I think this is a case of "it's not you, it's me". I probably never should have picked up this book in the first place. I usually hate second-chance romances and I'm not really a YA contemporary person, BUT, I am most certainly a romance person, and this one didn't sound too bad in terms of the romance aspect, so I thought I'd be safe. Plus, there are so many positive reviews on Goodreads, by trusted friends and other reviewers. Sadly, I think I should have kept my distance.

I will not be giving feedback on this book as I couldn’t really get into it but I think others may enjoy it.

A fun summer read that really wish River Haven was a real place! I loved how Pennington incorporated so many Michigan things into one novel. It was just the right vibe.

A solid, solid YA -summer book that manages to fill a void. I loved so much about this book and really, really LOVED the changing POV chapters and how it didn't feel like it was used to cover a lack of plot. but BUT! It gets pretty boring quickly and I had to tempt myself with reading a different book to force myself to finish this one.

The story was okay, I didn't find it relatable - mostly because I don't get the band culture

The romance was ok, not enough angst for me. But the whole idea of second chances was good, so that grants it a 3 star review.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

“Sometimes you don't know what you want until you just do. It hits you like a wave, knocks you underwater, and when you surface, all you want is this one thing. It's like gasping for air.”

I don't know why it took me so long to start Love Songs & Other Lies, but I really enjoyed it! I ended up borrowing the audiobook from Hoopla (my new favorite way to listen to books), and thought Dan Bittner and Laurel Schroeder did a wonderful job narrating. I immediately fell in love with Vee and Cam, and liked how the author alternated between Then and Now to tell their story.

If you know me, you know I really hate it when a book's main conflict is a secret. I completely understood why Cam didn't want to talk about his past, but once he and Vee reached a certain point in their relationship (sleepovers and the L word), he should have come clean about his history. He lied to everyone, so it wasn't like the secret was solely kept from Vee, but it was still something he was willing to lose her over. The pain of his loss eclipsed everything else.

One of my favorite parts of the book was when Vee's mother explained what happened between her and Vee's father. Vee had always assumed the worst, but the truth made her realize something about her own relationship with Cam. I also really liked the musical elements, and the songs Cam and Vee wrote for themselves and each other. They had entire conversations within their lyrics.

The relationship between Cam and Vee starts slow and stays pretty steady. There are no hot and heavy moments, but they have a sweet and endearing romance. Cam tries to help Vee come out of her shell (when it comes to performing in front of others), and Vee gives him the space he needs to breathe. She knew he had secrets, and that there were things he repeatedly avoided talking about, but she never pushed him to share more than he wanted to (even when it was super obvious things didn't add up). I appreciated how mature their teenage romance was, and that two level-headed lovebirds made it work despite the holes and misinformation.

I also liked Logan and the rest of the band, but we don't see too much of them outside of performances and rehearsals. Vee elaborates on how she and Logan became friends (would love for Logan to get his own story), and there are other interactions with people, but the focus was on Cam and Vee. Alternating between the past and the present didn't leave a lot of time for secondary character development, since it's mostly about how the two of them met, what happened between them, and how they're currently dealing with their unexpected circumstances and close proximity.

Love Songs & Other Lies was a wonderful story about love (new and rekindled), unimaginable loss, and how relationships ebb and flow over time. It was really lovely, and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more books by this author! (★★★★☆)

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This novel is full of many different things: grief, music, love, betrayal, and overcoming fears. I enjoyed it overall. Vee and Cameron are obviously meant for each other, but they don't know how to communicate with each other. Which is ironic considering they are both are great songwriters and express their thoughts and feelings through that medium.

The biggest thing I didn't enjoy was this book goes from past to present, from "before" and "after". I've never been a fan of that format, and that's why it made this book a bit more awkward and long winded for me.

I'm glad I got a chance to read this novel, and I can see many music fans loving this story.

This story is told in alternating POVs (Vee’s and Cam’s) and timelines (past and present). I don’t always like when novels are written this way, but in this case I enjoyed the style because it built a lot of suspense. You’d just be about to find out what happened in the past, and then you were back in the present. Admittedly, this was frustrating, but in a good way. It kept me turning pages.

