Romance
After her twin brother’s death, aspiring musician Sabrina begins a new life at a prestigious music college, where she meets River, a guarded star with his own scars. As their connection deepens, they must confront grief, ambition, and the risk of love amidst haunting pasts...
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Sabrina always dreamed of becoming a professional musician alongside her twin brother Alex – until his sudden death shattered everything. Overwhelmed by guilt and grief, she seizes her last chance to attend the prestigious Boston Music College, even if it means severing ties with her parents and charting her own path in life.
Struggling to move forward without Alex, Sabrina navigates her first semester, where she meets River, a famous singer-songwriter teaching one of her courses as a visiting artist. What begins as an unlikely friendship quickly deepens into something more, but Sabrina isn’t the only one carrying the weight of the past.
River knows all too well that love is not to be trusted. He already has everything he thought he needed: recognition, wealth, and the power to have any woman he desires. But is that really enough?
As ambition and old wounds collide, Sabrina and River must confront their pasts and decide whether love is worth the risk or if some scars run too deep.
Here's what readers have to say about this book....
I devoured this book in one sitting and I have zero regrets. ZERO! Sabrina is still reeling from the loss of her twin brother 2yrs ago, and even after intense therapy she is struggling to actually live life knowing that he's gone while she's doing what they had always dreamed of doing together. She doesn't feel worthy of her chance because she thinks she's not good enough without him, and without the support of her parents, she lacks the confidence to give her all. River Evans is a famous singer-songwriter, and as an alum of BMC, he's spending the semester teaching a few master classes and guest teaching in a few others. He initially meets Sabrina outside the emergency exit door after his concert when she's trying to calm down a panic attack after his concert. After he calms her down, he's instantly intrigued, and they soon find themselves running into each other more and more, while they're friendship turns to.. something else. However, River has his own demons after growing up in the foster care system, and never lets anyone too close. What follows is a deeply personal, emotional look at the inner struggles of grief, loss, and moving on. I loved this book. The grief storyline is so well written, and seeing the personal growth Sabrina makes by the end of the book gives a feeling of palpable relief. And River?? He may seem calm and collected on the outside, unreadable and maybe even stoic to some, but he melts for Sabrina every time. You discover his soft side, his unwavering support for those he cares about, his humility and gratitude for everything he has. "It occurs to me that, in the end, even though River has accomplished all his dreams, he is still that broken little boy. A boy who is now celebrated by millions but continues to wander the world alone." that hurt my heart so bad. He was frustrating at times--in a way that I admittedly can completely relate to--but he had my whole heart. 10/10 recommend. Thank you to Netgalley, Beyond The Books PR, and the author for allowing me to read and review this wonderful book.
I must say for my first time reading a romance book, this book is really good I really enjoyed it. I would definitely rate it a 5/5 star rating I could not put the book down I wanted to keep reading to see what happens next. I could definitely see this book as a movie!
Laura Lo Sapio has absolutely altered my brain chemistry with some of the quotes from this book! I LOVED Nothing Left but Silence. It was truly such a complex and deep romance story that dove into love beyond just the standard romantic love. It highlighted what it means to love a sibling and the pain left behind when you lose the place to put that love. The book opens with Sabrina bickering with her twin brother Alex, only for the author to reveal that Alex died several years ago. Sabrina is leaving the Czech Republic and her stable job as a music teacher to go to the US and study music against her family’s wishes, but that was her and Alex’s dream–the original plan before he died. Sabrina was the songwriter, and Alex was the performer, so when she got to school, she was struggling to write and perform, and hiding the loss of her brother because she couldn’t bear to talk about him. That is, until River waltzes in. River, the famous singer-songwriter and guest teacher at the university, who also happens to be the person who calmed her down after a song-induced panic attack at his show, pushes her out of her comfort zone, forcing her to embrace her own talent and face the loss of her brother. As River and Sabrina get to know each other, the romance between them blossoms, but both of them have complicated histories, and he is still a professor, so can this even go anywhere, or are they doomed to remain student and teacher? The romance between River and Sabrina was a tasteful slow burn, and I really appreciated how much they both cared for each other as people, outside of their romantic relationship, they prioritized making sure the other person felt validated and appreciated. Overall, a wonderful story with beautiful writing. Thank you to Netgalley and The Book Guild for giving me an eARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
Thank you The Book Guild and NetGalley for the ARC I enjoyed the book. Really caught that emotional part. It could definitely be a comfort read. The book starts off with passion and direction. The progress with the song Sabrina was working on really paid off. The ending did give me a proud sense of feeling, lol.
I don’t usually read music-centered stories because they often feel unrealistic, but this one was a pleasant surprise. The author’s musical knowledge really shines through, making the setting feel authentic and engaging. Sabrina is a wonderful protagonist; her grief, guilt and emotional journey were portrayed beautifully. I loved seeing her growth and how River helped her rediscover her strength and confidence. Their connection felt genuine and tender, and the “Violet” nickname was a sweet touch. The pacing was steady, the side characters and the music school setting added depth without overshadowing the main story, and the emotional payoff by the end was very satisfying. I loved how she did not let River's behavior slide and called him out on it. I did though, had some issues with River. He was supposed to be the mature/grown-up one but often it felt like Sabrina was the more mature one. Still, by the end of the book he became the man I was hoping he was. Spice level maybe around 3/5, with most focus on emotion and healing rather than just romance. For a debut, I think this was really well done.
