The Sound of Us by Sarah Castille

Narrated by Lila Winters and Thomas Oakley

Standalone New Adult College Romance

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy for review purposes. Ana’s Attic accepts no compensation for reviews, and all reviews contain my honest opinion. This post contains affiliate links.

“You are the best song in the playlist of my life.”

I have a soft spot for books with a musical theme, and I can never resist picking one up when it’s centered around music or music history. When I saw The Sound of Us by Sarah Castille on NetGalley, I grabbed it immediately. However, it didn’t quite register with me at first that this was a college romance, something I realized only after my request.

Skye Jordan is a college basketball player with a deep love and knowledge of music. After a recent tragedy leaves her injured and at risk of losing her scholarship, she’s at a crossroads. Enter Dante: a law student with the same intense passion for music, a bassist in a band, a bad boy, and the sultry late-night DJ at the college indie radio station.

The moment they meet, their shared love of music creates sparks. It’s rare to find someone who matches your passion so completely. Add in their tragic family backstories, and it’s easy to see why these two are drawn to each other.

When Skye gets an internship opportunity at the radio station, it complicates things—Dante becomes off-limits. They try to resist their connection, but let’s be honest, it doesn’t really work. And that’s where the angst kicks in. Oh, the angst! I forgot how much New Adult romance leans into that.

While there are plenty of steamy moments (in some pretty interesting places), their immaturity and lack of communication grated on my nerves. Surprisingly, my favorite character wasn’t Skye or Dante—it was the station owner. In fact, I really enjoyed the side characters overall.

The Sound of Us was a very full story, and it stands out as different from most of the books I’ve read. Even weeks later, I still remember it, which doesn’t happen often. That said, I’m not the target audience. Readers in their 20s might connect with this story more than I did. For me, the immaturity of the main characters was a barrier I couldn’t quite overcome.

Likes:

I loved all the musical references.
The chapter titles were all songs that tied in well.
The staff at the radio station.
The storyline involving the radio station.
There were plenty of steamy scenes, but they didn’t overpower the story.
The story was unique, full, and memorable.

Dislikes:

The characters’ immaturity and lack of communication.
Dante’s hot-and-cold behavior—pulling her close, then pushing her away.
Both characters carried too much emotional baggage.

The Narration:

Lila Winters and Thomas Oakley were both new to me, and they were fantastic. I hope to hear more from both of them. Their performances definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the story.

The Down & Dirty:

I enjoyed The Sound of Us, but I’m not its intended audience. If I were younger and more into New Adult romances, I might have connected with it more. I loved the obscure musical references and the characters’ appreciation for both classic and contemporary music. If you enjoy music-centric books, this is worth picking up. The lack of communication and immaturity held me back from fully loving it, but that might be an age thing on my part. But if you are looking for a music-centric angsty college romance, this may be perfect for you.