It Sounds Like This

3.3

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Author(s)

Anna Meriano

Publisher

Viking Books for Young Readers

Genre(s)

Age Range

13+

Release Date

August 02, 2022

ISBN

978-0593116906

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Yasmín Treviño didn’t have much of a freshman year thanks to Hurricane Humphrey, but she’s ready to take sophomore year by storm. That means mastering the marching side of marching band—fast!—so she can outshine her BFF Sofia as top of the flute section, earn first chair, and impress both her future college admission boards and her comfortably unattainable drum major crush Gilberto Reyes.

But Yasmín steps off on the wrong foot when she reports an anonymous gossip Instagram account harassing new band members and accidentally gets the entire low brass section suspended from extracurriculars. With no low brass section, the band is doomed, so Yasmín decides to take things into her own hands, learn to play the tuba, and lead a gaggle of rowdy freshman boys who are just as green to marching and playing as she is. She’ll happily wrestle an ancient school tuba if it means fixing the mess she might have caused.

But when the secret gossip Instagram escalates their campaign of harassment and Yasmín's friendship with Sofia deteriorates, things at school might be too hard to bear. Luckily, the support of Yasmín’s new section—especially introverted section leader Bloom, a sweet ace and aro-spectrum boy—might just turn things around.

Editor review

1 review

A book filled with diverse characters

August 22, 2022 (Updated: June 03, 2026)

Overall rating

3.3

Plot

3.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

3.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

I've read my fair share of YA novels set in high school and none of them have revolved around marching band. It was refreshing to see the band nerd represented.

Yasmin Treviño has dreams of being the top flute player in the marching band even if it means having to beat her best friend Sofia for the first chair position. She has been practicing all summer while Sofia has been off hanging with her obnoxious boyfriend Andy.

Yasmin is so close to fulfilling her dream, but when she sees a video of a freshman tuba player being harassed by some of the band kids, she decides to report it to her teacher. The majority of the tuba section, including Sofia's boyfriend Andy, are kicked out of band. Yasmin has become the most hated member of the marching band. In hopes of making Sofia less angry, Yasmin offers to move to the tuba section when the music teacher asks for volunteers.

Despite her effort to make things right, Yasmin deals with constant bullying from an anonymous Instagram page. Yasmin tries her best to not let it bother her but everyone has a breaking point. In the end, Yasmin learns what true friendship is all about.

Initially, I thought this book was going to be all about Yasmin's band crush and though that is a storyline it is not the focus. The real emotional drama centers around Sofia and Yasmin's failing friendship. At times I was frustrated with the way Yasmin let Sofia walk all over her. The hair dye incident made me angry because it was obviously deliberate and Yasmin didn't call Sofia out on it. The way Yasmin was treated made me wonder why she even wanted to be friends with Sofia. Their friendship felt very toxic especially compared to the new friendships Yasmin was making with the low brass section.

Anna Meriano writes an excellent portrayal of teenage life, from school pressures to family pressures to bullying, she was able to capture it all. The highlight of this book is how she focused on representation. A wide range of characters are represented, including queer, non-binary, and those of different religions and ethnicities. This is exactly what you'd find in any diverse high school, and I appreciate this book's representation.

It Sounds Like This is not just for the marching band geek, but for anyone wanting to read about teenage friendship.