A Thousand Perfect Notes

edit: 3.5 stars

✨ You can read my full, spoiler-free review on my blog! ✨

It is quite possible that this is the fastest I have ever completed a book. 

My Thoughts: 

Is my heart broken? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Absolutely. Did I cry? No, but I came thisclose. 

First, I would like to note that this book was just about everything I expected from C.G. Drews, based off of her blogging style at Paper Fury and other reviews I have seen online. A Thousand Perfect Notes was engaging, sad, and a bit violent. I came into this book with expectations and they were met pretty nicely. However, judging by the negative reviews I have seen about this book, I will say that if you have no history at all with C.G. Drews, then maybe it would be hard to know what to expect from this book. I read and loved this book because I knew what I was getting into, and it was exactly everything I needed to read at the moment. 



I read this Contemporary after months of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, so it was refreshing to come back into the real world for a bit. I had tried to read ATPN a couple of times before, but I was just not in the right headspace. However, when I picked it up again on May 29th, I quickly finished it in only two sittings, which is something I haven't done in a long time. After the first chapter, I found myself attached to fragile Beck and precious little Joey, and I was constantly wondering what was going to happen next. 

The writing style is a bit quirky and different, and again, I expected nothing less from C.G. Drews. Is this a bad thing? Absolutely not! But I could also see why some people might not like this. Either way, I actually enjoyed the writing style, and I think it contributed to grabbing my attention and allowing me to finish the novel so quickly. 

The plot by itself was interesting and not predictable. I had characters to root for, a villain to boo, and wishes and dreams to hope for. I laughed, I teared up, and I was sad throughout the course of ATPN. It was a bit of a rollercoaster! 



However, during the climax of the story, I felt like I was expecting a little bit... more? Like, I had heard so many things about how crushingly sad this book was, that I really expected to be absolutely crushed. And I was not! I liked it, but I was not smooshed like a butterfly. I came out just fine. 

There were also a few small scenes that I felt were perhaps a bit rushed. The character building was generally good, but I think I wanted to learn more about Beck's history, his upbringing with Joey, what he remembers about first learning to play piano, and the Maestro's background story. There were definitely a lot of emotions going on in this story, but maybe not enough background explanations. I wasn't confused or anything – I just wanted more. 

Overall, I liked ATPN very much, and I only regret not reading it sooner! 

My thoughts about characters: 

Beck: I just felt so sad for Beck and his conflicting situation. I wanted to cry for him, and I wanted him to have everything he couldn't have. There were a few times when I didn't understand why he was making certain decisions, but overall, he was a good main character. 

Joey: For the first few lines, Joey was a bit annoying... but I quickly came to love her. I wanted to protect her cuteness as much as Beck did, and I really enjoyed seeing her interactions with basically everything. 

August: I don't know, I think I wanted to know a little more about August. She was funny and cute, and an unrelentingly good friend to Beck, but I wanted to know why. By the end, I was very attached to her, but she could have had a little more background information as well. 

The Maestro: