Turn It Up!

by Jen Calonita

The Nightingales are in a serious funk. Bradley Academy's all-girl a cappella group used to be the pride and joy of the sunshine state, but the Nightingales have fallen out of harmony. Best friends and co-captains Lidia Sato and Sydney Marino aren't speaking. A boy has come between them -- none other than Griffin Mancini, the obnoxious lead singer of Bradley's smug all-boy a capella group, the Kingfishers. The Nightingales have no chance at winning the big state final if their captains are at each other's throats. Their only hope is new girl Julianna Ramirez. She's super shy, but she has some serious pipes. The three girls -- and the whole group -- will have to come together if they want to beat the Kingfishers and their rivals from Julianna's old school. Told from alternating points of view, this novel explores the ups and downs of friendship, romance, competition, and finding the perfect song!

Genres: Young Adult, Audiobook, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Fiction, Music, Romance

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 2, 2018

About the author

Hi Goodreads!
I'm Jen Calonita, a MG and YA author who loves what I do because it lets me connect with all of you (and no, I wasn't intending for that to rhyme!).

I've been writing ever since I can remember, but it was fourth grade when I put my "three wishes" for a genie down on paper. They were:
#1. Buy all the Cabbage Patch Kids in the world and give them away for free (because apparently that was how I rolled).
#2. I wanted a mansion, limo, lake house, pool and speed boat (still sounds quite nice).
#3. I wanted to be an author for young readers, which I am!

I love writing novels for teens (and for savvy grown ups who know that YA rocks at any age). My first series was "Secrets of My Hollywood Life" and it followed a teen star named Kaitlin Burke who struggled with the fame game. I have also written the stand-alone novels Sleepaway Girls, it's companion book, Summer State of Mind and the Belles series.

I've been writing middle grade too and am having so much fun with my series Fairy Tale Reform School! The fourth book in this series about a school run by former villains is called Tricked and will be out March 2018. Ever wonder what it would be like if your parents got a job with someone like Taylpr Swift? My other middle grade series, VIP, follows super fan Mackenzie Lowell as she tours with her favorite band, Perfect Storm.

I promise to give book updates here, and on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or my website. I hope I hear from you!

xo
Jen

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very bad Pitch Perfect rip off

[Hannah (Hannah, Fully) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Turn It Up! was a totally random pick I chose from my library's OverDrive catalog because they didn't have the book I so desperately wanted in my hands right at the very moment. Come on, American Panda. Come to meeee.

Or maybe they did but I didn't feel like reading any fantasy. I've been wanting more and more cute contemporary romances lately. Give me all the cute contemporaries, bookwyrms. I need to feed my latest addiction until I'm tired of it and go back to my usual fantasy groove.

Anyways...

Jen Calonita's latest novel is about acapella groups. I love and admire acapella (Pentatonix is one of my favorite groups) so this novel caught my eye really quick. Turn It Up! is essentially Pitch Perfect set in a high school setting instead of college. I was hoping that I would enjoy the book a lot since it is about music and acapella.

Unfortunately, the book focuses too much on Lidia's and Sydney's problem with little to no progress and an ending that was basically handed over to the characters on a plate adorned with musical notes and shoes. Boom. Happily ever after for everyone.

This is basically the summary of the book:

Girl has a crush on a guy
Other girl ends up falling in love with the guy
Girl catches other girl and guy kissing, creates tension among friendship
Girl develops other interests and chases after it because it conveniently keeps her away from other girl and guy as well
Other girl tries to push guy but really, she's in love but she values friendship
Girl falls in love slowly with another guy
Guy somehow gets between girl and other guy by accident - oopsies
Girl and other girl realizes they don't have to be this way
Somehow they become best friends again and everyone lives happily ever after

I was expecting more... I don't know, music to be involved? There's certainly conflict among the acapella group, but it felt like the musical angle wasn't even needed to create drama among the characters since there seemed to be issues well before the acapella group became a thing. 🤷

A lot of the issues seemed to have roots since middle school/early high school - they just seemed to have escalated. And while the Pitch Perfect movie had their drama, it was at least entertaining and catchy. I can't say the same for the book.

The writing felt off - there were times where it felt awkward due to punctuation usage, mainly exclamation points. Sentences that didn't need an exclamation had one, or maybe it's just the phrasing of the sentences themselves. It didn't really help me enjoy the book more.

