Rating this 2.5 stars because it was as okay as a book can get without it actually being bad.

Unfortunately, I just thought this was horrendously boring. Which is a shame because I've loved every Silvia Moreno-Garcia book I've read, but this one just didn't have very much to keep my interest.

Signal to Noise is split between the "present day" 2009, and 1988/1989. A lot of the 2009 chapters were taken up by allusions to some dramatic event in the past that had dissolved the friendship between Meche, Daniela, and Sebastian. <spoiler>Obviously, the chapters taking place in 1988/1989 were leading up to that big betrayal, and the use of magic between the friends escalated very quickly, due mostly to Meche's "persuasion."</spoiler>

Meche is a very self-centered, self-serving character. Every decision she made, whether it involved magic or not, benefited her more than anyone else. <spoiler>Which was part of the reason she was such a bad friend to both Daniela and Sebastian. Another reason she was a bad friend was because she was just plain mean. She bullied her friends into doing what she wanted, when she wanted, how she wanted, and belittled them when they tried to push back and stand their ground.</spoiler>

I don't have any issue with unlikeable characters. I really enjoy them, actually, but Meche being that way is also what turned me off from actually being able to get invested in this story, especially when the "act of betrayal" finally happened. <spoiler>Her friends stood up to her after she hurt one of them, and then threatened to do even worse to the both of them if they didn't do what she wanted, and she still as an adult thinks that they had betrayed her and stabbed her in the back. Girl, please.</spoiler>

I thought the use of music to cast magic was a fun concept, especially as someone who spends most of their day listening to music. I just wish it had been written in a more dramatic, intense way. This was written at first as just a group of friends playing around, and then it got serious really fast, but even when it started to get serious and dangerous, I found myself speeding up the audiobook to finish it quicker because I was just over it by that point.

I didn't really vibe with the 2009 chapters, <spoiler>especially once Sebastian and Meche got together. There was no character growth or reflection at all, they just admitted they had always loved each other and then slept together. Where was the transition?</spoiler>

Books don't have to end in character development, but I feel like with an ending like this one, character development would have been necessary? Glad I listened to the book, but it is definitely my least favorite of hers.