This is not really a fantasy or magical book. It has some magic in it which is a catalyst for some events, but otherwise a non-factor. There is no real discussion about how the magic works, rules for the magic, or any actual system of setup. For me, because I’m not a fan of teen contemporary books I found this disappointing. It’s well written, interesting characters, and engaging enough (as Silvia Moreno-Garcia always is), but a bit too much teen angst for me. Call me pathetic that even at 41 years old I still have anxiety when I read teen books that are set in our world and focus on common family or friend dynamics. It was not a great time in my life and so I just don’t have any desire to revisit those feelings, in myself or vis other characters.

I will (of course) continue to read what Moreno-Garcia publishes even though Signal to Noise didn’t do it for me. Not only because she’s a fellow Canadian, but because Mexican Gothic is brilliant and it wasn’t the writing here that was the problem for me, more the marketing making this sound more magical than it is.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

✨ Review ✨ Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Thanks to Solaris and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

I've been excited to read SMG's debut for a long time, and I'm so glad I finally picked it up. The book's dual timeline features 1) 1988 when Meche was a teen and 2) in the 2000s when she returns to Mexico City after many years away. The book blends the sort of magic we see in Silver Nitrate (but this time tied to music) and the historical fiction she's so good at writing.

I loved the romance thread that ran throughout this between the main characters and how it blended their feelings in a time of coming-of-age, along with their reuniting many years later. There was something sweet and special about this.

At the same time, I loved watching these teens try to grapple with this magic they were creating -- what were just uses of the magic and what was going to far? What types of music would produce different kinds of magic.

Overall, it's maybe not as sophisticated as some of her later writing but yet I was captivated all the way through!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.25)
Genre: Historical Fiction + Fantasy
Setting: Mexico City (1988 and 2008ish)
Reminds me of: Silver Nitrate
Pub Date: rereleased in 2022

Read this if you like:
⭕️ 80s music and records
⭕️ coming of age magic stories
⭕️ dual timelines
⭕️ Mexico City

Thank you to NetGalley for the readers copy in exchange for a (very late) review.
As soon as Silvia Moreno-Garcia announces a book it's added to my TBR so imagine my shock when I realised I had never read her debut book. Thank you Solaris for deciding to republish a new edition. This is just as good as everything she writes (she can’t miss).

Signal to Noise: It's a coming-of-age book filled with amazing characters and a great story. Discovering an author's debut novel after experiencing their later works offers a unique perspective, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to read and review this book.

I have absolutely loved every single book that I have read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. She has become such an auto-buy author for me personally. I recommend her books to people all the time-- personally and professionally. I went to one of her author events last year and she is a fascinating speaker. Cannot wait to read more from her!!

Didn't manage to get to this title in time, so sorry about that! I do however still have interest in this title, and I've heard great things!
(This was a request from 2022.)

At the true heart of it, this is very much a story about coming of age, the horrors of being a young woman, the way the things you love can keep you going and offer you power, but also drive you on a journey of (self-)destruction. It's also, more broadly, a novel about growing up and mellowing, but never quite changing; about loose ends and getting closure. This book proves that sometimes sinking back into your old life is as easy as hitting play on your favourite record.
I think this will particularly appeal to those who'd like a bit of nostalgia in their fiction, friends-to-lovers enthusiasts, girlies who like the idea of magic in books but feel daunted in the face of full on urban fantasy stories, and lovers of complex, messy and slightly awful teenager girls (which I personally am the biggest fan of!).
That being said, I think that the past timeline shone so much (and rightfully so), that the frame narrative felt a little bit underwhelming and underdeveloped. This remains a gorgeous debut regardless of that, and it's touching to know that Moreno-Garcia returns to some of these themes, albeit in very different ways, in some of her later work (see the tender odes to music in VELVET WAS THE NIGHT!).

Moreno-Garcia's writing is excellent, and she excels at drawing fully-rounded, complex characters. Mexico City came to vivid life under her pen.

Signal to Noise is a story that hooked me with magical musical spells. I love the idea of music having a magical power, the ability to create magic. But what ended up keeping my attention was Meche's relationship with her father and her friends. Signal to Noise is kicked off with the death of her father and so her story becomes about remembrance. How our parents fail us, how they are these imperfect beings both in death and alive. All the gaps between what we wanted and who they were, even after they're gone. Signal to Noise is also about power and what happens when someone we love goes down a road we can't follow.

It is an enjoyable read with music and magic as two of the storyline's major themes. I found as I read that it was hard to put down as I wanted to keep reading to discover how the story was developing.

Every time I read the premise for a Silvia Moreno-Garcia book, I think to myself, “I’m not sure I’m going to like this.” And every time I’m wrong.