And then there were the characters. I don't know if it's just me, but I have a hard time thinking of how old most of the characters are. I know Turn It Up! is set in high school, but there were times where I felt they were a little younger. 🤔

But hey, there were maybe a few parts that were good!

Eventually, everyone got past their differences - hooray
There is a cute romance, and I definitely ship it
Sometimes I wanted to smush the two characters together
Lidia's family is cute and adorable

Anyways, those smol little bits that were good didn't make up for the bad. I wanted more from Turn It Up! and I got a Pitch Perfect version in book form that was less entertaining than the movie.

This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts

[Jo Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had some much fun reading this Middle grade/YA book. The main characters, girls at a boarding school are best friends and have planned to revive the a cappella singing group that has fizzled out over the years. The two captains, best friends, cannot wait to implement their plans to make their leadership what turns things around. BUT, as so often is the case, when there is a complete misunderstanding,the girls trust what they think they know instead of honestly talking and that leads to a cascade of imagined and real hurts which puts the a cappella group in a downward spiral. Layered into the story are 2 sweet crushes, and of course, the music. Throughout the book, the reader is rooting for both girls to be honest with each other, and with themselves. Strong characters and realistic dialogue kept this book engaging and thoughtful. Highly recommend

[Cara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was so boring. I couldn't get into it. I didn't really care what happened to them. And there was a lot of running away from situations. Not metaphoric running away; actual running away. *eye roll*

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immediately right away, I was drawn right in. The narrator's voice was full of life and not monotone at all!
I really liked that the Sato family is super musically inclined.
Lidia's brother and Grandma Evie were definitely some of my favorite characters. They both were absolutely hilarious!
I didn't particularly like Griffin at first. However, I do have to admit that it was really sweet that he texted Sydney to warn her about the jellybeans being tampered with.
In my honest opinion, Sydney is a two faced type of girl. She literally was dating Lidia's longtime crush behind her back! What happened to that you don't go after your best friend's crush?
I feel where Lidia is coming from. I would have exploded on Sydney as well. She kind of had it coming.
This book reminds me of Pitch Perfect mixed with To All The Boys I've Loved Before, film wise.
I never once got bored reading this! It kept me on the edge of my seat!
Julianna's mom reminded me of how my own mother used to be. It was incredibly adorable how positive and supportive that she is.
Julianna is a character that I closely related with. She's a singer songwriter like me. I also was bummed after flunking an audition.
The Kingfishers closely reminded me of The Treble Makers from Pitch Perfect.
Lidia Sato closely reminded me of Laura Jean.
It was so nice of Lidia to step in when Julianna was mortified of being infront of the whole entire school.
It's a really good thing that Sydney had finally come clean about the whole thing. I didn't really believe her apology.
Griffin seemed much like a player.
Lidia and Jack were so CUTE! It's adorable they had the same interests. When he pulled out a rose, it was so romantic.
I love the moment that Julianna had gotten over her stage fright once and for all.
I feel like because Gabby had put the red ants in the Kingfishers' jackets, they had gotten bitten by karma when their performance was going very wrong in every way possible.
When Julianna found out that Amy lied to her, my heart hurt for her.
I love when Sydney and Lidia completely made up with one another.
The book was amazing!
I would definitely recommend!

