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The Music of What Happens

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The Music of What Happens

By: Bill Konigsberg
Narrated by: Joel Froomkin, Anthony Ray Perez
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About this listen

From the award-winning author of Openly Straight, a story about two teens falling in love over a summer that throws everything possible to keep them apart.

Max: Chill. Sports. Video games. Gay and not a big deal, not to him, not to his mom, not to his buddies. And a secret: An encounter with an older kid that makes it hard to breathe, one that he doesn't want to think about, ever.

Jordan: The opposite of chill. Poetry. His "wives" and the Chandler Mall. Never been kissed and searching for Mr. Right, who probably won't like him anyway. And a secret: A spiraling out of control mother, and the knowledge that he's the only one who can keep the family from falling apart.

Throw in a rickety, 1980s-era food truck called Coq Au Vinny. Add in prickly pears, cloud eggs, and a murky idea of what's considered locally sourced and organic. Place it all in Mesa, Arizona, in June, where the temp regularly hits 114. And top it off with a touch of undeniable chemistry between utter opposites.

Over the course of one summer, two boys will have to face their biggest fears and decide what they're willing to risk - to get the thing they want the most.

©2019 Bill Konigsberg (P)2019 Scholastic Inc. Bullying & Abuse Dating & Sex Difficult Situations Family & Relationships LGBTQ+ Literature & Fiction Racism & Discrimination Romance Dating Discrimination

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Critic reviews

"Through the empathetic performances of two narrators, we meet gay Arizona high schoolers Jordan and Max, and their families and friends.... Froomkin and Perez's heartfelt portrayals ensure that listeners are in sync with the characters as they deal with everything from a traumatic sexual encounter and mental health issues to toxic masculinity and figuring out how to be true to oneself." (AudioFile)
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I’ve listened to some Bill Konigsberg books before and this did not disappoint. It was a rollercoaster of emotions that I was not expecting to go on. Amazing depth of characters and well read by both!! Worth a listen to!!

So many emotions

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On paper, this is a book that I ought to have enjoyed given I like very similar books. However, I struggled to finish it, and when I did I was no longer invested.
The style where there are two narrators narrated by different people sounds like a good idea, but it gets really jarring when one does the other's voice as they're very different. Taken separately, the narrators do a good job; the switching is what raises the issue.

Something is a little jarring

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Once again Bill Konigsberg creates realistic characters that I felt I could relate to. Yes, he uses stereotypes but they are not one sided, they have depth. The story is beautiful and the whole while I was wondering what was going to happen next to then their worlds upside down. The actual performances were fine but there were parts where they edit in sentences that were obviously re-recorded on a different day which breaks the immersion for me. They are few and far between, however, and did not ruin my enjoyment of the book so much.

Another beautiful story

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Nice story. I particularly liked the character Max his approach to life was something I would like to imitate, always cool and collected. Jordan practically the opposite I just didn’t connect to. I think I might have found him cuter if the narrator hadn’t been so over the top. Sure his character was termed “dramatic” but he did over use the !!!! 100%. For all the characters as well, even J’s mom had the “OMG!” factor which made no sense because why would she talk like the teenagers do? I found myself turning the volume down when his chapters came on (it was like he was shouting into the microphone) and then turning them up again for Max who was just so much more pleasant to listen to. Even when Jordan was talking in Max’s chapters the narrator for Max made Jordan alot more tolerable than he was in his own chapters. I was determined to finish the story as it had a good story but I have to admit I did almost stop from how much cringe Jordan’s chapters were. He just came across less likeable and at times I even questioned what Max saw him really. I think that was 99% the narrator that made me feel that way. Sorry but thats the truth.

The story was right up my street. One of the narrators slightly ruined my experience though

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I really loved this book. Brilliant, deep characters...excellent narration.... fabulous writing. Take the plunge. Read it.

Incredible!

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If I could, I would give all the stars in the night sky to Bill Konigsberg and The Music of What Happens. This YA LGBT novel worked its way into my heart and refuses to let go. With a unique and refreshing cast of characters who aren’t afraid to recognize their shortcomings or tackle the problems life throws at them, this book is probably my top read of the year so far.

One of the real assets of this story was how REAL it was. It wasn’t a stereotypical “summer love” young adult novel. This book showed that sometimes, life sucks. Life is hard, lousy things happen to good people, and not everyone can deal in a constructive and healthy way.

But Max and Jordan forged an unlikely friendship which morphed into a fledgling love and learned to lean on each other, which I found heartwarming and beautiful. I loved that they were able to open up to each other and become a source of strength for one another. My momma bear instincts kicked into overdrive for these two and I have adopted Jordan as my fictional son and want to take care of him forever.

The Music of What Happens deals with some heavy topics and honestly, certain parts were difficult to read. My heart hurt for these boys, especially as I could draw some parallels between their experiences to my own youth (back when the dinosaurs still roamed the earth). But I felt they were handled respectfully and thoughtfully.

I listened to the audiobook (of course), and the narration was outstanding. Anthony Rey Perez was a new narrator for me, and he embodied Max perfectly. Joel Froomkin is, well…Joel. Need I say more? If you’ve known me more than a minute, you know my feelings there. Of course, he nails the main characters, but even beyond that, his portrayal of Jordan’s “wives” had me snort-laughing so many times throughout the story. He made even those “secondary” characters so vivid and entertaining, I loved them and couldn’t help but become attached to them.

Konigsberg wrote a story that was heartwarming and silly and serious and authentic and wonderful. I don’t have enough superlatives to describe how I felt about this book. I honestly loved it and feel it truly is a book that so many people, young, old, gay, straight, and anything in between could benefit from reading.

One of my top books of the year!

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I really enjoyed. The actors voices were enjoyable to listen to and the story was captivating, raw, real and just fantastic.
Thank you for the many hours of enjoyable listening. x

Just... wow!

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The voice of joel frumpkin is the one downside of this story, he has the perfect voice for the part but he comes at the narration very harshly you often feel attacked when he suddenly exclaims something which doesn't need to be, especially compared to the other narrator who is in contrast much more calm and measured. The story is a great blend of tones and personalities with a nice balanced ending and well worth the listen.

Narration a little Jarring But Story is Great

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Flawed-but-likeable characters, engaging performances, a deftly-plotted storyline with touching/tender moments, humour and believable character development.

Touching story

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The actors read their parts so well and the story is wonderful. Focusing on many different and difficult topics. I want a sequel!!

wonderful

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