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Rhythm & Muse Hardcover – May 30, 2023
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Cinderella meets Cyrano in this pitch-perfect YA rom-com that is a celebration of Black joy, first crushes, and putting your heart on the line for love.
Darren Johnson lives in his head. There, he can pine for his crush—total dream girl, Delia Dawson—in peace, away from the unsolicited opinions of his talkative family and showboat friends. When Delia announces a theme song contest for her popular podcast, Dillie D in the Place to Be, Darren’s friends—convinced he’ll never make a move—submit one of his secret side projects for consideration.
After the anonymous romantic verse catches Dillie’s ear, she sets out to uncover the mystery singer behind the track. Now Darren must decide: Is he ready to step out of the shadows and take the lead in his own life?
- Print length256 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherQuill Tree Books
- Publication dateMay 30, 2023
- Grade level8 - 12
- Reading age13 - 17 years
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.89 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-100063217554
- ISBN-13978-0063217553
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Featuring caring friends and loving family, this story centering Black characters and narrated by Darren is one of normalcy, introspection, growth, and love. It shows a more tender, vulnerable side of Black American teen males that is not portrayed enough in YA literature. Absorbing, humorous, and honest, the novel ends on a satisfyingly high note." — Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
India Hill Brown is the author of the NAACP Image Award–nominated middle grade novel The Forgotten Girl and The Girl in the Lake. She graduated from Claflin University with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications with a concentration in print journalism. She lives in Elgin, SC, with her husband and two sons. Rhythm & Muse is her first young adult novel. Visit India online at indiahillbrown.com.
Product details
- Publisher : Quill Tree Books (May 30, 2023)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 256 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0063217554
- ISBN-13 : 978-0063217553
- Reading age : 13 - 17 years
- Grade level : 8 - 12
- Item Weight : 11.9 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.89 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #88,265 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Rhythm and Muse by India Hill Brown introduces us to high-school overall good kid, Darren. Darren checks all the good-guy boxes and never colors outsides the lines. He thinks before he speaks or reacts, and often overthinks so much, he misses the opportunity to take action. But the thought of trying on a "love thing" with his crush Dillie D has him stepping outside his comfort zone in ways he wouldn't have imagined before.
Meet Delia, aka Dillie D, according to her podcast listeners. Delia is a free-spirited young woman who knows what she wants and doesn't hold her tongue when it comes to expressing those wants. She hosts a podcasts most teens & college students in the local area tune into each week without fail. But one thing that seems to elude her is that connection from a special someone, since her boyfriend broke her heart last year. Pouring all her time and energy into her podcast proves to be quite the distraction until she has the bright idea to run a contest for her listeners to find the perfect jingle for her show. This contest brings our MC Darren and Delia together in an unexpected way. Will Darren be able to get out of his head long enough to get the girl of his dreams? Will he seize the opportunities laid before him to be recognized for his talent? 👀
I rated this one 4 stars only because teenage angst stresses me out sometimes. I think Darren being in his head so much affected his connections tremendously, and it started to wear on me a bit. I wish I could have seen his relationships develop more organically, outside of his thoughts & fantasies. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the read.
Major thanks to Netgalley and Quill Tree Books for the eARC!
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2023
Rhythm and Muse by India Hill Brown introduces us to high-school overall good kid, Darren. Darren checks all the good-guy boxes and never colors outsides the lines. He thinks before he speaks or reacts, and often overthinks so much, he misses the opportunity to take action. But the thought of trying on a "love thing" with his crush Dillie D has him stepping outside his comfort zone in ways he wouldn't have imagined before.
