Review: The Girl in the Love Song by Emma Scott

THE GIRL IN THE LOVE SONG

Emma Scott

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult/New Adult, Romance

Released: June 1, 2020

Source: Purchased

Rating: 4 stars

Miller Stratton is a survivor. After a harrowing childhood of poverty, he will do anything it takes to find security for himself and his mom. He’s putting all his hopes and dreams in the fragile frame of his guitar and the beauty he creates with its strings and his soulful voice.

Until Violet.

No one expects to meet the love of their life at age thirteen. But the spunky rich girl steals Miller’s heart and refuses to give it back.

Violet McNamara’s life hasn’t been as simple as it looks. Her picture-perfect family is not so perfect after all. Her best friend Miller is her one constant and she is determined not to ruin their friendship with romantic complications.

But the heart wants what it wants. As Miller’s star begins to rise to stratospheric heights, what will it take for Violet to realize that she’s the girl in all of his love songs?

Talk about a heartbreaker! It’s not like I expected anything different from Emma Scott, but the angst was off the charts here, my friends. Miller and Violet met at the age of thirteen and were instantly the best of friends. Their friendship was deep and meaningful, and they shared the secrets of their home lives with each other – things no one else knew. Their bond only strengthened over the years and although they both loved each other, neither of them were willing to speak up about their feelings and risk their friendship. They needed and depended on that friendship too much.

We were both only thirteen, but that day I knew I'd love her forever.

Emma Scott managed to make my heart hurt for Miller in the first few pages. From the very beginning I ached for the boy who was living in poverty,  whose mother wasn’t strong enough to provide the care and support he needed, and whose home life became unwelcoming and then dangerous when his mother’s boyfriend moved in. His situation was unimaginable but probably all too realistic. With Violet, her life looked charmed from the outside – a beautiful home in an upscale neighborhood, successful parents, a golden future – but behind closed doors there was tension and anger. The dynamic at home was bad enough that it tainted Violet’s view on love and relationships and so she continued to stifle her feelings for Miller, convinced that love couldn’t last and only led to heartache.

I play for her the songs I'd been writing in her room, with her sitting not a foot from me, oblivious to how perfect she was.

And therein lies the angst. These two people who were in love, who only felt truly seen by the other, who were like each other’s missing piece… but neither would take that chance. All through high school, they danced around each other, coming together and pulling apart like magnets. Sometimes it was circumstances that kept them apart but most often it was their own fears. But despite my frustration with all the time they were apart and pining, there was a lot to love. Like Miller’s utter devotion to Violet, and Violet’s unwavering belief in Miller. And the depiction of found-family was just… perfection. *chef’s kiss* The connection and support between Miller, Ronan and Holden was so special. (And I love that we’ll get Ronan and Holden’s stories in the next books.)

For a few beautiful, shining moments, he'd been all mine. Now he belonged to the world.

It was all wrapped up with an epilogue that made me both smile and brought on happy tears. So, even though the stubbornness and the angst had me wanting to knock Violet and Miller’s heads together at times (or lock them in a room together until they sorted it all out), the destination was absolutely worth the journey.

YOU CAN FIND THE GIRL IN THE LOVE SONG HERE:

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