What really made this book for me was the relationship between Cam and Vee. This was just such a cute, likable romance. You could definitely feel a connection between the characters from the start but I definitely wouldn’t describe their relationship as “insta-love.” They definitely built from friends to more, and watching them grow together was adorable. There was a lot of well-written romantic tension and I was rooting for them to get together the whole time, both in the past and the present. Individually, they were both really likable characters. Together, they brought out the best in each other. Vee made Cam feel okay again after everything he’d been through, and Cam made Vee realize her potential.

The part of the story that affected me the most was Cam’s backstory. The way Pennington built up to it was so suspenseful and I was so eager to find out what happened. I won’t say too much in order to avoid spoilers, but what is eventually revealed really pulled at my heartstrings.

Overall, this was a really pleasant read. The romance was adorable and the battling bands/reality television show aspect was a fun addition. The plot held my interest throughout and although I wasn’t in love with the ending, I was satisfied with it.

If you’re looking for a cute, fluffy contemporary this is definitely one to consider! I would especially recommend it if you like to read about music, summer adventures, and/or road trips.

Maybe books with bands/rockstars/musicians just aren't my thing, because this was so unbelievably boring and filled with drama for the sake of drama. I also really didn't like the spilt timeline, with one POV from "then" and the other from "now". And I really didn't like Virginia. lol. So... Not for me!

NO thank you. I tried to read this book, but I couldn't get into it. Sometimes I think my ages truly prevents me from understanding certain YA novels.

There is much to love about this debut novel that sizzles with moments of high emotion and romantic chemistry. Shifting perspectives between Cam and Vee, as well as ‘Then’ and “Now’ has the potential to be a tricky narrative device, but the author executed it nicely. Sexual tension and repressed feelings are electrically palpable between Cam and Vee, and there is a good balance of sweet vs. passionate moments. Setting the ‘now’ timeline in a reality-tv battle of the bands also adds unique dynamics that are further heightened by what the flashbacks reveal. Readers will completely fall in love with tragic hero Cam and his love for Vee, though the love triangle subplot really felt forced and unnecessary. In spite of that minor flaw, this is a captivating read and a great pick for fans of Morgan Matson and Emery Lord!

first appeared on RT Book Reviews, May 2018

This one was definitely what I expected, a summer romance story with a second chance. I honestly think this one would be a really cute Netflix movie. I know it would have a lot of romance lovers swooning. I loved how it was told in past chapters and present chapters, by two different characters.

Vee was fun, I liked her almost immediately and definitely enjoyed reading from her perspective more than Cam’s. She was a typical girl still in love and I could relate with her on a personal level. Cam was a pretty interesting character, except for the fact that his actions were so beyond frustrating to me.

If you are looking for a pretty light-hearted romantic story, with lots of complications this will be a great read for you. If being frustrated by characters is your thing, please pick this one up. If you love a solid story with a lot of music thrown in, this one has your name written all over it.

**Review can be found at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ **

V loves music and managing her best friend's band, but never expected to ever be fearless enough to play her music in public- until a boy gives her hope.
Cameron escaped his past, trying to forget the tragedy that is his life with a new start in a small town that does not know anything about him. He never expected to meet someone like V, someone so full of life who could almost make him forget- someone he could never deserve. When a music competition almost two years later thrusts the two together again, they need to determine what love means and what they will do about it.

Jessica was able to rip my heart out with her words. I knew this was not going to be a super happy upbeat book, but in reality I feel completely devastated while at the same time I would not change anything about the book. It was romantic, angsty, depressing, redeeming, stressful and wonderful.

Told through now and then timelines through both the main character's points of view, you get to see how everything wonderful began and unraveled, every sweet, painful moment that made me just want to melt. This is my first book by Jessica, actually her first book in general, but if this is what she writes like then I will read whatever she writes next.

I am not sure how I am suppose to overcome this book hangover, but while I figure that out here are my top 10 favorite quotes from the book. I highly recommend Love Songs for everyone who loves emotional YA contemporary romances.

