You have to suspend a lot of disbelief for the idea no one ever looks into "Julian" and Jordan is able to keep her scheme running for so long, but this is just a really fun book with a memorable setting and great characters. I can't think of any cross-dressing books that have given this much consideration to gender identity before. It's often used as a means to an end, but the act makes Jordan really look at herself. I love it.

It's also got some serious bite re: race, class and disability given Jordan comes from a family of immigrants and her father is disabled. They were already broke but are suddenly more broke since they had a medical emergency and he had just a liiiiitle too much in savings, so all his disability benefits got stripped away. Serious fucking bullshit that disabled people aren't allowed to build up savings without losing everything.

Perfect for fans of Pitch Perfect, this follows an a capella group whilst dealing with serious issues; gender normals, a sexist society as well as the struggles of a US healthcare system that favours the rich. If you liked She's The Man, you should read this!

I'm...speechless. I never saw myself loving a book revolving around a cappella, but with the bisexual, Chinese main character and explorations of gender, I wholeheartedly enjoyed it.

My one quibble is that it was a bit...slow, but in spite of that, I highly recommend it.

I love a humorous YA, and this hits the mark. Maybe it could have been a tighter read, but the writer made me laugh (which is hard). Noteworthy is the lovechild of Pitch Perfect and She's the Man.

4.5 stars. God, I loved this book so much! I know nothing about acapella singing or boarding school, but I loved Redgate's writing and the whole group of characters in this.

I really loved this one. The main character was just fantastic, she was the number one reason I kept reading. So much humor, and exactly my type of funny, but it balanced out well with some of the more serious themes of the book. The supporting cast of characters were all really great. I could have done without any romance in this book to be totally honest, which is strange for me, but the romance wasn't bad. It just got overshadowed by the much better aspects of the story. So excited to read more from Redgate in the future.

This was such a surprisingly cute read! I enjoyed it. Having grown up singing, I found all the little references and details on point and it really added to the story.

I admit that when I first picked this up, I couldn't get into it, so put it down.
So I waited for the audiobook to become available and then I ended up devouring it.

Everything good thing I heard about this book was true. Diversity. A Capella. Great humour.

I can't wait to read more from Riley Redgate!

Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘Monday Memos’ I have a new book review for y’all! Today we will be discussing ‘Noteworthy’ by Riley Redgate, which was provided for review by Amulet Books. This book was released on May 2nd, 2017, & I will put a trigger warning about the amount of profanity in this book (because there’s a lot) so if this bothers you this might be one you wanna skip. We have a lot to talk about today so let’s get to the review. Ready? Ok, let’s go!!!



‘Noteworthy’ is about a high school junior Chinese-American girl named Jordan Sun who goes to a very expensive, very exclusive school called Kensington-Blaine Academy for the Performing Arts. Due to the fact that Jordan has a voice type that is lower than most girls, she has a difficult time booking roles in her school’s productions. When an opportunity to join Kensington’s premier all-male A Capella group the Sharpshooters arises, Jordan decides to masquerade as a boy for a chance to join the group & compete in an upcoming contest the Sharpshooters are in to win the opportunity to travel on a tour with a professional A Capella group called Aural Fixation. Due to the fact that Jordan is a scholarship student & her family is doing worst & worst financially, she feels that if she is able to go in this tour that her parents will finally see that her education at Kensington is worth the high price tag they have to pay for books & travel to & from the school every year. She also feels that her parents don’t support her dream of becoming an entertainer, so she hopes that they will fully support her dream if she wins a spot on this tour.



Ok now let’s dive into the review. I really wanted to like this book. I tried you guys, I really tried to like it, but I just couldn’t. This book had so much going for it: diverse characters, some funny dialogue between the characters that really made you love them, & show choir. I’m all about show choir you guys, I was in show choir for a little while in high school, so believe me when I say that I will always pick up a book that centers around music or musical theater. Unfortunately for this book, the problem was that it’s just so boring! The plot is super slow, Jordan is really annoying at times, & about half way through the book I wanted to drop it (and honestly if this hadn’t had been a review copy I would’ve dropped this book). I kept skimming through the last half of the book because I just wanted it to be over so I could move on to something else. Because of this I have to give this book a 1 smiley face review & will probably never read anything from this author again because her writing style just did not click for me.

Looking for a new contemporary read? Riley Redgate’s Noteworthy will make your heart sing! [full article in link below]

This was a sweet story and a fun read. I really liked the whole behind the scenes picture of what it is like to compete in an a cappella group in a place where a capella groups are competitive with each other. I also enjoyed the idea of someone being at a special school and needing to do something drastic to stand out, to be seen she had to make herself into something else. But in the end she was true to herself and let others see her for who she is.

Noteworthy came out of left field and knocked me out. Obviously I’d been looking forward to the diverse acapella contemporary romance because hellooooo have you met me, but I hadn’t heard too much buzz surprisingly and was keeping my expectations fairly low. This is one of those books that built on me; I thought it was great from the start but a bit emotionally detached and then by the end I’d turned into a squishy marshmallow of emotion.




