Jordan Sun is tired of getting nowhere in the acting program at her prestigious art school. There just aren't a lot of parts for an Asian Alto II. When a spot opens up in a men's a cappella group, she decides to audition, disguised as a boy.

I was excited to read Noteworthy because it sounded so fun. A cappella, a girl disguised as a boy, what could be better? I found the book had depths I wasn't expecting and tackled weighty issues. It wasn't the light read I anticipated, but it was rich and reflective. Riley Redgate's Noteworthy has a little bit of everything and was well worth the read.

This book was amazing. I wish I had gotten around to reading it sooner. The whole book revolves around the different types of relationships you can have in your life. Riley's writing style was beautifully done as well as the issue of gender and identity.

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate is such a cute book. I found myself being completely immersed into the story.

I can only apologise for leaving it so long to review this book - I read it nearly four months ago but have only now come back to write something. As it's been such a long time I can't really give a full review but in short it was a fun read about music, friendships and relationships with a great diverse mix of characters. It'll be a great summer read for fans of Pitch Perfect in particular.

I was first attracted to Noteworthy for two reasons: 1) I heard somewhere that it was like a modern day Mulan retelling but with a cappella, and 2) the main character is a girl named Jordan. What I got out of Noteworthy was so much more than that.

Jordan Sun, a Chinese-American scholarship student at Kensington-Blaine Boarding School, needs to prove to her parents (and to herself) that sending her across the country to attend a performing arts school is worth the money her family doesn’t have. The book begins at the start of her junior with her failing her audition yet again due to her low voice. Desperate for a solution, Jordan takes a risk when an email lands in her inbox about auditions for the elite, all-male a cappella group on campus. She pulls together her best guy outfit, dons a wig, and tries out for the Sharpshooters. Much to her surprise, she actually makes it in. With nothing to lose (since she doesn’t have any friends due to dedicating the past two years to her now graduated ex-boyfriend), Jordan goes all in by cutting her long hair and spending all of her time outside of class as “Julian” with the other seven Sharpshooters.

I loved the relationships Jordan establishes with the other Sharpshooters. Each of the guys are well-developed, and the banter they share was so entertaining to read about. I loved how these guys who are very different from each other came together through music and a cappella. I loved how fun the book was and the humor with in it. I loved Jordan and the journey she goes on as she figures out who she is and proves her worth. I just really loved this book, okay?!

Diversity is incorporated into Noteworthy seamlessly, as it should be. Life is full of different types of people and backgrounds, and I loved how diverse the cast of characters was and how they made the novel stronger. The focus of the book isn’t about being bi or Chinese-American or poor, it’s about finding yourself. I appreciated the work Riley Redgate put into addressing the context of cross-dressing within the book, phrases like “man-up,” and sexuality.

Overall, I adored Noteworthy, and it is currently my favorite read of 2017. I highly recommend this one. Like, drop whatever you’re reading now and pick it up right away!

A fun, enjoyable read. A book to give to fans of music, acapella, and Pitch Perfect!

This novel snuck up on me and for the first few chapters I was seriously on the fence and considered putting it down. It's a premise that has been done before - Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and the movie She's The Man both come to mind - however it is cleverly done so it doesn't feel like something I've read before. I loved the diversity in this novel. The main character is Chinese- American, various socio-economic levels are represented, and there are LGBTQ characters. I also loved how mental health is touched upon. There is definitely so much more going on with this novel than the blurb suggests, which was a pleasant surprise.

This book was sold to me as “Pitch Perfect meets She’s the Man” and I KNEW I HAD TO HAVE IT! Pitch Perfect is hilarious and She’s the Man is one of those movies that made me feel empowered as a pre-teen haha. So yes, I had high expectations from this book. (Which sadly weren’t met in every way, but it was still enjoyable and fun.)