Top Ten Favorite Quotes
1. “There are stipulations to kissing you? Like, you have demands?”
“Just one.”
My hands settle on my hips. “I don’t negotiate with terrorists.”
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2.“Gross. I think you mean ‘man candy,’ because I’ve never seen your man meat. And I don’t plan to.”
---
3. Cam is smiling at me like I’m absolute perfection, and for a moment I forget all about the pain and the hate and the anger. I smile back. And for one moment, I truly feel happy, ignited by the way he’s looking at me, like I’ve cured cancer or written the Great American Novel, not scribbled a couple of stupid songs. I’m seventeen again, sitting at the beach after sunset, playing a concert for two.
---
4.“I want you to say yes. To everything. To anything.” .
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5. "Sometimes you don't know what you want until you just do. It hits you like a wave, knocks you underwater, and when you surface, all you want is this one thing. It's like gasping for air."
---
6.“You were the missing lyrics to a song I didn't even know I was writing.”
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7.“I always joked about you stalking me, but really”—she’s trying not to smile and failing—“at a nursing home?”
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8.A glorified groupie along for the ride. Maybe hopping on a bus based on a too-good-to-be-true job offer from Logan wasn’t my best choice ever. Who knew, right?
---
9. “Oh, yeah, laugh it up. One person wears flannel, okay. Fine. But all of you show up in flannel, and you look like those freaking animatronic bears from Disney World who play banjos and wear suspenders and scare the kids.”
“So yes, I’m checking your clothes. Because I love you. And because I—not you—get blamed when you show up looking like you should be carrying fiddles and washboards.”

---
10. “I’d like to hear this idea,” Nonni says, and I officially love her.

This was a funny and sweet love story but the best part was the musical backdrop... Totally felt mesmerized by it.

Firstly, I just want to address the fact that I finished this book in two days. Two freaking days. I haven't finished a book that fast in over three months! This book was incredible, and I seriously can't wait to reread it over and over again.

Jessica Pennington has definitely become one of my favorite authors, even though this is her first book. A debut book is always my judgment on whether or not I would like to continue reading from that author, and Jess definitely killed it. Love Songs and Other Lies became one of my most anticipated books as soon as it had been announced. And after reading it, I have so much I want to say but can't out of fear of spoiling it.

So, let's start with a few of my favorite quotes from this book.

"I can't believe how much fun I'm having right now."

This is a very relatable quote, especially for someone like me. I actually saw a lot of myself in Virginia Miller, the first main character. She's very passionate about music, but she'd never outwardly admit it. In fact, there are a lot of secrets about her that are spilled in this book, and I find those secrets to be some of the best plot twisters I've ever read from in contemporary.

"My mom only wishes there was a story of wild adolescent rebellion attached to the disappearance of my green Ford Focus."

Again, I find myself relating to this character. My mom is always begging me to do things, whether it be going out with friends, going to a party, getting a boyfriend or rejoining the soccer team (it's never going to happen for the second and fourth ones, mom). In this book, Vee's mom is basically keeping an unwanted eye out for her "rebellion". She never actually rebels in this book, except for one scene that I wouldn't really consider rebelling but maybe talking back? Either way, you get a little action between these two characters.

"And I know; this is exactly what falling in love sounds like."

I've always loved music, so I know exactly what this quote feels and sounds like. As a high school freshman reading this, love is like a turning wheel. It never ends, feels real for a good twenty-four hours, and then falls to pieces. Hearts get broken all the time, for all ages. And I feel that this book could actually help a lot of teenagers find their paths.

With Cameron Fuller, the second main character, he's got a mysterious past with his heart set on music. He joins a band for a lot of reasons, but it helps him get back on track after a bad accident. Once upon a time, he was in love. But just like most teenagers, that love passed.

With Vee, she's got a cautious lifestyle. She's afraid to put herself out there for just about anything dealing with boys and music, even though she obviously loves both. She has this sureness about her that, with the help of a friend or lover, she will be able to conquer anything.

