Music Monday ~ Every Ugly Word by Aimee L. Salter

Hosted by: Total Book Geek

It's Music Monday! Time to pick a book & pair it with some winning tunes...

This Monday's pick is Aimee L. Salter's Every Ugly Word. You can check out my full review of the book here.

Every Ugly Word is a thought-provoking YA novel, whose intense and emotional storyline inspired me to find the perfect playlist that would compliment such a book. Today I will be sharing a few of the songs from my playlist.

The first song on the list is for Older Ashley and Ashley. Two mirror images - one older and wiser, and the other in desperate need of guidance. Ashley's conversations with 'Older Me' through the mirror made me think of the Justin Timberlake song Mirrors. 

Because Ashley is a girl (and because I personally thought that this version was much prettier!) I chose Madilyn Bailey's cover of the song. The lyrics that reminded me of Every Ugly Word are:

'And I can't help but notice, 

You reflect in this heart of mine. 

If you ever feel alone and, 

The glare makes me hard to find, 

Just know that I'm always, 

Parallel on the other side.

(...) And now it's clear as this promise, 

That we're making two reflections into one, 

'Cause it's like you're my mirror, 

My mirror staring back at me.'

The second song is Drowning by BANKS. To me, this song addresses two parties - Matt (Ashley's friend and longtime crush), as well as Ashley's classmates who continue to bully her. 

The lyrics reminded me of how Matt, and Ashley's classmates, never truly saw the real Ashley. Some of them even contributed to that feeling of 'drowning' she experienced, constantly trying to pull her down. 

'Take it from the girl you claimed to love,

You gonna get some bad karma,

I'm the one who had to learn to build a heart made of armor. 

(...) You tried to hide, I can see that you don't see me, 

What do you gain by the names that you're calling me?'

The final song I wanted to share is one that came to mind whilst reading about Ashley's love of art, and how her art reflects the realities of her life. That song is Paint Your Wings by All Time Low.

'I painted a picture of the things I wanted most, 

To color in the darker side of all my brightest hopes, 

But there's a monster standing where you should be, 

So I'll paint you wings, 

Now I'll set you free.'

Do you think these songs fit Aimee L. Salter's Every Ugly Word? Do you have any songs to add to the playlist? Let me know below!

________

'When seventeen-year-old Ashley Watson walks through the halls of her high school bullies taunt and shove her. 

She can’t go a day without fighting with her mother. And no matter how hard she tries, she can’t make her best friend, Matt, fall in love with her. 

But Ashley also has something no one else does: a literal glimpse into the future. When Ashley looks into the mirror, she can see her twenty-three-year-old self.

Her older self has been through it all already—she endured the bullying, survived the heartbreak, and heard every ugly word her classmates threw at her. 

But her older self is also keeping a dark secret: Something terrible is about to happen to Ashley. Something that will change her life forever. 

Something even her older self is powerless to stop.' (x)