Rhythm & Muse

by India Hill Brown

Overview

Cinderella meets Cyrano in this pitch-perfect YA rom-com that is a celebration of Black joy, first crushes, and putting your heart on the line for love.

Darren Johnson lives in his head. There, he can pine for his crush—total dream girl, Delia Dawson—in peace, away from the unsolicited opinions of his talkative family and showboat friends. When Delia announces a theme song contest for her popular podcast, Dillie D in the Place to Be, Darren’s friends—convinced he’ll never make a move—submit one of his secret side projects for consideration.

After the anonymous romantic verse catches Dillie’s ear, she sets out to uncover the mystery singer behind the track. Now Darren must decide: Is he ready to step out of the shadows and take the lead in his own life? 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063217553
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/30/2023
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	130,019
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

India Hill Brown is the author of the NAACP Image Award–nominated middle grade novel The Forgotten Girl and The Girl in the Lake. She graduated from Claflin University with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications with a concentration in print journalism. She lives in Elgin, SC, with her husband and two sons. Rhythm & Muse is her first young adult novel. Visit India online at indiahillbrown.com. 

Editorial Reviews

"Featuring caring friends and loving family, this story centering Black characters and narrated by Darren is one of normalcy, introspection, growth, and love. It shows a more tender, vulnerable side of Black American teen males that is not portrayed enough in YA literature. Absorbing, humorous, and honest, the novel ends on a satisfyingly high note." — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2023-05-09
Self-doubt has stopped talented high school junior Darren from singing publicly.

Darren’s guidance counselor asks him why he’s no longer in the church choir and school chorus. Despite his excuses, “there’s a singing-sized hole in the middle of the room,” and she can see that. Meanwhile, best friend Justin urges Darren to ask out Delia, his crush who has a popular podcast, or move on. When Darren learns that Delia is holding a contest for a theme song for her podcast, he writes and performs a song declaring his fondness for her. It impresses his friends—and one of them, in hopes of playing matchmaker, submits the recording anonymously without Darren’s permission. When the song goes viral, everyone, and Delia in particular, wants to know who the mystery singer is. Darren’s reasons for avoiding singing are revealed gradually, keeping readers invested. Featuring caring friends and loving family, this story centering Black characters and narrated by Darren is one of normalcy, introspection, growth, and love. It shows a more tender, vulnerable side of Black American teen males that is not portrayed enough in YA literature. Darren ultimately finds his way back to doing what he loves and for all the right reasons. Absorbing, humorous, and honest, the novel ends on a satisfyingly high note.

An engaging story of friendship, music, and romance. (Fiction. 13-17)

Kirkus Reviews