Book Review: "Sounds Like Love" by Ashley Poston

“We were all made of up memories, anyway. Of ourselves, of other people. We were built on the songs sung to us and the songs we sang to ourselves, the songs we listened to with broken hearts and the ones we danced to at weddings.”

There’s just something about the way Ashley Poston writes. I’ve enjoyed all three of her books—the first two were among the best books I read those particular years. I cannot get enough of the way she sprinkles her romances with magical realism as well as humor and such gorgeous emotion.

Joni has finally made her dreams come true, being a sought-after songwriter in LA. A few of her songs are tremendously popular, and everyone is waiting for what she writes next. But she cannot find anything that inspires her, that makes her feel compelled to create.

With the pain from her mother’s recent dementia diagnosis still fresh, Joni returns to her hometown on the Outer Banks. She grew up spending most of her time at The Revelry, the music venue that’s been in her family for more than 70 years. But when Joni gets home, she’s floored by her parents’ plan to close The Revelry, her mother’s fading memories, and the way she feels life has gone on without her.

The other thing that happens shortly after her arrival at home is she starts hearing snippets of a melody in her head, one she can’t place. She starts hearing the voice of a man, whose thoughts she can hear in her head (and vice versa). They start to rely on each other, but when he comes to her hometown, she’s surprised by how different he is in person—until he lets down his guard. He believes that if they write the song they’re hearing, they may be able to sever the psychic connection.

As always with Poston’s books, I find myself highlighting so many quotes and definitely getting choked up. I know this book will be on my year-end best list!!

Book Review: "Songs for Other People's Weddings" by David Levithan and Jens Lekman

David Levithan is one of my all-time favorite authors. I’ve had so many of his books, both YA and adult, on my year-end best lists, and this new one will join this year’s list for sure. The concept of this book is fantastic as well.

“There are hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of songs about falling in love, being in love. There are more about having your heart broken. But how many songs are there about loving someone and having the nature of that love change? How many songs are there about going from lover to friend, from sex to affection? How many songs are there about being happy alone?”

J is a Swedish singer of some renown. Because one of his songs essentially offered his services as a wedding singer, that’s become his gig. He interviews the couple to get a feel for their relationship and then writes an original song that he performs at their wedding. This job has taken him to weddings big and small, all over the world.

While he is writing about other people’s love stories, his own romance is on the rocks. His girlfriend has moved to NYC for work and the more time she spends there, the more she seems to be pulling away from J. She seems to resent any questions he has about whether their relationship has a future, and whether she’s planning to return to Sweden when her work is done.

As J gets invited to be part of couples’ special day—young and old, rich and poor, queer and straight—he starts wondering how to capture the essence of love for others when he can’t do so on his own. It requires both creativity and strength, and emotional maturity he’s not sure he wants to have.

This book was a collaboration between Levithan and Jens Lekman, a Swedish singer who actually has become a wedding singer. Lekman writes songs for each of the weddings, and you can actually listen to them by scanning a QR code in the book. This was such an enjoyable, romantic, thought-provoking, and emotional book, and the songs really deepened the feels.

Book Review: "The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits" by Jennifer Weiner

This is definitely the type of story I love! Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the advance copy of this.

Growing up, Zoe always craved the spotlight while her younger sister Cassie was painfully shy. But Cassie was a musical genius, and when she does Zoe a favor and performs with her at a Battle of the Bands concert, the duo catches the attention of a talent scout.

It’s the early 2000s, and the sisters quickly get signed to a recording contract. Their ascent is nearly meteoric, and once they start releasing original songs, their fame grows, especially with those who feel seen by their songs.

And just as everything is going well, a tragedy occurs and the band breaks up. Cassie disappears from the public eye—not to mention her family—while Zoe gets married and raises her children, living a comfortable suburban life. But when Zoe’s daughter Cherry wants to pursue a musical career, Zoe discourages her, but doesn’t really explain why.