Meet Delia, aka Dillie D, according to her podcast listeners. Delia is a free-spirited young woman who knows what she wants and doesn't hold her tongue when it comes to expressing those wants. She hosts a podcasts most teens & college students in the local area tune into each week without fail. But one thing that seems to elude her is that connection from a special someone, since her boyfriend broke her heart last year. Pouring all her time and energy into her podcast proves to be quite the distraction until she has the bright idea to run a contest for her listeners to find the perfect jingle for her show. This contest brings our MC Darren and Delia together in an unexpected way. Will Darren be able to get out of his head long enough to get the girl of his dreams? Will he seize the opportunities laid before him to be recognized for his talent? 👀
I rated this one 4 stars only because teenage angst stresses me out sometimes. I think Darren being in his head so much affected his connections tremendously, and it started to wear on me a bit. I wish I could have seen his relationships develop more organically, outside of his thoughts & fantasies. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the read.
Major thanks to Netgalley and Quill Tree Books for the eARC!
Brown’s colorful, lively writing appeals to all five senses, drawing readers in with vibrant descriptions, deft worldbuilding, natural-sounding and authentic dialogue, and fascinating, relatable, imperfect characters. The characters and their lifestyles feel familiar, giving readers a comforting sense of nostalgia. Having his back, his boys do the most to get Darren out of his head, out of his own way, and help him get the girl of his dreams—and make his dreams come true too. Through her characters, Brown explores taking a break from the thing you’re passionate about to rediscover your love and reinvigorate your passion.
A talented, naturally gifted singer and songwriter, Darren daydreams about Delia, planning conversations and potential dates. He’s sweet, thoughtful, reflective, creative, and kind with a vulnerable heart but spends way too much time in his head and feelings. Delia inspires him to write music again for the first time in a long time, and he composes a song just for her. Brown makes readers sympathetic to Darren and his fear of singing in front of an audience. You wonder why he gave up singing/songwriting when it’s obvious how much he loves both and how deeply entwined they are with his sense of self—giving him something of his own. His views on creating art and creativity are intriguing.
Popular, intelligent, beautiful, driven, and passionate, Delia’s compassionate and mentors middle school girls. In her podcast and live streams, she examines her life, interests, and thought-provoking topics with a witty, humorous, and down-to-earth perspective. I got as sucked into Delia’s podcast as Darren and everyone else. It’s easy to see why Darren is crazy about her.
Delia and Darren are adorably cute together. Brown develops their characters’ connection and relationship from classmates and church acquaintances to becoming friends to a burgeoning romance through sweet, funny, and emotional scenes/interactions. They talk about their Faith and all kinds of things. Reading about fun, loving, and open-minded characters to whom Faith is important is inspiring. One of my favorite things about Rhythm & Muse is how central the characters’ Faith and church life are to them. It’s not often you get to read romances or novels without the characters being jerks or trying to run other people’s lives when they’re Christian. It’s a positive representation of young African American Christians. That’s so awesome.
The characters and their lives/lifestyles feel familiar and relatable, filling the reader with a comforting nostalgia for friends and family. The secondary characters are as well-developed, fascinating, and engaging as Darren and Delia. His boys have his back, and they try so hard to get him out of his head and out of his own way and get the girl of his dreams—and make his dreams come true too. I like Delia’s sister and Darren’s relationship with his boys and family.
Funny, entertaining, and sweet, Rhythm & Muse is perfect for readers looking for a teen/YA romance that’s a little different and from a male POV about African American characters of Faith, falling in love, music, and podcasting.
Advanced review copy provided by Quill Tree Books via Netgalley for review.
I absolutely enjoyed reading this book. This story follows Darren Johnson, a junior in high school who loves to sing but after hearing some critiques he is hesitant to pick up with his passion again. While hanging in the studio with his friend they hear the very popular podcast Dillie D in the Place to Be is looking for a theme song. Darren just happens to have a crush on the Dillie D AKA Delia Dawson. He plays around with a song and with the help of his meddling friends the song gets submitted to the podcast. The mystery singer has everyone in an uproar and Darren has to decide when and if he’ll tell Delia. I love Darren’s family they are absolutely hilarious. I also liked that Darren’s boys helped him out although he wasn’t appreciative at first. Great faced paced read. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.