This was such a sweet book, and the cover really reflects the feeling of the book as well. Would recommend for people who are into the performing arts.

Despite her audition being a complete disaster, Nettie is accepted to a renowned arts program. The only problem is she can't sing. Not a note. Hopefully, Nettie is able to work through her grief and loss and be able to reclaim her voice before she is loses her spot at her dream school.

I had such a lovely time getting to know Nettie. Following her mother's death, she was more or less, on her own, at least emotionally. Life with her formerly estranged grandmother was not full of warm fuzzies. Rather, it was punctuated with sharp criticism and attempts to undercut Nettie's belief in herself. But Nettie didn't let it get her down. She was determined to get into Duke's and succeed at achieving her dreams.

In case you couldn't tell, it was really easy for me to root for Nettie. She had baggage and was dealing with a LOT, but she still kept her head up and her eyes on the prize. While at Duke's she encountered a lot of people who were set on making things difficult for her. They were hoping she would stumble and fall, but Nettie had grit and determination, and I loved her that much more for it.

As I said, Nettie was not only dealing with a lot of pain due to the loss of her mother, she was also struggling with a mental block which was keeping her from singing. The great thing was that Nettie was not alone in her struggle. She had a fabulous and colorful group of steadfast friends, who were there for her. They were all really so supportive of each other, and I admired and adored this little "family".

She was also fortunate to have stumbled into a friendship with Fletch. Fletch was someone who could really understand Nettie's pain, because he had also lost someone close to him. I think it was vital that she had someone like that to connect to, and that made Fletch an important part of her healing process. I actually was a fan of Nettie+Fletch. I thought they were rather adorable together even if there was some drama (isn't there always).

Like many other readers, I was curious to learn more about Nettie's mom's past. But, alas, those answers never came. It was sort of frustrating, but in all fairness, this was not her mom's story. In fact, Nettie explicitly stated (multiple times) that she was not trying to uncover these answers. Though I will never get the answers to some of my questions, I am ok with it.

I love grief books, and I thought this was a beautiful story of healing which managed to touch my heart. With stellar friendships and a fantastic musical score, Nettie was bound to ease her pain and find her voice, and I happily rooted for her along the way.

I was excited to read this book as I went to school for theatre and I was hoping to enjoy a quick realistic story about grief and performing through the tough times in life. Unfortunately, this just didn't hit the way I wanted it to. A lot of the dialogue felt a little young for the age of the characters, but it could have been that the characters just needed some more fleshing out. I didn't really know too much about our main character other than the fact that her mother died and she liked musical theatre for most of the book. I thought that the beginning of the book was good but as soon as we entered the school environment it just felt so unrealistic. There may have been a time that professors could talk to students that way, but it's gone now- and if someone has a teacher that speaks to them the way these ones do I encourage you to report it or find a different school. Theatre school IS competitive. Theatre school IS hard work. But Theatre school is NOT, and should not ever, be what was represented in this book. In addition to these things, many of the questions I was interested in knowing the answers to were never answered. I'll also say the cover art on NetGalley is gorgeous, and was one of the reasons I requested the book (other than the subject matter), but the cover on Goodreads is nowhere near as compelling. I think there are definitely people who would enjoy this quick read- if they enjoyed the HIlary Duff movie Raise Your Voice, it's quite similar. But in the end I'd caution anyone going into this that this is not an accurate representation of theatre school and has some problematic elements that are never solved.
///////HUGE TW for fatphobia/disordered eating, grief (spec. death of a parent)

WOW! JUST WOW! I was submerged in the story since the first page! I cannot believe all the emotions i felt throughout the story!

For the musical theater nerd who needs to lose themselves in the world of a high profile performing arts school. Sing Like No One's Listening has it all: meal girls, true love, best friends and horrific dance teachers.

Nettie starts her journey at Duke's, a performing arts school, only to lose her voice after the death of her mother. While she works on finding it again, she also manages to find some amazing new friends and even love.

