First things first: I loved Noteworthy. It wasn’t even on my TBR until someone told me that it features a POC bisexual protagonist. And then I was SOLD.

I honestly loved Noteworthy from the moment I started it. Jordan’s voice is super engaging, and realistic, and sarcastic. I felt like she was such a real character, and she really set the tone for her story, as well. I loved her voice A LOT, and it’s actually quite rare for me to fall in love with a voice so much but here I am. If authentic voice is something that you love then Noteworthy fits the bill perfectly, I promise.

I was kind of worried about the music elements of this book because I have ZERO music knowledge whatsoever, and I always kind of hate it when a book assumes that a reader will have knowledge on something. Noteworthy did not fall into this trap. Sure, I wasn’t like OMG I LOVE THESE MUSIC BITS HURRAH. But I also wasn’t like omg wtf is going on here, either. So it was a nice balance. I imagine people who do have music knowledge would like the music bits more than I did.

Now, the bits I loved best about Noteworthy were the bits about the characters and their relationships. I adored seeing Jordan interact with people because she’s awkward and super self aware (oh, hi, me). But it was also great seeing her begin to relax around people as she became more sure of herself and who she wanted to be. Her character growth throughout the book was actually pretty great, really. She started off as someone who was still reeling from a break-up, not talking to anyone, and generally feeling pretty miserable. And by the end she had friends and a boyfriend, and was just happy. I loved this.

Okay, I’m going to take some time to talk about two things that were… not necessarily wrong, but not necessarily great, either.

The first thing concerns Jordan’s bisexuality, in a way. YAY for on page bisexual labelling. That is VERY important, and in no way is my subsequent discussion taking away from this at all. However. In Noteworthy, Jordan cross-dresses as a boy to get into the prestigious a cappella group because she’s tired of not getting roles in the musicals and also just ‘because’. One night at a school dance a girl kisses Jordan and then Jordan has this whole head canon about how adorable they would be together. Once the girl finds out that Jordan is actually a girl, too, then all interest flings itself out of existence. Hmm, okay. You are attracted to this person and you like this person but once you find out they identify differently then you thought they’re immediately friend zoned because there’s no way you could be anything but straight.

Jordan, on the same night, makes a declaration to Isaac about how nice he smells. Cue a case of ‘gay panic’ because Isaac retreats from his friendship with Jordan, and also tells everyone in the a cappella group that Jordan is gay (which is 100% not okay. Jordan never said she was gay, and don’t. out. people. FFS.). Cue instant “no homo” from Isaac. BUT THEN. Isaac finds out that Jordan has been cross-dressing the whole time and then Isaac suddenly has feelings for her. Once you find out that someone confirms your hetero identity then it’s okay to like them, even though you panicked at the thought of them liking you when you thought they were a guy.

Both of these things are just so heteronormative. I know that neither of them take away from Jordan’s bisexual identity, and I’m not saying that. But it was still really disappointing that both of Jordan’s romantic encounters were with people who were so staunch in their heterosexuality that they either dismissed attraction or suddenly gained attraction based on whether or not they were affirmed of that heterosexuality.

The second that that was really missing, and which was detrimental to my enjoyment of the book was the discourse regarding gender. Now, there was a scene where Jordan thought about how what she was doing was kind of shitty because trans people have to actually go stealth in school and in public, and being outed would be a lot worse for them than for Jordan who could laugh it off and say she was cross-dressing as an experiment (side eye).

BUT. The whole time I read this book it just felt… off. It felt off reading about the struggles of a cis girl pretending to be a guy. It felt off that there were no trans characters in this book at all. It felt off that Jordan 100% identifies as a girl and yet that’s the POV we’re seeing in this story. There was no discourse regarding gender identity, and it almost felt like Jordan and her experiences were almost making light of the shit that trans kids have to go through. I know that not everyone might feel that way but no one can deny that she was doing this just because she wanted to see if she could. Not because it’s the way she wants to live, because it’s the way she identifies, because it’s who she is.

