The World Needs More Sapphic YA
The World Needs More Sapphic YA
Book gush about upcoming novel The Music of Unexpected Things by Jamie Deacon
I love reading different genres. I love reading different tropes. I love reading in different formats, be it serial, audio, ebook, or a big heavy hardcover that smells like musty paper. I just love reading.
But what I love most is when a book brings something to the table that makes me slam my fist on it and go YES. THIS. MORE OF THIS.
The Music of Unexpected Things is true to its title in that I wasn’t expecting to get a pitch for it in my inbox. I’m constantly backlogged on beta, editing, ARCs, pleasure reading. I’m going to have to pass my TBR on to my children when I die. It’s rare that I can take new ARCs these days from authors that I don’t already have rapport with.
But Jamie Deacon sent me a pitch that punched me in the gut in the best way. I can never say no to a good sapphic romance, but this book intrigued me with being wrapped up in a music camp and the fact that one of the protagonists — Georgie — is blind.
In I dove, and was immediately immersed into a pool of teenage turmoil, but from so many different views and walks of life. Georgie has trust issues because she’s been the butt of people’s pity for so long, never finding real friendship without the strings of her disability. Mina hasn’t come out to her family because they’re traditional and religious and she’s worried about letting them down after her older sister had a baby young and didn’t follow the career path they wanted for her.
On top of this, everyone at the music camp is competing for a shot at a scholarship for the music school, Dukes. Georgie wants it to show her family that she’s good enough to do music as a career. Her father’s band fizzled out because their lead singer died, and it hurt him so much that Georgie’s mother is afraid for her to pursue music. Mina also wants the scholarship to show her family that this is a viable career path for her, that she’s not a disappointment for not wanting to go into medicine instead.
The secondary protagonists are three other misfits at the camp that congregate with the girls into a band of five, also with their own hosts of family issues and sexuality and figuring out how to navigate relationships. All of the characters are so fleshed out and real.
Throughout their journey through the summer, all of these characters make huge mistakes, but buck up and help each other through them in constructive ways. Never was I scoffing at contrived issues just for plot’s sake, this book really transported me back in time to how it felt to be a teenager with high-octane emotions and needs. There is no shying away from the good and the bad, even with the protagonists. They are raw and unequivocally themselves, and have to learn how to navigate the world, be it their own hangups, friendships, relationships, or interacting with their families.
I also enjoyed the writing itself, it’s got the flow and simplicity of YA prose while still being eloquent and descriptive enough for adult readership.
All in all, this book is beautifully put together, the characters unforgettable, and I’d recommend it to readers of any age. This is one that I’ll definitely be tucking away on a YA shelf for when my kids are older.
The Music of Unexpected Things comes out on September 24th, 2024! Preorder your copy on all major retailers.
One competition, two girls, and a love neither expects to find…
Attending Dukes Academy is every young musicians dream. Each July, gifted teens from across the country flock to its famous summer camp desperate to scoop the ultimate prize – a fully funded place at the college.
When Georgie and her guide dog arrive at camp, she has her heart set on more than landing the scholarship. She’s determined to put the isolation of school behind her and finally make friends. Falling in love wasn’t part of the plan, but the moment she meets sweet, gentle Mina, the summer takes on a whole new meaning.
For Mina, winning the scholarship is her best chance of convincing her conventional parents to let her pursue a music career. If she fails, she’ll forget her hopes and resign herself to studying medicine. Yet, when she encounters Georgie – funny, brave and sure of what she wants – everything changes.
As the weeks pass in a haze of workshops, rehearsals and secrets whispered late at night, the girls become inseparable. But unless Georgie is able to trust again and Mina can find the courage to be true to herself, they risk losing something far more precious than the scholarship.
About the Author
Jamie Deacon is an award-winning author of young adult LGBTQ+ fiction with a passion for weaving stories about friendship, falling in love and finding the courage to be true to yourself. Their debut novel, Caught Inside, won two Rainbow Awards and was nominated for a Lammy, a Bisexual Book Award and a Next Generation Indie Book Award.
Jamie was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a degenerative eye condition that left them registered blind by their mid-teens. Now only able to view their surroundings in light and indistinct shadow, Jamie creates vivid settings inside their head and brings them to life through the magic of words.
Jamie lives with their childhood sweetheart close to the River Thames in Berkshire, England. When not curled under a blanket with a book, they enjoy British comedy, are a huge dog lover, and get way too competitive at family games nights.
Find Jamie at jamiedeacon.com!