Jordan is a second generation immigrant going to a privileged boarding school for the performing arts. She is taller than most girls, she’s not very comfortable with her body, and she can’t get a role in any play because of her voice! She’s been trying to get into theater for a while, and every time she tries, she gets rejected. Jordan decides to use her voice in another way, and auditions as a guy, to get into an all-boys a Capella group!
To stay “undercover”, Jordan has to cross-dress. While doing so, she considers the differences between cross-dressing and being trans. At ALL TIMES, Jordan considers herself as a female. She never considers herself as trans, and the moments where these comparisons are brought up, it’s for Jordan to acknowledge her privilege as a cisgender girl, who struggles to fit into what is known as “feminine” but does not understand the struggles of being trans. In the process, Jordan discovers her bisexuality, and no matter the sex of whoever she ends up with, it’s made clear that she is bisexual.

I loved that the book maintains itself as a light and funny read, while touching important topics like immigration, the problems with our messed up healthcare, living in poverty, and struggling with finding who you are and where you fit. The characters are fun and relateable. There’s even a religious gay character, which I’m VERY surprised to find, but I definitely love! (I made a friend pick up a copy just for this detail! He deserves to see himself in books.)

I would have loved to see some trans representation, considering there are multiple times where trans people are mentioned, and considering how much Jordan thinks about the topic… it would have been amazing to actually see a character that could educate Jordan (and us) better! It’s a bit of a missed opportunity, but overall, the book is full of great characters and it’s entertaining!

I’m curious to see more from this author, so I’ll definitely have to do my homework about Riley Redgate.

Noteworthy snuck up on me. It is never a book I would have thought I would love, but I fell head over heals for it. I heard acapella and assumed it wouldn't be for me, but it wound up being one of the funniest and most charming contemporaries that I have read this entire year.

The narration of this book is stellar. It starts in the very first line, and keeps you hooked and laughing to the end. Jordan's voice is self-aware, honest, and so authentic. She has constant fears and anxieties, and she isolates herself but longs for connection. Everything I loved about this book can probably be traced directly back to the skill shown in Jordan's voice.

Even though her exploration of her sexuality was pretty minor, I appreciated that this was a book where Jordan learning she is bisexual was a plot but it wasn't the central plot. So much of this story was about Jordan discovering herself and who she is, and being bisexual was a part of that, but it wasn't the main thing she was supposed to learn. I loved the really internal aspects of this, and of Jordan seeing a slow change within herself that she liked but that also sometimes scared and confused her. I thought her experiences with gender felt really nuanced and that was a huge relief after reading a bunch of books recently where the gender discussion was.... less than complex.

Also, I am not usually a huge fan of books about allocishet teenage boys. They are generally written in a particular way and I just have a hard time connecting to those characters. This was absolutely not a problem in Noteworthy. The boys (who were not all heterosexual, by the way) were a varied collection of likable assholes, which is exactly the kind of character I adore. They were funny and all super close friends who constantly supported one another and were central parts of one another's lives. They were smart and complex and all had lives that felt separate from Jordan's, which is so nice to find in side characters.

As far as diversity, this seemed like a big win for me. The main character is Chinese-American, bisexual, and comes from a poor family and all of these are aspects of herself that Jordan reflects on pretty frequently. There are other side characters who are queer, and other side characters who are POC. As far as this being a cross-dressing story, I appreciated that there was an awareness on behalf of the main character that her experiences were very separate from that of trans folks. While I would have appreciated it more if there had been actual trans characters in the book for Jordan to interact with and to further the conversation on gender, I did really like the fact that this was the first book I've ever read where a character cross-dresses and also acknowledges the trans community and the particular set of challenges that they face.

Overall, this was a joy. While the acapella stuff itself sometimes verged on feeling silly, I couldn't help but care because all of the characters were so likable and well-written. I have to give a special amount of love to books I read that can make me grin and can also make me tear up, and Noteworthy did both. This was a fabulous contemporary full of wit and character depth, and I will definitely be looking into more books by Riley Redgate.

I asked for this book from Netgalley just to try out because I never read any book talking about a Cappella before. But to be honest, for some reason, it wasn’t appealing to me. I had never heard of the author, and I didn’t expect to be anything special. But after some time of having it, I finally got to read it.

This book is freaking amazing. I love the characters, I love how interesting and unexpected it is. And I love the writing. And to make it even better, I loved the humor!

The story is about Jordan, a Chinese-American with a scholarship to an incredible fancy boarding school of arts. Even with the scholarship, the school is still very expensive since it equates to Harvard. And Jordan’s family is anything but rich. But if that wasn’t already a problem, she hasn’t had much luck in her course either. She faces rejection after rejection for musical parts because of her Alto 2 range. And that’s what makes her do an impulsive and complicated decision. She disguises herself as a boy and becomes a Tenor for the a capella group “Sharpshooters”.

This book explores sexuality, race, wealth, and injustice. The book makes mention to transgender, homosexuality, and bisexuality, in an incredibly interesting and unique way. However, Jordan is not transgender, she merely crossdressers to fit in a world that has too many “should be’s”. Jordan is an incredible character, that never stopped surprising me and I loved every bit of friendship in this book! The Sharpshooter 100% friendship goals. All the characters felt very realistic and warm. I loved them with all my heart and that was probably the thing I most loved about this book.

The book has a lot of humor, but in a way that is purely funny, not offensive, and it deals with a lot of important themes. The writing is incredibly captivating and genuinely beautiful, and I can’t wait to read more from the author!

This is a heartful book that I would recommend to everybody. It shows courage, commitment, and friendship in a unique way and it will make you want to be part of the book! Really, just go read it!

A really fun, diverse book focusing on typical issues of trying to fit in in school, but in a way I've never seen done before. plus, who doesn't love a Capella?

A highly recommended contemporary!

Very diverse cast of characters and the authors manage to nail all those reps. Amazing plot, witty banter, and absolutely lovable acapella boys, what't not to love about this book? It's very rare we got bi rep in literature, and this book portrayed the confusion and feelings perfectly. One complaint though, for music people, this book will be a delight, but for me who knows nothing, the music references and terms really got me confused.

Guys guys guys, I finally finished Noteworthy!!! I have to say that I really enjoyed this book, even though it took me about one month to get over it.

I really liked the writing, it was funny and witty, and I really liked Jordan’s voice. But the pacing was a bit off at the beginning for me. The book moved just a tiny bit too slow in those first few chapters. But then the pacing got right, and I flew through the book, and it was immensely enjoyable.

I couldn’t completely connect with Jordan, but I appreciated how she thought about the issues she was involved in, and how her behaviour could affect some important things, and I thought she grew up a LOT during the story, and I loved that.

But my favorite part was the relationships between Jordan and the boys, and the boys between themselves. I kind of wanted more of that. I wanted to know a bit more about all of them and see how they ended up.

I thought it was commendable the way the author dealt with all the sexuality related questions within this book, and I loved the racial diversity.

I thought the plot would be a bit MORE, you know? Everything was going great, but I found the whole reveal a bit anticlimactic, and I kind of wish that a couple of elements weren’t there. But either way, I loved the love and support between the characters, and that’s what drove this book for me.

There is a slight romantic element on this book, and I loved that it didn’t overpower the story, and the relationship was just so cute and sweet. It was awesome.

OVERALL, I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK, AND I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.

4.5/5

I absolutely loved this book. I was really in the mood for a great contemp and it was exactly what I wanted it to be.

Jordan was such a fantastic main character. Words can’t express how much I loved her. I literally related to her in the very first line of the book – I pretty much have an existential crisis every Monday morning. As an Alto 2, Jordan kept getting rejected from parts in musicals for not having a conventional female vocal range. She also had a lot of other things going on; her mum and dad (who suffered from chronic pain) were having money troubles that were inevitably affecting her and making her feel guilty and she was still getting over her ex-boyfriend while also trying figure out whether she was attracted to girls as well as guys. She felt friendless at her school and didn’t really have anyone to turn to. Apart from the fact that I really appreciated being able to read about a Chinese-American bisexual character, Jordan was so likeable. Her narrative was hilarious, her voice was so believable and I really liked how dedicated she was to her craft. So determined was she to do something instead of mope around, miserable that she’d failed another audition, she dressed up as a boy and joined an all-male a cappella group. After all, what did she have to lose except her dignity? There was a bit of suspension of disbelief involved there, but honestly, it was so funny because even Jordan was questioning how everyone was buying her charade and it just made me smile.

