Simona's Corner of Dreams: The Unfinished Symphony of You and Me

Sunday, 27 July 2014

The Unfinished Symphony of You and Me - by Lucy Robinson

My own copy

Original Cover

The blurb:

Sally is an incredible singer but she sings only in her wardrobe where nobody can hear her. She'd rather join a nudist colony than sing in public.

That is until she ventures to New York where a wild and heady summer of love and loss changes her forever. No longer able to hide in the shadows, Sally must return home to London to fulfill a promise she cannot break - to share her voice.

But just as she's about to embark on her new life, a beautiful man turns up on Sally's doorstep bearing a sheepish smile and a mysterious hand-written message.

How did he find her? Why is he here? Does he hold the truth to what happened back in New York? And, with him back on the scene, will she still have the courage to step into the spotlight?

My Opinion:

First things first: I am a HUGE Lucy Robinson fan!!! And I was really excited for the book, not only because of the fact that I love her writing, but also because I love the blurb, the title and I love music… And she didn’t disappoint me, not at all, this book is MARVELLOUS!!!

Our heroine is called Sally Howlett, she is an amazing singer, but some dramatic and sad memories make her hold be her talent. She only sings in her wardrobe, where nobody can here her.

In the past she had a difficult time dealing with the drug and alcohol problem of her cousin Fiona, who is also her best friend and like a sister to Sally. We only find out later in the story, what happened to Fiona. I had tears running down my cheeks at one point.

Then we also get to know more about her time in New York, Fiona was there as well and Sally met Julian Bell, or should I rather say Julian Jefferson, big, talented and successful opera singer! The two of them clicked instantly and hit it off pretty fast. I loved reading about how they got to know each other and how their relationship developed. It was clear from a distance that it was real love, but…

Well, I loved Julian, he was very passionate, talented and very caring. What he did for Sally and also Fiona is… AWWW, but Sally didn’t say that at the time.

Then he comes into the picture again, supposed to teach her the technique of singing. You can imagine that this whole situation isn’t easy at all. Sally takes her mind off her feelings for him by seeing another man… So the drama was there all the time and I just couldn’t put this book down.

Julian and Sally still get to talk about what happened in the past and he seems to find a way to get her out there and make her show her talent. It’s not only him though.

Sally also struggles with the way her parents treat her. Julian and Sally grow closer again, but is it really the right time for them?

Sally takes her chance on a career as an opera singer and lands a big role, when they travel to New York to perform it there, Julian has to sing with her. What does this mean for them? Will they finally be honest about their feelings?

All I wanted was for them to be happy together, I took them a little while to figure everything out.

Lucy found an amazing way to combine emotion and humour; I absolutely enjoyed this entertaining story. I cried at one time, laughed out loud just minutes later and the writing just made me read, read and read… A Witty, clever, hilarious, charming gripping and emotional novel, with so much heart and full of highlights.

The characters were genuinely real, touchable and down to earth. And I absolutely loved to dive into this world of opera and singing.

YOU’RE A GENIUS LUCY ROBINSON!!!

Rating: