As soon as I saw The Songs You’ve Never Heard was a music-themed book set in Brighton, I knew I had to read it. As someone involved in the music scene in Brighton, it was so fun to read. Well, for the most part, there were a few things that I really didn’t like, but overall it’s a decent YA book.

I’m not sure how much I like Meg. She’s very judgemental. I especially didn’t like how she called Alana an amateur because she hasn’t played a gig outside of Brighton. As someone who is involved in the Brighton music scene, it’s very competitive.

Also, her saying “Without sounding snobbish, she didn’t really look like a stereotypical performer” about Alana really rubbed me the wrong way. What is it even supposed to mean? I don’t know if it is a fatphobic comment or not, but the only other thing Meg had to say about Alana is about her size. The previous comments weren’t specifically mean though, more of an observation. This seems unnecessary in a book that ‘champions sisterhood, musical talent and body positivity.’

She also comments on how Alana says weird things, but the stuff she was saying is the type of things I say so I took it personally. I know this is fiction but I hate when people are mean to very nice characters. I’m not being completely serious with this comment, but it did make me a little sad.

The plot was quite interesting and moved at a good pace. All the parts about writing and recording music were really fun and having the lyrics to read was a nice touch. I always feel like I read them in a weird rhythm though.

Casper was absolutely vile and I did not think he should get a redemption arc. Unfortunately, there were a few unlikeable characters in this, but my love for Alana made it ok. She was a brilliant character, she felt like a real person.

The Songs You’ve Never Heard was a super quick and fun read that is great for music lovers. You get a little glimpse into the industry and there are some great performance descriptions.

I especially think if you live in Brighton (like me) you will enjoy this book on a different level. I’m not sure why but I get excited whenever books mention places I visit often, Meg talks about the audio equipment she got from GAK and that’s somewhere I go every time I go into the town centre. It’s the little things I suppose.

"These are all the songs
You've never heard
All these unspoken words are
From my heart
From my heart
To yours"

Meg McCarthy is accustomed to standing in her older brother's shadow. Casper is, after all, a world-famous pop star who basks in the spotlight. The rest of the world sees her as "the sister;" a rich social media influencer whose life is all the better for her brother's fame. Trapped in that shadow, Meg's never shared her talented songwriting skills with anyone, let alone her family. When she meets Alana Howard while working at a yogurt shop for the summer, the two click as a harmonious duet. They both know what it's like to feel vulnerable and invisible, but do they have the strength to step into their own spotlight?

To be honest, I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did. Meg is cold and bitter, but she feels she has the right to be. Living in her brother's shadow isn't easy, and every fake friend she's ever met has added a brick to her antagonistic fortress. It's easy to understand and relate to Meg, though, who feels guarded for the sake of self-preservation. Each time we get a peek beyond those walls through Meg's lyrics, however, she's all the more realistic as a character. The lyrics (written by K-pop hit writer Becky Jerams and BAFTA-winning children's composer Ellie Wyatt) are beyond beautiful. They come off the page (to the point I had them stuck in my head with a melody), but if you can't imagine the music yourself, check out the companion album! As someone who's always struggled with her weight, I understand Alana just as well. People too often see a person for their shell, not what's within, but Alana's vibrant personality and self-empowerment are inspiring.

The characters are vibrant and the lyrics grant so much depth to who they are. Even the story's "villain" is human and relatable. The pacing is steady, never causing lulls between scenes. I even teared up at the last set of lyrics. Everything came full circle and the character development was gorgeous. There's a romantic subplot as well, but it doesn't feel necessary. The focus on the growing friendship, shared struggles, and mutual empowerment between Meg and Alana is far more important. My only hangup was how ugly Meg gets at the book's start. While it shows her inability to control herself in front of her romantic interest, it makes it difficult to sympathize with Meg until a little later.

Overall, if you're looking for an inspiring, encouraging coming-of-age story, this is the book for you!

Tropes:
🌙 Coming of Age
🌙 Beautiful Lyrics
🌙 Navigating Fame
🌙 Fast Friends
🌙 Body Positivity

"Alana is telling me exactly what I hear & I know she hasn't realised it. Songs are funny like that. Sometimes they come into your life at the perfect moment. Just when you need them the most."

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I love a good enemies to lovers trope especially from the perspective of the “enemy”. The main character is a delight and you often understand why she acts the way she does while still realizing it comes from a place of privilege. The main story of this book is about music and I love that they wrote completely original songs for this book.

The main character is tired of her famous singer brother getting all the attention in the family as she is only acknowledged when it’s important to the families social media presence. However, she keeps a huge secret from her family as she writes songs in her free time but only shows them to one person. An online friend who she knows the identity of but he does not know the true identity of who she is and if he found out she knows he would hate her.

The book highlights Meg’s struggles with being popular by association and how everyone around her is always asking about her brother. They never seem to be interested in Meg herself. These struggles can be very relatable to an audience and I found myself empathizing with Meg’s struggles of feeling invisible. Alana is the highlight of the book for me and I love the friendship that is built between her and Meg.

High school is tough and I can only imagine it being extremely tough with a rockstar of a brother. Meg’s brother Caspar has his own struggles sure but they delve a bit into that too. I wish they would have delved into it a bit earlier but there are some hints of it early on. The ending is really sweet and really stuck the landing for me. Overall, this was a cute YA book but I do wish the big secret was revealed a bit earlier.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sweet Cherry publishing for the eARC

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Songs are funny like that. Sometimes they come into your life at the perfect moment. Just when you need to hear them the most"

Meg McCarthy hates her life. She's always being followed by her brother's fans and feels stuck. It seems like everyone who spoke to her just wanted a bit of her brother. She feels trapped in her brother's shadow, she feels hidden as if nobody notices her, and feels like she can never be enough.

That is until she meets Alana, her coworker, who also turns out to be a singer-songwriter and encourages her to share her talent with the world. Even though Alana seems confident at first, she has her own insecurities too: she hates her chubby body.

But together Meg and Alana will be able to find their voices in a world that's determined to keep them silent!

As someone who loves singing and songwriting, this story inspired me a lot! I write whatever comes up to my mind at any given moment, it's like there is no process, the ideas just flow into my mind. And "The Songs You've Never Heard" managed to describe that feeling perfectly! It also made me more confident to actually show my songs to others! + The book has its own playlist, how cool is that?!

"Here’s the thing. When I’m writing alone, my ideas flow so naturally that I hardly have to think about what I’m doing. It’s like a sudden rush of creativity takes over my body and I have no choice but to pour everything out via the piano or a guitar or my voice into a microphone. I don’t have to explain why I’m writing what I’m writing. It just happens. I’m a lightning rod that conducts melodies and I have no control over how fast they strike. I don’t think the songs into existence. They simply exist. Through me."

Overall a great story to share the joyous (and sometimes painful) world of singing, songwriting and fame with everyone!

Meg McCarthy is a 17-year-old girl who has a famous pop star brother. Due to the fame she is forced to appear perfect in front of the public as a social media influencer. A confident rich girl with a perfect family and a perfect life.But that feels like far from the truth for Meg. While her parents' sole focus is on her brothers career she feels sorta overshadowed by him. Feeling invisible. and finding it hard to be herself. She has to hide her lovefor songwriting and, for producing her own music because she feels she'll never be as good as her brother.

A wonderful YA novel showcasing how strong females can work together to achieve their goals. Even when famous and mean older brothers tell you otherwise.

Thank you NetGalley and Sweet Cherry Publishing for the ARC of this book.

This is a fast read. I couldn't put it down. It's a cute YA about Meg and her love for music and songwriting. She has an internet best friend who is also a real life crush. I enjoyed this book. It was fun to read about pop stars and follow Meg and Alana's relationship throughout the book. It has a great bond between Meg and her pop star brother, and how Meg learns how to let her voice be heard. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves YA romance that includes the music industry.

Thank you so much ,netgalley,for providing me this ARC ! This book was an amazing and funny ride,along with such emotional moments than made me feel lighthearted. Alana and Meg were such remarkable and refreshing characters,two young women finding their way and their voices amidst the music industry.
This book got me through a hard week and will always be with me,with it's ressonating message about self power,
Friendship,and courage. I highly recommend this book !!!!

If you are looking for a moody, atmospheric read, The Songs You've Never Heard is the perfect book for you!

A heartfelt story that includes the ups and downs of the music industry. It is such a sweet story, the warm hug of bonding over music you need. The friendship is extraordinary, the Mcs personalities are fun, witty and sometimes very sarcastic, which I personally love!!

Definitely pick up this book if you love body positive image, music, fighting for your dreams and following your heart. :)

This book comes from the heart and takes a lot from experience of the music industry in the story, and you can tell. Meg's personality and hurt really comes through, with wit and sarcasm (A LOT), and you see her grow through the book, which is really nice to see. The song lyrics add a whole other dimension to the book - music is a powerful story-telling mechanism, and they really add to the book. And even better when you can listen to them being sung! Great little story :)

How can we not love a book about bonding over music? It’s such a sweet story that my teenage self would’ve loved. Although a bit slow at first, it’s a very quick and easy read. I love pop culture references and this book did not disappoint. I would love to discuss it further, but I do not want to spoil it for anyone. That being said, it’s a 4.5 stars book for me!

4.5/5

This was a great book that I enjoyed right off the bat. You felt for Meg right off the bat. Her brother Casper is famous and people are always trying to use her to get closer to him. She is so well written that she feels like a real person that you had a conversation with. You can feel her frustration of being in her brothers shadow.