This is a really gorgeously written and original piece of fiction based on the slightly bonkers-sounding premise of playing records to gain magical powers. It winds up being a lot more logical and perfectly rendered than it sounds, but the real prize here is the characters.

Meche and Sebo are, in a way, both a friends to lovers and a second chance romance pairing, but the story is so much more complex and interesting than just a central romantic relationship and its ups and downs, though that component of the story is also really well-crafted.

It’s really how our two central protagonists interact with other characters and how that consequently affects their own interactions that is so brilliantly done here.

Moreno-Garcia is so creative in the way she reinvents and reimagines standard fiction tropes and turns them into something wholly unique and infinitely enjoyable.

This book had all sorts of things that I personally love and enjoy seeing in the stories I read, Mexican/Latine representation, music, complex character relationships, and a magic twist. I loved it and would highly recommend to anyone else with similar interests

I have said it once and I will say it a hundred times, I am 100% a judge a book by its cover girly. This one looks to pretty with its bright vibrant colors and dark boarders. It screams mysterious and magical.

Also Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a fan favorite. Her characters and plot are always immaculately well done. You can't help but resonate with them through the good the bad and the ugly. She writes gritty emotional books that are dazzling even without the fluff.

If you are a fan of the darker stories with magic, mayhem, secrets and love you are going to love this one too. And its set in the 80s! So if you were a fan of Stranger Things (or thought you might be if you could just find time to watch the show) or if you likes Grady Hendrix's "My Best Friend's Exorcism", then I think you will enjoy this book. Moreno-Garcia hasn't written a bad book to my knowledge.

Moreno-Garcia is usually hit or miss for me. This was somewhere in the middle. I liked the premise and the world building but feel it could've used a little more meat.

Another great novel by Silvia Moreno-García, about youth and adulthood with Mexico City as a background. Meche (short for Mercedes) is a 15 year old girl who discovers a powerful force with the help of her friends, Sebastián and Daniela. Together they navigate Mexico through the 80s, finding love, conflicts and breakups. In parallel, Meche comes back to the city in the late 2000s, due to her father's death, in modern times she will have to face the past and decide if she is ready to put it behind and rekindle her friendships. All this while finding what kind of person her father really was.

A very witty, inventive and moving read which navigates around Mexican witchcraft culture and folklore but adding a modern touch: vinyl records and the power of music. School bullies, family strained relationships, illnesses and more, are the constant threats in the kids' lifes, and how they react to them will have a permanent effect in their relationship and their future.

Extremely recommended!

I really loved this special book. I had no idea what to expect- I'm not even sure I read the back cover first. SMG is just auto-buy for me. I don't think this is her most well-written, but I just genuinely enjoyed every character- even the less savory ones. It has really good setting(s) and I was just really sucked in by the grungy teen angst, magic, and good banter.

I have read Silvia Moreno García before and when I came to know about this boom, it was no exception. A coming of age story that is nuanced and profound and told through the imagery of magic, it evoke the García magic once more in me while I read through it's pages and completed it. An absolute treat of a Book!

I really enjoyed this early book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Dual timeline, with just a dash of magic, I loved the complicated story it told about the way adolescent experiences and the influence of parents echo through to adulthood. I especially loved all the music references.

This book was way better than I thought it would be. Miche is such a bitch yet I loved her, Daniella stayed her bubbly adorable self and Sebastian was like a pillar for their friend group. I understood where everybody came from and could not dislike anyone for anything (except for Miche's father, he was a bum).

The betrayal hurt so much because it was understandable why it happened, and as much as I loved Miche and understood why she did what she did, she was going too deep and needed to be stopped. This book was an excellent slice of life that happens every day to teenagers and even with the introduction of magic, the magic felt real and grounded rather than a fantasy.

This book was seriously a great surprise. I didn't think I'd be into it as much as I was. It's got romance and fantasy, but it's different from anything I've read before. These teenagers use vinyl records to make magic. Can you believe that?! It's not so simple, though. They need to find the right album, the perfect song, and even keep a grimoire to write everything down. I know, it sounds a bit crazy when we put it like that, but trust me, these scenes are so special.

Meche, Sebástian and Daniela were inseparable friends... until something bad happened that completely changed the course of their lives.

The story jumps back and forth between the 80's and 2009, which is something that usually annoys me, but in this case it didn't bother me at all. The chapters really allow us to explore what's happening in each era, and the transitions are smooth and logical.

If you're into romantic fantasy but don't want hot scenes all the time, then this book is for you. The characters are teens, so expect some mischief. They're not always right... But I guess that's what made it more enjoyable for me. It sounds real.

I loved the nostalgic feeling of seeing them rent video game tapes and hit up vinyl stores, living in a time before Netflix. And later on, talking about iPods and playlists. It's crazy how two different times can still feel connected.

The story also has a beautiful cultural aspect, which I found super interesting.

This book was one of my faves this year.