As Cherry pursues her dreams, she decides to find her Aunt Cassie. In the process, she unearths secrets and misunderstandings that have festered for 20 years. What caused the band to break up? Why did Cassie disappear?

The narrative shifts between the early 2000s and the present, and among Zoe, Cassie, and Cherry. I love the way Jennifer Weiner writes, and I was completely drawn into this story.

The book will publish 4/8/2025.

Book Review: "A Home for the Holidays" by Taylor Hahn

“I understood how life could be both beautiful and devastating at the same time. Maybe healing was just learning how to live with both.“

⁣ ⁣ Mel has always loved Christmas, ever since her free-spirited mother Connie used to create elaborate schemes to keep the holiday magic alive as long as possible. As an adult, her memories buoy her, especially when she remembers that her mother was, more often than not, an alcoholic mess otherwise.⁣

⁣ Two weeks before Christmas, she gets a phone call from the hospital telling her that her mother has died. While this news isn’t entirely surprising, Mel is full of sadness that Connie didn’t share her health problems, as well as grief that she didn’t pay closer attention.⁣

⁣ Shortly after Connie’s death, a woman shows up at Mel’s doorstep and introduces herself as Connie’s estranged best friend, Barbara. Of course, Mel has never heard of Barbara, but Barbara can explain why, with stories of Connie’s failed music career and their fight over a man, which ended their friendship.⁣

⁣ Through Barbara, Mel gets to see a side of her mother she didn’t know, which made her decline even sadder. But as Mel gets drawn into Barbara’s family, including her son Henry, a soon-to-be-divorced doctor, she realizes that she’s not quite getting the full story, and until she does, she won’t understand her mother or, by extension, herself.⁣

⁣ I definitely loved this book. It’s funny and emotional and hopeful and sad. And while “holidays” is in the title, this isn’t really a holiday book. It’s a beautiful exploration of grief, love, addiction, and understanding how to forgive both whom you lost as well as yourself.⁣

Book Review: "Friends Don't Fall in Love" by Erin Hahn

Lorelai Jones was a country music star, filling stadiums with her fans. Her engagement to another country music superstar had captured media attention all over the world. Then one night, Lorelai, a former elementary school teacher, sang a classic protest song during a concert, and in the blink of an eye, her career imploded and her relationship ended, and she was suddenly a total pariah. She returned home to Michigan to lick her wounds and restart her teaching career.

The only person from her music days who continued to stand behind her was Craig "Huckleberry" Boseman, her ex-fiancé's former bandmate and a very close friend. They've always been attracted to each other, and Craig longed for more than friendship from Lorelai, but never wanted to jeopardize their relationship, even after her engagement fell apart.

Five years after Lorelai left Nashville, she reaches back out to Craig, who is now an indie record producer with his own studio, to get his opinion on some songs she's written. He encourages her to come back to town so they can work on a comeback album. When she returns, Craig finds that his feelings for Lorelai are even stronger than before, and her talent is even more polished. And as Lorelai gets more excited about the possibility of a comeback, she also realizes that her attraction to Craig hasn't lessened either, but rather become more intense.

Meanwhile, Lorelai has to try and navigate the mercurial world of country music, which hasn't quite forgiven her for speaking her mind about gun control. Should she apologize for her views in order to get a second chance, or should she risk everything to be true to herself? And can she and Craig figure out if they can be together for real, without jeopardizing everything they have?

This was a fun, sweet, and pretty steamy read. Erin Hahn is an auto-buy author for me; I've read both her YA books and her adult fiction, and Friends Don't Fall in Love features characters from all of her other books. I definitely enjoyed this look at the tug-of-war that exists in the country music world between traditional conservative views and more liberal ones, and what cancel culture looks like first-hand. Lorelai and Craig are great characters with terrific chemistry.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. It will publish 10/17.

Book Review: "Stars and Smoke" by Marie Lu

A little action and intrigue, a little romance, and a fun ride characterize Marie Lu's upcoming book, Stars and Smoke.

