If Melody hadn't run out of de-icer that day, she would never have slipped and banged her head. She wouldn't be left with a condition that makes her sing when she's nervous. And she definitely wouldn't have belted out the Arctic Monkeys' 'I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor' in assembly at her son's school.If Dev hadn't taken the kids to the zoo that day, then the accident wouldn't have happened. He wouldn't have left Flynn and Rose without a dad. Or shattered the love of his life's heart.But if they hadn't seen the missing person report that day, they might never have taken the trip to Cornwall. And, in the last place they expected, discovered what it really means to be 'Us'.
The Songs of Us by Emma Cooper was published in paperback by Headline on 20 September 2018, my thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.
I read The Songs of Us during my holiday in Rhodes at the end of September. I rarely cry. I never cry in public. I cried as I was reading The Songs of Us, I cried in public, sitting by the pool. There were big fat tears, some snot and a few strange looks from fellow holiday makers. This is a beautifully written, heartbreaking yet uplifting story. I fell in love with the characters immediately, and they continue to haunt me.
Melody lives with her two children Flynn and Rose. Melody is a single parent, the kids Dad; Dev, left years ago, after a terrible accident that tore the family apart. Dev didn't just leave. He disappeared one ordinary day, with no warning. Melody is a fun-loving, compassionate mother, she's also a little unusual in that after slipping and banging her head, she now bursts into song at the most inappropriate moments.
Flynn and Rose have their own personal issues to deal with. Flynn's scars from the accident make him the target for stares and bullying, and he often fights back. Rose spends most of her time trying her best to track down her missing father, whilst hiding her own coping mechanisms from those that love her.
This little family unit are as strong as possible. The relationship between Melody and her children is wonderfully portrayed, these two young people have suffered so much yet their dedication to Melody and the way that they deal with her spontaneous singing is just so heart warming.
Emma Cooper writes with such flair and compassion. Her ability to create characters that the reader cannot fail to fall in love with is just superb.
There's so much hope within this fabulous book and as a reader, I was desperately hoping that their dreams would come true. However, this extremely talented author does not spare the reader and we are subjected to some absolutely heart-wrenching scenes ... cue the snot-ridden tears. Yet, even through the devastation, Emma Cooper's sparkling wit shines through and she turns what could be an almost impossible to bear situation into one of hope, filled with love and joy.
Thoughtful, sensitive and a complete tear-jerker. The Songs of Us is a truly beautiful book. I adored the characters, the story and the impeccable writing. Highly recommended from me.
Emma Cooper is a former teaching assistant, who lives in Shropshire, with her partner and four children. Her spare time consists of writing novels, drinking wine and watching box-sets with her partner of twenty-four years, who still makes her smile every day.Emma has always wanted to be a writer – ever since her childhood, she’s been inventing characters (her favourite being her imaginary friend ‘Boot’) and is thrilled that she now gets to use this imagination to bring to life all of her creations.
The Songs of Us was inspired by Emma’s love of music and her ability to almost always embarrass herself, and her children, in the most mundane of situations. She was so fascinated by the idea of combining the two, that she began to write Melody’s story. Working full-time with a large family meant that Emma had to steal snippets of ‘spare’ time from her already chaotic and disorganised life; the majority of her novel was written during her lunchtime in a tiny school office. She never expected to fall so deeply in love with the King family and is overwhelmed that others feel the same.
She has three loves in life: reading, writing and her family…oh, and music, cheese, pizza, films – Maths is not one of her talents.
Emma keeps in touch with her readers and loves to hear from them on twitter @ItsEmmacooper and on her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/EmmacooperAuthor/
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