Premise was good but story could have been more fleshed out and had more character development. Overall good but not great.

This book had a lot of promise, but I just ended up wanting it to be more. Overall I didn't really feel like too much happened in the story, with the exception of a couple of more crucial events. I also had a hard time liking the character (Laura) in Parts I and III of the book. I enjoyed reading about the New York City scene in Laura's younger days and found myself disappointed when we zoomed to a few years in the future.

Skimmed through this before my interview with Emily Gould for my newsletter and enjoyed the style of writing - might come back to this sometime later and read all the way through. Which is why I'm rating it 3 stars for now until I can get to the rest of it.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!!

I found it really difficult to relate to Laura and some of her internal comments were hard to read. She seemed overly whiny and ungrateful at certain points. But the story seems to drag on until a crazy twist happens and then it becomes dull again-not my favorite pacing. Most of the characters are just flat and I was looking for more.

This was a great book. It was an insightful exploration of parenthood, family, careers, and life in New York. Highly recommended!

Overall a sweet story about a mom and daughter with an interesting background.A bit unblanced writing but all came together nicely.

This is a great novel that includes music. I really enjoyed reading this and I will definitely read more of Emily Gould.

PERFECT TUNES is one of those books that you read and cannot help but want to pick up and re-read. The characters were brought to life on these pages and propelled forward a tale of love, family, and identity.

Perfect Tunes follows Laura, as she heads to NYC to follow her dreams of becoming a musician. After falling for the guitarist in another band, she finds herself unexpectedly pregnant and the second half of the book shows her struggles in young motherhood, up through when her daughter - Marie - is a teenager. The writing was beautiful and Gould crafted a story I could absolutely see being real and I loved that about this one. I wish the chapters had been more consistent in length though - Chapter 1 was more than 25% of the book - and that we had gotten to see more of Marie and Laura’s relationship through the years. I think less of the beginning and more of the end would have made the story feel more complete. Overall, I enjoyed this one and I’m glad I finally read it!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for the free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The only word I can think of to describe this book is passive. It had a great premise and I had high hopes for this. I mean, what's not to love about a book set in New York, music and mother-daughter relationships? It just felt like this was very much a book outline - that none of it was quite flushed out.

I didnt finish this book because I wasn't enjoying it. I don't enjoy a book with excessive drug use. I will not be posting a review on my blog as I don't post negative reviews.

I adored this book! The way the writer immerses us in Laura’s life is truly the feat of a perceptive, great writer. Her description of first love is spot-on and she doesn’t shy away from a realistic, graphic portrayal of sexual feelings.
When the protagonist falls pregnant, you can feel a sense of dread, since you know her dreams are about to be swallowed up in motherhood. The next part of the book explores what it is like to be a broke young, single mother in New York, with no network of family to help. The writer, once again, is so observant and original in her portrayal of Laura’s sacrifice and the burden of unexpressed creativity. The writer gives us a true portrayal of how a mother’s love can carry one through all kinds of hardships and sacrifice.
In the third part of the book, we see Laura and her daughter who is now aged 14. The cruelty of teenage-hood and disregard for a mother’s sacrifice is heartbreaking. But so is the fact the the teenager inherited her father’s penchant for depression. Once again, the author is so adept at giving us Laura’s perspective, alternating with the daughter’s perspective. The writing is so observant and genuine that it draws you into their life and you can certainly relate to some of their experiences.... Motherhood, first love, drugs, sexual experience, depression, the dynamics of a “blended family”, and a mother’s gradual drawing away towards her own lost feelings and needs.
My only critique is the abrupt, ambiguous ending. I really wish it had gone on for a few more chapters, and that it would have ended on a happier note. Maybe I’m old-fashioned that way....

Unfortunately I had a difficult time connecting to the characters and I felt it lacked depth. The premise of the story was good, but I feel it did not deliver on my expectations.

I was so excited to read this book. It is good. A good beach read. But it’s not great. It’s OK. It seemed flat, and , well, a little slow and predictable to me. If you have another book to read, pick that one. If not, this one is fine. It’s not bad. It’s not exciting or riveting.
I received a free galley from Netgalley.com and the publisher. The opinions are my own.

Entertaining, Quick, nostalgic read. I enjoyed it for what it was. Will definitely recommend it as beach read for this summer. After this year, this book is a perfect escape.

I think character driven books always catch plot lovers by surprise (usually in a negative way), but as someone who prefers character driven books that are powerful in their subtlety, I thought this book was fantastic. And of course, anything that takes an unexpected turn into identity or motherhood tugs at my heartstrings. This book did both and the writing style was right up my alley.

This book offers so much more than the title or cover might suggest. This is a slow burn that is layered and nuanced and absolutely worthy of a read. Highly recommend!

Laura meets an up-and-coming rock musician when she moves to the East Village in NYC and quickly becomes involved with him and his band. Being a musician herself, she hopes to advance her career and connections in music but abandons that when she finds herself pregnant the day after he dies suddenly.

Most of the book is about her life as it changes from an adventuresome young woman into a young single mother with responsibilities and struggling to makes ends meet. Her soul searching regarding what could have been, both as a partner to the young musician she fell for and her own development of her potential creativity, are the crux of the plot.

Some interesting dialogue, and character development is good- especially regarding her best friend who advances into the career Laura wished for herself.

Just okay.

After the first few chapters of PERFECT TUNES, I thought it had a lot of potential...none of which ended up being realized. The novel follows the journey of Laura, who moves to New York at age 22 with the dream of recording an album. She quickly meets Dylan, and falls into a months-long (sort of) relationship. Dylan was such a stereotype of a self-serious artist/addict that I couldn't tell if we were supposed to sympathize with Laura for falling for him or critique her for making such a foolish choice. After Laura gets pregnant, the rest of the novel pops in and out of her life as she raises her daughter.

While the overarching theme of this novel is about the choice between following your dreams and being a mother, it didn't fully land for me. Laura's passion for music was initially driven by trying to impress Dylan, but then once she has a baby she only make half-hearted attempts to create her own music. It could very well be that the author wanted to show how motherhood is so consuming that there is no space for individual pursuits, but for that to have worked, I would have needed to believe Laura when she proclaims how much she loves music.

This is a fast read that I sped through in less than a day, but if the premise isn't grabbing you, I'd say skip it.

Not much happened in this book, but I found myself enjoying it despite the slow-moving plot. I expected this book to be a love story -- and it was, but not in the way I assumed. It began as a romantic love story, and then it became a love story between mother and daughter. A thoughtful book on selflessness, selfishness and self-fulfillment.