I can’t tell you how much I loved Jordan’s friendship with all the boys in the Sharpshooters. First we had Trav, the leader of the group, and most mysterious. I wish we had got to know him more, but he was the sort of quietly loyal type – prone to frustrated outbursts, but a good guy inside. Next we had Isaac who I adored. He was both adventurous and reckless and yet intensely shy and uncertain at times. I loved his relationship with Jordan the most and he was so sweet and understanding. I liked that things weren’t all cool and calm between them, there was awkwardness, but also an excitement on what could be. Thirdly, we had Nihal, who was another of my favourites. His and Jordan’s friendship was so natural and easy, and I really liked the side story about Nihal’s own relationship with a certain member of the Minuets, another a cappella group (whose character I was really hoping would develop, but alas, it did not. I would have liked more resolution on it). Then there was Jon Cox and Mama, who were both hilarious and loyal and kind of the backbone of the group, the reliable ones you know would always be there. Erik and Marcus were newbies to the team, too, freshman who had to acclimate to the group dynamic like Jordan did. Marcus’s rants about politics always made me laugh and essentially, I just really liked all these characters. I apologise because I have gone on far too long.

Plot-wise, Noteworthy is quite slow-paced, with much of the story involving the Sharpshooters’ rivalry with the Minuets, preparing for a competition in December and Jordan coping with being a girl during the day and putting on her boy persona at night during rehearsals. But there were lots of other things going on too, and in my opinion, even though this wasn’t an action-packed fast paced book with tons of twists and turns, there was never a dull moment. It explored lots of different themes really well, including sexuality and gender, and I only wish it were a bit longer, because I would have loved to have seen what happened after the ending! (But this is what happens with all good books.) I loved all the performing arts parts of the book and learning about music and theatre (even if I wasn’t quite familiar with all the technical terms). There were a few things I think could have been developed or explained a bit more (the whole situation with Connor and his father, for one), but overall, this was a fantastic book with an amazing set of complex characters, and I am so happy that I got to read it.

Overall, Noteworthy is a real stand-out contemp, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Every so often, an avid reader will come across an author who they know that, no matter what the book or how long they have to wait, they will read because it will always be something they'll love. Riley Redgate, for me, is one of those authors. I fell in love with her debut 'Seven Ways We Lie' for it's relateable and diverse characters, masterful handling of seven POVs, and the fact that it managed to wow me so much despite being Contemporary YA (a genre which, up until this year, has been a little hit and miss for me). As soon as it was announced I knew I would love 'Noteworthy' even more and I couldn't wait to get into it her second book because the first had impressed me so much.

This book was EVEN BETTER than the first. First of all, I loved the setting of a Performing Arts college because I studied Performing Arts at University so I totally got what an Alto 2 is and the playful Theatre kids vs. Music students thing and references to the backstage help! I loved it, and while 'Seven Ways We Lie' made me picture my old school, 'Noteworthy' had me picturing my Uni campus! Another great thing about this book is that it's LAUGH OUT LOUD funny! I got so many strange stares on the tube as I tried hard to contain my hysterics every morning on the way to work. I adored the characters in this book too: Jordan/Julian was a great MC who I could really get behind and I am so thankful that she was Chinese because there are TOO many white girls in Contemporary YA. I loved the Sharps too - Isaac was hilarious, Trav's obsessive anxiety really spoke to me, Sikh student Nihal was like the best friend I have always wanted and Redgate did a great job at making them all likeable, even if they were a little testosterone fuelled at times! In fact, she took advantage of a lot of their 'banter' in order to make some serious points about feminism, sexuality and gender!

