I absolutely loved this book. The characters were real people, ones you know from the bar or work or just everyday life. It was so easy to relate to Adam, to picture yourself in his shoes. I felt like I experienced everything right along with him, from falling in love in his twenties to where he was in his forties. In a way, I wish it had ended differently, but then, it worked out as it should have. It was perfectly written, I couldn't put it down, and the book made me think. Not too often that happens. Oh, and the music. It was incorporated perfectly. The story wouldn't have been the same without it. I might just pick this one up and read it again.

I fell in love with The Rosie Project but book two, The Rosie Effect did not quite reach the same standard. I figured I might as well give Graeme Simsion a chance, especially after how great book one was. This book has nothing to do with the others but I was hoping his writing, and romance, would be similar.

I am so glad I did. This was amazing! There are some tropes in this, mainly cheating but in an odd weird sort of way. There is so much that I do not want to give away, but trust me, if you are the type of reader that immediately walks away because of cheating, stick with this one. It is worth it.

Quite a lot of this book is surrounded by music. I loved the soundtrack. It is mostly 60's and 70's Beatles and such but it makes sense how Graeme interweaves these songs. Adam is a pianist and he meets Angelina while playing in a bar. Their whirlwind romance is based around these few moments. But just like people in their 20's do, they move on and realize they have to live in the real world. That is until you're about to turn 50 and you're wondering if you made mistakes.

Both Adam and Angelina are left with a choice. Both couples are fine in the sense that maybe they would have been better off had Adam and Angelina gotten together in the first place, but maybe not? This entire book goes back and forth through their remembrances of each other and how life currently is. It's a lovely look at how emotions can change and how they get fonder through the years.

Again, just to reiterate, I stuck with this because I really enjoyed reading about these characters. This is not your average guy or gal cheats on husband or wife. This is completely different and a little insane, but worth the read!

I absolutely loved The Rosie Project and The Rosie Effect, and just could not bring myself to put them down, but I found that The Best of Adam Sharp fell a little flat. I had no emotional investment in Adam or Angelina, which made it difficult for me to want to read the novel. Adam does a lot of talking, a novel's worth, and because I felt nothing for him, it was difficult to tolerate it. I frequently found myself bored reading it, and it felt like a chore. I did, however, like how music was almost its own separate character. It plays such an important role throughout, and the inclusion of a playlist at the end was a nice touch.

I'm one of the many fans of the author's Rosie books and as others have indicated, this book has nothing in common with them. Adam Sharp is 50-ish, bored with his long-term live-in girlfriend and uninspired with his consultant IT work when he received an email "hi" from a former girlfriend. He hasn't heard from the girlfriend in 20 years but she was a brief fling on another continent all those years ago. He broke up with her to be with the current one, although in the interim he has imbued her with all manner of perfection. She invites him to France for a week; he breaks up with his girlfriend to chase his lost love.

Readers are then forced to endure endless pages of determined navel-gazing while remembering favorite songs from 1960-1970s mostly without lyrics. Apparently the author wanted us to stop reading and look up lyrics on Google because after all this time, I do not remember Leonard Cohen lyrics by stanza when told only the song title. For that matter, obscure Rolling Stone song lyrics don't pop into my head either without the opening chords, so this is a really awkward writing device. Perhaps the author could have added the lyrics he had in mind; that would have solved everything. Except for the poor plot and characters who were all just unpleasant; we still would have been stuck with a clunker from an author capable of so much more. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Adam Sharp is nearing fifty. He's had a decent turn in life as an IT contractor and he's lived with his girlfriend, Claire, for many years. But Adam has always held a torch for his first love, Angelina. For a few brief months, the two bonded and shared a relationship solidified over Adam's piano playing and music. It's been over twenty years since the pair have had any contact, but one day--out of the blue--Adam gets an email from Angelina. She's married to her husband, Charlie, with three kids. Still, the emails quickly turn flirty and Adam starts to wonder what her intent is. Getting back in contact certainly brings up all his old feelings for Angelina and the past.

The book begins with present-day Adam remembering back on his relationship with Angelina, filling us in on what happened. Those snippets are interspersed with updates about Adam's current life, and he eventually catches us up to the present. Those beginning portions are fairly interesting as we learn how Adam and Angelina fell in love.

Unfortunately, though, the book lacked anything comedic (one of the things so enjoyable about the Rosie series Simsion is so famous for), beyond a few funny scenes featuring Angelina's parents and family. Instead, there is just so very much talking from Adam. So very much. It would have been okay, except I never really formed a connection to his character, and I found that I really only cared so much. I felt as if I had no horse in the race--with his relationships or life in general.

In many ways, I think I might have enjoyed the book if I was just a bit older and closer in age to Adam. I didn't connect as much with the music he mentioned so frequently in the novel (despite, of course, a love for music and an understanding of how it can connect and create memories throughout one's life), nor even the idea of pining for a lost love at one's midlife (despite, of course, having loved and lost). While I felt captivated at times during the novel, as much as I hate saying this, I often just felt bored. I read the book during vacation, and it was just such a poor choice, because I found myself almost dreading picking it up, but feeling duty-bound, both because I love to read on vacation and because I needed to review it. Oh sigh.

In addition, there are just some really weird plot twists in this one--once Angelina, Charlie, and Adam are all together--that frankly it made me feel a little icky. I'm open-minded and all, but it just didn't seem right and some of it rubbed me the wrong way. It also made it even harder to become attached to the characters.

By the end, perhaps I'm cynical, but some of the love scenes didn't even move me: I just didn't care. I was tired of everyone communicating by oblique song references. Anyway, I really wanted to love this because it seemed to be an ode to music and love. And, because I loved Simsion's Rosie novels. It's not fair, really, to compare an authors work in such a way, but I couldn't help it, and I didn't enjoy the plot and characters in this one anyway. I was ready for the book to be over. It definitely had some good points, but I was mostly so disappointed and annoyed and ready to be done.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 05/02/2017.

I found this to be not nearly as entertaining as The Rosie Project by the same author. Adam is in a relationship but when he receives an email from hi "old love" he begins to wonder what might have,
could have been (something that confounded me a little bit- if you hadn't been in touch with someone for over 20 years, how would you even have their email?). What does she want? Loved the musical references in the book, but other than that, this book just wasn't my cup of tea.

Thank you for the copy of The Best of Adam Sharp, by Grant Simsion. It is a sweet story of living life, finding and losing love, and growing old with the wisdom you gained along the way. Adam Sharp, an IT man and lover of great music, falls in love with the beautiful Australian soap opera star, Angelina. Throughout the years of getting together, being separated, getting married to others, and exploring what they value most in life, they discover who they really are and what they want out of life. The music played in this book adds a lot to the feelings the reader has about the characters and the struggles they endure.

I have enjoyed other work by the author, but this one was more like chit-lit, a genre I do not care for than women's fiction as advertised. The only reason why I gave this book one star is that I enjoyed all of the musical references.

** spoiler alert ** There are few books that I enjoyed as much as Simsion's The Rosie Project. I've recommended it to most of my friends who have thankfully enjoyed it as well. This is why I was super excited to get approved for this NetGalley ARC.

I devoured the story from the beginning. I loved the music, the pop-culture references, and their relationship. And then we moved to the present. And moral boundaries became shadier. STOP READING NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS.

When he went to spend time with her and her current husband, I felt uncomfortable. The simplest way to say it is that nature ran its course. However, I was not expecting the voyeuristic aspect. Her relationship with her husband is truly messed up. Even writing about it so many weeks later I have a bad taste in my mouth and a bit of nausea rising in my throat.

I'm sure there will be readers who will enjoy this novel. Sadly, I am not one of them. In fact, I was going to rate it two stars. The extra star was added when I thought about how they met and how their relationship developed at that point.

My advice: Read at your own risk.

What a whirlwind way to discover true feelings! The possibility of rekindling a love affair from younger days is central to this story. The characters dealing with memories of the past, their feelings today, and the realization of what is important in their relationships. Definitely a page-turner and I raised my eyebrows a few times as this played out. I loved the way music was woven throughout the book and songs tied to various memories. Graeme Simsion has turned out another terrific book.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press through NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

http://www.goodbookfairy.com/the-best-of-adam-sharp-by-graeme-simsion/

This is no:The Rosie Project, so if you are looking for an easy romantic read with lots of laugh then "move on... nothing to see here....".
This story may not be everyone's cup of tea, especially for those who have strong ethical/moral attitudes regarding marriage and infidelity.
Adam Sharp is a 26 year old Englishman in Australia in the late 1980s when he meets an Australian TV actress and they have a 3 month fling. Twenty two years later he is in the UK in a long term (20 year) relationship and she is in Australia in her second marriage and she gets in touch.
This novel explores their initial meeting, and parting, and then all of the emotions that come from a reunion. I liked the exploration of what love is, or isn't, and Simsion can write great characters and tell a story. But it was difficult for me to accept a lot of what was happening in the last 30-ish% of the book. In saying that, this book does make you think and for that it gets 3.5 stars and a recommendation from me to those who enjoy contemporary fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Forty-nine-year-old Adam Sharp works as a freelance IT consultant and leads a normal and tranquil life with his partner of 20 years, Claire. Everything changes when he receives an email from Angelina, the one who got away. Adam met Angelina in a bar in Melbourne - he was playing the piano and she joined him requesting songs and singing along. Their brief and intense affair left Adam heartbroken and now that she is back in touch he wonders: what if he had stayed? What his life would be like if he hadn’t walked away?
A story about regrets, lost love, and a past that resurfaces when you least expect it, I found myself laughing and crying at Adam’s moving story. This novel includes an amazing playlist of songs that creates the perfect soundtrack for this brilliant and intense love story.