This complete lack of trans rep and gender discussion really hampered by enjoyment of a book that I otherwise loved a lot. Having a cis girl being the only character who thought about gender identity was very lacking. There should have been trans characters, especially a trans boy, who could have called Jordan out, and gotten into why what she did was problematic and hurtful, and talk about what it’s like to experience some of the things that Jordan did because it’s who you are not because you didn’t get a role in the musical.

To be honest, I would still recommend Noteworthy because I did really love it. But the heteronormativity and lack of inclusive gender discussion were two big downfalls of this book.

© 2017, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.

When Jordan isn't given the opportunity that she has dreamed of, not to mention the dream that is currently creating financial problems back at home, she is heartbroken. Her heartbreak quickly turns into something else when she learns the all male a cappella group needs another member. Bound and determined to get that spot, Jordan will do whatever it takes....including dressing/acting as a boy to finally live out her dream.
This book was great! Jordan was someone that I could relate to; she is constantly trying to fit in but she doesn't see herself as someone that can do it. Riley Redgate has a new lifelong fan!

This story, peopled with sharply drawn characters and full of surprises, is a pleasure from first page to last. What a delight to discover a YA novel featuring not a single cliché-ridden personality.

Based on the synopsis, you would suppose that this is about a singing competition, and you would be partly right. It's about a secret cat among the pigeons, teenagers fumbling their way through high school and first kisses (although there's no actual sex - sorry), the viciousness of competition, painful parent/child relationships, and perhaps least of all, it's about an a capella group.

What a fun and meaningful book!

Jordan can't land any role in the musicals at her school, and she's getting desperate. To the point she'll audition to an all-male a capella group—in disguise, obviously. And for the first time, she gets it!

This book was surprisingly entertaining. I almost cried in the beginning while Jordan described her situation at school, so, as crazy as her idea to dress as a man and audition to a group may sound, even I was like "You have to try it!". So I can't say this book is not engaging.

What I didn't expect was it acquiring depth. As Jordan struggles to hide her identity, she faces multiple challenges and makes you wonder about how gender roles are formed. Even though she only wanted others to think she was a he, her male persona Julian turns out to feel ironically freer than she ever was.

Also this was a book that knew how to integrate diversity in a subtle way. I won't go into details but if you like checking a successful attempt, go ahead. We have not only race and sexuality on debate, the author also managed to discuss social classes and the struggles of a student on scholarship—and again, I couldn't help but identify, for I was also in the middle of paradoxes caused by how lacking scholarships can be.

The book will certainly become food for thought, which is ideal for a book club. Although it is an YA, I'm sure it can be enjoyed by older readers.

The writing is not perfect, of course. I found some scenes needed editing, for example, the competition, around which the whole book revolves, turned out to be underwhelming. I really liked the romance and at the the same time I wish we had seen a little more there. And... just a personal note, Jordan dressing up as a guy and researching about it led her to transitioning pages but it would have also been cooler if they mentioned the musical theater all-female troupe that exists in Japan, in which girls will take male roles—after all, this has everything to do with her. I confess I was so sure they would mention this I felt disappointed when they didn't.

Still, this was a book I loved reading so much I wish there it were even longer. If you like reflecting about gender, prejudice and the like, this is surely the book for you. I don't recommend it to those who don't. Even though most of it is subtle, I think you would still feel bothered. You don't have an opinion? Then go ahead, you'll like this.

Final note, I'm tagging romance because there is one for those like me who live for romances but this was more of a gen book.

I DNFed this book after a solid month of trying to finish it. I would definitely suggest checking out this thread on twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCCallahan/status/854031496423845890

My first thought while reading Noteworthy was that it connected with both Pitch Perfect and She's the Man. As I love both of these films, I knew then that I would love this book.

I loved the discussion about being feminine that Jordan has in her head. I feel like it's a really important point for women and especially young girls. Not being feminine does not mean you're bad at being a woman. Also, Jordan did not revert back to her old self at the end of the book. I loved that as a character she grew a lot and changed for the better.

Redgate also wrote the friendships between characters really well. Each of the eight members of the Sharps in particular. Each of them had different friendships with one another, and they all had their own personalities. Obviously some had more exploration depending on how much Jordan was with them. But they definitely were full characters and not just stereotypes or ghost-like secondary people. The characters were so diverse so writing non-stereotypical characters was like a sigh of relief.

The only issue I had, which is completely personal to me, is the music references I did not get. This book is packed full of musical terms, which is fine. You dont lose anything from the book if you dont understand. But I did keep skipping sentences because they were 'technical' about it. But again, just to reiterate, this book is amazing even if you dont understand the music aspect. I loved it and I would definitely recommend reading it.

The one thing that made me want to read Noteworthy was because of the Pitch Perfect vibe that it has. But, Noteworthy is not just about acapella, there are a lot more issues involved that are relevant in today's time. Diversity is in so much work on this book and a lot more.

One thing I like about Noteworthy is that it covers a lot of topics that you won't see in most YA novel. From exploring Jordan's sexuality, the disabled parent, diverse characters and even poverty. I like how Jordan, while playing Julian, was able to reconcile with her sexuality, without any reservation, she welcomes the realization with open arms. In those times that she's pretending to be a guy, there were moments that I forgot that she is really just pretending. She makes Julian so believable that people can't see Jordan anymore. Or maybe they just see what they want to see.

I admit I don't have high hopes for this one. I underestimated it and was not expecting anything amazing. I expected this one to be more about music and acapella but like I've said, there is more to this book than that. Am I disappointed? Not at all. In fact, I really love it. The plot, as well as the characters, are great. Jordan alone is an interesting main character especially when he's dealing with things as Julian. I also like how her being poor is not much as a focus of the story, much less ashamed of it. Her not having friends and looking for a place where she belongs is something a lot of people can relate to. There are times that you will not agree with her decisions but character flaw is what endear her to me as well as the side characters. The Sharpshooters are a whole bunch of interesting and engaging characters, even those who are not highlighted much in the story. It is not easy dealing with seven unique guys with different personalities and it is just one of the things to look forward to in this book. The friendship that Jordan develops with them is something you wish you have. Or maybe, that's just me.

Oh, and one more thing, do not expect much romance on this one. Although it is present, romance is not the focus of the story. Which I don't mind one bit. My only complaint was that it took really long time for the story to pick up that I abandoned it a couple of times.

Overall though, Noteworthy is great, filled with humor YA contemporary book which deals with so many relevant topics in our society. And Miss Redgate wrote so well by being subtle and sensitive about them. One that is not only an entertaining read but also relatable.

This was a fun read! Jordan is starting her 3rd year at Kensington-Blaine Academy for the Performing Arts, the “Harvard of all art schools” and she’s still finding it impossible to get cast in any productions. She’s too tall, her voice is too deep, and she isn’t fitting the typical dainty feminine roles. How convenient that all of these characteristics would make it easy to cross-dress as a boy and audition her way into the best all male a cappella group on campus. Jordan Sun is suddenly Julian Zhang and nothing could possibly go wrong.

+ This book has so many intricately developed characters that are just fun
+ I liked how it touched on lots of deeper issues (poverty, closeting, masculinity) while still being light hearted
+ The racial diversity was a nice mix

<a target= _blank href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KmAuFPH7WoU/Vpk7CACss5I/AAAAAAAAFvw/6bj4ozMqtSc/s1600/Book%2BFrigate.png" imageanchor="1" ><img hspace="10" align="left" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KmAuFPH7WoU/Vpk7CACss5I/AAAAAAAAFvw/6bj4ozMqtSc/s320/Book%2BFrigate.png"></a>
<font face="Georgia"> <h3>Welcome to another session of Turning Pages!</h3>

<p><i><b>Synopsis</b></i>: Junior Jordan Sun wants desperately to fit her square peg into the series of round holes that make up the Kensington-Blaine Academy for the Performing Arts -- but there seems to be no place for her, in theater, film, drama, or dance. In drama, she's not considered dramatic enough. In theater musicals, her voice is "difficult to reconcile with musical theater;" it's low for solo leads and too ...unique for chorus - second altos could quack like ducklings in a forest full of songbirds. Aside from her own insecurities as an artist was being a poor artist at a swanky school, where early admission to Julliard and spendy outfits were just an accepted norm. Jordon feels ashamed of her scrappy ambitiousness, feeling she should be home, being a helpful, <i>useful</i> part of her immediate family -- who really, really, really, <i>really</i>, really cannot afford her taking this chance. Not when her Dad's been injured. Not when her mother's having to apply for aid just to get food on the table. Not when... three years in at Kensington, and she's still not making it into any of the drama groups she's meant to join.</p>

<p>Jordan sees an opportunity to change her fate by auditioning to join the Sharpshooters, Kensington's premier octet. Of course, joining the Sharps means cutting some corners... and auditioning in drag. Soon, Jordon Sun, Tenor 1, is taking some chances; lying to a few people... and then a few more. It's all for a good cause, though, right...? </p>

<a target= _blank href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cVANbsV439k/WO60v8qQKkI/AAAAAAAAGzw/s9pzZ2fejEcDfkETx1P9RXVVNbNIYTnsACLcB/s1600/31447601.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img hspace=10 align=right border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cVANbsV439k/WO60v8qQKkI/AAAAAAAAGzw/s9pzZ2fejEcDfkETx1P9RXVVNbNIYTnsACLcB/s400/31447601.jpg" width="271" height="400" /></a><p><i><b>Observations</b></i>: Diversity, creativity, ingenuity: YES. While the novel may start slowly for some -- especially those who are not vocal groupies - the novel hit its stride fairly quickly, and steadily gained tension, as so many lies piled up, and so many secrets and competitive little twists were revealed. This novel is my novel in a variety of ways: I went to a private boarding school my parents could NOT afford -- and I worried about it with a brick in my gut every single day of the two years I was there. I love that the author included and examined the difference in classes and the egregious assumptions at times made about those who are wealthy, and those who are on public assistance. Redgate hits hard at some home truths about the secrets we keep - from ourselves and from each other - and the drag that Jordan continues to wear is not the only mask the novel examines.</p>

<p>The voice and characterizations in this novel reeled me in. The description of singing, of what perfection in harmony feels like emotionally, were so. spot. on. Sometimes, when you're singing, it's like you're flying, and the sound buoys you up, and you never want it to stop... The boarding school vibe, a microcosmic universe where suddenly EVERYTHING is super important, and the outside world almost doesn't exist? Also spot on. Music nerds and people who like school stories will really love this. People looking for stories from new voices in the field will really enjoy a fresh take on school and life from a cross-dressing, bi-maybe, Chinese-American perspective. </p>
<p><i><b>Conclusion</b></i>: This was a hotly anticipated novel to come out this year and is basically a love letter to music, choral groups, and high school organizations. I am a BIG OLD CHORAL NERD (and as I write this, we're two days from an a cappella performance this weekend) so this novel truly resonated for me. I am gratified that the hype didn't disappoint.</p>
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<hr width=55%><p>I received my copy of this book courtesy of the publisher. After MAY 2, 2017 - not long, now! - you can find <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/aff/readersrant7?product=9781419723735" target=_blank><i>NOTEWORTHY</i></a> by Riley Redgate at an online e-tailer, or at a real life, independent bookstore near you!</p>
</font> *THIS WILL POST ON THE BLOG 4/21

You know those occasional books you go into with a ~feeling~ about? Those books you just know you’re going to love, even before you’ve read a single page? Well, friends, Noteworthy was that book for me, and I am happy to report that it didn’t disappoint. In fact, it blew my (already-high) expectations out of the water! I mean, a bisexual MC + cross-dressing + a capella choir + boarding school setting?! Yeah, no wonder this was the book of my dreams.

Obviously, being the choir nerd that I am, I adored the plot of Noteworthy immensely. Jordan Sun, a junior at the prestigious Kensington-Blaine Academy (an arts school), runs out of options when she isn’t cast in the school musical. So, with nothing left to lose, she decides to audition for the vacant Tenor I spot in Kensington’s oldest and most reputable a capella group, the Sharpshooters. The only problem? The group is historically all-male. Hilarity and heart ensue when Jordan (or shall I say Julian?) gets into the group and begins to find her place. The plot is fairly straightforward and could easily have fallen flat, but Redgate writes it so well.

In addition to its super fun premise, Noteworthy features one of the most lovable casts of characters I have ever read. I absolutely fell in love with every single one of the boys in the Sharpshooters, and I loved reading about Jordan’s newfound friendships with each of them. It’s hard to pick favorites, but I adored Mama the most out of all the Sharps– his love of Haydn, Handel, and his general classical music/music theory nerdiness were waaaaaay too relatable. I also loved his friendship with Jon Cox– yay for close dude friendships! Ugh, all the friendships among the guys in the Sharps made my heart melt. They were always looking out for each other.

Noteworthy is, in large part, a love letter to a capella. I loved seeing Jordan find her place and find *her people* through becoming a member of the Sharps. Reading about her falling in love with a capella was almost like reading a romance in and of itself (one that I could relate to a whole lot). The world of a capella– and of choir in general– was portrayed incredibly well, too. Redgate perfectly captured such specific feelings I have experienced time and time again singing in choral ensembles: the feeling of nailing an incredibly difficult passage for the first time and finally hearing it click into place with the other parts, the rush of adrenaline that takes over before a high-profile performance, the way singing with other people forms bonds stronger than almost any other art form can. I liked the rivalry between the a capella groups on Kensington’s campus, too– so fun to read about. Oh, and I adored the setting. I’ve mentioned before on the blog that I’m a sucker for boarding school settings, especially ones where school/campus life plays a major role in the story, and Noteworthy did not disappoint on this front.

Another huge reason I adore this book so much is for its representation. Not only is Jordan Asian-American, but her family also struggles financially, and the book explores the idea of privilege in an economic context (in addition to privilege in relation to race, sexuality, gender, and disability), which is something I haven’t read about too often in YA. Oh, and of course, Jordan is also bisexual and coming to terms with her sexuality. She struggles over the course of the book with her attractions, and with labeling herself. As a bisexual woman myself, this was arguably some of the best bi representation I’ve ever read. It felt disturbingly close to my own experiences. It’s brilliant in that it’s left open-ended– Jordan is still figuring out her sexuality, and she’s okay with the fact that she doesn’t know everything yet. As expected Noteworthy also makes some A+ commentary on gender.

Noteworthy originally drew me in with the promise of bisexual rep and a plot involving a capella, and though of course I adored those elements of the book, I ended up becoming enchanted with every single element of this book. I found myself falling deeply in love with each and every character and feeling so invested in the trajectory of the story. If I had to pick one single book of my heart, Noteworthy would be it. I only wish this had found its way to me while I was in high school. This is the book that high-school-choir-nerd-Madalyn-struggling-with-her-sexuality desperately needed, but hey, out-college-music-major-Madalyn adored it just as much, too. 🙂 All in all, Noteworthy is a book you do not want to sleep on. It will give you all the happy feelings. Run, don’t walk, and go preorder it ASAP!

Have you read Noteworthy yet? If so, tell me your thoughts below! I’d love to discuss. If not, what are you waiting for?!

What an incredibly fun book!! I, myself, was in a fine arts program in high school and went on to major in music in college and I went into this book a little skeptical that this would be another author trying to write a mediocre music book. NO WAY! Riley Redgate knows her shit! Thank the music gods! So not only were all of the music references accurate, I really thought that so much of the teenage identity struggle was real too. Whether Jordan was struggling with her voice ("[her] singing voice is difficult to reconcile with musical theater. Firstly, there's a timbre to it...It also affects your physicality. Your eyes close; you shift and sway...Those tics are a challenge to eliminate."), her gender ("The longer I thought about the possibility that I might not be a girl, the more I became sure that I was one...The struggle to fit into some narrow window of femininity didn't exclude me from the club."), her sexuality ("All I understood about sexuality was its uncertainty, discovering your way through yourself day by day..."), or her emotions (you get the point...I can quote this book all day), she is a really fun character in a unique situation.