[Aurelia Lovelace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I put this book on my tbr years ago. In fact, it was the book that had been on my tbr the longest. Recently, I decided it was time to finally pick it up. I wasn't sure I'd like this book, considering I'd put it on my tbr two years ago, back when my tastes were different, but as always, Jen Calonita did not disappoint.
First of all, I love Lidia. This book has three main characters, and I can say with certainty that she was my favorite of them all. I thought she had every right to react the way she did, but I also liked how she took responsibility for her mistakes. Sure, Sydney screwed up, but Lidia should've thought about how her actions would affect the Nightingales. She owned up to it though, and I appreciated her for that.
Next, we have Julianna. Julianna was the main character who did not get as much page time as the other two, but she was my second favorite main character anyway. She had self-esteem issues, but she also had incredible talent. I was rooting for her to figure out she was amazing all along, and was very happy when she faced her fears. We didn't get to learn as much about her as Sydney and Lidia, but I knew enough to like her.
Now, Sydney. She was my least favorite main character. Not because she was a bad character, but simply because I was Team Lydia, and also liked Julianna better than her. She wasn't unlikeable exactly, she just wasn't my favorite. She was flawed and handled the whole Griffin situation badly, sure, but she had a good heart and made an effort to improve the team. She was passionate, courageous, and had big dreams. She didn't give up easily, which is really admirable considering the disastrous state her life and team were in. She was a force to be reckoned with.
Now, on to the relationships.
Sydney and Griffin were cute and everything, but I just didn't love them. I didn't like Griffin enough, and I just wasn't as invested. That may partly be because I didn't get to see their relationship blooming and see them get closer, since that happened before the book even started. Sydney and Griffin just wasn't the ship I cared much about, I suppose.
Jack and Lydia though? That's a whole different story. I LOVED Jack. Sure, I thought it was a little weird how both of them seemed to be thinking the same thing and had so much in common (example: how Jack compared Kyle's shop to Charlie and the chocolate factory the same way Lydia thought of it), but that wasn't really a big problem. I loved reading their interactions together and I thought they were really cute. They were the ship I was actually interested in, and I'm glad they ended up together in the end.
Lastly, I want to talk about Lydia's decision between dance and the Nightingales. I was really afraid the author was going to make Lydia rejoin the Nightingales because "that was where her true friends were and it had been a mistake to quit" or whatever, but she didn't. The author had her choose dance, and I respected her for it. I didn't like the idea of Lydia giving up her passion for the Nightingales, so I'm glad the author didn't do that. It was nice to see Lydia choose the thing she grew to love, but instead of just leaving the Nightingales in the past, see her use her new skill to help them out. Her choreographing the Nightingales' dances was a great idea. It was a good way for her to start something new while still being there for what used to be her greatest passion.
Overall, this was a really nice read. I'm glad I finally got around to reading this because it just reminded me of what I've always known- Jen Calonita does not let me down.

[Rachael Fryman · Rating 3 out of 5]

What does it remind me of? The movie Pitch Perfect.

What is it about? Dueling acapella groups and lots of teenage angsty drama.

What did I love? The fact that one of the MCs finds love via nonpareil candy shopping - a.k.a. a dream meet cute! Also, I am digging this cover. I like how, even though its through lots of angsty drama, it really has a good message of girls coming together to build each other up, not tear each other down.

What I didn't love? The angst - seriously. I nearly DNF'd this one, but I persevered for the save of the upcoming book fair featuring this title. It was way too much for me, but I think the middle school kiddos will love it.

Overall? C-
Way too dramatic for me but preteens and teens will love this Pitch Perfect read-a-like.

[Karen]

dnf @ 19%

I was really excited about this because it's about an a capella group but this was... very bad. I don't care about childish drama that can easily be resolved with a simple conversation. Also the main character doesn't even like a capella that much which was too painful for my lil choir nerd heart to read about.

[Maddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book reminded me exactly of the movie Pitch Perfect there was too much drama that was hard to understand Lidia and Sydney were very different through the book it was a very bad Pitch Perfect rip-off.

[Julie]

This was...pretty much what I expected. Cute, predictable, lots of girl friendship. Nothing particularly great, but a fun read.

[Wisty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much a one-sitting, adorable read from one of my most trusted authors! It was just really, really cute. Made me one to jam out to some a capella!

[Fxther · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like it but I also didn't hate it

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically a junior high version of pitch perfect, but I did especially like Lidia and Jack.

[❤ Aly ❤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was looking through my Hoopla and found this. I saw it had to do with a cappella and singing so I decided to give this book a try. Of course this book reminded me of Pitch Perfect! but there was a different story going on besides the competition. I did like concept but it just didn't do it for me.

Lidia and Sydney are best friends. Lidia goes to meet Sydney and finds her kissing her crush. Lidia then leaves and doesn't let Sydney know that she saw it. Lidia then decides to quit the a capella group due to this fight and pursue another passion. Along the way, the two set aside their differences and help each other out plus fix their friendship. This book does feel younger than what it is supposed to. I only gave it a 3 due to several messages that this book/author presents throughout.

