Review: All the Right Notes by Dominic Lim
In this hilarious and joyous rom com, sparks fly when a piano genius and a Hollywood heartthrob are thrown together for a charity performance of solos, heartfelt duets, and a big, show-stopping finale.
Quito Cruz might be a genius piano player and composer in New York City now but it doesn’t mean that he’s any closer to his Broadway dream. Although Quito knows what the problem is. Or rather who . Because ever since that night in college—with pretty-boy jock Emmett Aoki—his inspiration has been completely MIA . . .
Now Quito’s dad wants him to put on a charity performance in his hometown. And there’s one hella big string convince Emmett—now one of Hollywood’s hottest celebrities—to perform.
It’s all shaping up to be the biggest musical fiasco of Quito’s life. Especially when Emmett agrees to attend, and Quito realizes that undeniable vibe between them is stronger than ever. Because there’s nothing simple about falling for a movie star . . . even when he’s pitch-perfect.
SPOILERS SPOILERS BIG SPOILER
Review:
Dear Dominic Lim,
Talk about the book which is extremely hard to rate and discuss. So let’s talk about easy things first, I think that classifying this book as romantic comedy will be extremely and I mean *extremely* misleading. Oh there is certainly some humor present, but author in the beginning also warns you about “non consensual sex” for example and I am still confused about that warning, because I am still not sure what I have read when the reason for the warning came up.
I actually really really enjoyed author’s voice, to me it had “cannot put the book down” quality and I indeed finished it in less than two days easily. And one of the reviews ( because yes I went to read the reviews the moment I was finished – I needed to know if anybody else was having the same issues I did said something along the lines that author knows how to invoke feelings and I very much in agreement on that. To me the book did have the sensual feel , note, not erotic there is no on page sex, only some kisses and that bizarre scene, but that scene comes up in our characters confused recollections.
I liked the construction of the narrative , flashbacks do not often work for me, but in this book it worked well, it added tension, because while the author was jumping between now and then timeline, I REALLY wanted to know what happened between two main characters and why after being attached at the hip their last year of high school and being very much in touch during the beginning of their first year of college they did not talk to each other for twenty years.
Well, when we finally get to what happened according to the narrator (Quito is the one who narrates the whole book, so we only see Emmett through his eyes ), he basically raped his friend, because he was really really REALLY attracted and I guess jealous of his girlfriend, but he was drunk, but his friend was not responding at all.
He feels bad SO BAD that for twenty years he could not find it in himself to call and apologize . Remember that is his recollection of the scene. He fluctuates between did Emmett forgive him or forgotten, when they are about to meet, because Quito’s father who works as a music teacher wants them both to come back and help with rehearsing with the kids he teaches for the concert before the father was going to retire.
And they do meet, and wait for it, they finally talk. By the way, talk about miscommunication trope in the extreme man. Apparently Emmett was not drunk or smoked weed that night, he was fully aware and just could not make himself to respond, but Quito was drunk! They kiss YAY? One of them was still drunk though? I don’t know , I feel like the consent issue was so clumsily handled but at least they talked and as I said, writing was very engaged and I really really loved how Quito describes his passion for composing and singing when it is there.
Oh and I cried last few chapters in the book. A lot.
I have no clue how to grade this book. I guess C+/B-
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Shame on the publisher for marketing the book as “a hilarious and joyous rom-com” when A Very Sad Thing happens in the last few chapters. The love story didn’t really work for me either, for the reasons you stated and because Emmett had a boyfriend for most of the book. I did appreciate the scenes involving music composition or performance, which are obviously deeply personal for the author.
Yes hilarious and joyous are not the words to describe this book as far as I am concerned .
I too had some real issues with this book. The audio was FANTASTIC, and I loved the narrator; there were major plot structure issues and WTAF with the *major spoiler* at the 80% mark?! And the entire strange and awkward miscommunication that marred so much of the book? Ugh, so disappointed in a book I wanted to love and had great characters but…ultimately couldn’t stick the landing. (And why does every marketing department feel the need to call any book that has a glimmer of humor in it a rom-com?! No. Stop. Bad marketing department!)
@Floating Lush: Exactly that. I also really wanted to love this book but was disappointed especially because I did love some parts.
Oh YIKES, @Sirius! I actually started this book but didn’t have a chance to finish before I had to return it, and I haven’t tried to reborrow it yet. Now I’m not sure I will–that sounds far weightier and not as well handled as I would like…
And completely agree, @Floating Lush–I cannot stand how every other book is called a rom-com when many of them are about as far from rom-com as can be! Grrrr… That kind of marketing just makes me extremely wary now…
For those of you who read the book — Sirius, Susan S., Floating Lush, and anyone else—do you think you would give the author another chance and read his/her/their (I’m not sure of the correct pronoun) next book? It sounds like the writing is good.
@Janine: probably unless there is a warning about non consensual sex again because I have very little faith in author’s ability to handle such subject .
@flchen1: I just don’t know . If my warnings are something g that would bother you , maybe not ? But I just don’t know add to this something that happens closer to the end and I just don’t know .
@Janine: Maybe? The writing was generally good: there was some genuinely funny stuff in it, I loved the relationship the protagonist has with his father (who stole very scene he was in), and the stuff set in high school–past or present–was painfully accurate. Also the food descriptions made me hungry, That being said, the stuff I didn’t like was *really* off-putting. So if I do, it will absolutely be from the library.
@Floating Lush: Thanks, that helps.