Having come from a background of the musical/theatre kind I got the technical terms in this book. There weren't many considering how much they fill the blurb (maybe something to consider) but perhaps some readers who don't study that area won't get it. That being said, how is that any different to a crime thriller in which the police constantly speak in a code I will never relate to. I have to say, the mini romance plot didn't totally convince me either to BEGIN with. I found myself feeling that it wouldn't add to the plot in any way, but as time went on, I kind of loved it anyway! Sure it wasn't necessary for the story, but it was so ADORABLE and is a ship I'll sink with that's for sure. By the end of this story, I wanted more and would LOVE a sequel, though I'm not sure in which direction Redgate could take the story if she were to do something like that.

I was in chorus for a good chunk of my early life. Like Jordan, I had a deep voice for a woman. I often sang tenor or alto 2. Like Jordan, it wasn't a fan of my high school music teacher that kept trying to make me sing higher until my rang was somewhere in the middle but not as great. As you can imagine, that didn't sit overly well with me when I had worked hard for my range. My love music sort of dried up by that time. So almost right away I related with Jordan's situation. I admit this book did catch my interest a little, but due to my lack of interest in music drying up, it was only when I heard great reviews from others that I finally put in for this ARC and was approved rather quickly, to my joy.

I found the book really interesting. I think it did a good job with keeping the audience on their toes so that the first half of the book didn't get boring despite the lack of action to the main plot. However, I did find most of the last part of the book predictable. I knew what relationship Jordan would end up with, how her identity would end up being revealed the way it was. If anything, I don't believe in a real situation it would have taken so long. I'm really surprised that the teachers didn't look into the kids trying out for the Sharps before they were let into the group to make sure they're students at the school. For me, it was the smaller things within the story that was more unpredictable than the main plot lines. I found the rivalry between them and the Minuets was very unpredictable and could have been ugly if Jordan hinted about what she knew about their leader. I would have loved if she used the fact she was a girl that was beat up to throw said leader, but that was just my own opinion. It could have gotten ugly with her threatening to reveal that she knew that the leader was gay, but I think that the book did good by not doing this, which is harmful for any gay person, much more than being beat up. I know a lot of authors would have, I'm just happy that this author learned from her first book how to better write gay characters in a less harmful way. I would have loved for some sort of plot twist though that wasn't so obvious to see coming.

The writing itself was pretty amazing. I found it really well done and almost lyrical in it's own right. I didn't find much to really critique because I was too busy highlighting some of the more beautiful phrases, the end of the book even more so than the rest. I loved the diverse cast of characters, how music could be found in the writing, and the friendship between the characters. The friendship in this book was probably my favourite part. I think it would have been even better without a relationship happening and just kept a good friendship mostly because it would have made this book stand out more than others. I'm still craving a book that chooses friendships over relationships, but alas this only gave me a little of it but added a relationship that I'm only so-so about. I'm also a bit so-so with her figuring out her sexuality but it not really mean anything. She could have not and nothing would have really changed the story. If anything, she could have bonded with the other gay character, but she doesn't do that. It's not a coming out story, or really anything with her being bi other than a small mention of it. I think it could have been used to help patch her relationship with her friend because she never lied about not being gay when she's bi. Instead, she sort of just buries it too. To me, it just doesn't make sense other than trying to put diversity into a story but not think anymore about it. It might be the only thing in the writing I don't like, just because it feels sort of half done.

Do I recommend it? I do. I think that if you like music or don't, there's things about it that are good and great, some things that are a bit off, but it could have easily been fixed for the final version. This is just a reminder that this is an ARC. If they did fix it and you've read it, let me know and I'll add a note about that. But all in all, I did enjoy this read. It was a really fun contemporary read.

Noteworthy is a super cute novel with much needed-to-be-discussed topics. The characters were relatable and fun to be around. It was really interesting for me to be inside Jordan's head while she was trying to figure herself out. I think the character growth was great. The friendships in this book were great, too. It's awesome to see that girls can be friends with boys and not everyone has to like each other in a romantic aspect. I would highly recommend this book to my friends or anyone who is a contemporary reader. Some topics discussed are so relatable to a lot of teenagers and this book will really help those who have the same feelings as Jordan.