[Jaiden Dorris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot of ‘Turn It Up’ is one of your standard love stories. The surprising thing about it is that there is tons of drama, and I don’t mean drama in literature, I mean drama as in immature middle school drama, even though the main characters are in high school. I really enjoyed the a capella sense of the novel, and the fact that the setting, a singing group in a private school, in Florida, is relatable to me, even though I don’t live in Florida. The time period of ‘Turn It Up’ is very modern, it’s the closest to now that you can get. I think the best feature is that the author includes many different chapters from three people’s perspectives. It was a good book if you love cheesy high school crushes, a capella, and teenage drama.
I thought it was really good, there were some parts you knew were coming, but then some suspense as well. It was a well read, and awesome book.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a long-time fan of Jen Calonita and this was another book to add to my list of her books that I loved. It was funny, dramatic, and had just enough romance to keep me smiling. Even though it very much felt like a 10th-grade retelling of Pitch Perfect, there was enough to make it feel a little different as well. This book has rivaling a capella groups, a girl group on the brink of self-destruction, and a legacy that was difficult to follow.

I loved that we got to experience this story through the POV of three different girls. Sydney and Lidia, bffs that are pretty much feuding the whole book, and Julianna, the new girl with intense stage fright. They each had a unique voice and a unique outlook on the situation which contributed to the story in a funny and interesting way.

In true Calonita form, there was a good amount of drama as well. A couple of the twists even threw me for a loop. I never saw them coming. And all the rivalry really added to it too.

Overall, this was a great book for those who enjoy high school drama, first-loves, and a team of underdogs striving for a victory.

[Hannah Havenspell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to be completely honest, I've never seen Pitch Perfect, I've seen Glee but that's it as far acapella movies/shows. I really likes this book, was it cliché? Yes, yes it was and had the drama, romance and friend backstabbing, but it also had an amazing sisterhood of songs and singing. The passion these girls had for the arts was so special and overall, I thought it was really good for your classic cliché novel.

[livvv · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this book for two dollars and it’s probably the worst spent two dollars of my life. Lidia is the most annoying character I’ve ever read about.

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pet (conspiracy?) theory for this book: It was originally written as pure Middle Grade, and the characters were supposed to be 12 or 13...but the editor or literary agent thought it would sell better as YA, so someone find-and-replaced things like ages and grades and mentions of middle school so that the characters were ~15 and in high school, and added a smidge more kissing, and said 'that should do it!'

I actually really love Calonita's books, which I find fun and usually on-point (even if I'm a decade and a half too old to be the target audience). This is fun too, but it feels to me like it's trying to straddle the line between MG and YA and missing the mark. Too juvenile to be young adult (prank wars? The male a cappella group heckling the girls trying out for the female a cappella group? A girl who communicates through her puppet? There's no way these kids are out of middle school) but with characters in high school, significant boy drama, part-time jobs...doesn't feel quite MG either. I'd probably have loved this if it had the maturity of the Secrets of My Hollywood Life books (I only recently gave up my copies, and a part of me still mourns that decision, because I'd had them for years) or even taken itself a little more over the top, à la VIP: I'm With the Band...but it's just a little too grey-area for me.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there are still any fans of the early seasons of Glee out there, they will certainly enjoy this romp about a high school musical singing group. The Nightingales, an all-girl a cappella group that once brought home prizes to Bradley Academy, has fallen on hard times, and after a series of mishaps over the years, the group will be lucky if it manages to find enough singers to compete. Things go from bad to worse when the co-captains, best friends Lidia Sato and Sydney Marino stop speaking to each other after Lidia spots Sydney kissing Griffin Mancini, her long-time crush and member of the school's talented all-male group. Various misunderstandings, drama, and confusion ensure, and just as Sydney is ready to throw in the towel, the Nightingales start singing in harmony again. Although there's plenty of music in the book and some additional stories about Juliana Ramirez, a talented singer with stage fright, much of this is predictable and it all leads to a happy ending. Of course, Lidia decides to forgive Sydney and move on from Griffin once she has her own love interest and has chosen to focus on dance. Wouldn't it have been nice if the two girls had just stopped to talk or call each other and sort things much earlier in the book? I know this one will have an adoring audience, but I just wanted to get to the end of it so that I could turn off the whining of all those girls in my head. GOSH! Chorus and glee club teachers must be the most patient individuals around.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Calonita, Jen Turn It Up: Practice Makes Pitch Perfect , 272 pages. Point (Scholastic), 2018. $18. Content: Language: PG (2 swears); Mature Content: PG (kissing); Violence: G.

