The Sound by Sarah Alderson - Review & Interview

Summary from Goodreads

When aspiring music journalist Ren Kingston takes a job nannying for a wealthy family on the exclusive island of Nantucket, playground for Boston's elite, she's hoping for a low-key summer reading books and blogging about bands. Boys are firmly off the agenda.

What she doesn't count on is falling in with a bunch of party-loving private school kids who are hiding some dark secrets, falling (possibly) in love with the local bad boy, and falling out with a dangerous serial killer...

The gripping new stand-alone novel from the author of Hunting Lila. Out August 2013

Paperback, 320 pages

Expected publication: August 1st 2013 by Simon & Schuster UK
 

My Review
 

The Sound is a brilliantly thrilling and suspense filled book that I enjoyed very much indeed!
 

I'm new to Sarah Alderson's work and now I really can't wait to get my hands on her Lila and Fated books. She has a beautiful writing style that I found myself completely lost in. Little snippets are revealed at the right moments in the story to put you off a scent and to keep you intrigued.
 

The only reason I didn't give this the big 5 stars? The love triangle thing that was going on, I know it added to the story and it set things up beautifully for, Ren, to get an 'in' in both worlds but I just couldn't help but be confused at what she seen in the rich kid! Team Jesse baby lol! :)
 

What I liked most? The characters:
 

Ren: Ren is the main character in the story and I easily liked her. I really liked the decisions she made and how she didn't fall to peer pressure or try to fit in with everybody else who were 'doing it'. She's a very sensible teen with a good head on her shoulders. I LOVE that she is a music blogger, I found it very interesting! I think teens will easily relate to her and want to know more about her.

Jesse: Man, Jesse, rocked my book crush world! He fits into the bad boy category at first glance, but when you scratch his surface, he's so much more. I loved his easy charm and his very sexy way. He is strong, smart and under his tough exterior, sensitive. I really can't put into words how much I was cheering this boy on!

The storyline seems like quite a simple one from the outset. British girl, Ren, travels to Nantucket to nanny for a rich family. She meets lots of rich teens who are her own age and she strikes up a bit of a thing with one of the guys. But things take a bit of a sinister turn when another nanny turns up dead on the beach.

Ren, is on high alert, but still goes to see local bad boy, Jesse, who seems to have a bit of a violent past. The rich kids have warned her off him, but he couldn't possibly be responsible for the killings........

I actually suspected everybody at one point or another throughout.  But Sarah Alderson writes compellingly and manages to give nothing away right up until the very end! Towards the middle the plot thickens and becomes darker and more dangerous. The ending itself is explosive and I loved every single nail biting second....

(I adored all the British bits and pieces but when I can across Coronation Street, I cracked the biggest smile!)

The Sound is a fantastic book that is full of mystery, intrigue, shockers and typical teenage drama! It had me on the edge of my seat and I simply adored Ren and Jesse's sizzling chemistry! A MUST read!
 

4.5 / 5 Stars

*Special thanks to Simon & Schuster for the review copy*

About the Author

Having spent most of her life in London, Sarah quit her job in the non profit sector in 2009 and took off on a round the world trip with her husband and princess-obsessed daughter on a mission to find a new place to call home. After several months in India, Singapore, Australia and the US, they settled in Bali where Sarah now spends her days writing by the pool and trying to machete open coconuts without severing a limb.

She finished her first novel, Hunting Lila, just before they left the UK, wrote the sequel on the beach in India and had signed a two book deal with Simon & Schuster by the time they had reached Bali.

A third book, Fated, about a teenage demon slayer, was published in January 2012.

Watch this space for more young adult thrillers coming soon!

You can find Sarah on facebook and at www.sarahalderson.com or follow her blog at www.canwelivhere.com

(taken from Sarah's Goodreads profile). 

Interview

The Sound is set on the island of Nantucket – why did you choose to set a book there? 

I try as much as possible to always set my books in places that I’ve been and, as much as possible, I try to draw on real life experiences (although I write thrillers so admittedly I do embellish reality rather a lot, and furnish reality with the hottest guys my imagination can summon).


When I was 17 I spent the summer nannying in Nantucket, which is a very small island off the coast of Massachusetts. I looked after two small kids, just like Ren, the main character in The Sound. I had a sweet holiday romance there with an American boy and used to cycle around everywhere and went to a lot of beach parties. So I thought it would be a perfect place to set my next book.


Where do you get your ideas from? 

The idea developed for The Sound developed from conversations I had with a teenage girl I know who was telling me about life at her school in Colorado. I don’t want to give too much away about the plot suffice to say I was really shocked by some of the things she told me about what went on between the guys and girls and the way some girls were treated.


I’m a total feminist. I want every girl who reads my books to feel empowered as well as entertained. I read a lot of blogs and constantly scour the media for stories. I find myself being inspired every day by things I hear or read about.


Ren, the main character from The Sound is English and an aspiring music journalist – what was it like to write her? 

Ren was a total joy. She is probably my favourite protagonist. I really enjoyed writing someone who was English through and through – that ironic humour and self-deprecating nature which is so charming. I have a friend who followed her dream to become a music journalist, so based the character in part on her. Also I listen to music all day as I write so it was fun to write about a blogger who was obsessed with music.


What is the main thing you’d want readers to take from reading The Sound? 

Ren is 17 and a virgin and isn’t sure whether she should keep waiting for the one or just go ahead and have sex. I think this is a really common dilemma for girls. I guess I believe wholeheartedly that you should always wait for the right person so I wanted the message to be about that.