Speaking of Jordan/Julian's unique situation, I thought Noteworthy was extra noteworthy (see what I did there?!) because it touched on almost all aspects of LGBTQIA. Not so much the L, but we have Nihal and Connor's relationship, Jordan admitting Bi-curious tendencies, plus the obvious cross-dressing/acting male for months which Isaac asks if Julian is trans. I thought it was an eye-opening lesson how one seemingly small ploy (dressing up for one audition) can ultimately snowball into a life-altering course.

So while I rave about all of this, why did I only give 4 stars and not 5? Well, I have to say the book was quite predictable. Fun, yes. But I knew from early on who Jordan would end up with, what would happen with the family, how the competition would go, etc. Also, while I enjoyed reading the book and it was fun, it wasn't life-changing and that is my big qualifier for that 5th star. However, I will definitely be recommending this to my music students. It was a great read and perfect for my high schoolers.

If you want to avoid my long rambling review below this book, I’ll just give you this: NOTEWORTHY IS ABSOLUTELY AWESOME-SAUCE* AND YOU NEED TO HAVE BEEN READING IT YESTERDAY.

However, if you’re unconvinced by someone who uses the word Awesome-Sauce, let me tell you what I LOVED about this book to call that:

1. JORDAN SUN IS AMAZING. I connected with her INSTANTLY because well, of this line: “I spent half my life whipping up apologies on behalf of my mouth which I considered to be kind of a separate person from me as a person. I, Jordan Sun, valued levelheadedness… Jordan Sun’s Mouth did not care about these things. She was all sass, in a deadpanning, intellectual way, she did not hesitate to go after what she wanted, and she was struggling so much with who she was, her family and her place that I FELL IN LOVE.

2. The Sharpshooters (the a-capella group) was SO MUCH FUN. While it was a little confusing to remember who everyone was at the beginning, I truly began to love this all boy (and one girl) group of singers! Issac, Nihal and Trav were my favourites!

3. THE DIVERSITY! Jordan Sun is Asian and Bisexual. One of the Sharpshooters is Indian. This book tackles gender roles SO WELL, handles being a Sikh (an Indian Religion. See also: Sikhism) EVEN BETTER (I was SO HAPPY that religion was touched upon slightly, and also DONE WELL, because religions are a huge part of life in India and IT WAS AMAZING SEEING IT PROPERLY REPRESENTED!)

4. THE FACT THAT THIS WAS A BOOK ABOUT A CAPELLA: I don’t think I’ve EVER read one before (how strange is that) and while I love the Pitch Perfect movies, I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT! Side Note: A lot of this music is AVAILABLE to listen on Riley Redgate’s website, and you should DEFINITELY check it out!

5. THE HAZING AND THE PRANKS: While this wasn't a very important part of the book, it definitely made it feel more fun and also more real! The rivalry between the Sharps and the Minuets (their rival a capella group) was such fun to read about!

An amazing diverse read, filled with just the right amounts of light heartedness in the midst of tackling important issues – you guys NEED to be reading Noteworthy. It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you think and most importantly… it will make you want to sing! 5 stars.

What a delectable novel! Redgate's writing is spectacular and the voice of the main character is one that will stay with me for a long time. I truly loved this novel and cannot recommend it enough!

Super solid contemporary. I really enjoyed this one and binged the heck out of it. Having majored in Music in college, I'm a huge fan of books about musicians. I also delight in anything where a girl has to disguise herself as a boy, so this was practically written for me.

NOTEWORTHY is being comped as "She's the Man meets Pitch Perfect" and I think it's extremely accurate - this book captures the awkwardness and hilarity of the former and the musical culture of the latter. I think teens will find this engaging, and it's fast paced so it will definitely keep their interest. It certainly held mine.

Jordan was such a compelling main character, and I loved being inside her head. All of the supporting characters - especially the Sharpshooters - were well drawn and diverse. There's a bit of a romance but it doesn't dominate the story.

Highly recommend!