High school sophomores, Sydney and Lidia are co-captains of the Nightingales, an a capella group at Bradley Academy. They are best friends and have been looking forward to getting the Nightingales out of their past slump and building a successful group. Right before the season starts, Lidia sees Sydney kissing her long time crush, Griffin. Lidia feels like she can’t trust Sydney anymore and thinks she is going to pursue her dance dreams instead of singing. Sydney doesn’t know how to apologize to Lidia and she doesn’t know if she can get the Nightingales to succeed without the help of her best friend.

This is a clean teen drama with the themes of friendship, boy trouble and following your dreams. Although it’s a bit predictable and Lidia’s poor-me whining graded on my nerves, the plot line moved along and the characters were likable. If you have seen the movie Pitch Perfect, there are a lot of similarities, but this is the clean version. Although the characters are sophomores in high school this book feels younger than that.

MS – ADVISABLE. Reviewer, C. Peterson.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...

[Madhulika Botlaguduru · Rating 3 out of 5]

While reading the novel, I felt Jen Calonita doesn’t talk much about the characteristics and the personality of the main characters. Although the author shows that the three characters are very smart and hardworking. The characters are immature and are very insecure about themselves. The character development is very weak. This book has written in all the three characters perspective by alternating. The fights between Lidia and Sydney were really childish and felt very boring. Their transition between hate to love was very rushed out and wasn’t very convincing. The story is very predictable and there is nothing new about this book. Very fast paced book because the text isn’t that long each page. The writing doesn’t have high vocabulary and it is very easy to understand. It is written in third person. You can finish the book in a week or less than that depending on individuals. Lastly, the book isn’t that bad, personally I was a little bored because there was nothing new about this story. I wouldn’t recommend this book to people who don’t like girly books. Personally, it was okay and in my opinion this book for children between 12-16 years old. I will give this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once, the Nightingales a cappella group was the pride of Bradley Academy, but in recent years the group has fallen on hard times. Co-captains Lidia and Sydney are determined to bring the group back to its former glory, until they have a falling out over a boy. And not just any boy - the lead singer of smug, rival a capella group the Kingfishers. New girl Julianna is the Nightingale's saving grace, if she can get over her serious stage fright. Can the Nightingales get it together in time for their upcoming competition? Or will the group end up disbanding for good?

This was a really sweet YA novel, and I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it for that reason. Although the girls go through trying times, this is ultimately a story about friendship and finding yourself. All three main characters were relatable and showed growth by the end of the novel. The a capella theme was also unique and a lot of fun. Although there is a bit of romance, things never get too heated, and none of the characters curse. This gives the novel a sort of pure/clean feel. Hand to teens who want a engaging story but prefer to steer clear of explicit content. Bonus points if they're fans of Pitch Perfect.

[Jenna]

Jenna Boardman
Book Plug 4
8B
September 30, 2019
The second book that I finished for the month of September is Turn It Up by Jen Calonita. I would rate this book a 8 out of 10. Turn It Up is about an all girl a cappella group at Bradley Academy in Florida. Everything is going great until Lidia Sato sees her best friend Sydney Marino and lifetime crush Griffin Mancini kiss. When it's Sydney and Lidia's turn to be captains of the a cappella group Lidia's feelings about Sydney and Griffin kissing get in the way and she completely yells at Sydney in front of the entire group which gives Sydney a bad first impression on some of the new girls. Then that makes the Nightingales fall out of sort when they try to sing their first song together. Julianna Ramirez is their only hope, but she has stage fright. Everything takes an even bigger turn when Lidia says she doesn't want to be the co-captain of the Nightingales anymore. Will the Nightingales be able to pull themselves together for the Turn It Up competition?

[Hiral Agarwal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever felt that your best friend in the world has stabbed you in the back? That's exactly how Lidia felt when she discovered Sydney, aka her best friend, betrayed her by kissing the man of her dreams. but, for the Nightingales- all-girl Cappella, to win, they need to sort out their priorities and co-captain together for the betterment of Nightingales. Meanwhile, the new girl Julianne is a formidable singer, alas she has a terrible nerve of stage fright.

