Review Detail

Callie Smith's life is like it's own soundtrack. She's lived in twelve places in eight years. At the beginning of her freshman year she finds herself in Andreas Bay, California. One thing that keeps her going is her song journal. She uses songs to reflect how she feels.

She's used to living on the outskirts, not getting emotional involved with anyone. Then friends creep into her new life with a boy who has a secret. Callie's mother has a huge secret too. Like who is her father and why her mother won't discuss him. All Callie wants is to find love and the truth.

I really love the idea of having a song journal to record songs that reflect how you feel at certain times of your life. The author does a great job of showing us Callie by giving us glimpses into songs that document her life. Callie is a very likeable character, one I'm sure teens will relate with. Who hasn't felt on the outskirts looking in?

At times lyrical, the writing swepts the reader into the ups and downs of relationships. Callie's mother comes off as flaky but toward the end of the novel, the reader will find the reason for this. Sometimes I got a tad bit confused with all the characters and the Sam and Calle relationship felt a little forced. I really loved Eli and wanted to see more of him. But overall this is a fresh tale which will have you humming to some of the tunes in Callie's journal. You might even want to start your own journal.