Redgate delivers on the Pitch Perfect inspired premise. Like Pitch Perfect, Noteworthy is hilarious, full of lovable awesome nerds and important arcs about friendship, and jam-packed with music. Unlike Pitch Perfect, Noteworthy is all about representation, tolerance, and gender roles. The premise may be a bit more outlandish than Pitch Perfect‘s, but the execution is much more realistic and intense.

It’s a little bit like someone looked into my head and created a book that was perfectly me. Noteworthy has a bisexual gender bending heroine and centers on a bunch of bantery weirdos who are perfect and flawed and wonderful. I love the things this book chooses to be and to do.



Jordan’s an amazing heroine with a really strong voice, but she takes a little while to get there. From the start, I was hooked by the book, but I didn’t realize I was in love with it until it was too late to pinpoint precisely when it had happened. Because she’d been wrapped up in a romance with an older student, Jordan starts her junior year without friends and frustrated at failing to land yet another part in a musical (she’s too tall, too Asian, her voice too deep).



There’s some suspension of disbelief that’s needed for the plot; after a couple of chapters, I gave in and really didn’t question it. Jordan crossdresses, availing herself of her theatrical skills and the school’s wardrobe department, and joins one of the school’s all-male acapella groups as Julian Zhang. Just accept that no one checks to make sure this person is a student. Also accept that Jordan, for no explained reason, has a single while no one else seems to, despite the fact that Jordan’s family very much could not have paid for one. I’m willing to get over most anything for a gender bending plot tbh. That said, I really appreciate that Jordan’s features are described as being more androgynous, and it did feel truly possible for her to fool people.



As happens with genderbending heroines since Shakespeare, in her disguise Jordan learns to be comfortable with who she is. She finds herself coming out of her shell, opening up, becoming more assertive and confident in her guise, and that all seeps into her actual self too. It is, of course, also a look at gender roles and the privilege that males receive. Jordan also considers the potential problematic elements of her use of crossdressing to achieve her aims, which was very thoughtful and unique for the genderbending stuff I’ve read.

All eight of the Sharpshooters are so incredibly precious, and I want to hug all of those little weirdos. Several of them have subplots, and many of them are quite well-developed. I have special love for Nihal and Isaac and Trav; I would absolute LOVE a spin-off book about Nihal. *coughs*



The romance flirts with the idea of a bisexual love triangle, though I wouldn’t say it actually is a love triangle per se. View Spoiler »



The resolutions cranks into place a bit abruptly. I’d have liked a bit more from the ending, though that could all be resolved by a sequel about Nihalllllllll just sayinggggggggg. Things don’t end up in a neat little bow that’s for sure. Plotwise, I have some minor quibbles (which seriously all have to do with the rivalry and the Caskeys and surely this means there will be a sequel SURELY) but I do appreciate across the board the way that Redgate almost always chose the least dramatic way to handle things. The inevitable blow ups you expect don’t fall out as they typically do, which is something I always really love (when it’s believable).

Without a doubt, you will be seeing Noteworthy on my end of year faves post, if I’m not too lazy to write it. I have so many feelings rn. And I will be borrowing the insult “you sentient walnut.”

I simply did not finish this book. It moved very slowly and the plot seemed like it was going to never develop

Tons of fun and very unique. It was about acapella, how is that not fun???

I am not normally a contemporary and when I'm looking for one it has to hit certain notes (pun intended haha) and this book just did not fit those needs. This genuinely was a product of it was me and not the book. I absolutely loved the characters and the premise but I did not feel connected to the story as a whole.

If you love contemporaries with a sassy main character who will do anything to achieve her goals this is the book for you to give a try!

I was sent an EARC to review by Netgalley and the publisher, Abrams books. I was super excited when I heard that Noteworthy was “Mulan meets Glee”, I mean that does sound incredible doesn’t it? It was a refreshing story packed with drama and a lot of laughs, so let’s get into the review…

I could relate to our protagonist Jordan on so many levels. She goes to a prestigious performing arts boarding school but can’t seem to land any decent roles. She has a super low voice which makes her “unsuitable” for a lot of the female leads. Fed up of being humiliated and her parents constantly asking her why she isn’t landing any roles, she decides to bite the bullet and join her school male a cappella group, who are looking for an eighth member. But to join, she needs to pretend to be a boy! As you can imagine, drama and hilarity ensues!

The book explores so many themes but the one that I loved the most, was how Redgate didn’t shy away from theatre terminology, it felt like I could really connect to the world, rather than feeling like it’s being simplified to appeal to a wider audience. The book obviously plays with the idea of gender and how it effects everyone around you too. As well as enjoying these themes, I really enjoyed the school setting (as I tend to always do) and I loved seeing the classes etc take place. Redgate also includes some hilarious group message and text conversations which perfectly captured the cheeky laddish nature of the group of guys that Jordan finds herself in the middle of.