This one was fun, quick read that made me 1. want to listen to a playlist of all the songs mentioned and 2. go back to London ASAP. There were a few loose ends I wanted more information on like history between her mother and the teachers at the school but overall this one was a good, fast read that read like a movie!

Sing Like No Ones Listening is a Teen YA Book. It has vibes of High School Musical.

I did enjoy the dance/singing academy vibe. It had themes of loss, love and hope.

The two main characters were bonded by loss which made the connection between them strong.

Overall, it wasn't the best of this genre but 8t had enough inside to keep you entertained for a few hours.

This book had a lot going for it. I enjoyed the characters- Nettie was a lot of fun as were her side kicks. This was also fast and compulsively readable. I adore musical theatre so it was fun to see the embedded references. However, with the above noted, this was a three star read and here’s why.

1.)Fletch was only borderline swoon- he had moments but overall was not smart enough to not cause problems.
2.) This story resolves much too quickly and leaves some things open that were frustrating. I have a lot of questions about Nettie’s mom still which irritates me.
3.) The drama was superficial and very trumped up. I think this went too heavy with the mean girls schtick.
4.) ARC formatting- maybe not a huge deal but it was nearly impossible at times to read texts and discern time jumps without going back.

It was definitely enjoyable but probably ultimately forgettable in the long run. I would read a sequel if there was one, maybe about another periphery character.

Sing like no one's listening is a quick and refreshing read. . II quite enjoyed reading this book.The writing style and narration is simple and lucid .I had no difficulty in deciphering the meanings. Looking forward to reading more books by the author

What a beautiful story about grief and healing. I loved the main character. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

I have received an e-arc of this book via Netgalley (Thank you Netgalley)
*All thoughts and opinions of this book are mine.*

Spoiler Free Review

Young Adult+ Music+ Singing+ Dancing+Self love
Sing like no one’s listening is a quick, fun, and entertaining read. I enjoyed reading about Nettie and her copping with life. There is a good take on art, music, and life situations with this book.

-Synopsis-
Nettie’s mother passed away around a year to Nettie attending a school in which happens to be the same her famous mother went to. Nettie hasn’t sung a single note since her mom died. As the books own blurb states “All about finding and raising your voice, and not throwing away your shot” is a good description of the moral lessons in this book.

-Setting-
For the setting I will mainly be talking about Duke’s the dance school that Nettie attends. I feel as there wasn’t much description for the setting. So there isn’t much I can’t criticize. There is as much as similar to high school musical vibes.

-Characters-
The characters can be considered of my favorite things about this book. Nettie, I liked Nettie and her character she over came her anxiety of singing. I do wish she had a little more personality, and that she is kind of based over her moms death. Overall she is still likable. I didn’t really like Fletch at first. To me he wasn’t that important. As the book went on I slowly started to like him and now he is pretty okay.
Alec was definitely my favorite character of the book. I just loved all the personality and funny remarks.

-Writing-
The writing of this book may be what maybe me give this 4 stars rather than 5.
This book was more of “tell than show” for the writing style. The beginning drew me in and had my attention firmly. Then the middle it just became “meh” I wasn’t as captivated as I was before but during the end my attention was captured fully. One of the tropes I don’t really favor was in this book; girls fighting each other for A guy. Like come on. The book “normalized” bullying. There wasn’t an action taking to the bullying in this book. Which saddens and upsets me. Moving past those statements I liked how musical theater was incorporated into the book. The writing was not as good as I hoped it would be, though it did flow at a steady fast pace.

-Conclusion-
Do I think you should read this book? Ehhhh it’s a quick read so why not. Will I recommend this book to other readers? Yes to those looking for music included books. The book overall was good not really great just good.

Nettie’s got the entire universe turned against her. Her mum dies of cancer, she has a dysfunctional relationship with her grandmother and therefore has no family left. For some inexplicable reason, Nettie can’t sing. After a horrific audition, she gets accepted into Duke but life doesn’t seem to give her a break. Although Nettie makes good friends and begins to find a connection with Fletch, a talented second-year artist, she gets bullied by her peers and her teachers. Can Nettie overcome her obstacles and triumph in Duke?

