Review: A Little Wanting Song

A Little Wanting Song, by Cath Crowley. The GoodReads summary:

CHARLIE DUSKIN loves music, and she knows she's good at it. But she only sings when she's alone, on the moonlit porch or in the back room at Old Gus's Secondhand Record and CD Store. Charlie's mom and grandmother have both died, and this summer she's visiting her grandpa in the country, surrounded by ghosts and grieving family, and serving burgers to the local kids at the milk bar. She's got her iPod, her guitar, and all her recording equipment, but she wants more: A friend. A dad who notices her. The chance to show Dave Robbie that she's not entirely unspectacular.

ROSE BUTLER lives next door to Charlie's grandfather and spends her days watching cars pass on the freeway and hanging out with her troublemaker boyfriend. She loves Luke but can't wait to leave their small country town. And she's figured out a way: she's won a scholarship to a science school in the city, and now she has to convince her parents to let her go. This is where Charlie comes in. Charlie, who lives in the city, and whom Rose has ignored for years. Charlie, who just might be Rose's ticket out.

Told in alternating voices and filled with music, friendship, and romance, Charlie and Rose's "little wanting song" is about the kind of longing that begins as a heavy ache but ultimately makes us feel hopeful and wonderfully alive.

I knew as soon as I finished “Graffiti Moon” by this same author that I wanted to read anything else she’s written. But I was a little nervous, because I was worried that maybe this book wouldn’t be as good. There was no need to fear, though, because I ended up loving “A Little Wanting Song” just as much as the other.

This book is less about the romance than “Graffiti Moon” was. Don’t get me wrong, there’s an adorable romance in this book, but it was more about friendship and about finally getting brave enough to show people who you really are and what you really want. I loved both Rose and Charlie (who’s a girl, by the way). They’re so different from each other, but they manage to find a common ground where they can help each other. I could relate more to Charlie, since her personality’s more similar to mine, but that didn’t stop me from liking and sympathizing with Rose too.

In fact, I adored all the characters in this book. The story alternates between Rose’s and Charlie’s viewpoints, which meant you got to see everyone from two different perspectives. Like, you get to see Dave from Rose’s point of view, who’s know him all her life, and from Charlie’s, who’s always crushed on him but never really gotten to know him. All the characters are so layered and well characterized, and the ones that I never grew to like, I at least grew to understand.

Overall, this was one of those books I just wanted to hug when I finished it. It was everything I was hoping it would be, and even a little more. I recommend it for sure—just ignore that awkward cover.

Rating: 5 / 5