Nocturne by Andrea Randall and Charles Sheenan-Miles

Nocturne

Authors: Andrea Randall & Charles Sheenan-Miles

Release Date: 24th August 2013

Genre(s): New Adult, Romance, Music

Summary (Goodreads):

Savannah Marshall is a gifted flutist and daughter of musical royalty when she enrolls in the elite New England Conservatory of Music. Brilliant, eclectic and passionate, she lives music, but struggles with her plans for the future.

Gregory Fitzgerald is one of the most renowned cellists of his generation. A member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and professor at the Conservatory, he is laser focused on his career to the exclusion of friends, family and especially romance.

When Gregory and Savannah’s paths cross in the classroom, it threatens to challenge more than their wildly differing beliefs on music. Friendships, ethics, and careers are put on the line as Gregory and Savannah play a symphony of passion and heartbreak.

In the final movement, Gregory and Savannah are handed their greatest challenge, as the loss of absolutely everything they’ve held as truths hangs in the balance.

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My Thoughts:

First: this book left me frustrated, and I hated that feeling as well as disliked this book. So, I'm going to leave you all with the disjointed thoughts of a review that I made on left on Goodreads shortly after reading this book.

Caution: Major spoilers ahead

Okay, I'm giving this 1.5 hearts, mostly because I finished this (1 star), and I thought part of this book was good.

I just don't see how they even started their relationship and all of the "I love you"s. I agree with Nathan: how did they fall in love with each other if they never even spoke outside of class??? It doesn't even make sense! That just makes it seem more and more like the clichéd student-teacher crush.

Next: okay, I get it, Gregory's marriage was a failure and ruined. BUT that didn't mean that he and Savannah should up and start an affair! There are options, and plenty of them. Hello, legal separation, DIVORCE? Him and Savannah didn't even discuss Gregory leaving his wife after. Savannah, how do you have any dignity sleeping with this dude (who, by the way, was gonna break up with you when you were having the relationship as a student), who is still married and willfully cheating on his wife. (Hmm, does this remind you of anyone yet? Perhaps, say, your mother? The one you refuse to talk to because she did the very same thing?) HE CHOSE HER OVER YOU, ANYWAY. He could've at least tried to find you after the school fiasco, but nope. Even after the Nathan announcement thing, he didn't go after you. And Gregory. Jeez. He had no personality other than only caring about his *so important* music. Oh, and being jealous whenever he thought Savannah was interacting in a boyfriendish manner with someone not him--which he had no right to, considering he was dating Karin, and then was MARRIED to her. Let's see... Nathan. I liked him, at least a little. He seemed like a good friend who only wanted the best for the dumba** Savannah (come on, if he were gay, don't you think he would've come out by now? SAVANNAH, THINK WITH THAT THING THAT YOUR SKULL PROTECTS.) Karin. I feel like the authors just threw in her lying about trying to get pregnant to make her seem like a bad guy, considering that her husband's all cheaty-cheaty. Karin, why the hell did you marry that douchecanoe anyway? Besides, she had more of a reason to be in love with him (considering they went on several dates and even probably had sex before Gregory and Savannah did [see: "Let's go back to my place?"] whilst he and Savannah only spoke in class). PSA: if you want to cheat, end the relationship you're currently in. Okay? Okay.

Finally, I really did not connect with the characters. I really, really hated them all. They reminded me of the characters from Wuthering Heights, while somehow being even worse. It's like the cliché, how you imagine the uppercrust in our society act on a normal basis. Breaking up because it'd ruin you, cheating on your spouse, unnecessary drama drama drama, wine.

Also: while I was reading this I had-- you know how when you feel like it's been hours and hours but when you finally look at the clock, it's only been ten minutes? Yeah, that's how it was reading this darned book. I was reading, realized it had been four hours, looked at the progress I made and saw that I was only 39% through! In comparison, I just finished a book that was almost twice as long in six hours.

Really, the only think I liked was the in depth-ness of the music stuff, and that the MC was a flutist (TEAM FLUTES). Either the authors did really good research on musical writing and theories, or they play instruments, too.

So, I do not recommend this book, and I'm so sorry for this Ms. Randall and Mr. Sheenan-Miles, but I probably won't read anything else from you guys. This kinda turned me off from your writing (at least for now).

/End rant