I really enjoyed this kinda ´slice-of-story´!
But I cannot help myself and compare this to her newer works , and those are just way better!
The characters felt a bit flat at times, and there was not much 'excitement' to the story. But it was still an enjoyable read!

Urban fantasy, magic, and a love of all things 80s??? All I can say is that this was a vibe.

Signal to Noise is set to be published mid September 2022. Thank you to Rebellion, Solaris, NetGalley and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5/5

Silvia Moreno-Garcia's republished debut Signal to Noise is a part coming of age, part magical awakening, part romance, and everything else in between.

I loved the writing style, themes, and narrative structure, and the craft that went into this is above and beyond what I expect from a debut. If you've read her later work (I did Gods of Jade and Shadow), you can see in this book the foundations of her craft, and it's such a masterclass. The story is a simple slice of life tale interspersed with adult reminiscing, but it holds gravitas because of the way the setting, context, and characters are developed. It's a love letter to music and adolescence, to dreams and families that love each other too much to be okay.

Though I admire the effort put into making the characters as real and flawed and complex as they are, I wouldn't want them to be my friends. They're still relatable and funny and great, but not my kind of people. Spending 300 pages with them feels so much of a slog, which is why I rated this 3.5 instead of 4 stars.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is one of my favorite authors and I can’t believe I hadn’t read her debut novel until now!

This book reminded me of all the reasons I first fell in love with Moreno-Garcia’s stories. This is a moving and at times heart breaking story of deep friendship and love with elements of magic and mysticism thrown in. The characters are flawed and at times extremely frustrating, but you are able to connect with each of them and understand their struggles and pain.

If you are a fan of Mexican Gothic and the Beautiful Ones definitely give this a read!

I was sent a free book and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Rebellion Publishing for this ARC!

Also - one of my favorite Coldplay songs Swallowed In The Sea was used in this book and that made me very happy

Mexico City, 1988. Long before iTunes or MP3s, you said "I love you" with a mixtape. Meche, awkward and fifteen, discovers how to cast spells using music, and with her friends Sebastian and Daniela will piece together their broken families, and even find love...

Two decades after abandoning the metropolis, Meche returns for her estranged father's funeral, reviving memories from her childhood she thought she buried a long time ago. What really happened back then? Is there any magic left?

--

I read this book in a day. I enjoyed it, but I found Meche to be incredibly unlikeable and selfish. She's the first to discover magic through music and it gives her a sense of empowerment - she thinks she's above Sebastian and Daniela and that shows through the entire book. She treats her friends like shit and then expects them to help her when she needs it, but never offers the same. I think the only time she did help was when Daniela was assaulted by her teacher. Other than that it was as if her friends only existed to raise her up.

Similarly I did not like Sebastian either. While he was slightly less selfish than Meche, he also showed some worrying qualities. He was incredibly jealous of Meche and he took it to extremes. Neither Meche or Sebastian thought of the other when it came to people they had crushes on. Meche was a huge hypocrite in that regard. She constantly berated Sebastian for having a crush on Isadora, who actually seemed like a genuinely sweet person, and yet she had a crush on Constantino who was a complete dickhead.

The only people I liked in this story was Daniela and Isadora. I was happy to see Daniela getting a story she deserved when she got older, of finding happiness in her kids. I wished we could have seen more of her and not just her being thrown into the Meche and Sebastian show.

I really did not want to them to end up together, they are both incredibly toxic people and that didn't change into adulthood either. They aren't good for each other and they do nothing but insult each other. I felt sorry for Daniela for having friends like that and I felt sorry for Isadora too. I think she and Sebastian could have been good for each other.

The story is woven intricately. I went to this blind so when I got to the part where it involved magic, I was intrigued.

The structure focuses on alternating the present and past, which sets off a perfect anticipation for the readers. The way the words flowed gracefully with each other makes it even more personal and emotional.

It's like historical fiction/magical realism/fantasy. If you've enjoyed Silvia Moreno-Garcia previous novels, you'll enjoy this one.

PS. The book came out years ago, but it is being published in a new edition.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for approving my arc request!

This is Silvia Moreno-Garcia's debut novel that came out in 2015. My first introduction to Silvia was in Mexican Gothic like so many thanks to the pandemic and the rise in supporting POC authors. I instantly fell in love with the way she creates her flawed characters. It's like a car accident, you can look away from.