“It’s every ‘fine’ I replied when someone asked me how I was doing; every woman I chased down the street thinking it was mum; every scream I ever uttered in my bedroom at night, begging her to come back. It’s the memory of her singing me to sleep. It’s every morning waking up and forgetting for a split second that she’s gone, until the realization hit me with a dull thud. It’s waking every morning to that dull thud.”

Whew, this was such an emotional read. This novel is written in Nettie’s perspective and that helped convey her mental distress, which is the primary focus of the story. Some of her moments with Fletch were profound.

Alec was my favorite character in the entire novel. His pragmatic, vibrant, no bullshit attitude made me admire him. He stole my attention like everybody else’s in Duke. I found the book disengaging in the beginning but everything got better as the story got nearer to the end. Nettie rids herself of her doormat behavior and turns into a more independent, career-oriented woman. Her loose ends from her past get tied up as well.

‘Sing Like No One’s Listening’ is one of the most cliche YA novels I’ve read. It is also highly unrealistic in various aspects. Musicians are serious about what they drink or eat because it might affect their voice but the students in Duke drink quite a lot, it seemed a bit illogical. The competition in any prestigious art institute is cut-throat and for the first 50% of the book, Nettie doesn’t make a significant effort in her academic activities. The constant fat-shaming, slut-shaming, girl rivalry themes were tiresome. Jade; there was so much potential to add substance to her character but she’s completely cast off as a typical mean-girl villain. Nettie and Fletch were sweet but they had bad communication and Fletch’s indecisive nature was quite irksome. All the message texts were poorly edited, serving as a distraction from the story. A high school setting would’ve worked better.

This book has profound original ideas, entertaining characters but a passive narrative. ‘Sing Like No One’s Listening’ is recommended to all readers in the mood for a completely cliche YA romance. ARC provided by Peachtree Publishing Company and NetGalley. Thank you. #SingLikeNoOne'sListening#NetGalley.

Full review: https://www.inabookshell.com/2020/08/sing-like-no-ones-listening-by-vanessa.html

I don't know what to start with when talking about this book, except to say that I loved it! Right from the start I was drawn in hook, line and sinker with all the musical theatre references (yes Im a musicals nerd right here!) and I found most of the characters to be three dimensional which is where I struggle in a lot of YA.

This book follows Nettie as she makes her way through her first year of prestigious performing arts college Duke, while trying to come to terms with her grief over the loss of her mother and find her voice. I think the storyline was well done, however I wish some of the topics around body positivity and eating disorders had been more in depth. They seemed to just be mentioned in fleeting.

At the end of the book I was a little disappointed as it felt to me like far too many questions were left unanswered ... that is until I found out there is a sequel coming!! I just don't know how I am going to wait until next year to find out the answers!!

Overall a really fabulous read and a sequel I am already on tenterhooks for!

Sing Like No One's Listening is a beautiful story that takes the reader on a journey of finding yourself, facing up to the weight of expectation and dealing with grief. It will resonate deeply with music theatre lovers and for those of us who have lost people we love.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

"Sing Like No One's Listening" is a young adult book centered around a singer and new art school student named Nettie.

Nettie’s mother passed away a year prior to her attending the school, which also happens to be the same exact school her mom attended. Her first couple of days were difficult, but one day, she is convinced that her singing voice came back, and throughout the term, she regularly meets with a vocal coach who plans to help her sing again, which ends up happening the following term.

I absolutely loved this book. The plot was partially based on music and the arts, which instantly caught my attention, and I loved seeing Nettie’s growth and progression throughout the story as she gets through her first year at this school and finds her voice again.

