Review: Songbird by Angela Fristoe

Songbird by Angela Fristoe

June 30, 2011

Little Prince Publishing

From Goodreads:
There are defining moments in life when everything changes. For Dani Mays, it was the day she witnessed her father kill her brother. Now seventeen years-old, she still hasn't put it behind her.

After Jace's death, she bounced between her alcoholic mother and foster homes, until she found a permanent place. And a reason to stay: Reece Tyler He's her best friend, yet Dani wants more from Reece.

Faced with possibly losing Reece, Dani struggles to define his place in her life and escape the memories of her brother's death and the influence it has over her choices. Even as she weaves the pieces of her heart back together, the past becomes more than a memory when a former foster brother reappears and Dani begins receiving threatening phone calls.

My Review:
I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one, and I have to say, I ended up really enjoying myself! There are some heavy concepts dealt with in Songbird, but there is a strong romance and friendship to offset the harsh things Dani deals with. This isn't one of my favorite novels that I have read, but it is engaging enough to have a good time reading.

Dani has had a rough time in life. Her dad killed her brother, and to deal with all the drama, her mother turned to alcohol. Dani has been around her fair share of foster homes, but a few years before found her niche with the Thompson family. Reece, her best friend, has been by her side through all of the foster home ordeals and is a reliable and true friend to Dani. Even though she knows Reece will probably never have romantic feelings for her, Dani can't help but fall in love with him after all that they have been through together.

Dani is a spirited and lovely girl who I connected with instantly. I felt her emotional pain when she saw her brother being killed, and I sympathized with her. I could feel her love for Reece and my heart broke for her because it was so obvious that Reece couldn't see it. Songbird is all about Dani healing from the scars of her past, and opening up more with Reese. While I wasn't such a big fan of Reece at first, he grew on me as the story went on, and I understood some of his feelings.

While there is some suspense in the novel, what with Dani getting creepy calls, I didn't really see how they fit in with the story. I think Songbird could have stood alone without that plot point thrown in later on in the book. Even though I didn't enjoy this part of the novel, I still enjoyed the majority of the story.

Songbird is a heart-warming and emotional story that pulled on my heart strings. I felt for everything that Dani went through, and I was right by her side every step of the way. Definitely check out this one if you haven't already!


My Rating: