This Song Will Save Your Life - Paperback

by Leila Sales (Author)

A powerful coming-of-age story about an outsider who finds herself when she enters the underground music scene.

"Very much of the moment." --The New York Times
"If you're a music junkie who also loves YA, read it alongside Len Vlahos's The Scar Boys or Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park." --Janet Geddis, Avid Bookshop
"Sales gets everything right." --MTV.com

Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski's strong suit. All throughout her life, she's been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up.

Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.

Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, Leila Sales' This Song Will Save Your Life powerful young adult coming of age novel is an exuberant story about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.

Praise for This Song Will Save Your Life:

"The emotional resonance of Elise's journey . . . feels very much of the moment." --The New York Times

"Heartbreaking, heartfelt, and eventually heart-lifting, this YA novel is one I won't soon forget. If you're a music junkie who also loves YA, read it alongside Len Vlahos's The Scar Boys or Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park." --Janet Geddis, Avid Bookshop

"Pulsates with hope for all the misfits." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Readers will be fascinated and touched by the first-person voice because of what is roiling beneath it. . . .
Teens will connect with [Elise] viscerally." --Booklist, starred review

"Sales gets everything right." --MTV.com

"A wild, witty, funny, thumping good read." --Adele Griffin, two-time National Book Award Finalist

"Edgy and irresistible. If this book were a song, I'd have it on repeat with the volume all the way up." --Sarah Mlynowski, author of Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have)

"A perfect harmony of laugh-out-loud moments, heartbreak, and hope." --Eileen Cook, author of Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood

"A vibrant, powerful dance party of a novel." --Jess Rothenberg, author of The Catastrophic History of You and Me

"A remarkable story about the power of truth, friendship, and music--to transform us, to inspire us, to guide us back to who we are." --Rebecca Serle, author of When You Were Mine

"A sweet, funny story about finding yourself in a crowd, owning your talents, and rocking out on the dance floor of life." --Madeleine George, author of The Difference Between You and Me

A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
A BuzzFeed Best YA Book of the Year
A CCBC Choice

Also by Leila Sales
Tonight the Streets Are Ours
If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say
Once Was a Time
Past Perfect
Mostly Good Girls

Author Biography

Leila Sales is the author of the novels Mostly Good Girls and Past Perfect. She grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts, and graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Chicago. Much like the characters in This Song Will Save Your Life, Leila regularly stays up too late and listens to music too loud. When she's not writing, she spends her time thinking about sleeping, kittens, chocolate, and the meaning of life. But mostly chocolate. Leila lives and writes in Brooklyn, New York, and works in children's book publishing.