She did the same with her M.C. Meche- now this book is told in multiple POV's but ultimately I felt this was Meche's story. Meche is a complicated character, deeply flawed and motivated purely by her emotions and events that affect her life she's not comfortable with. Like all teens she's dealing with hyper emotions and hormones with no one educating her or helping her understand them. So, she turns to magic to solve her problems.

At the core of this story is a romance between two of the characters as they try and understand one another. But the romance was borderline abuse and I didn't really connect with it. Meche was too flawed to get a real reaction of the love story for me.

What I loved the most about this story was the whole magic with vinyl's. It was a slow burn as she tries to figure out how her magic works. This was like The Craft and how sometimes people can lose themselves in it. Overall, I enjoyed the story.

Signal to Noise is a reprinting of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's debut novel written originally in 2015 and I think it's a crime this wasn't a hit when it was first published because this story was fantastic with grounded characters and a sprinkle of magic.

One of the most interesting aspects of this story is the use of playing specific records and how Meche could channel that into a form of magic. I also enjoyed how Sebastian and Daniela were there to keep her grounded in the beginning as well as being fully fleshed out characters on their own.

The two timelines that we go back and forth between are great to seeing how Meche's actions as a teen ripple into her adult life when she returns to Mexico City. Then when it all comes together for an especially satisfying ending as Meche is not the most likeable character for a lot of the book.

I highly recommend this to both long time Silvia Moreno-Garcia fans and for people who want to try her books for the first time. Truly a stellar debut that should have received more love when it originally came out.

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

CW: Alcohol Abuse, Homophobia, Bullying, Sexual Assault, Car Accident, Body Shaming, Emotional Abuse

This was such a beautifully written debut novel. I've always enjoyed Silvia Moreno-Garcia's work, and this one did not disappoint. The story follows Meche in 1988 with her friends Daniela and Sebastian and in 2009 when Meche is brought back to Mexico City after her father's death. In 1988, Meche and her friends discovered that music has magic. Moreno-Garcia does a great job bringing you in and making you attached to her characters. While Signal to Noise is mainly told through Meche's perspective, you also get to see a majority of the side characters perspectives to flesh out the story. I thought the 2009 plot line was really interesting but there was a few time where I found myself less invested about what was going on in 1988, but in the end, everything tied together very well. This book will be republished on September 6th so definetely go check this one out if you haven't already then.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the premise, along with the bright cover, but the story felt weirdly flat for me and I think it was because I really didn’t like the main character, Meche. She didn’t seem to have any redeeming characteristics, being both a user and abuser of her friends. Which brings me to my next issue – how did she have friends, let alone keep them? Which made someone loving her a bit of a stretch.

It also took a very long time for the story to get going. I remember at the halfway mark wondering if and when it would get interesting. Thankfully the story itself did. It’s told in two timelines – 1988 and 2009 – and this is a plot device I usually enjoy except that the voices sounded the same in each. Despite being 21 years older, there didn’t seem to be any maturation of the characters. The second half was more interesting to read though and finally felt as though the story was moving forward.

Having loved Mexican Gothic I was full of anticipation for this and I’m sure that coloured my expectations but Signal To Noise just never really got going for me.

I've said it before, but Silvia Moreno-Garcia is my favorite author. I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this book which was already published but is receiving a reprint and new cover. After finishing a SMG book I always feel changed as a person (dramatic, but true). There is something about her writing that is completely absorbing, immersive, and seemingly effortless. The prose and characterization are excellent, the emotion is raw and it's hard not to feel like you carry these stories with you after you're done. Suddenly they're there, in your mind and your heart from the first page through the last.

Signal To Noise is set in Mexico City, and flashes between 1988 and 2009 as Mercedes "Meche" Vega and her friends Sebastian and Daniela in 1988 as teens (and social outcasts) who discover that with music, they can cast spells to change their appearance, their fortune, and affect the lives of others around them, and in 2009 as Meche returns home after learning that her father has passed away. Despite this novel having magic in it, the magic itself is not the central focus. Ultimately this is a novel about class and inequality, about love, wishes, desires, and dreams. Meche is certainly a flawed character. She's kind of a bitch (love that), she's cranky, she can be selfish, she can hold a grudge, she can be condescending, and sort of clueless, but my mean girls should get their stories told too. Seriously the relationship between Sebastian and Meche is just everything to me.