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This book was just what i needed as life was pretty stressful when I read it and this provided a nice break. It was nice to watch someone else’s drama unfold instead! It had a really easy, fun and satisfying writing style that gave you a great insight into how the characters were thinking and feeling. It has all the drama you’d think a “Glee meets Mulan” book would complete with rival a cappella groups and suitable pranks. I found myself gasping at points and giggling at others. I would honestly recommend this book to anyone, theatre type or not because it is wonderful and fun and such a quick read.

From how much I liked this, I know I need to pick up The Seven Ways We Lie soon!

A fun, action packed, dramatic read for any theatre fan or someone who just wants to see what a “Mulan meets Glee” book is like!:

★★★★★

could not finish it... it tried to read it a couple of times, i just couldn't connect with the characters at all, i found the premise interesting but there was something in the execution of the idea that didn't work for me

Excellent book about a bisexual young woman who joins and all-male acapella group on a lark, only to begin forming real friendships and bonds with the guys she sings with. Does a great job of exploring crossing dressing and sexuality without seeming overly serious or lecture-y. Highly recommended.

I didn't enjoy this one as much as Riley Redgate's first novel. I think the description was a bit misleading in terms of how gender in portrayed. However it was a fun read and as well written as her first novel.

Book Review
Title: Noteworthy
Author: Riley Redgate
Genre: YA/Musical/Romance
Rating: *****
Review: The opening to Noteworthy was great we meet Jordan who is studying at Kensington-Blaine, a very special school of the performing arts for three years she has been trying to land a lead role in one of the school performances and for three years she has been rejected. She learns she has been rejected because her voice is too deep for the female roles. We see that Jordan has a lot of pressure from school and from her parents to do well and get into a good college like Harvard or Julliard. In a moment of madness Jordan applies to join the Sharpshooters the all-male a cappella group. In disguise she goes for her audition and to her amazement she gets a call back for the following day. Jordan goes to her call back with the Sharpshooters and is initiated into the group. While elated she is constantly worried about being found out but it was very entertaining to read.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel we see Jordan find her place within the group and make real friends at school for the first time ever. My favourite part so far is seeing the group text and getting to see more of the boys’ distinct personalities. Jordan because she rushed into being Julian sets out to buy boys clothes and gets advice from transgender girls and boys about how to act, walk and look more like a boy. While not a lot has happened the relationships that frame this novel have been set up really well.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel we see Jordan rethinking her life, as a boy she is comfortable and wonders what it means to be a woman. As she feels more at home in Julian’s skin rather than her own we see Jordan take on a more gender fluid role within the novel which was great to read.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel we see the lengths some of the groups are willing to go to in order to win especially the Minuets. I literally felt devastated for the Sharps when Connor destroyed their archives containing all the groups music from decades ago which Trav has to recopy from memory. I also liked the fact that Isaac and Julian try to get some justice but are dissuaded at the last minute by Trav. It was also interesting to see Jordan come to terms with being bisexual after making out with Victoria but we also see her attraction to Isaac who only knows her as Julian.
As we cross into the second half of the novel we see Jordan get deeper and deeper into Julia’s life as things with the Sharps begin to fall apart mainly due to Isaac. He begins turning up late to rehearsals and when he is on time he turns up high and for a time it seems like he is considering leaving the group. I was also wondering if there was more to Isaac and Trav’s relationship than they let on as there seems to be a weird tension that follows them. I loved the fact this novel is so diverse with different sexualities, different religions and much more. We also see a sort of love triangle forming between Julian, Nihal and Connor (who are secretly dating). As the group head to their retreat without Isaac (who has been acting weird because of some family issues) we see that all of them having something wrong and that they aren’t perfect. For example Jon’s family is extremely rich but this doesn’t compensate for his fathers’ almost constant absence.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel we see Jordan acting in two minds, in the one mind she loves being Julian and in the other she is constantly worried about being found out. Eventually like I suspected someone finds out about Jordan and it happens to be Isaac who agrees to keep her secret because she kept his. In a very strange way this brings them even closer together and I can honestly see Jordan forming a relationship with almost everyone in the group with the exception of Nihal who is gay but I am favouring Isaac at the moment. In a series of dramatic events we learn that Jordan has to leave the school because her parents can’t afford it anymore. At the same time she is being Julian trying to deal with Connor hell bent on destroying the Sharps and her attraction to Isaac. For a moment everything seems ok but with her departure drawing ever closer she can’t let herself hope for a miracle because she knows there isn’t one.
As we cross into the final section of the novel we see the Sharps compete and win which enables them to go on tour which they do. When they return a dark cloud looms over Jordan as she has to leave the school and Isaac although they agree to try a long distance relationship. Upon returning home Jordan received some shocking news from the school that allows her to return and re-join her friends. This was literally the perfect ending as Redgate keeps you guessing about what will happen to Jordan until the very last page. I genuinely hope that one day Noteworthy will become a film because I would pay to watch that.
Overall, I absolutely loved Noteworthy and I can’t wait to get into Redgate’s debut novel Seven Ways We Lie. I highly recommend this book to fans of Pitch Perfect as this book portrays the dedications of the team perfectly. I can’t wait to read more from this author very soon.