I have read a lot of books in my lifetime - biographies, horror, romance, adventure, memoirs and much more. My house, phone, and laptop are filled to the brim with them and after finishing one, I’m already looking for the next.

But when my sister sent me a file- ‘This Song Will Save Your Life’ - I had no idea why she recommended it to me. The blurb seemed unassuming: outcast teenage girl, Elise Dembowski, finds her passion in the obscure art of Dj-ing. A bit disappointing but an easy read, right? After all, there are thousands of book with similar plots so what’s one more?

I underestimated this book. Reading Elise’s story, it was an honest-to-god roller coaster of emotions.

Thinking I could finish it with no hassle, I began reading and fell for the novel - hook, line, and sinker - by the first line. Leila Sales has an incredibly unique way of writing - it felt like I was standing by Elise through each heartbreak and success. When she was shunned by her classmates, it felt like my heart was being ripped out, and when she found a safe haven in the form of a nightclub called Start, I almost cried tears of happiness.

But what I felt could truly help teenagers - those who are different, isolated, not ordinary - was what the message of ‘This Song Will Save Your Life’ is. For the ‘outcasts’ at school, with unusual ways and unconventional attitudes, this book is your saving grace. It will teach you to embrace yourselves along with all your qualities and your shortcomings.

In a difficult time of my life, ‘This Song Will Save Your Life’ has helped me more than words can express. It taught me that things get better when you least expect it to, but you also need to take the terrifying leap of faith of hoping that it will and hanging on until it does. Following Elise’s strategy, I grit my teeth and powered through even when all I wanted to do was collapse in boneless heap, and for this I’m grateful because I believe that I’ve really moved on to the next phase of my life.

So, in a nutshell: what is this book about? It’s about friendship, love, family and most of all, it’s about moving forward to better things and leaving the past exactly where it should be - the past.