Winter Young is the biggest pop sensation in the world. His latest album tops the charts in 70 countries, and he’s a real heartthrob and fashionista. But despite his amazing success, he doesn’t feel fulfilled anymore. Inspired by the memory of his older brother, who died while in the Peace Corps, he starts yearning for more than fame.

Enter Panacea, a top covert-ops organization. They’ve been trying to bring down a major drug, arms, and human trafficker without success. But the mogul’s daughter is Winter’s biggest fan, so when she invites him to attend her birthday party, it will allow Panacea to infiltrate his home courtesy of their newest recruit—Winter.

Sydney is Panacea’s youngest operative, on her way to becoming their best agent ever. She doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and she’s not thrilled about having to babysit a pop star playing spy. But as Winter and Sydney get closer to their target, she starts to realize there’s more to him than meets the eye, and he finds that her icy exterior is hiding vulnerability.

This was a good, fast-paced read, with memorable characters and a good mix of intrigue and romance. I’ll read whatever Lu writes, and this was an interesting change of pace for her.

Thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for an advance copy. The book publishes 3/28.

Book Review: "Run, Rose, Run" by Dolly Parton and James Patterson

With Run, Rose, Run, the queen of country music teams up with the king of thrillers!!

AnnieLee Keyes has dreamed of being a country singer for as long as she can remember. “She’d been writing songs since she could talk and making melodies even before that.” She hears a song in just about everything.

She heads to Nashville to seek her chance at fame. She’ll do everything she needs to get there, and she’s bound and determined to make it big once she does. And after performing at a few bars starts to catch people’s attention, she finally gets her big break when the legendary Ruthanna Ryder hears her play. But when Ruthanna offers to help her, why won’t AnnieLee take advantage of this opportunity at first?

As determined as AnnieLee is to become a star, she’s also determined to outrun whomever and whatever it is that is chasing her, causing her to wake up in the midst of night terrors, calling out a name.

Will AnnieLee achieve stardom? Can she survive whatever it is that wants to destroy her?

I thought Run, Rose, Run was entertaining. It’s about 95% fiction and 5% thriller, but it feels tremendously authentic on the musical aspects, given Dolly’s involvement. As a thriller, however, it's immensely formulaic.

I’ve heard the audiobook is great because Dolly is part of the cast, but I’m not an audiobook kind of guy, and Dolly also recorded an album inspired by the book.

Book Review: "If This Gets Out" by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich

In Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich's new YA rom-com, If This Gets Out, when two members of a popular boy band fall for each other, crises and craziness ensue.

Saturday is a world-famous boy band, and their fans know and love its four members: Jon, the sexy one; Zach, dark and brooding; Ruben, cute and likable; and Angel (not his real name), the sweet, innocent one. Of course, their real personalities are nothing like the perfectly curated images their management makes them adhere to.

They’ve been together for a number of years, but why is Ruben suddenly starting to have feelings for Zach? Ruben is always being told it’s not the right time to come out publicly, and all too often, guys use him. Besides, Zach is straight. Right?

For his part, Zach wants the label to give him a chance to write some songs, but he can’t seem to stay in Saturday’s music mindset. And why is he suddenly thinking about nothing but Ruben? Is this just a crush on a close friend?

When the two start falling for each other it touches off a powder keg, as the band members start resenting each other and the constant guidance/interference of their management. Angel wants to be seen as the sexy one and he has been acting out, and Jon is tired of having to flaunt his body.

They’re supposed to be friends but they’re feeling like anything but that. Ruben and Zach want to be together, but their management won’t let them, and the image of Saturday is in danger of slipping out of control. Are love—and freedom to be whom they want—worth risking it all for?

This was a fun book, full of drama and angst and young love. I’ll admit to having read some boy band fanfic (hot, BTW) so this was a cleaner, more dramatic version of some of that. You know what will happen but you’re happy to get immersed in Saturday’s story, and maybe you’ll try to label the characters with your favorite boy band members.

NetGalley and Wednesday Books provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!