I liked how the author has presented the book in perspective of all the three girls and how they see the conflicts, people, feelings, etc. Moreover, while writing, there was a specific essence of the characters which were evident throughout the book. There were also many awkward and clumsy moments which every teenager faces, which grabbed my attention as many authors tend to forget about the same. All in all, this teenage drama will fill you with curiosity and allow you to see beyond crushes and focus on more important aspects such as friendship, leadership and passion.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pitch Perfect but make it high school, which unfortunately sounds much better than it is. I liked the little bits of rehearsals and performances we got (get ready for 1 bazillion pop song name checks); Calonita did a good job of fleshing out the team with unique background characters; and Griffin is actually a pretty decent, charming guy with mostly good intentions, albeit one who does love a mischevious prank. (Was he my favorite character despite having a fairly minor presence? Possibly. Or yes.)

Alas, the bulk of this short book is overwrought friend drama over the aforementioned boy that, in combination with the very juvenile boy v. girl pranks the teams pull on each other, does in fact feel So Middle School.

Also, it's kind of a bummer that despite besties Syd & Lyd loving The Nightingales so much that they successfully lobbied all summer to become co-captains of the team as sophomores...after one fight, Lidia not only quits the a capella team for dance, but concludes in the end that she loves it enough to make the change permanent.
-----------
I listened to this as an audiobook (narr. Amanda Dolan) when I sadly could not find my hard copy, and it's fine but I do not strongly recommend it, not least because there is so little variation in voice for the three points of view that it took me multiple chapters to differentiate between Sydney & Lidia/which one had the crush on Griffin vs. was actually interacting with him.

Also, Lidia's obsession with nonpareil candy = possibly a world record for how many times "nonpareils" has been written in a book.

[KatieLMae · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a huge fan of Pitch Perfect I couldn't pass up this book and I have to say it was Acadorable (forgive the pun but I couldn't pass up the opportunity there)

Turn It Up centers around The Nightingales, a struggling female a cappella group at Bradley Academy in Naples, FL. (I have family in naples so it was an added bonus that I recognized places that were talked about) We follow the team as they try to reclaim their former glory and fend off sabotage from their campus rivals, the all male group The Kingfishers. When a fight between best friends and co captains Lidia and Sydney puts the future of the team in jeopardy the girls have to learn to work together and discover what it truly means to be a team.

Yes it was predictable and yes there was plenty of high school drama but I got what I expected which was a fun, quick read, full of friendship and of course music.

[Kat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh, this book was so super predictable, from about the third paragraph I'd figured out the entire plot, but that isn't nesicarily bad if the characters we spend the time with are interesting and full. These weren't. I may be above the generally reccomended age for these books but I've fully enjoyed this authors other books as fun, light reads. This one I rolled my eyes at the entire way through, not a single character seemed developed beyond a series of traits, a charactor likes Sailor Moon because it's a plot point for her and the guy to get together, we don't hear why they like those characters what about them is enjoyable. I literally would have given this book if I wasn't so close to the end of the year needing to hit my goal.

[Hayley L · Rating 3 out of 5]

This all started with the singing group Nightingales. Bradley Academy's (all-girl school) a cappella group used to be everyone's favorite. But what happens when the Nightingales start to have issues with each other.. Best friends (Lidia Sato) and co-captains (Sydney Marino) get into a fight and aren't speaking. A boy has come between them (Griffin Mancini) the lead singer of Bradley's (all-boy) a capella group, the signing group Kingfishers. The Nightingales have no chance of winning the big state final if their captains are constantly arguing. Their only hope is a new girl. She's super shy, but she is very good at it singing. The whole group will have to get along if they want to beat the Kingfishers (the boys) and their rivals from Julianna's old school.

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this novel mostly because of all the theater and a cappella references. This mostly because I am really big on music and theater.
The Pitch Perfect movies definitely reminded me of this novel. I also loved the couples, Griffin and Sydney were so adorable. But I loved Jack and Lidia, they are so cute and nerdy! One of my favorite parts of the novel, was when Lidia apologized and committed feelings to Jack in her cosplay costume of Sailor Moon.
And because of Julianna, I definitely want to try song-writing!