraph breaks, erratic spacing of paragraphs, headings colliding with other headings. I tried reloading the book several times. Nothing worked. Hopefully it was just my system.

This is the first book that I have read by this author and I have to say the book was interesting, I didn’t find the characters relatable in anyway, I’m not one to read a lot of historical fiction set in the 1970’s. I was still able to enjoy the book I think because of the unique premise of two high school students Sharon and Tammy people being pen pals. Their journey was powerful and heartbreaking. Tammy has to hide her true self because of her church, Sharon sneaks out with her gay brother Peter to help be an activist for punk rock shows. The way that Sharon and Tammy came together is an emotional story that you wont want to miss.

Wonderful music references will have you running to a record store- or at least searching online- and creating a soundtrack to this book!

I don’t normally read historical fiction, but when I do, it’s gay. Tammy and Sharon become penpals thanks to their school. What they don’t expect is to become lifelong friends. They swear an oath to each other, promising to never say anything about each other outside of their letters. Which is a good thing in conservative, 1970s, Orange Country. Which is a good thing considering that Tammy is a closeted lesbian, and Sharon’s brother is gay.

As they discover themselves outside of their strict religious upbringings, they realize they have interests outside what is acceptable for them: punk shows, women’s bookstores, Castro street. But as the school year drags on, so does the pressure. Especially as Tammy’s aunt launders money and seems to know more about Tammy than Tammy does. Especially as Sharon’s brother gets more and more liberal with what he does with his time, caring less and less that he returns to the house smelling like marijuana.

The one thing I do have to admit that jarred me was the occasional use of “queer” in a positive way. In the 1970s, I have a hard time that even the most liberal gay person was keen on calling themselves “queer” when it was a slur tossed around by politicians, celebrities, strangers, and family alike.

Their letters become lengthier, there’s more time between them, letters aren’t replied to. The noose gets tighter and tighter, and it gets harder to hide who they really and what they’re doing.

Additionally, I absolutely love the cover design. It looks like a collage, and ties in perfectly with not only Tammy’s art style, but also with the themes of this book. That you can take bits and pieces of yourself and the things you like and turn it into something beautiful.

This was a beautiful story of love, friendship, identity, acceptance, and growing up. It takes on themes such as facing one’s guilt, facing one’s shame, facing one’s internalized homophobia. It’s a wonderful narrative, and great for the times we’re in currently.

This book has everything: queer teenage girls growing up in 70's Harvey Milk era California + pen pals + punk (and not just boy punk) + activism + finding your community + standing up for what you believe in. It'll make you feel things, I promise. It's incredible.

Sometimes I am so blessed by a book, when it moves me, moulds me, and changes or improves my perspective. MUSIC FROM ANOTHER WORLD gave me all that, in addition to a long stroll down Memory Lane coupled with seeing those memories of history through others' perspective. Yet at the same time the characters' emotions so powerfully resonated with me, not just the YA protagonists (Sharon, Tammy, Peter) but of some of the adult characters as well such as Tammy and Peter's single mother. I just fell into this story immediately and never wanted to surface. I "lived it," I "was right there," thanks to a very gifted author, Robin Talley. It's an enormous pleasure to encounter a novel so touching and thought-provoking and eventually life-changing.

The author did an amazing job at creating a tale where history came alive. I usually don't really read a lot of titles set around the time that I was born but this one hit me hard. It was so engrossing and the pacing, characters, story, and themes just came together so well. Although the story starts out a little slow it picks up really quickly so just give it time to shine!

It’s summer 1977 and closeted lesbian Tammy Larson can’t be herself anywhere. Not at her strict Christian high school, not at her conservative Orange County church and certainly not at home, where her ultrareligious aunt relentlessly organizes antigay political campaigns. Tammy’s only outlet is writing secret letters in her diary to gay civil rights activist Harvey Milk…until she’s matched with a real-life pen pal who changes everything.

