Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old music and sound design obsessed Drea doesn't have friends. She has, as she's often reminded, issues. Drea's mom and a rotating band of psychiatrists have settled on "a touch of Asperger's."

Having just moved to the latest in a string of new towns, Drea meets two other outsiders. And Naomi and Justin seem to actually like Drea. The three of them form a trip-hop band after an impromptu jam session. Justin swiftly challenges not only Drea's preference for Poe over Black Lab but also her perceived inability to connect with another person. Justin, against all odds, may even like like Drea.

It's obvious that Drea can't hide behind her sound equipment anymore. But just when she's found not one but two true friends, can she stand to lose one of them?
 
Review:
 
Every once in a while there comes a YA debut novel that fits in with adjectives such as fantastic, wonderful, and amazing leaving me to be absolutely grateful that YA is the genre I read. Oh, and if you haven't guessed it so far, Harmonic Feedback is the book I'm talking about.

Within Drea, Tara has created an inspirational and real girl that's unique  voice is one that I adored reading. I loved that even though Drea has Asperger's syndrome she was still someone that I, someone who doesn’t have this condition, could relate to. How you may ask? Well, deep down Drea was simply a girl trying to find herself in this complicated world while being someone she was proud to be; a desire that many teens including myself have. Plus, the supporting characters varying from Naomi, a funny and fascinating girl whose wanting of love simply got in the way of living, to Justin, a boy who was also trying to find a place in this world far from were the one he landed himself in the last few years, were ones that I loved just as much as Drea and would have made Harmonic Feedback incomplete without.
 
Harmonic Feedback’s backbone, or plot, along with it's writing also fit in to making this novel a great deal of fun to read. I loved the fact music was a big part. Also, as mentioned before,  Ms. Kelly's writing was awesome leaving to have the desire to savor it bit at a time, but at the same time have the feeling to rush through it because I was dying to find out what happened next.

Part of the ending was something I wasn't expecting at all; and while it made me a wee bit angry, it was something that just worked and made this book to be a A+ times a gazillion in my mind.

In all, I urge you to walk run to the bookstore when Harmonic Feedback comes out because it's just THAT good! I'm truly looking forward to reading more by Tara because I have a feeling she'll be a big star in the YA world in a few years.


Grade: A+
 
Harmonic Feedback will be released  May 25, 2010.
 
Source: Around The World Tours for review.

Sidenote: I just love that the cover perfectly matches a two important sceanes in the book. Bravo Henry Holt and Co.! :)
 
Further Links:
Tara's Site
Harmomic Feeback's dedicated website 
Tara's Twitter
Tara's Blog