{Review/Giveaway} THE SOUND OF LETTING GO by Stasia Ward Kehoe

Welcome to the final day of the blog tour for Stasia Ward Kehoe's THE SOUND OF LETTING GO!

Here's a list of all the previous tour stops:

Sunday, February 2, 2014 at Candace's Book Blog
Tuesday, February 4, 2014 at Rather Be Reading
Thursday, February 6, 2014 (PUB DAY!) at G Reads Books
Monday, February 10, 2014 at Good Books & Good Wine
Wednesday, February 12, 2014 at Katie's Book Blog
Friday, February 14, 2014 (Valentine's Day!) at Addicted 2 Novels
Sunday, February 16, 2014 at The Hiding Spot
Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at Diznee's World of Books
Thursday, February 20, 2014 at Bloggers [Heart] Books
Monday, February 24, 2014 at A Backwards Story 


I've previously reviewed Stasia's debut novel AUDITION!

Check out today's guest post on writing with Stasia Ward Kehoe!

O P E N I N G   L I N E:

Dave Miller grins in my direction.
At least, I think
his easy-eyed, right-cheek-dimpled expression
is meant for me.

It's hard to be certain, since we are separated
by the fingerprinted interior window 
that divides my band room refuge 
from the chaotic dissonances of the rest of Evergreen High.

(pg. 1, US ARC edition)

Daisy wants to live a normal life. Even though she's a State-Champion trumpet player, her life is far from perfect.  Her home life is a mess thanks to her severely autistic brother Steven. He doesn't like loud sounds and little things set him off. Daisy parents soundproofed the basement so she could practice without setting him off... even though one of the reasons she first sought out playing was because of studies done on music and autism. Now,  Steven is becoming a teenager, and his violence and frustration are becoming harder to handle. Daisy's parents are talking about sending him to an institution, and Daisy isn't sure what she feels. Everything is falling apart and nothing makes sense anymore. Daisy must come to terms with herself before she can accept the way the world around her has begun to change...

THE SOUND OF LETTING GO is a novel in verse. When I read Stasia Ward Kehoe's debut novel AUDITION, it was the first time I'd ever read a verse novel before.  Now,  I've read several. At the time, a friend who adored verse novels said other authors  as Ellen Hopkins went a little deeper emotionally. I wasn't sure what she meant. Now,  having read Hopkins,  I do think I'm more emotionally obliterated after reading one of her verse novels and see where that statement came from. The two styles of verse are completely different from one another.  Kehoe's shows the picture of a story more fully, while Hopkins focuses on pulling out a character's most secretive thoughts.  Kehoe's style of verse is much more commercial and very easy to fall into. Not everyone is a literary reader. Kehoe is also great for readers new to verse. She eases them into the genre and forces them to care about Daisy and her situation.

I really felt for Daisy and her family. They love Steven so much, but his autism has made him so much harder to help as he's grown older. They're scared in their own home, prisoners themselves. Daisy is like a third parent. Her parents can never do anything for themselves. Steven is King to everything. When Daisy starts acting out, skipping band practice, and dating her childhood friend Dave, no one notices or cares enough to call her on it. But does Daisy really want to destroy everything she's worked so hard for?   Is she just having trouble letting go of her brother, even though she's also come to dread being home herself and yearns to get away? What happens when life isn't as glamorous as what's always shown on HBO? Kehoe will take readers on a journey to discover the answers to life right alongside Daisy... if, of course, such answers really exist! 

~*~

C O V E R   D E S I G N:

There are many things I like about this cover.  I love the use of color and the lighting.  I can't stop staring at the title font and really want to know what it is!  I love its shape and flow.

I also like the fact that someone is holding a dandelion and making a wish, which is definitely something Daisy would do in the novel.  I also enjoy the way that dandelion makes a reappearance throughout the novel:

 Clever,  right?

I love a good, matching interior! 

  ~*~

O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title: THE SOUND OF LETTING GO

Author: Stasia Ward Kehoe

Release Date: Feb. 6, 2014

Publisher: Penguin / Viking Children's
Received: For Review

SUMMARY:

For sixteen years, Daisy has been good. A good daughter, helping out with her autistic younger brother uncomplainingly. A good friend, even when her best friend makes her feel like a third wheel. When her parents announce they’re sending her brother to an institution—without consulting her—Daisy’s furious, and decides the best way to be a good sister is to start being bad. She quits jazz band and orchestra, slacks in school, and falls for bad-boy Dave.

But one person won’t let Daisy forget who she used to be: Irish exchange student and brilliant musician Cal. Does she want the bad boy or the prodigy? Should she side with her parents or protect her brother? How can she know when to hold on and when—and how—to let go?

~*~

Stasia Kehoe grew up dancing and performing on stages from New Hampshire to Washington, DC. She now writes books for young adults and choreographs the occasional musical.

Her novels AUDITION and THE SOUND OF LETTING GO are both written in verse.

Visit Stasia's website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter! 

****Giveaway*****


Enter to win

…a signed first edition of THE SOUND OF LETTING GO, 

one of four different TsoLG Swag Packs, 

or a pair of author-designed custom Keds sneakers (size 8)
US/CA.

(Ends 2/26) 

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