As a musician, I found the theme particularly interesting - especially the story of the Merino Rose
violin. (It would be good to re-read the book, this time listening to the music at the same time.)
No matter how much practise goes into a performance, there will always be a mechanical element
which leaves the listener cold & unengaged unless the musician is playing from the heart.
I was glad that Ted chose his love of music over familial expectations for his life's course, & that his
successful career justified that choice. Also that true love endured, although I was very suprised that
it took them so long to sort that out! I do believe that once you have met the 'one' special person who
is right for you, no-one else will measure up.
It's been a long time since I read a book written from a young male's perspective, it makes a change
from my 'norm'.

I was given a free ARC from NetGalley. I'm pretty choosy about what book I request, and I was on the fence about this one. I am so glad I read it. it's an old fashioned love story (as opposed to a "romance" book). It starts at the (nearly) end, and then works its way back from Teddy, the protagonists early relationship with Olivia. It then charts their lives through his eyes.
I'm sorry if this review makes it sound a bit dull - the drama of the book is contained and gentle.
I couldn't stop reading, I was meant to be sleeping, but stayed up far too late. A beautiful book.

This wasn’t a book with tear your clothes off hot sex. This book was a slow burn, a symphony that made you want to turn the next page. You wanted to hear more because deep down inside you wanted Ted and Olivia to be together. You wanted them to somehow find their way back to each other no matter the distance.

I’ve never watched The Red Violin but from what I’ve heard about it, this book fits right in with that sort of story.

This book was a shining jewel. I really thought it was the perfect story to read on a summer day in a hammock. It took you all over the world but deep in its heart was a love story. A really good love story.

I hadn’t read a romance novel for a long time and when I saw this book on NetGalley I instantly requested for it because of its cover and the synopsis looked good too. But I have to say I was little disappointed. The story could have been turned out better.

The main protagonists of the story are Ted Spencer and Olivia de la Vega. The story follows their lives over decades of time, narrated by Ted. Ted is a violinist and wants to pursue his career in this. He met Olivia in his senior year of High School in the 1960s and instantly fell in love with her. Ted was from a wealthy background while Olivia was the daughter of a cleaning lady at the school. Despite their background differences, they planned to spend their lives together. But the fate was not with them and they got separated because of the family issues and Ted’s compassion for music.

The time forwards and they meet again after decades when both are doing good in their careers. They realize that after so many years their love for each other is still alive. But this time they were not able to get together because of their family commitments and career ambitions.

Will they meet again? Will they ever be got together? Why they got separated in the first place? And the second time?

The story was little weak for me in terms of character development. I never got to understand what was the main thing that attracted both Ted and Olivia towards each other. I guess the writer never explained properly what was the point of affection there. Being said that, it was good to see a story being told from a man’s PoV. This was really Ted’s story, his life, his relationships, and we got to learn about Olivia only through their interactions.

One of the major things to appreciate here is the use of music as the main theme. Besides love being the theme, there was a little suspense too for this missing Violin which was revealed in the last pages. I wished though that the Violin should have made a bigger part of the story.

This book started out slow for me but was fast paced later on. The story is not divided nicely into the present and the past. It was confusing many times and it took me seconds to realizes that the story has shifted from one time to another. The writing was simple. It doesn’t bore you or make the story tough to understand.

I generally love the romances, but with this, I felt that the basic plot of the story was repetitive – boy meets the girl with a different background, they fell in love but their families won’t approve and they got separated, they meet later on but still love each other. Like many other reviewers, I too believe that it could be made into a good movie. I think that a movie can do a proper justice to the story.

It was a light and quick read and somewhat enjoyable too. There is this belief in this story that the true love can live long after the circumstances have separated two people. I believe that this notion alone will touch the hearts of many. This sort of book is best suitable when you just want to read without thinking too much and just want to simply enjoy the story during your break or on vacation.