NOTEWORTHY was so, so good. I loved everything about it: the story, the incredibly clever writing, the characters, everything. The words 'the end' brought tears to my eyes because I just didn't want it to end.

Noteworthy is going to be big. I expect it to be big, and you all better not sleep on it. This book is so fabulous and fun and you just have a really good time while reading it.

It's about Jordan, a theatre kid in a boarding school, who gets the idea to audition for this position in an a capella group in her school. A capella group are very famous in the school and they get this sort of celebrity reputation. But this particular is an all-boys group and they are asking for another boy to audition, so Jordan crossdresses as Julian Zhang and she gets in.

Everything from the very beginning is just wonderful. Riley Redgate has this sort of easy style of writing that you get so caught up in the story. It's so smart too, and you will laugh out loud in some moments (I did that). The Sharps is the a capella group and all the boys are amazing and adorable. Especially Isaac, the cute Japanese-American, man bun wearing boy. He says he is the king of the group but let's be real, he said that himself LOL. I love this kid so much, he's also very very nice and if you want someone to help you with pranks, he's your guy.

This book is also about self-discovery. Jordan begins to see that she's bisexual and that because of her past relationship and not really thinking a lot about this, she wasn't sure sure. This book also has gay rep and as I said Isaac is Japanese while Jordan is Chinese.

You'll have lots of fun and you will love the whole cast, it's a fantastic book and I recommend it to everyone who loves She's the Man and Pitch Perfect. It also reminded me of Ouran High School Host Club for obvious reasons ~

This book swept me up from the very start, with a fast-moving plot that managed to be funny as well as serious at times. I love all the characters, all of them being so well-rounded and it being very obvious that they all have things going on in their life but Jordan only catches a small glimpse of some of it. I loved the romance, the relationships between Jordan and the Sharps, but also her family and friends back home. As soon as I can, I will be buying this book in paperback because having it in Kindle is not enough.

This will bring up lots of comparisons to the acapella stories of later years, so it should be noted (no pun intended) that it's more Pitch Perfect than Glee. Delightfully diverse with interesting discussion of gender and transition issues. My main issue is that the cast was very male-heavy for most of the story, and it would have been nicer for more females.

"As I stood there in that derelict husk of a theatre, I felt like I'd got lost in between my lives, and the road ahead looked long and strange and poorly lit."

* * * *
4 / 5

I know nothing about a cappella beyond watching Pitch Perfect and literally nothing about performing arts schools. Despite this, Noteworthy was an absolute treat. The main character, Jordan Sun, disparaged by not making the musical for the third year running, disguises herself as a guy and auditions for the Sharpshooters, an all-male a cappella octet. Soon her life splits in two: one half concerned with passing her classes and making sure no one connects Jordan Sun and Julian Zhang, and the other half diving into the world of a cappella and the Sharps boys. Noteworthy is funny, mature, and deals sensitively with topics like the differences in male and female socialisation, being gay and bisexual, and chasing your dreams.

"Monday morning was the worst possible time to have an existential crisis, I decided on a Monday whilst having an existential crisis."

Jordan is a Chinese-American (like the author, I believe) student, voice too deep to get any big singing roles, but with cut hair and her height, well, she can pass herself off a guy. Her parents are fighting, her mother just got laid off, her father is trying to pay off hospital bills, and money is always tight. But in the Sharps, Jordan finds a home despite her attempts to keep the boys at arms distance, they creep their way into her life. There's Isaac, leader of the group, charming and wild and always down to do something a bit risky. Then there's Trav (my personal favourite), musical arranger and the stern, guiding hand of the group. Nihal is quieter, Sikh, and trying to manage his own personal issues. There's also Jon Cox, Marcus, Erik, and Theodore.

This disguise looked convincing enough to turn me invisible I was just some guy. Anonymous. Nobody. The world saw exactly what it wanted to see. Finally, it wanted to see me.

