Our Song Blog Tour: Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

Our Song
Author: Jordanna Fraiberg
Genre: YA Contemporary
Release Date: May 2, 2013
Publisher: Razorbill

Buy Link: Amazon 

Description:

Olive Bell has spent her entire life in the beautiful suburb of Vista Valley, with a picture-perfect home, a loving family, and a seemingly perfect boyfriend. But after a near-fatal car accident, she’s haunted by a broken heart and a melody that she cannot place.

Then Olive meets Nick. He’s dark, handsome, mysterious . . . and Olive feels connected to him in a way she can’t explain. Is there such a thing as fate? The two embark on a whirlwind romance—until Nick makes a troubling confession.

Heartbroken, Olive pieces together what really happened the night of her accident and arrives at a startling revelation. Only by facing the truth can she uncover the mystery behind the song and the power of what it means to love someone.  

Nick hit a button on the dashboard and an ambient, methoical beat filled the car. All four windows opened simulataneously, inviting in a warm breeze that swept up my hair, the view, and all sense of time. I closed my eyes and let the wind and music wash over me. Derek, school, and all my worries were suddenly five blocks plus a million miles away.

I pretended I was still in the bell tower with Nick, the parrots soaring overhead as the neighborhood sounds mixed in with the images in my mind - the beeping of a reversing car, the whip-whip-whip of a rotating sprinkler, skateboard wheels ca-thumping on the pavement. They were like the distant drone of a beeping alarm clock pressing up against a pleasant dream. Until they started to blend into the sound of the squawking birds. The unfinished song. Nick's voice and the one singing to me. Until I could no longer distinguish between reality and what was playing out in my head. If there was even a difference.

It made me think about what Nick said last night as we watched the parrots disappear. And that he was right.

It was the sound of freedom.

Our Song is a young adult contemporary novel that follows Olive Bell as she returns home after a terrible accident two weeks earlier. Olive had been out of control - driving too fast during a hard rain - and she crashed her boyfriend Derek's car. She died during the crash but was revived by paramedics. After the crash, Olive feels like a completely different person. People start treating her differently - her parents, her neighbors, friends, and schoolmates - all begin to act like she wrecked the car on purpose that night; that she tried to kill herself. Olive can't think about the events of the night of the crash, but she knows that she isn't the same person as before. She's beginning to see behind the curtain of her so-called "perfect" life with her "perfect" family and her "perfect" town. The things Olive believed before the crash don't seem so important now and the only one who understands is Nick - the handsome and brooding guy Olive meets at a near-death experience support group. Olive must figure out what she wants for herself in life and what that might mean for her expectations for herself and what others expect from her as well.

This was a wonderfully written contemporary novel that deals with some major issues. Olive is a magnificent leading character. She's smart, loving, devoted to her friends and family - but after her crash, she begins questioning her choices in life and her future. Things don't feel the same and what once seemed so important barely registers for her. We see significant character growth and maturation with Olive's character throughout the novel as she begins making her own decisions concerning her life and her future. She also starts seeing the world in a different light - that things aren't always what they seem and life isn't a perfect fairy tale. The story line isn't a wholly original one, but the author writes with such clarity and emotion that I felt immediately drawn in. I could feel what Olive felt - all the good things along with the bad. She was very realistic and accessible to the reader, which makes the story all the more believable. There are deep topics discussed in the story - death, life, love, betrayal, finding yourself, grief, faith, and family - just to name a few. The book touches on topics that are intense but common to readers of all ages; everyone will be able to identify with the characters on at least one level. We all have experienced at least some of what Olive does in the book, which I find makes it all the more powerful for the reader. The writing was exceptional and shows the immense talent of the author. The book has a fast pace and I was eagerly turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. I normally don't read contemporary YA fiction, but I'm incredibly glad I decided to give this one a shot. It far exceeded my expectations and is one of the best books I've read so far this year. Highly recommended for readers of all ages, especially those who like YA contemporary fiction.

Jordanna Fraiberg was born in Montreal, Quebec, and currently lives in L.A., where she settled after receiving degrees from Harvard and Oxford. A former national squash champion and Hollywood film executive, she now divides her time between dreaming up stories and chasing her toddler. She is the author of Our Song andIn Your Room.

jordannafraiberg.com | @Jfraiberg

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