In Josh Sudarma’s debut book, Tim, a high schooler, is trying to escape his monotonous life in sub-urban New Jersey. Many readers may see this book as a very short and slow book, without much action, but just enough to make it a good read. Readers will feel compelled to listen to the songs in the beginning of every chapter as a prologue of what is coming in the chapter.

Tim dreams of going to New York City to live a “chill” life as perhaps an author. He does not have many friends in school. However, he has two friends that knew each other from childhood, Darren and Hannah. Darren and Hannah are dating, which kills him, as he loves Hannah. Tim constantly dreams of being away from his parents’ fights and wants to live as if he was in a movie. One day, he leaves everything for a trip to New York City. Once he gets there, he is surprised to see nothing as he sees in the movies. Instead of the streets being picturesque and friendly, they are busy and unforgiving. Tim eventually learns that every stage of life has its perks and to live in the moment.

Josh Sudarma’s book may bore some readers, as it is filled with cliches and doesn’t have much action, but I still enjoyed it. The author throws unexpected events in, but if one listens the the music enough, they may find out where that part of the chapter came from. As the unique idea of having a soundtrack resonates throughout the book, “The Soundtrack” is a good read.