This book is also really funny ("she couldn't be pursuing me - I'd told her I was dating Bertha. I would never cheat on Bertha. We had a beautiful relationship") and relatable. Trying to hide crippling cramps and using toilet paper as a pad? Girl, we've all been there. There's a ridiculous dude rivalry between the all-male a cappella groups, involving secret bases. But it also tackles a lot of real issues: when she's a guy, Jordan realises the way that guys are treated differently and the way men can talk when they think women aren't around, not cruelly but with the kind of off-hand comments that suggest women are lesser. There's also a really frank examination of what it can feel like to be poor.

I did feel a bit tricked in that I was expecting a book set in university. Clearly my fault for not reading the synopsis properly! I mistakenly thought "college" meant university and not boarding school... This meant that the characters were younger, around sixteen, and their issues revolved around cliques, weed, and parents. But Noteworthy was a delightfully mature read, so once I readjusted my view of Jordan as a teenager, I was enthralled.

Redgate sensitively walked the line between being trans and what Jordan was doing as a clearly non-trans individual. What I do wish, however, is that Redgate had put in a couple of lines about how binding is terrible for your health. She writes that there are "health risk of strapping your chest back with ACE bandages", but the truth is that there is no safe way to bind: they all do damage - compressions shirts (like Jordan uses), too-small sports bras, bandages - none of these are good for you. The only safe way is a well fitting sports bra, which won't really flatly compress your chest because that isn't the point of them. This is something I wish I had known as a young teenager and I am slightly concerned that Redgate is suggesting that there are safe ways to bind when there aren't. On the whole I thought her tackling of the issue was great, I just would have appreciated a throwaway line about this.

"Isaac, Jon Cox, and Theodore are delightful people who tend to get so far up their own asses they lose sight of daylight"

My other criticism is that about halfway through or a little more, the rest of the Sharpshooters kind of drop out of the plot. There's not much mention of Trav, Nihal, Mama, etc. for quite a while until they pop back up at the end in time for the competition. This is particularly a shame since for the first half of the book the relationships between Jordan and the Sharps were being really well developed and then were just palmed off to the side, behind Jordan's money and parent troubles. In this vein, I couldn't really keep Jon Cox, Erik or Marcus distinct in my head; Trav, Isaac and Nihal were definitely the standouts of the Sharps. Apparently some of them, other than Isaac, were also not-white, which I hadn't noticed because the physical descriptions were really sparse.

"It took being your own to want somebody else. Now I could, and it was drowning me, and Victoria was mint and Isaac was a smile and every person I knew was such a work of art"

What I did like a lot was Jordan's exploration of her bisexuality and her subsequent romance (my only gripe is I would have liked her to have had a real female romantic relationship). I think her difficulty in sorting out whether she just liked women or wanted to be with women was very poignant and realistic, I related a lot. Her romance also developed quite naturally out of a friendship. This was amazingly done, to the point where I didn't know for the first half of the book which one she would end up with (I knew there was a romance and was keeping an eye out for it), because her friendships with Trav, Isaac, and Nihal are all fully developed. Massive kudos to the author for this!

Reading this book does require quite a lot of suspension of belief: even if Jordan could successfully pass herself off as a guy in front of strangers, there's no way she wouldn't be caught. What about admin? You can't create a fake persona and get that through any sort of school system, and the amount of forms and paperwork student groups require can be insane. So prepare to withhold your "there's no way that would actually work" comments and delve into the immensely fun and well-written novel that is Noteworthy.

Thanks for approving me, but I just couldn't finish this one. It had potential, plus I just love genderbender/crossdressing. But it seems that such things work best in manga, and not in novels.

Really, did this girl think she can just wipe her make-up, add a wig, and look like a boy? Um... Sorry, but that is just no. I wouldn't even call it drag, I would just call it a desperate attempt. But it seems it worked, no clue how, really I have no clue. Normally when someone just wears a wig/removes make-up they really can't pass for a boy, no matter how boyish they look as a girl.

Plus I absolutely didn't like the girl. For many reasons. Instead of just finding something that did fit her, as a girl, she only saw one solution, try to act like a guy and get in an exclusive group. Which isn't only rude to the guys (since it is an exclusive group), but also just made my eyes roll.

So yeah, frustrations galore, and the crossdressing wasn't even that interesting as she really didn't do any effort for it.