Anyway, SMG once again proving she's talented, showstopping, iconic, brilliant, totally unique.

This re-release of Moreno-Garcia's latest book might be my first introduction to their work, but I've got a feeling it won't be my last. This is a coming-of-age story that stands out amongst the rest, following Meche, an awkward and anxious teenager who finds magic in music along with their friends, casting spells and enchantments to find love and happiness in their broken homes and hearts.

Full of rich symbolism and deep meaning, this story is undeniably evocative and deeply nostalgic. Full of utterly relatable and cringe-inducing reminders of what its like to be a lost teenager, the characters are unlikeable, unreliable and moody - and because of that they're exactly perfect. A spellbinding read that is definitely a sign of more amazing things to come.

I love some of Moreno-Garcia’s more recent works, so I was disappointed that I didn’t enjoy her first novel. I suppose it goes to show how much an author’s craft can develop over time. Or perhaps this just wasn’t for me. In Signal To Noise I didn’t feel hooked by the story, there wasn’t a solid sense of place (although, there was an impressive sense of time due to music references), and I felt myself zoning out a few times throughout the novel. I almost DNF’d a couple times but stuck it out because it’s Silvia Moreno-Garcia! I wished some of the side characters were more thoughtfully developed and I found the ending cute, but predictable, thus disappointing.

A lovely cover to accompany a fresh reprint. I have enjoyed everything that I have picked up from Moreno-Garcia and this was not an exception, however, the book is notably an earlier writing from the now-established writer. A little more young adult than the darker fiction titles of her more modern release, Signal to Noise is a fun release that will do well in the Halloween lead-up.

Thank you to Netgalley and Rebellion Publishing for the digital galley in exchange for my honest review.

The cover of the reprint is really beautiful and would make a great edition to the Silvia Moreno-Garcia shelf.

I’ve been chasing the feeling I felt when reading Mexican Gothic for the first time, and I’ve made my way through almost all of the author’s backlog, and while she writes a variety of genres spanning a lot of different stories, I never quite find what I’m looking for.

Signal to Noise wasn’t what I was looking for but I did enjoy the time I spent on it.

I really enjoyed Meche and her friends as characters, but the writing leaned a lot more toward tell rather than show. I prefer the author’s later works, but it’s very interesting to see so much growth from this first novel.

I don’t have much to say, as it is a reprint of a debut but it’s a fun duel narrative spanning 20 years. Magic, mayhem, the trials and tribulations of being an outcast in high school.

I would like to thank the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC of this book. I read an advanced copy of this book, so the final edition of the book might be slightly different. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

I think this is now the 4th book of Silvia’s that I’ve read, and still she manages to surprise me every time. I don’t think I’ve ever read an author that has quite so much range, and Signal to Noise is that the latest example of that. It’s unlike the other books I’ve read by this author so far, and yet is still just as strong as the rest of her work.

This book is also just quite unique in general, and I don’t think I’d ever read anything quite like it! I really enjoyed being introduced to a setting that I simply have not read much in yet, and I loved seeing how much the setting played a role, both in the story and in the effect it had on Meche. The writing supported this setting extremely well too, and I could feel the presence of the city in the story. I also really loved how magic was used in this story, and while it’s often hard for me to find urban fantasy that really works for me, this is a great example of what I do love about this genre. It blends the contemporary themes and aspects so well with magic, without either taking too much of the story. I also loved how magic was tied to something so personal to Meche, and that it takes different shapes for everyone.

The narration of this book was also fantastic, and I really enjoyed the flipping back and forth between the past and present. I did have a slight preference for the present, though it also took up less space in the story, but that’s largely because Meche was sometimes so hard to read in the past. She’s a classic teenager, but amplified by her anger and by her newfound magic, and it was easy to get frustrated with her, especially at the end. But even through it all, I found myself understanding her and rooting for her, even if I wouldn’t have made the same decisions.

Overall, I adored this book, and I can’t wait to continue on reading more of Silvia’s works. I wasn’t entirely sure if I would love this one as much as the others, but in the end, it surprised me!