Graeme Simsion does not disappoint his fans with his new book. I could not get enough of this story - I was so drawn into the life of Adam Sharp which was so skillfully told. I loved the music references along the way which felt really original in a story.

Overall, I did not enjoy this book. The first half was better than the second half - I enjoyed Adam's time in Australia and the story of how he and Angelina first began their relationship. The second half was just strange and far-fetched. I didn't care what would happen between Adam and Angelina because their actions ruined them both regardless. After everything Adam says about how he feels about Angelina, it really doesn't seem realistic for him to reunite with Claire. It was way too convenient for her to be the unemotional type that didn't want to know what happened in France.

I loved The Rosie Project and was excited to pick up another Simsion novel but this one was not worth it. I would not recommend this book to others.

Graeme Simsion's books The Rosie Project and The Rosie Effect were quite delightful and so I looked forward to this novel. I'm not sure why, but this book did not grab my imagination and although I finished it, I would be hesitant to recommend it to a friend.

I really like this author. Or I really liked The Rosie Project. This was good. A man approaching 50 reexamines a lost love from over 20 years previous. Adam took a job in Australia in his 20s and met and fell in love with a local actress. But probably only because he can play the piano. This is a love story and it questions everyone's morals. It examines the question of how far you would let your spouse push you before you decided it was enough and you needed to leave. So this one is sort of about ending relationships. Rather than starting them. It's well written and while the characters may not all be likable, they are realistic.

For a few months during his twenties, Adam Sharp, British database consultant and passionate music aficionado and piano player, worked in Australia where he met and fell in love with Angelina, an Australian actress. But it wasn't to be. Now about to hit 50, settled back in England, and in a long-term but stale relationship with Claire, Adam is surprised, when out of the blue, Angelina gets in touch via email. What starts off as a bit of harmless flirting and wistful reminiscence, takes a completely different turn when Angelina invites Adam to spend some vacation days with her and her husband, Charlie, in France.
After The Rosie Project and The Rosie Effect, this was the third book I read by Graeme Simsion. I loved The Rosie Project, didn't feel quite as enthralled by The Rosie Effect and this ended up a tale of two halves for me. It was quite a departure from the Rosie books. While there was still some humor albeit darker than in the previous books, the storyline had a more solemn and poignant tone. The entire book is written from Adam's first-person POV and Simsion's examination of relationships, regrets, and loss from a male perspective is certainly well done and not difficult to relate to if mid-life crisis means anything to you.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first part of this as we hear all about Adam's time in Australia and his whirlwind romance with Angelina. During the second part, when Adam is reunited with Angelina in France, I started having problems relating to some of the characters' actions. But that's more a personal issue rather than an indication of the author's writing or plotting. On the whole, Adam was a very endearing character, but throughout the book, I couldn't understand why men were so infatuated with Angelina. But what do I know about the male psyche? To me, she was simply self-centered and extremely high maintenance. I didn't warm up to her at all and I never felt the love between Angelina and Adam. So to be honest, I wasn't emotionally invested in their "love story". The ending was solid though and I was quite happy with it. What really elevated this to a 4-star read for me though was the music connection. There's a Spotify playlist with the songs featured in the book http://tiny.cc/zjzmey. I guess most of us have certain songs that will take us back to our past and/or make us think of certain people as soon as a particular song comes on. If you love music and pay attention to lyrics, you'll probably be more enthusiastic about The Best of Adam Sharp.
So, this wasn't perfect, but it was a solid story about 'the one who got away'. It reminded me a bit of Nick Hornby novels. If you enjoy audiobooks, I can definitely recommend the narration by David Barker, who really brought Adam to life in a very enjoyable manner. To be released in the US 05/02/17, already available in the UK.

Hi, I seem to have two copies of this book on my NetGalley shelf. I have already sent a review for this book. Thanks, Juliet