Based on the book's description, I was really intrigued about the love story and it's connection to music. Unfortunately, the story's tie with music was less about the violin and its surrounding mystery, and more about the life of a dedicated musician. Although the love story was compelling and captivating, I found it was lacking depth as it progressed.
I appreciated the portion of the love story that was set in the high school years. It definitely reeled me in and I really wanted it to work out between the two characters. But the story became hard to believe as the characters got older and they both consistently proclaimed their love for one another, how they wanted to make it work between them and yet, neither were willing to give up things in their lives to make it happen. It's hard to keep reading about undying, destined love when neither character is willing to chase after it. It wasn't until the very end that everything was resolved and the story gave the reader closure but by that point I didn't believe the storyline anymore.
Overall, the book was disappointing to me. It had the beginnings of wonderful story, but the continuous commitment to true love was insufficient and the violin history storyline was wanting. It was a wonderful start, but a poor finish.

Strings: A Love Story is very different from Megan Edward's other work. Without the car chases and murder her other books are known for, what is left is an achingly beautiful, and somewhat atypical, love story. While this book started out a bit slow for me, I couldn't put it down after the first fifty pages. This book is certainly worth the read!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

This was an enjoyable book which I read in one day. It is very well written and I think it would make a wonderful movie. If your looking for a feel good book this is a great choice.

A long-lost Stradivarius reappears after being missing for centuries, but rather than the story of how that happened it is merely a frame for the history of the violin examiner, all the way back to private school. This is where he first me the “one,” the girl he was destined to be with, but due to decades of misunderstandings and meddlesome parents, it was not happily ever after. His life and other loves are told, mostly his long career as a soloist, with occasional run-ins and a lot of thoughts of her.
I did not expect this story to sustain itself for an entire book, but it was surprisingly riveting; had this been a movie there would have been a lot of yelling at the screen, soundtracked by tears. The most unexpected thing was how nicely it all wrapped up. The violin’s history, despite it being fiction, is exactly the kind of thing I like to read in these sorts of books. And for once I felt like the couple deserved their ending.

This is a captivating, vividly musical read. I love anything that combines my love of books and music. This is a romantic book that anyone who loves a good love story will want to pick up and read.

This book didn't captivate me at first glance. The story sounded promising, but it didn't hook me.

I truly enjoyed this well written romance. Good plot and great character development.

A sweet, musical story.. recommended for music lovers!
The musical terms were explained well, giving the lay reader an idea about what's going on!
3 stars!
Thank you Netgalley!

An opportunity to review a book pre-publication can be a wonderful experience or feel like trudging through waist high mud. I have experienced both. "Strings: A Love Story" was an honor to review and I thank the publisher for allowing me to be part of the process.

One can state that they prefer to read a specific genre of book or a particular author. I would likely be correct to assume that is how a larger percentage of general readership will choose which publication to attach their attention to. I was completely unprepared for how engrossed, enamoured and greedy I would be when I began reading Megan Edwards' novel.

I will admit that music has always been a great part of my personal life and knowing about classical music allowed this novel to fit me like a favorite pair of well worn jeans with a cashmere sweater. The dichotomy of casual denim and expensive yarn is exactly how I felt during the day and a half that it took me to read and take notes on this novel.

There is much more than music on the pages. It is truly a love story. However, without the music, Ted would lose the depth of his character. Love or dislike or know nothing of classical music, to understand Ted one needs to only know that for a musician, his instrument and notes, song and sound are what sustain him. It is food, shelter and life's riches. It is there during times of great happiness, damning sadness and every emotion in between. It is an expression of love, a love so consuming that it can be either a fire that burns bright or singes ones fingertips.

Olivia is Ted's muse. They meet as teens and they spend their lives intersecting at all the wrong times. But between them is always the question of "what if". This novel calls into question ones belief in soul mates. It makes one wonder if we can find our destiny if only to see it taken from us by powers beyond our control. It ponders the order of ones life and how one takes back control.

From teenagers to midlife, we follow Olivia and Ted on their individual journeys. This is really Ted's story, and we learn about Olivia through their interactions. From parental interference, love affairs and marriages, physical distances apart, careers that don't mesh because of time or place and emotional breaks; Olivia and Ted experience them all and more.

For all who have wondered "what if", this book is for you. The characters are relatable, there are some very unexpected turns in the story telling and there is a rawness that compels one to keep reading.

For every unfinished life story, that is the unfinished symphony that Ted and Olivia live and love through.