Noteworthy was an unexpectedly good read – although the idea of a girl disguising herself as a boy and infiltrating an all-male acapella group just so she can live her passion sounded amazing, I wasn’t sure how good it would be in novel form. Happily, my concerns were quickly made null and void, and I can honestly say this is one of the funniest books I have read so far this year, with genuine laugh out loud moments in abundance – I am not exaggerating when I say I was cackling with laughter.

'I reached up with both hands, one for levering bags out of the way and the other for shampoo retrieval, which meant dropping my towel, and that was how I found myself naked in the trash closet digging through the garbage like a sad hairless raccoon.'

The story focuses on Jordan Sun, a student on scholarship at a prestigious performing arts school whose singing voice is considered too deep to be suited to ‘leading lady’ roles within musical theatre. However, when she disguises herself as a boy and auditions for the Sharpshooters (an all-male acapella group), she finds a place where her voice fits and she finally feels herself. Even though she is technically in disguise as Julian, she feels freer than she ever has before.

Although a lot of this book is generally light-hearted and hilarious, Redgate also deals with difficult subjects – the ideas of sexuality, privilege, poverty, inequality, uncertainty, what constitutes femininity and masculinity, are all explored with sensitivity, and Jordan learns a lot about herself and her preconceived notions about gender throughout the novel. She accepts her own bisexuality, and realises that just because she is comfortable dressing in what is considered a more masculine way, she is no less of a girl for it – gender is a social construct, and what you have between your legs or what you choose to wear has nothing to do with it.

'But the longer I thought about the possibility that I might not be a girl, the more I became sure that I was one. I knew it innately. The struggle to fit into some narrow window of femininity didn’t exclude me from the club.'

I cannot recommend this book enough; it deals with difficult subjects in an accessible way, and is truly funny. Those of us who have seen Pitch Perfect already know how aca-awesome acapella can be, but if you haven’t experienced the world of making music with your mouth, I suggest you give it a try.

I've gotta say, there were a lot of warning bells going off in my head when I saw what this book was going to be about, but I'm going to put it out there and say that this was a well written, tasteful book that was self-aware enough that it could have alienated trans readers with its depiction of a girl who pretends to be a boy so that she can enter an all boy's a cappella group at her private school.

Jordan Sun--AKA Julian Zheng--comes from a poor family who have high expectations of what she is going to do at this school they are paying for her to attend. Every time that she doesn't get a lead out of a theatre audition, it's another failure. Not just in her eyes, but compounded by her family. It's this desperation that pushes Jordan into joining the Sharps.

At first, she'd determined to keep her personal life separate from her persona's life, particularly as she doesn't want to lie to any of the boys more than she has to. But, to her surprise, the boys are startlingly amazing. I absolutely fell in love with the prickly but charismatic Isaac and the shy and sweet Nihad. Intersectionality is a big theme in this book.

But it wasn't just one of those books that ticked all the boxes and tried not to offend anyone on the way. It was a really striking plot. I was invested the whole way through, most especially once I saw from the prose that Jordan thought of such things as how her chest binding might be seen by those in the trans community, for example. I knew that this was a book that would do its best to take care of its reader.

The only thing I was a little bit confused by was the labelling it in with LGBT fiction. I don't really feel like it fit that mark. Jordan, while she questions her gender at one point, does come to the conclusion that she's perhaps a tomboyish girl, but definitely a girl. The relationship she ends up in is definitely a heterosexual one. The only thing about this whole book that was LGBT was the side character gay content.

We will probably purchase this book because of the YA popularity, but I had problems with the themes and tropes. Gender was not represented well. Sexuality and being "out" was not represented well. For all the praise this book is getting, I found it very, very problematic and know some of my other friends have been triggered by the issues within the book.