Signal to Noise weaves together a love of music and the magic and misadventures of being young, dumb, and in love.

“Guys, I just want to remind you I have to be home by seven,” Daniela said. “I’m also not allowed to do any Satanic stuff.”

At times hilarious, this book reminded me of a goofy and more caring The Craft, as three friends form a magic circle and let lose some magic without realising the consequences.

But that's where the comparison ends. Signal to Noise confronts past hurts and broken families, the reconstruction of damaged relationships and finding peace with the past.

Moreno-Garcia again writes a fantastic unlikeable and prickly main character who you can't help but love.

Signal to Noise is another fantastic book from this author and I'm so glad that it's getting an updated version and a second chance.

Come for the music magic, stay for the healing of past hurts.

Thank you Rebellion, Solaris and NetGalley for the arc. All opinions are my own.

“Magic gets you what you want, but it doesn’t solve your problems.”

“And that was that. You don’t get to rewind your life like a tape and splice it back together, pretending it never knotted and tore, when it did and you know it did.”

Some of my favorite books are ones that involve magic or music, and this one weaves them both together in a story that is unique and fun and heartbreaking. I’m still new to Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s work, only having read her most recent novel, so it was really fun going back and reading her debut!

Things I loved:

🎶 The protagonist is so layered and complex! She’s got a prickly exterior and biting wit that she uses as a wall around her squishy heart, and she often says/does the opposite of what she wants in order to protect her emotions. Deep down she has good intentions, even if she’s a bit volatile and flawed.

🎵 The protagonist’s family is unstable and dysfunctional, and there are many complicated feelings that go with that.

🎶 Music as magic just made my heart sing. I think most of us can relate to the power of a song or album, so the use of music as a conduit for magic was wonderful! (Also, the plethora of songs and artists mentioned throughout the book made for a fabulous six-hour playlist.)

🎵 I enjoyed the back and forth between timelines, learning gradually how the events came to take place.

🎶 We never learn all of the rules of magic in this world, but we do see the pros and cons of using it, as well as the effects power can have on people. Magic seems to be as fluid as the people using it.


In the end, this is much more than a potential romance. It’s about regret and the sting of things left unsaid. It’s a love letter to the power of music. It’s a coming of age story and an overcoming of past hurts

Overall I really enjoyed this book, and I’m excited to continue reading other books by the author! Thanks to Netgalley and Rebellion Publishing for the advanced updated edition of this book!

I didn't realize this was a re-release at first and was absolutely shocked to find that this was a debut novel?? I don't know how much the original text has been changed/edited for the new edition, but if this is Moreno-Garcia's debut then she's an insta-buy for me from now on.

The writing is so tangible it kicked me straight back in time, and these teenagers felt so real it ached. Meche is brilliantly sharp, possessive, and selfish. But she's also determined and protective, and she loves people fiercely. Even soft,
kind Daniela has a strength of her own.
Moreno-Garcia's characters are so complex, and her women are unapologetically strong in ways that are human of not always appealing.

What can I say about Sebastián. I love him and he's a perfect foil for Meche. Childhood friends to lovers has never been so spicy (or so heartbreaking).

Speaking of heartbreak, Meche's relationship with her dad was gutting to read. The author masterfully weaves timelines and multiple perspectives together. The adult POVs in 1988 were particularly wrenching- all doing their best, all wrapped too tightly in their own heads and their own narratives to be what their children needed.

I've gone for most of this review without talking about the magic because the characters were so strong that honestly, the magic took a more subtle background roll. For a fantasy novel, it doesn't feel like a book about magic. And that's OK. I didn't want to know more about the system- as Meche points out, there's no "magic police" coming to arrest our characters for experimenting. It's private, and intimate, and instinctive, and it fits perfectly in the atmosphere Moreno-Garcia has created.

5/5, one of my favorites this year, and the new cover is stunning!!

I’ve been a fan of SMG writing for awhile now so when I saw this was available I crossed all my fingers that I would be able to read the ARC. I’m so happy this book didn’t disappoint once again. One of my favorite things to do is make playlists for books I love so the amount of musical influence in this book was right up my alley. This will be a re-read for me for sure!