Rhythm & Muse

Cinderella meets Cyrano in this pitch-perfect YA contemporary rom-com about a Black teen boy who has resigned himself to pining for his dream girl from afar, until his romantic verse to her, written in secret, becomes the front-runner in a theme song contest for her popular podcast.



Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon, Elise Bryant, and Kasie West!



Darren Armstrong lives in his head. It’s nice in there—safe from others’ unsolicited opinions and critiques. Surrounded by talkative family and showboat friends, Darren’s always been happy to play the role of observer. Until Delia Dawson came along—transfer student, host of the Dillie D in the Place to Be podcast, and total dream girl, in Darren’s opinion.



His friends are all convinced he’s going to do nothing but pine away for Dillie in silence. But when Dillie puts out a call for listeners to make a theme song for the pod, one of Darren’s secret side projects—anonymously submitted by his meddling friends—catches her ear.



As Dillie sets out to uncover the mystery singer behind the track, Darren has to decide: Is he ready to step out of the shadows and take the lead in his own life?