I enjoyed the premise of this book. While not be particularly original, the theme of family dynamics and the setting of a grand old house always hold an appeal for me! However, for me, the dialogue didn't feel particularly smooth or natural, and it rather pulled me out of the action. (Didn't make it much further than a few chapters in.)

*4.5 stars* An incredible debut novel with themes of grief, love, and identity which I absolutely could not put down.

It’s New Year’s Eve in 1991 when Jamie and Caz, two adult siblings, suffer a sudden tragic loss that changes the trajectories of their lives as they know it. Jamie is a magnificent piano player but works a meager job his father got him, and Caz is a seemingly happy mother and wife who loves being in these traditional roles. However, the cracks begin to show as they both cope (or struggle to) with their grief and the way life goes on.

The story flowed so easily with its prose and the relationships between all the characters felt so vividly realistic and honest. The character development was strong and each one showed their own kind of vulnerability. I do wish we saw more from Caz but I also understand this realistic portrayal of her grief and how she manages to cope. As a lifelong piano player who no longer has immediate access to a piano, I just adored the way Jamie longed to play the piano and how that was his coping mechanism. Caz, on the other hand, finds more self-destructive means as she tries to move forward in life. What can I say - I love books that explore grief.

Normally I read several books at one time, but I found myself only gravitating towards Crescendo and felt fully immersed in the characters’ lives. I hope this book gets the attention and recognition it deserves, and I definitely plan to get my hands on a physical copy.

tw: grief, alcoholism, self-harm

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital advance copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

This debut novel follows siblings Jamie and Caz after the sudden death of their parents. Both of them navigate their changed worlds, and rely and push back upon each other.

This was an impressive debut novel, with distinct characters and well fleshed out relationships between them. Jamie stands out more than Caz in this novel simply because he gets more time on page. This is certainly a slow burn of a novel, and I would recommend it to those with patience. It's a character study more than a plot based book.

If I had one complaint about the book, I would say that I don't find the character's arcs to be wholly convincing. Jamie is almost a completely passive character, and his growth is mostly a result of letting things happen to him.

Very impressive for a debut novel - vulnerable characters, symbolism with the piano. I read this quickly, which is not always the case with novels like these. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Crescendo is about grief and all it's various forms.

After their parents are killed in a house fire, siblings Jamie and Caz must find a way to pick up the pieces and come together to survive.

This is a beautifully quiet story, dealing with adulthood and grief of a magnitude that is hard to imagine. Adulthood is hard enough, but when your parents aren't available, who are you supposed to turn to?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

This book is all about family. Three generations of a family meet up for New Year's Eve and a tragedy they don't expect. It has a dystopian feel to it, but its very funny in places. Really enjoyed this.

Crescendo follows Jamie and Caz, adult siblings who find themselves suddenly thrown into a family tragedy when a fire destroys their family home. Eldest Caz is a stay-at-home mum for her young family and Jamie finds himself having to stay at his very new girlfriends house.

We follow the very different brother and sister as they deal with the aftermath of this huge upheaval in their family and, although it is quite an upsetting read at times, I found it believable and very easy to read.

A very accomplished debut and I look forward to reading more from this author.

There's not much better than taking a chance on a debut novel and it turning out better than you'd hoped.

Crescendo tells the story of Jamie and Caz Fenton who find themselves in the middle of a family tragedy. Jamie is the archetypal youngest child - still at home and reliant on his parents, in a job that he's hopeless at and dreaming of being a concert pianist. Older sister Caz was the wild child. She's married to a man who adores her with 2 little girls who are the apple of their mother's eye.

But after the tragedy the two siblings find themselves thrown into lives that they struggle with. Will they rise to the occasion or will their losses be too much to bear?

I often begin reading several books at a time but Crescendo took over my attention. I raced through it, desperate to know what happened next. Of itself, the story has elements that we've probably all come across either in other books or our own lives but it is the sensitivity of the writing and the immensely believable characters who really drove this story.

Joanna Howat has written a wonderful debut novel and I shall look out for her name on novels in the future.

Thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended.

Thankyou to Netgalley for the advance review copy. Most appreciated.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! This was a complicated story of how two siblings grieve the sudden death of their parents. I enjoyed Jamie’s storyline. It felt fully flushed out and there were details on his thought process / how he was coping. I struggled a bit with Caz’s storyline. She had a much different story, but it felt like the conclusion was rushed for the final few chapters. The supporting characters were well written and added to the story. I’m giving 3.5 stars, I would have liked to explore some details of the storylines more, but I enjoyed Howat’s writing and would love to read her next book. I would recommend this book if you’re looking to read about complicated family dynamics and grieving.

tw: grief, death of parents, alcoholism, self harm

I liked this book--didn't love it, mostly because the main characters were challenging for me. I do love a good family story, and this one filled the bill. Good writing, great first novel.

This is the story of siblings Jamie and Caz, and how they cope (or don't cope) with the sudden death of their parents in a house fire. Author Joanna Howat writes well, in a sentence to sentence kind of way, but this book is a bit aimless. It's at it's best when it is showing Jamie's development and struggles, and it's worst when it is telling about Caz - which never gets explored deeply. It veers into second chance romance territory, and looks as if it might go into mysteryland, but shies away from that. The dénouement was annoying - I keep reading books where people spend the final chapter running around, when there is no need for that, and that's how the end of this felt. I will be keeping an eye out for Howat's future work, because I think she has a lot of potential as an author.

I was given an e-arc from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Give me a good book about families and I'll stay up late reading. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of Crescendo by Joanna Howat. I did just that because this story has dysfunctional parents and siblings and drama! The pace of the story impressed me, and I found the writing to be excellent. It moved along well.

This book was really good! I often times wonder in my own life what it will be like to be that adults with no other adults to tell me what to do. This book has good themes of family dysfunction, love, relationships, and growth. It was a really good read.

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

The easiest 5 star read. ⭐️ Crescendo DELIVERED. I am such a huge ‘word’ person, and this was beautifully written.
There was so much realism in here, and it was amazing to follow as I felt like I was there. This book carried so much weight and emotion and I’m so glad I experienced this read. If I could read this again for the first time, I would.

Huge thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review. But also thank you to Joanna Howat for writing this.

#egalley #arc #crescendo #joannahowat #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks

A family tragedy, very different siblings and their very different reactions when faced with grief. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel; difficult topics but excellent execution.

What a fantastic book! Joanna, you wrote a beautiful story. I love the main character and their honest heart. It was wonderful.