(Not Quite) The Same Old Song by Lindsey Ouimet [REVIEW]

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Darcy’s life isn’t easy. She and her mom are barely scraping by when her brother steals their rent money for drugs. Darcy is forced to pawn her most prized possession: her guitar that had belonged to her dad. A few days later, Darcy is shocked to discover the pawn shop owner’s son Grey playing it at a gig with his band. Darcy hatches a plan to reunite with Darlene, while also getting closer to Grey.

Originally, I was going to say that I didn’t like this book because it wasn’t for me, but looking back at it now, I remember how perfect it would’ve been to my tastes. But I just didn’t like any of the characters.

• Darcy has a lot going on in her life and is responsible for so much more than she should be at that age. She’s tired of being teased about her weight and just wants her family to be alright. I understood her insecurity, and I think she is the most realistic and well written out of all the characters, but I didn’t find her likeable.
• Grey is a stereotypically sweet and dorky YA boy in a band with daddy issues. Even though he’s one of the main characters, I feel like I know barely anything about his personality. His actions seem to revolve around Darcy’s feelings, but he still can’t stand up to his friends for her.
• I can’t name any more characters because none of them (besides Darcy’s best friend) are relevant to the plot. They could be removed entirely, and it wouldn’t make any difference. Some of the characters are people in Grey’s band, but their role doesn’t develop much more than that.
• There is a gay character, but I can’t remember which one, and it isn’t made clear until quite far into the book. Other than him, there is no (or limited? I don’t remember) diversity.

I liked the way the author showed Darcy’s relationship with her brother, Quinn. It was complicated but sweet and supportive. Quinn’s ‘problems’ are handled well, not glamorised at all like in some other YA books. However, there are a lot of issues happen in this book that are forgotten about rather than resolved.

Overall, it was a decent book, but it didn’t offer anything special or standout.