Without spoiling too much — this book just didn't hit the mark with me. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for Vanessa with this as her debut novel knowing how hard it is to get published, and I did genuinely enjoy the friendships (very wholesome) and the musical aspect of this book quite a bit.

However what I had a problem with was a few things — the only thing our entire main character's character arc is based on is her famous mother's death. It makes her a little one dimensional. And then, let's not talk about the cliches (and not the good ones) — girls fighting each other over boys, superiority, and in general lack of character growth. I really don't like when girls are pitted against girls in a book, because we live in a world where we should be supporting each other and the last thing I want to see is them fighting over a guy.

As for the writing style — that is probably the reason why I couldn't make it to the end of the book in the first place. I found it dry and more telling than showing. It was like a report being written of what the author was seeing (I also saw inconsistent tenses sometimes where the author switched from present tense to past tense with no apparent reason). I really could not get into the story or imagine it, and in the end it felt like High School Musical, but in a more dry / drab way which I'd still more prefer as a movie because I couldn't imagine anything based on descriptions.

All in all, congratulations to Vanessa on her debut novel, and while it wasn't my type of a book, it does not make it a bad book in any standards. Can't wait to see what new things she brings in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Myrick Marketing & Media, LLC for providing me with an eARC of the book in return for an honest review.

This review is posted on Goodreads.

**Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for a chance to read & review an E-ARC of this novel!**

Sing Like No One's Listening was an enjoyable read. I found it easy to follow, with likable and, correctly so, dis-likable characters. The setting reminded me of past movies but I liked the take of a girl dealing with no voice due to the grieve caused by the loss of her mother. I had no trouble finishing the book and was pleased with the ending.

This was a cute read with fun characters whose personalities popped off the page. It’s perfect for anyone who’s ever dreamed of being on stage.

Nettie has an audition for the prestigious arts school she’s always dreamed of going to. But when a voicemail from her dead mother pops into her inbox just before the audition, her voice disappears. And it doesn’t seem to want to come back.

But Nettie still gets in. She thinks it must be because her mom was practically ballet royalty and friends with the school’s founder.

Nettie’s immediately drawn to a cute guy, Fletch, and he seems to be into her too. But Nettie starts to worry that there’s someone else, and he may just be leading her on. Nettie has to decide if he’s worth taking a risk.

The only time Nettie can sing is when she’s alone in the studio, but she gets a helping hand from a mysterious piano player behind the curtain. Nettie must put in the work to emotionally heal from her mother’s death so she can perform again.

One thing I wished we had more resolution to was the back story of Nettie’s mother and the other teachers. Why did she mysteriously quit ballet? Some teachers like her and favor Nettie, while another hated her so much she’s kind of abusive to Nettie. Learning more about this would have added some depth to those interactions.

A great read about first love and loss.

Rollercoaster of emotions - however not all of them good. Has such a great idea and is very original however the writing itself is what lets this novel down. What potential wasted. Fun sometimes, with the play on music and lyrics, but it's such a shame that the actual writer doesn't hold as much potential as the idea. Needs a lot of refinement and redrafting. It was kind of confusing!

Well... I literally finished this book in one day. That's how hooked I was. This story was sweet, and fun, and had heartache and inspiration woven throughout it. I'm also a sucker for a couple that seems to be made for each other. And music. I recommend playing each song that is mentioned (and there are quite a few- the main character loves musical theater after all). Lovers of broadway will probably find this entertaining to read.

With that all being said - I felt like I was reading a book intended for young adults in the college age range but written in a voice meant for middle schoolers. It made it a quick read, but I felt as if there could have been more depth, more maturity in the storytelling. I loved the characters and I loved the storyline. I feel as if it ended much too quickly. I could have read another hundred pages about Nettie and I would still want more.

This gets a big fat 5 stars from me. SO many musical theatre references, wrapped in an engaging tale of love and pain and grief that I think everyone can relate to. It wasnt perfect - the plot was definitely predictable and some of the characters, while loveable, made some... questionable choices - but overall I absolutely fell head over heels with this.