My heart breaks for Alana the way she was treated by some of the other characters in the book but I love her and Megs friendship. They support each other and it is so refreshing to see the two of them there for each other. Both help the other be their true self and succeed.

I was a little confused about the booksicle aspect of the book when i first read about it but it was such a cute aspect to add to an already cute story! I would definitely recommend to music lovers and anyone who loves reading about strong female friendships.

Thank you Netgalley and Becky Jerams for gifting me a copy of your book in return for my honest opinions.

This was a super sweet book that focused on body positivity and the impact of social media. I loved the music that went along with this book, and helped make the character's story seem so much more real. I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone wanting to read about following your dreams and overcoming various hurdles.

A girl whose brother is a well-known singer is the subject of the novel The Songs You've Never Heard. She has been creating her own songs in secret while she has been living in his shadow. She is hesitant to share this song with anyone though. She makes friends with her coworker, who she later learns is also an artist. Together, they start to write and sing songs.


The book started out a little slow for me, but it picked up speed as it went along and I ended up loving it. Themes like friendship, body acceptance, self-confidence, etc. were interwoven throughout the work.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Sweet Cherry Publishing, Clock Tower Publishing for providing me the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review*

This book so really cute and sweet. I loved this book. The relationship was really sweet between Meg and Alana. It's a wonderful book.

Heartfelt and sweet, this book brought together two of my favorite things - music and finding yourself - and it was an absolute gem to read.

I really enjoyed the remise of this book but it was somewhat let down in the execution. Thank you to NetGalley and the published for an advanced copy of this book.

Meg feels small in her celebrity brother’s shadow, and only puts her music passion online anonymously. Alana is waiting for a big break, and has been performing for a long time at open mic’s. When the two decide to work together, they find that their music is magic together.

I thought this was pretty sweet book, but it also was just okay for me. It tries to do a lot - body positivity, the pressures of fame, the mask-like presentation on social media, etc - but it doesn’t do a great job with any in particular.

I did really enjoy the lyrics sprinkled throughout, and that was a nice touch.

I like some of what this book is doing. I like the picture of viral fame and it's impact on the entire family as well as the acknowledgement of privilege in the music industry. But the plot is a bit cluttered and unfocused.

Before I start my review, I just wanted to put some trigger warnings in place as there is mention of overdosing within the book, so please be careful if these pose a potential trigger for you.

"Real life is about fighting, constantly, even after the credits start rolling. It's about knowing that sometimes you're not going to get validation from other people, even when you deserve it, and that's oaky. You don't need anyone's approval to keep doing what you love.

This was such an absolute joy, about finding your own voice in a world where at times it feels squashed or overlooked, and being comfortable in your own skin and with who you are, not only on the outside, but the inside too. This s a touching and heartfelt story about friendship, love and how the strength of music can unify and bring people together.

Meg McCarthy is a 17 year old whose overshadowed by her famous singer-songwriter older brother, Caspar. Music is something that's always been important and a means of escape for Meg. In a world where she's often overlooked and ignored, even by those closest to her, music has been an outlet for her frustrations and upset. Life feels very much out of Meg's control, with press and people at school using her to meet her brother, and with brands constantly pressuring her to promote their brands, it's all too much. To help her cope with these overwhelming and inevitable situations, Meg turns to making lists, and writing songs. Unlike her brother, Meg is uncomfortable with sharing these songs as herself, and thus uses an alias on a website called MusicHunger. She regularly converses with Bandsnapper, with whom is always really warm and encouraging whenever she sends snippets of her songs. Whilst at her summer job, she meets Alana Howard, an optimistic and happy go lucky young woman. Alana also writes and sings songs within the local community, and although Meg and Alana are complete opposites in almost all respects of their life, their friendship blossoms into an incredible partnership which could change both of their lives.

Meg is such a witty and likeable character. I loved her determination and courage throughout, there are definitely parts of her life that are relatable to all teenagers. Her friendship with Alana was really refreshing and incredible to read. The way they empowered and supported each other through each of their own battles was really inspiring and evoked a lot of hope, particularly in times where either of them were experiencing self-doubt.

It really focused on the difficulties you can face as a teenager, particularly in a time where social media is rife. It really showed the dangers and toxicity of social media, and how overwhelming and difficult it can be to be openly and unapologetically yourself, and achieve what you want. It's so incredibly written, showing how comments from others can shatter your self-confidence and affect your self-worth, especially in a world so intent on tearing others down. I loved the focus on body positivity throughout this book and the positive message that it promotes to be yourself and that you're enough as you are.

This story was so charming, and shows the true power of music and the bonds it can create. It was so well written and enthralling, I don't know what I was expecting from a booksical but this was incredible. Full of wit, humour and relatable characters. It was just so wonderful and refreshing.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.