Review: Unwritten Melody by Tessa Hall

I imagine most of us at 17 felt caged in our homes. I also imagine that most of us at 17 tried to rebel at some point. Maybe it's a rite of passage that we all have to go through. We feel too much at that age. So much anger, so much will and wants; some of us feel numb, and need daily reminders just to feel alive. 

There are some of us at that age that were lucky to take all of our rollercoaster emotional teenage mess, and channel them into something productive. While I can't speak for someone who used athletics as a means of escape, I can say that writing truly helped me.

And this is where I connected with Cassie. She's a goody two shoe - just like I was, and much like all of us at that age, yearned for freedom. I love how Cassie's poetry and snippets of Emily Dickison's poetry is laced in little pieces throughout the book. I can only imagine how Cassie’s sheltered world fed her poetry, and how much her poetry made her feel connected and isolated, at the same time.

I love her. I love the passion brewing underneath her silent resolve. I could feel the anger, the hurt and her wants and needs, when I read her poetry. Poems can say more about who and how a person is, than anything descriptive they tell us. 

If I was a teenager, I would call James dreamy - ha! But what a sweet guy to give Cassie pause amid her internal battles. 

Tessa Hall takes us back into our high school, teenage drama years but in a sweet, heartfelt tone. I had to stop reading for a bit, as I had become so invested in these two. This book is great for anyone who still haven't quite figured out how to channel something internal into something productive. I'm a firm believer that we all have a story to tell, whether that comes across through our writings, our spoken words, our actions, or the notes we play on a piano.

If we just listen for a moment to the world around us; the silence, the sounds of nature, the tones in people's voices, their footsteps, the breaths we take...... just maybe that Unwritten Melody that we've written in our heart, just may reveal itself. 

• ​ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tessa Emily Hall writes inspirational yet authentic YA fiction to show teens they’re not alone. The debut novel she penned at 16-years-old, PURPLE MOON (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas) was a Selah 2014 Finalist. Her second YA novel, UNWRITTEN MELODY, released with Clean Reads fall 2016. She makes way too many lattes but can never read enough books. Her passion for shedding light on clean entertainment and media for teens lead her to a career as a Jr. Agent at Hartline Literary Agency, YA Acquisitions Editor for Illuminate YA (LPC imprint), and Founder/Editor of PursueMagazine.net.
When Tessa’s fingers aren’t flying 116 WPM across the keyboard, she can be found speaking to teens, decorating her insulin pump, and acting in Christian films. She writes in a small town nestled between the Blue Ridge Mountains and Southeastern coast. Her favorite way to procrastinate is by connecting with readers on her blog, mailing list, social media (@tessaemilyhall), and website: www.tessaemilyhall.com

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