In my perspective, Jess really killed it with this debut novel. She made the lives of these characters seem realistic, which was a really important factor since it's contemporary. She made the love and the fights seem real, and she hit the nail straight into the wood with that ending.

For this, I give this book 5/5 stars. I seriously cannot wait the second book to release because y'all know I'm going to be entering all of the giveaways and requesting to get it like crazy. I want to thank Jess for holding the giveaways and signing my prize (everyone knows that I LOVE my books personalized, and that was a dream come true for me).

If you were ever on the fence about this book, get off of it. You will fall in love with the characters, the plot, the dialogue, everything! Just give it a chance; you won't regret it.

What a gorgeous, funny, heartfelt story. Jessica really has a way of writing captivating romances, with excellent pacing and characters you love to follow. Also, duh, music!

There were parts of this story to love but even more, parts to not love. The story was bland at most points and the characters did not mesh well. The book started out as a great summer read, but after a few chapters, I totally lost interest.

I didn't find this story particularly memorable, though I did like the characters. They just seemed a bit too stereotypical.

Love Songs and Other Lies was one of those books that sucked me in from the beginning and kept me happily turning the pages until it's over and I was left wondering why I enjoyed the book so much but unable to deny that I really really did enjoy it.

There was so much that could have annoyed me about it but it just didn't.

For example, Vee's bitchiness and inability to forgive Cameron. Cam's refusal to reveal his 'secrets'. Logan and his weird not-boyfriend boyfriendyness (< it could be a word!). Vee's special snowflake status... I could go on but it doesn't matter.

None of it mattered because this book was catnip and I was a cat.
I wanted to roll around in it forever and just enjoy the high.
It made me smile. It gave that happy, floaty, butterfly feeling you get when falling in love.
It's a book about second chances and chasing your dreams.
It's optimistic and it's hopeful.
It was an awesome summer read and even though I'm unlikely to re-read it, I know I'll remember the feeling it evoked.

If you're a fan of YA/NA contemporary romances then definitely give it a read!

Love Songs and Other Lies is a quick YA contemporary clearly going for the ‘American summer read’ approach. It appeared sporting the hallmarks of boyband lit – a phenomenon I’ve written about here and here – and I decided to see what’s being done with the genre across the pond, given that much of what I’ve read from it has come from UKYA.

Vee’s been the songwriter behind her best friend’s band for most of her teenage life, and when Logan’s band wins a spot on a battle-of-the-bands reality TV show, she gets pulled along for the ride – only to come face-to-face with Cam, her heartbreaker ex-boyfriend, who’s been called back into the band at the last minute. Cam is determined to win her forgiveness, but as the story of his secret is slowly unravelled and the competition gets more intense, it looks like things are going to get messy for the both of them once more.

This début has got music, mystery, and the added intrigue of the close-quarters setting. It’s told in dual timeline alternate narration, revealing how Cam and Vee fell for each other the first time around while also following a bitter reunion over the battle of the bands. It takes some getting used to, but showcases a bit of narrative ambition, which I liked. Reminiscent of Sarah Dessen or Emery Lord’s When We Collided, Cam and Vee’s first romance is enjoyable and heady, full of one-on-one moments and beaches at midnight. Vee’s friendship with Logan and the other band-members is interesting, too. The book deals with some intense stuff – fame, heartbreak, loss – and I was drawn into the pages by that unexpected level of intensity.

However, once you’ve closed those pages, the feel of the book is less captivating; it’s one of a modish, fleeting contemporary which doesn’t delve deep into exploration of theme or character. Most of the relationships don’t have depth, the secondary characters are thinly sketched and the prose is dialogue-heavy. The reader sees very little of the actual battle of the bands. Increasingly unbelievable decisions result in correspondingly unbelievable, too-easy, undeveloped successes. The ending could have been braver. There are so many warm, rich, thoughtful, well-written takes on this genre to be found elsewhere – Love Song by Sophia Bennett, Remix by Non Pratt, I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman – that this one became forgettable.