As one can tell from the very fun cover, Calonita takes a cue from Pitch Perfect in her new novel about three friends trying to achieve a capella championship by bringing the failing Bradley Academy’s all girl acapella group, The Nightingales from rag tag group to passable winners for the November, Turn It Up competition.

But don’t worry, it’s not a total ripoff I swear.

Lidia and Sydney have bee BFFS since gradeschool and have had equally long dreams to be the co-captains of the Nightingales (of which Lidia’s mother was a founding member), but the group has been failing over the years with four lost championships and a so-called curse so new members are necessary. Especially as the five time winning all male a capella group, the Kingfishers still engage in a hilarious prank war with their rivals and are considered the most popular kids at Bradley Performing Arts Academy.

However, the very day of their recruitment comes the worst betrayal of all. Lidia’s crush (a Kingfisher named Griffin to boot) kisses Sydney and Sydney lies about it to keep the peace. Lidia won’t take that deception lying down, quitting the team and scaring off the potential newbies all in one fell swoop.

So it’s up to Sydney to keep the group going even as she tries to tinker with the groups flaws (There’s Viola who doesn’t have flaws but is the sane team mom. Mercedes is too loud, Pearl can’t sing but she can beatbox, Gabby’s excitable and superstitious, Donna has a hand puppet named Mr. Heel that she “sings” out of, and Whitney and Micayla are after her captain spot) as well as help the new girl, Julianna who has a great voice but horrid stage fright.

Calonita does a lovely job in convincingly portraying the squabbles that would come up when a bunch of high schoolers are thrown into the world of a capella, and who all want to show off their strengths. But as in any good coming of age book, they learn team work makes the dream work. Plus it directly references Pitch Perfect when the auditioners groan at someone playing the Cups song for her audition (she didn’t make the cut) as well as an “aca-scuse me?”

But moreover, this is a book about friendship. Lidia and Sydney’s friendship and how their boy beef runs deeper than just the missed crush connection like Sydney’s tendency to gloss over her apologies and do them without sincerity and Lidia admitting she has a new passion that takes predecent over acapella.

Also there’s a third POV in this, Julianna whom I found the most interesting. She’s a recent transplant from New York to Miami and has been battling a recent bout of stage fright after being rejected from the Tonal Teens at her old school. Calonita does an excellent job depicting this breathtaking terror, so much that I actually felt Julianna’s deer in the headlights myself. She has the most interesting trajectory as she learns to overcome this self doubt and learn to embrace her singing and songwriting talents with the benefit of trusting her newfound friends.

Because that’s what acapella is all about, singing and sisterhood. A really good novel if you’re looking for feel-good book. Plus it has Broadway tunes, not just pop!