A Song Only I Can Hear by Barry Jonsberg Review

A Song Only I Can Hear

Author: Barry Jonsberg

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Release date: 27th June 2018

Pages: 288 pages

R.R.P: $16.99

Good evening, Rob. Your first challenge follows.

These challenges have nothing to do with impressing Destry Camberwick. They are all to do with impressing Rob Fitzgerald. Bear that in mind at all times.

Challenge 1. You will enter the Milltown's Got Talent competition. This gives you over a fortnight to polish your act and work out strategies to overcome panic attacks. I would wish you luck but the point of this challenge is that you don't need luck.

Introducing Rob Fitzgerald: thirteen years old and determined to impress the new girl at school, but it's a difficult task for a super-shy kid who is prone to panic attacks that include vomit, and genuine terror that can last all day. An anonymous texted is sending Rob challenges and they might just help. Or not.

My Review

Thoughts on the book: A Song Only I Can Hear is the new novel from award winning author Barry Jonsberg and tells the story of thirteen year old Rob Fitzgerald. Rob is super shy and struggles with most social situations. When he meets the new girl at school, Destry Chamberwick, he instantly falls in love and wants to get the courage to talk to her and get to know her. His grandad suggest he play for the school soccer team as a goalie as that will surly impress her. After much consideration Rob decides to play and he pictures all the balls being Destry's face and he has to save them all and amazingly he is actually quite good at it. The night before the big match against their rival school team Rob recieves a message from an unknown number wishing him luck. This number continues to message him throughout the book with tasks for him to complete. These tasks are set to make Rob step out of his comfort zone and will allow him to stand out so Destry knows who he is. With each new task the level of commitment is higher and higher. Will Rob be able to complete all the tasks? Will he ever find out who is sending the texts and will Destry ever know who he is?

A massive thank you to Jessica from Allen and Unwin for sending me an uncrorrected proof copy of A Song Only I Can Hear by Barry Jonsberg to read and review. This isn't my first Barry Jonsberg book that I have read and it won't be the last either because he has a very unique writing style that I have grown to love with each book. I was pleasantly surprised with how much this book touched me and how funny it was. I cried in one bit, which surprised me because I wasn't expecting it, and then was thrown for a loop in another spot because of the shock I recieved. I would have given A Song Only I Can Hear five stars but I found at times that the writing was a little all over the place and I got confused with what was going on during those times. By far my favourite parts of the book were between Rob and his grandfather, they have such an amazing connection and it's one that I think all young people should have with their grandparents and I know that I encourage mine to spend a lot of time with their grandparents and I know I did and still do. 

So go and grab yourself a copy of A Song Only I can Hear and make sure you have tissues for near the end of the book because you most certainly will need them.

Rating: 4/5