I expected to love Musical Chairs more than I did. The premise—a group of quirky, creative characters navigating life’s dramas in the charming Connecticut countryside—seemed tailor-made for me. But despite its potential, I struggled to connect with the story.

Amy Poeppel crafts a lively world filled with complex family dynamics, longstanding friendships, and the interplay of music and relationships. While the setting and characters have their moments, I found myself more intrigued by the idea of the book than by its execution. Bridget, Will, and the rest of the ensemble felt a bit too polished and distant for me to fully invest in their journeys.

That said, this novel might shine in a book club setting, where the richly drawn characters and their intertwining lives could spark engaging discussions. For readers who enjoy lighthearted, character-driven narratives with a touch of humor, Musical Chairs offers a fun, if slightly unrelatable, escape.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC for the purpose of an unbiased review!

A sweet story very much like Laurie Colwin's work. I enjoyed the descriptions of Bridget's house and barn renovation. I could almost hear the notes of the Synchronicity piece from Edward's wedding. There were a few things that didn't gel for me: Lottie and Hans never became more than flat characters to me. I wanted more Marge. She seemed like she could carry her own plot line. All in all, the book was enjoyable.

Musical Chairs was a big, warm hug of a book as Poeppel brings us into Bridget's life and all the facets of it. It's filled with music, family, and it's also changing in more ways than she expected. Throughout this wonderful novel, we get to watch Bridget grow, stretch and stretch and change.

Amy Poeppel's "Musical Chairs" is a delightful exploration of love, friendship, and family dynamics, wrapped in humor and heartwarming moments.

The concept of this book is a sweet, heart warming idea. Amy Poeppel is a funny, fantastic author..

Due to time I will not be giving a thorough review of this book, but I’m sure it will be a fit for many people out there.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’m so behind on reading this, but I’m glad I finally got to it! Musical Chairs is about a classical music trio and their relationships. Bridget and Will have been part of the Forsythe Trio ever since college. Once again they find themselves looking to fill the third spot or decide whether to go their separate ways. The story follows the two over a summer that doesn’t go quite as planned. What was meant to be a relaxing, romantic summer with her boyfriend actually leaves Bridget dumped and hosting her two grown children.

This was a good story overall, but it felt slow to get going. I felt like the first 25% didn’t have much happening and took a while to get through. The first chapter especially mentioned so many men’s names it was hard to keep the characters straight.

I enjoyed seeing how the relationships developed throughout the story. Especially, the platonic friendship between Bridget and Will and how it evolved over the summer as they experienced changes in other areas of their lives.

This is a good read for those that enjoy character driven novels with a classical music spin.

I enjoyed Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel.
As a musician myself, I loved this inside look at a group of musicians and their relationships. The story was engaging. I enjoyed reading about Bridget and Will and their friends-to-lovers romance. I enjoyed the setting of the East Coast.
This was a delightful read!
Thank you to Netgalley for this copy.

I really looked forward to the promise of this book and persisted to read it, but it was not the fun journey I hoped for. It was a very long 400 pages.

All the characters were very self absorbed in their various crises that were of their own making. None were even likable. I waited for something exciting to happen and it never did.

I persisted to the end, but if it wasn’t a copy provided from netgalley I would have DNF’d this one.

I am sorry to say this but I felt a little bored while reading this book. It had potential with the friends to lovers, but the slow burn was too boring for my taste. I felted distracted and bored that I had to stop reading for awhile. I'm sorry to say it but it wasn't for me.

Bridget can’t wait to spend the summer at her Connecticut country home with her boyfriend Sterling. But then he breaks up with her. She soon finds herself spending the summer with a whole assortment of other people. It ends up being a summer full of interesting characters and relationships. The story is full of surprises and humor along the way.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

I liked reading this book. I enjoyed it. I wouldn’t go out and tell my friends it‘s a must read, but if they were interested in it based on the synopsis, I’d say go for it.

This book felt too long and to dry and boring.
Nothing interesting happend really and Bridget and Mark did not feel destinied to be together. Both of them were boring and predictable. Nothing interesting.. it just drawned on for pages after pages...

I really enjoyed this novel. I love books with a full cast of characters to get to know and this delivered. The dialogue was also great between the characters. This is a great book if you need to sink into something that is heartwarming.

Super cute! This is a good filler read, especially coming off of some thriller books I needed something light and cute. As a music teacher I was drawn to the title of this book and musical chairs was one of my favorite games as a kid. I was also surprised how well the author did at writing the novel. I know that sounds silly, but sometimes with cute romance books the writing is terrible, and Poeppel is the opposite. Highly recommend!

I adored this book. It was a warm hug on a crisp day! Poeppel’s story was filled with NYC atmosphere, country vibes, musical notes, and people drama all the way. I found reading this story to be relaxing and it was 100% beautifully written. I am a huge fan of character driven stories and Poeppel truly delivered!

Amy Poeppel always writes books that truly speak to me, even when the subject matter is new to me. A musical team? Sure - I dont have a musical bone in my body, but if Poeppel writes it, I will read it! I am glad I did, because like all of her other books, Musical Chairs was fantastic!

I don't usually enjoy a book with a lot of family drama but this one was actually quite well done! I enjoyed how the characters were written and it seemed like the author had fun writing it, which definitely came through. If I had to describe it in one word it definitely would be fun. And we all need a fun read now and then. Very character driven so it's going to appeal to certain readers more than others but I still think it has mass appeal. Perfect for a read on a summer getaway... or really any getaway!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy in exchange of an honest review.

Thanks to #NetGalley for this book.

Rounding it up to 3.5 stars. Loved the concept of music intertwined with long lasting friendship, family, and falling in love throughout. Then there's Bridget's house falling apart (her country cottage), her famous father, a composer and musician in his own right just like Bridget. Bridget and Will who are not lovers but best of friends for decades, rethinking their careers since they can't seem to find the right musician to fill in the gap in their long lasting trio. Then there's Oscar and Isabelle Bridget's twins from maybe a long ago affair (not going to spoil it by saying by whom), and the people who are involved in different aspects of helping Bridget keeping her house up to date, which is a challenge it seems.

There are some humorous scenes in this book and hardly a sad one for a change.

Great book. Highly recommend and will most defiantly read more by this author and suggest to others!