This Song Is (Not) for You by Laura Nowlin is a quirky but highly enjoyable young adult romance.

Ramona Andrews and Sam Peterson are best friends who are also in a band together. They are also in love with each other but neither is willing to admit it since they are afraid to ruin their friendship. After an accidental meeting with Tom Cogsworthy, they invite him to join their band and everyone's relationship unexpectedly becomes complicated when Ramona and Tom fall for each other.

Ramona is a very bubbly, energetic and enthusiastic young woman. She does not particularly care about other people's opinions of her and she definitely marches to the beat of her own drummer. An avid musician, she is an talented piano player but her true love is percussion instruments. She is surprised by her romantic interest in Tom and although they quickly become a couple, Ramona is confused by her continued feelings for Sam.

Sam enjoys making music, but unlike Ramona, he does not want to pursue it as a career. His parents are divorced and although his home life is a bit atypical due to his eccentric mom, he is fairly well-adjusted and happy. Although Sam is disappointed when Ramona and Tom start dating, he remains hopeful about a future with her.

When Tom first meets Ramona and Sam, he is rather depressed and lonely. Although well-liked by his classmates, he does not have any close friends and he is still upset over a recent breakup with his girlfriend. He has a penchant for glitter that has caused him a bit of trouble but overall, he is a quiet young man that blends into the background.

This Song Is (Not) for You alternates between the three main characters' perspectives but Laura Nowlin does an excellent job giving them distinctive voices and unique characteristics that make it easy to tell them apart. The storyline is engrossing and the romantic element is different than is typically found in young adult novels. All in all, a fascinating story with appealing protagonists that fans of the genre are sure to enjoy. ( )

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review:
I think this book is promising but I don't think it reached it's full potential. Out of the three main characters, Ramona is the most developed. I particularly enjoyed how she matured as a person through her later interaction with Emmalyn. I think this relationship, between those two characters, could, overall, be developed more.
Abnormal relationship dynamics and polyamory are common with teens and early twenty-somethings in today's world. Not many YA books give representation to this trend. I wish the author explored this facet of her book more since I think that's what sets it apart form other YA love triangles. Instead of the book ending with this type of relationship being decided, the plot should of followed the relationship longer. ( )

Relationships are hard. Maybe it is more apt to say that getting into a relationship is hard. In an age where people shouldn’t be afraid to say anything, people are actually more afraid to be real about their statements. It is easier to skirt around or avoid an issue entirely than to own your feelings straight away. At least, that is what the novel seems to be point towards. Truthfully, there is always some chance of miscommunication and when no words are spoken, it’s even easier to not know what another person is feeling. This is the case of Sam and Ramona. Yet sometimes, there is a chance that another person can bridge that gap for those people involved and this is where it gets interesting. This is where the story diverges from the typical character A likes character B and character C brings them together through plotting and various hilarious plot lines. No, the author makes this idea so much more interesting.

Sam is who I consider to be character A. He doesn’t conform to the typical musician stereotype and he isn’t overly macho, rather he is a sweet guy, who thinks he has been friend-zoned by the one girl he likes. Perhaps one of the main character flaws he suffers from is the fact that he doesn’t try — he doesn’t speak. He is willing to give up his dreams for a girl, willing to not speak his mind for a girl, and his unwillingness to do essentially anything can be considered frustrating. It isn’t until the end that he finally decides to claim his desires and do what he has always wanted that he becomes an interesting character to read.

Ramona is perhaps the most engaging character to read, and I consider her to be character B. She has so much flair to her personality and her excitement is infectious, it seems to ooze through the page. I like her fire a lot, and I enjoyed the fact that she was so focused on being herself that she often becomes too much for the other characters. Yet, while she owns herself and her opinions, she appears to be too scared to own her feelings. Just like Sam, she is too scared share her feelings and it can be frustrating as well. However, she also allows herself to be involved with other people which is different than with Sam, who is purely devoted to Ramona.

And finally, Tom is character C and he is the really interesting mainly due to the fact that he doesn’t conform to the type archetype of character C. Where his role is typically relegated to that of a side character, Tom is a full fledged main character whose role in the romantic plot is just as entangled as those of the two previous characters. His characterization is similar to that of Sam even though he proves to be complex in other ways. Where Ramona is fire and Sam is steady, Tom is confused. He doesn’t know who he is, and that is something that the two other characters have figured out. He wants to be so many things, but more than anything he wants to be different and original. Throughout the novel, he is just simply trying to figure out whether that is even possible.

I was interested to see how the novel turned out, and it surprised me how the plot twists occurred. I never expected the plot to turn out like it did. It was a fast read, and an interesting outlook on the typical romance plot. ( )