Solo

LoveReading4Kids Says

Daisy has just turned eighteen, but is in no mood to celebrate. Her recent breakup with David has destroyed her first passion, the recorder. She is lost in a blur of low self esteem and depression. ​

When the summer ends and school starts, Daisy meets Flora, who has a unique energy and a love of music, specifically being an alto in the choir.

Despite the idea of David still lingering on the periphery of her mind, Daisy finds through Flora a path back to the recorder and her love of music. When a family scare deepens Daisy's anxiety and guilt, her relationship with Flora and music in general becomes much more complex.

This is a beautiful YA verse novel.

Daisy is an extremely well-developed, complex and believable character that exudes all the frustration, rage and joy that an older teen can experience. She thinks of herself as an adult but also possesses the immaturity that is hard to shed as an eighteen year old.

The novel is brimming with musicality, with each chapter being given a title that pairs with Daisy's love of music and her emotional state. As a verse novel, Solo strips away everything but the absolute essential to the story, there is a simmering energy to it that gives it an extra punch to the guts. O'Brien clearly is a master at developing inner agonies that crawl out from the page to wrap their tendrils around your heart. Solo is a deeply affecting novel that will leave you rooted to the floor, I loved it. 

Lucas Maxwell

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