Sharon Hawkins bonds with Tammy over punk music and carefully shared secrets, and soon their letters become the one place she can be honest. The rest of her life in San Francisco is full of lies. The kind she tells for others—like helping her gay brother hide the truth from their mom—and the kind she tells herself. But as antigay fervor in America reaches a frightening new pitch, Sharon and Tammy must rely on their long-distance friendship to discover their deeply personal truths, what they’ll stand for…and who they’ll rise against.- Goodreads

I loved how this story was written. I have a thing for letters and for the most part I feel that there is much more honesty when a story is written through letters.

With that being said, this is an emotional read. Tammy and Sharon both have a lot going on and also (because this book is historical fiction) does discuss the Gay Rights movement in San Francisco.  Despite the history and the letter writing style of the novel it does start off a bit slow and for a moment I was wondering where the author was going with the story.  What I mean by this is I wasn't sure if it was going to the route of these two being together (I mean yeah that is the obvious) or if it was going to be a self-discovery. Granted this is a self-discovery book but there was several different ways the book could have went as opposed to the relationship route (I'm not saying that this is an issue).

The book focuses on Tammy and Sharon but has some strong characters that pull some deep emotions and makes you sympathize with each of the girls. Given the fact that this is taking place in 1977 and it was during this movement, I would have liked to see more diverse characters. When you talk about San Francisco and you talk about the anti-gay movement, I feel like there should be diversity and not just diversity in sexual preference. 

The flow of the novel is great and the author put a lot of heart into this. I liked Sharon and that is because she was a bit more sure of herself than Tammy but they worked really well together and I freaking love pen pals. 

Overall, powerful story and good read. 

3.5 Pickles

As I was already a fan of author Robin Talley, having read and adored her Macbeth adaptation, As I Descended, for my Master's Thesis, I was excited to hear about her new book, Music From Another World. And it did not disappoint.

This is a epistolary historical novel, told in a series of letters exchanged by the pen-pal main characters, as well as their individual diary entries in the late 1970s. Teenage girls Tammy and Sharon are assigned randomly to be each other's pen pal through a school project. Tammy lives in Orange County, CA, is part of a very religious church led by her aunt and uncle, and is hiding a big secret - she's gay. Sharon lives in San Francisco with her mother and in-the-closet brother, Peter. Sharon has a boyfriend, Kevin, and is the only one who knows her brother is gay.

As the girls exchange letters and become very good friends, Sharon also starts going to punk concerts and gets slowly involved with a group of women who are involved in protests against Prop 6, a proposition to ban gay and gay-supporting teachers from teaching. Sharon also begins to question her own sexuality when she finds herself fantasizing about kissing Midge, a singer for a local punk band.

When Tammy gets outed, she runs to the only person she can trust - Sharon. In person, their relationship changes, and both girls' lives change too.

Talley's interweaving of the personal story between Tammy and Sharon with the political scene in California at the time- including the legendary Harvey Milk, to whom Tammy writes her diary entries - make this both an engaging and educational read. I adored this book and highly recommend it.

I didn’t really know what to expect going into this book. I knew it was epistolary style, which is my favorite. Sharon and Tammy were randomly paired as pen pals during the summer. This story it told through diary entries and letters to one another.

Tammy is a closeted lesbian living with her ultra-conservative, Christian family. They have even joined political campaigns against LGBT people. Sharon is still trying to figure her life out. She lives in San Francisco with her closeted gay brother and her mom.

Tammy and Sharon both had very distinct voices. I loved that it was super easy to follow who was speaking. I loved watching their pen pal letters grow into a friendship and then more. All of the side characters were interesting and had their own voices, too. There were a couple I would love to learn about if they had their own novel!

Music from Another World was a super quick read that was easy to follow. I’d recommend it if you like LGBT novels or historical fiction – this was set in the 1970s when Harvey Milk was elected.

Thanks again to Inkyard Press for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour! This was a great read!
Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

I am in love with this book! It was the perfect mix of historical fiction and f/f love story. The book takes place in the late 70s and uses letters and diaries entries to tell the story. It’s heartbreaking at time but also a really great story of finding your place and voice in the world. 100% adorable.

Great historical fiction from the 1970s LGBTQ rights movement in San Francisco. I loved the pen pal letter format mixed with the girls writing in their respective diaries.

I loved it so much. Not only did I love Sharon and Tammy (and Peter), but I also loved the late seventies setting and music talk! Additionally the way the story was told was so wonderful (with everything via letters or diary entries), I especially enjoyed the diary entries written to Harvey Milk. I can’t wait to get a physical copy of the book once it comes out at the end of the month!!!

My review can currently be found on my bookstagram account (@chandra.lee.reads) and will remain there.

“Honest. Powerful. Simply put a book you need to read. If you fell in love with Abdi Nazemian’s Like a Love Story, you won’t want to miss Music From Another World.”

Cecelia Beckman, Sheaf & Ink

The Story

It’s summer of 1977 and Tammy Larson is gay. She lives in the most conservative county on the West Coast, attends a strict Christian High School, and her home life is no different. Stuck in a time and place that would rather see her punished and ostracized for being gay, Tammy is forced to keep her silence about being a lesbian. Her only solace is her diary who she addresses to Harvey Milk, a gay civil rights activist and her summer pen pal, Sharon Hawkins.

Sharon Hawkins lives in San Fransisco and her older brother is gay, but even though they live in a progressive city, he still won’t come out to their mom. Sharon loves her brother and when he introduces her to the gay community her views begin to slowly change.

In a time where antigay movements are in full force in the United States, Tammy and Sharon come together to find a way to truly be themselves.

My Thoughts

First things first, I absolutely LOVED this book.

Yes, Dear Readers, all caps for this centerpiece of a book.

Robin Talley took a moment in history and made it exceptionally relevant and incredibly relatable. Her choice of diary prose was perfection. The back and forth from diary entries to pen pal letters gave such an honest portrayal of two teenagers in crisis. Talley’s writing deftly showed the challenges young people of the queer community faced and how fiercely resilient they were against intolerance.

From the very beginning you felt Tammy and Sharon’s anxiety, worry, and stress the entire time they wrote to each other or in their own diaries. It was soul crushing to witness how these young people had to endure the day to day discrimination, not only from peers, but also family members. Talley vividly painted our history with bold strokes and splashed in bright colors the beauty of two young teens finding their voice to make a difference.

What I loved most about this novel was both the poignant narrative and the hope you feel in the victories the characters themselves make as well as the political ones. It was inspiring to read about the leading historical activists in the LGBTQIA+ community, like Harvey Milk, and how each of those leaders bravely fought and paved the way for equality and human rights.

Music From Another World will hold a special place in the pantheon of LGBTQIA+ novels because it dares to take on discrimination, religion, and human rights while at the same time exploring the blossoming friendship between two exceptional people.

I can’t wait for you to read this book!

Happy Reading! Cece

4.5 stars

I loved this book. From the story to the way it was told.

The year is 1977. Being yourself took way more bravery compared to the slightly better present. <I>Music from Another World</I> is about Tammy and Sharon who become pen pals through their Christian schools. Tammy is a closeted lesbian and cannot be herself anywhere. Sharon feels like she does not fit in anywhere.

Both girls keep diaries which give good insights into what they (at first) cannot tell each other. And their letters to each other really evolve from "we have to do this pen pal assignment" to this beautiful friendship where both girls feel like they can be themselves and be accepted to something even more beautiful. And it all started with their mutual interest in punk music.

Besides school and church, Sharon starts to work with her brother as volunteers for equal rights. They make banners etc. And this part incorporates a piece of American gay history which helped pave the way forward.

I recommend this book especially to anyone who wants to read historical (YA) fiction with lesbian and bisexual characters and to those who love the friends to lovers trope.

I got an ARC of this book.

I keep reading Talley and thinking that things will go better. The issue is so far Talley and I have not clicked perfectly. I feel like one day we will, but today was not that day. The closest Talley and I came to clicking was the very first book I read by her that had so many trans issues. 

This book did not have trans issues, but it had another large issue. If you read enough of my reviews you will see a trend. This is one of those things that comes up time and time again: dual narration. When it is pulled off, it is AMAZING. When it isn't, it can sink a book. Talley was not able to pull it off in this one. I could not tell the girls apart. This hindered any shipping I could do and it made the story feel super slow and bogged down. 

I LOVE slow burn romance that takes place solely through letters and texts. You would think that this would be for me, but it wasn't. I just didn't see how the girls fell in love. Was it because they were the only ones that they felt they could be honest with? Like I can understand that emotional intimacy can be difficult to distinguish from romantic love, but that was it. There was no other reason that I could see that they were into each other. They met out of nowhere and then were awkward (but then later in the book, it said that they couldn't remember a time when they had been awkward which just further took me out of the book). The whole in person romance was just rushed and felt incredibly fake. 

The religious abuse just felt over the top and annoying, which is pretty great. The people they were facing were caricatures. Anita Bryant would have been proud. So while I didn't enjoy the plot, I have to say that it was handled pretty well. 

I am getting real tired of queer stories being sad and miserable. I understand this is historical fiction, but come on. I didn't need or want to sit through hundreds of pages of angst about coming out and being kicked out. There are already so many terrible fates for queer people written, I need happy stories. Bad things can happen, but when the bad things dominate the story I sort of check out now especially when the emotions aren't coming through the writing in a way that actually makes me care that these things are happening.


One day Talley is going to write the perfect book for me. I can feel it. Once we get on the same wavelength there will be nothing stronger than that connection. We just haven't gotten there yet.

What a book! This was provided to be as a pre-release in return for feedback to the publisher, but I have no qualms about gushing about it and demanding that everyone go read it.

Set in California during the late 70's, Sharon and Tammy are forced together as pen pals as part of a school project. Written as a series of diary entries and their letters to each other, what unfolds is a journey of self-discovery measured along the lines of the blossoming friendship. Both Tammy and Sharon's brother are gay at a time in US recent history when being gay was something which was feared. When feminism was gaining a louder voice and punk music was gaining a small but devoted following.

Music From Another World </em>taught me about history - look up Harvey Milk as a taste - while weaving it through characters you can't help but fall in love with. What I loved most about it though was that it didn't shy away from some of the more difficult topics. Not just the obvious homophobia forced on people from zealots, but also strained family relationships and the casual prejudice which was so ingrained in people at the time that there were even moments of it from people who were straight allies.

In short, I think this is my favourite book of the year so far. Music From Another World made me smile, it made me dispair over what the LGBTQ+ community had to live through and it really made me want to listen to some Patti Smith!

Another solid YA historical fiction from Robin Talley! She's a master of doing her research and making her historical fiction seem both timeless and of its time. Sharon may well have grown up to become one of my aunts, who was active in the punk and queer scene(s) in San Francisco from the late 70s through early 90s.

Being the bisexual from San Francisco that I am, I want a sequel to this. How do Tammy, Sharon, Peter and their friends fare in the coming 10 years (Milk's assassination, the AIDS crisis, the commodification of the Castro and the rampant gentrification of SF in general, etc.)? I doubt it would have as optimistic an ending and I think I know how it would go, but I am still curious what Talley imagines for these characters.

What worked: Robin Talley write teenagers that seem like teenagers, they are realistic and believable. Her balance of historical accuracy with 2020 relatability is also on point here. The treatment of bisexuality, neither downplaying it as a reality nor the fact that there has historically been a lot of tension between bi women and lesbians, was also excellent.I can always count on her to give me a solid queer love story with a happy/optimistic ending and this delivered.

What didn't: I didn't feel that either Sharon or Tammy had a distinct enough voice in their letters, save for a few favorite phrases (Sharon's "oh my gosh"). I often forgot whose perspective I was reading until another location or character clue reminded me.