Trigger warnings: Adult-minor relationships

6/10, I read this since it was on the realistic shelf when I first saw this a few months ago and I didn't realise how old it actually is but anyways I came in with high expectations but all it turned out to be was a very boring YA novel about music. I didn't give two hoots about the characters at all, they were very flat and not well written since they didn't really experience any character development. The story was mainly about love, quitting music and then coming back to it which was kind of stale and boring as I read through the book. The ending was just the main character playing a few pieces and that's it, and she didn't receive much applause either which was a rather boring ending to a boring book. The main character used to have a crush on a teacher who loved her back and my only thoughts were that it was so weird and maybe even illegal and how could this be in a young adult novel. I have read other better romance novels since then so go read the Sun is Also a Star for a better love story. Not to mention that overall the author just can't find a way to connect me to the story so yeah, there's that. ( )

Lucy Beck-Moreau had a promising future as a concert pianist and was gaining fame in the musical world until she quit after her parents and grandfather lied to her about her grandmother’s death so Lucy would be more focused on her music. Now, she is in regular school and everyone instead expects her ten-year-old brother, Gus, to be the star of the family. When Gus gets a new teacher, he encourages her to go back to piano, not for her family but for herself and the music. Going back to music involves the possibility of a forbidden romance, distancing herself from her family, and losing her friends, but finding the music inside of her might be worth the risk.

The Lucy Variations captures a wide spectrum of emotion. Lucy’s emotions are varied and real, and so are the emotions of other characters, particularly Gus and how she still loves him even though he is jealous and angry. The family drama feels realistic and just as frustrating for the reader as it for Lucy. It explores a teenage girl’s attraction to a teacher and a married man in a mature way, showing that some relationships won’t and shouldn’t work out. Lucy learns through these that what she thought she wants is someone to support her passions and interests, but she has to do things because it’s what she wants to do and not because someone else approves of it. Because of this and other reasons, Lucy grows up a lot in the course of the story and has a great character arc. This book is perfect for those who are looking for something that’s a little different from a lot of contemporary books, focusing more on decisions of who you are rather than outside circumstances and relationships. ( )

Sixteen-year-old Lucy Beck-Moreau had a promising future as a concert pianist when she made the decision to walk away and not play at her scheduled performance in Prague. She was disenchanted with her structured life, which was dominated by her Grandfather and his big plans for her future career. So following the incident in Prague she didn’t play the piano for an entire year. Her younger brother Gus becomes the focus of her Grandfather’s plans and soon there is a new piano teacher, Will, who begins readying Gus to make his first showcase performance. He has been hired to tutor Gus, but Will also knows about Lucy’s talents. Will and Lucy become friends and Will tries to persuade her to start playing again.

The book provides good advice to the reader through Lucy to make sure that you are doing something in your life that you enjoy and that you are doing it for yourself rather than because someone else wants you to do it. In other words, have the courage to be yourself rather than what someone else wants you to be. Lucy also finds that family and friends are an important part of her success. I considered the book to be an average read. It may be a more appealing book for someone with a love for music performance.

( )

Pressure I can understand even if I know nothing about playing a piano. This book delves into the idea that you must make your own path and not let anyone take control of something you love. I was a bit iffy with Lucy sometimes and her older men. I also would have liked her friends to be more part of the story. ( )

This is the kind of book that you wish wouldn't end. You like the characters (although they are human and flawed), you like the plot, and there's music! What more could one want? ( )