You, Me, and Our Heartstrings

Excellent, excellent! Here's a love story about two talented teens, Daisy who was born with cerebral palsy, and Noah who feels like the weight of the world sits on his shoulders because of perceived family expectations. His older brothers are extremely skilled musicians and Noah believes he must exceed their successes of be the family failure. Too bad he stuffs all that inside to a point where he pretty much shuts out the world while living in his own head. Daisy, on the other hand, learned to accept her disability a long time ago and sees herself as talented and disabled. Much of the time, she must grit her teeth as those around her, even her parents, can't see her wholeness. When she and Noah are selected to be one of four duets performing at their music school, that's when sparks begin to fly. At first, they're ones of frustration, as Noah is being pretty rigid about the choice of music they'll be playing, but Daisy digs her heels in and the end result is an agreement that Noah's older brothers will compose a new piece for them. After they play and are an instant sensation on the internet, things get messy and very complicated. I'll let you read the book to discover exactly what unfolds. I must say that the author, herself disabled, does a stellar job of pointing out Daisy's realities and how much Noah must learn in order to save the relationship. Summed up, this is a dandy, eye-opening love story and would be perfect for library collections where depicting disabled teens in realistic ways is valued.

From the very first page, You, Me, and Our Heartstrings had me hooked and I couldn’t put it down. The story follows Daisy, a disabled violinist frustrated with a world that sees her as “inspiring” for “overcoming” her disability, and Noah who struggles with the (self-imposed) pressure to live up to his brothers’ success. It’s a story about friendship, love, and being seen for who you are, not who the world thinks you should be.

With their school's winter concert rapidly approaching, Daisy and Noah take the duet they've been assigned as a chance to get in-person auditions for their dream school, Julliard. But when the two can't agree to a performance piece, their dreams feel like they might be slipping away before they can even start. When they finally get a piece to perform, they fall perfectly in tune, and in love. Noah is a Cello prodigy in a family of extremely talented musicians. Both of his brothers have gone on to have successful careers in music, both honored with a duet at their respective winter concerts, and Noah can't help worrying whether he can keep up the tradition and make his family proud. Daisy is an incredibly talented Violinist, but she wishes people could see past her Cerebral Palsy when her disability is all people seem to see. But Daisy is used to fighting for what she wants. When their duet goes viral, people rewrite their story from one of love and passion for their music to a story all about Daisy overcoming her disability and being an inspiration, with Noah being a saint for seeing past it. I absolutely loved this book. I didn't want to put it down. I wish it had been around when I was in high school. While I can't personally relate to Daisy's character in a lot of ways, I could connect with her having her parents not come to her performances, and that hit REALLY hard, and it was something I thought I had gotten past. I really enjoyed the disabled rep in this book and I really believe we need more of it in the world. I hope that this, and other books to come, could help kids who haven't been around someone who has a disability to understand their peers better. I did connect a lot with Noah and his struggles with anxiety and I almost cried in chapter fifteen. I wrote the note "The scene in chapter fifteen when Noah’s listening to his parents' talk is everything " because I think reading a scene like this when I was 16-18 might have helped me have the courage to talk to my parents. and find the right help, instead of struggling through. There are so many great things about this book and I am so happy it is out in the world.

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.) At the heart of You, Me, and Our Heart Strings is a story about friendship and vulnerability. About using our voice to tell our story and not letting someone else control our narrative. Within the story are some truly endearing and complex characters. We have Noah who is so terrified of going against what his family has done. Who feels the pressure of being a legacy on his shoulders. While Daisy just wants to be seen for her talents and her dreams of Julliard might be slipping out of her reach. We can think we know who we have to be. But often life, and someone who can inspire us, can show us that we have more to learn. That who we think we should be is just one piece of the puzzle of who we actually are. A theme that I loved the most is that You, Me, and Our Heart Strings explores asking for help and vulnerability. It's hard to admit we need help. And to know how to open ourselves to receive it.

I got this book last night and just finished it. Growing up disabled, I’ve never felt seen or accurately represented in books. Thanks to Melissa See, I now have a book that does both of those things! 😊 I absolutely loved the story and the romance, goes to show you that disabled people are in fact people, and are worthy of love just as much as everyone else.