I wish this had worked for me, but I was just never able to get into it! I tried multiple times but could never get past the first few chapters.

Hello

Apologies for the late notice, but I have decided not to review this title. While I am certain it's obvious by now, I wanted to also clear this off NetGalley, so it's not showing as open for either of us.

Thanks,
Laura

I thought this book was okay. I didn’t really feel like the characters had enough chemistry. I couldn’t get attached to the love interests at all. I just wish that there had been a bit more relationship development for the couple.

This is a great book about second chances and how everyone deserves one. I love that it's a twenty year span and they've grown up so much and become totally different people that they have to learn and meet all over again.

Looking for a fun, sweet, and super cute rom com? Let this book be it! I absolutely loved this look into the music world amidst a heartwarming story.

Zoë is an editor at a major music magazine in London. She’s great at her job, but what she’s not so great at is love. Now her childhood friend that she fell in love with is back in town, yet she’s also in a fake relationship with a publicist she doesn’t even like (at first, that is). With the task to land the biggest interview of her career to save the magazine, Zoë has more problems than one and life-changing choices face her.

Love Songs for Skeptics had all of the elements I so enjoy in a rom com... enemies to lovers trope, a love triangle, and even fake dating. I love it when a book has a creative touch to it, and that came into play here by the song titles as chapter headings. There’s even an accompanying Spotify playlist. One of the biggest highlights for me here truly was getting immersed in the music industry, from music magazines to PR to the bands and singers, and the way it was all woven into the story without feeling overbearing. It made for such a unique and delightful reading experience. I was entertained from start to finish. This is a book I can safely highly recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the gifted e-copy!

This books was disappointing.

It is not a romantic comedy nor a romance. I don’t think I laughed once during this very long read. It was more of a women’s fiction novel.

I really wanted to like this, but that wasn’t the case.

I found the story to be bland, without direction and overall a slow moving story.

It might be classified as a character driven story vs a plot driven story; the latter being what I prefer.

I still don’t really know what the point of this story was.

I loved the format of this book. The songs incorporated into the chapters. Very cool! I also really enjoyed the story line. I do love a good trope, and this book has a few of my favorites..

This was an enjoyable read. The cover and some of the plot elements (reclusive rock star, unrequited love for a best friend, saving a dying form of media, pretend dating) felt a bit similar to other novels I have read the past few years, but it was a likable combination of those elements. I loved the in-joke of fictional rock-star/secret agent Zak Scaramouche, and also enjoyed the chapter titles taken from (cynical) love songs. I didn't see the last plot twist coming, and the different threads of the story tied up rather nicely.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I really loved Love Songs for Skeptics! I loved the friends to lovers trope, the enemies to lovers trope, as well as a love triangle. It was so fun to see each chapter the title of a beloved romance song as well. Such a fun soundtrack!

Zoe loves love songs - she really loves all music. Her love life hasn’t worked out like she wanted, but she loves her job at a music magazine. Zoe has been in love with Simon since they were children, and when he moves back to London, Zoe thinks that this is their chance. But when her job gets put in jeopardy by Nick (a publish), “Zoë must decide if she's right to be skeptical about love, or if it's simply time to change her tune…” (I totally stole the stuff in quotations from the blurb; I just loved it!)

Anyways, I really liked Love Songs for Skeptics - I loved the main character, I loved the love story, I loved the cover, I loved the title. This was such a fun book to read. I stayed up WAY too late on a school night finishing it, and the long day at work was so worth it. The audiobook narrator did a great job - I love the British accents! I definitely check this one out if you get a chance.

Thanks to @NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmarks for my ARC!

This book actually made me laugh out loud several times. I thought it was a super cute book with loveavle main characters.

Love Song for Skeptics is perfect for readers who love music and the music industry. This book has a little romance, but really shines when telling Zoe's story. I did feel a little mislead by the book's description and when Simon didn't turn out how I expected. But over all a fun and engaging read.

This was really sweet. I thought all of the characters were very fun and well formed. I loved all the twists and turns in the relationships.

Zoe is a music journalist and after giving the boy band, Hands Down, a poor review, their publicist, Nick isn't happy. Zoe wants an interview with the reclusive Marcie, Nick has access to her. They have to learn to play nice with each other so that they can both get what they want.

I was looking for a quick and easy romance. And that's what I got. Nothing more, just a solid romcom. The writing and the plot were good and I enjoyed the overall story.
I didn't feel much of a connection to Zoe and I wasn't too invested in her life. While I did like the characters, I didn't really care what they were doing. I was rooting for Gavin and Lucy more than Zoe and Nick. There is the use of multiple tropes, and in the end, they all felt incomplete. There was a friends-to-lovers between Simon and Zoe, which I did not like; enemies-to-lovers between Zoe and Nick, which she didn't stick to very well; there was a brief fake-dating situation, but that also didn't last very long. It felt like I just wanted more from the story. It was a solid read, but nothing exceptional.

I really liked this one although it was sometimes confusing to keep all of the characters straight. There were overlapping love triangles, office romances, spoiled, dissolute rock stars, and misdirection based on poor or misleading communication. It’s a cautionary tale about the need to let go of old loves in order to open yourself up to the possibility of something new and better. Take one dash of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, mix it with a pinch of Daisy Jones and the Six, and you get a concoction that blends all the flavor notes in this book. It’s a wild ride with a couple of surprise twists that keeps you riveted until the final page.


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Sourcebooks Landmark through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

The rhythm of the drums thrum deep in her chest as she feels her blood pumping to the music. The bass notes swallow her whole as the lead singer’s voice settles a soothing calm over her. You’d think she was listening to gentle classical music to call this music experience soothing, but that’s a no. It’s a love song rock ballad and it’s getting her through this day.

Love Songs for Skeptics may come across as a rom-com, but it’s actually a romance with some tough subjects and depth woven in its pages. Zoe, our main character, is a music journalist and you better believe there were classic rock song references all over the place (and I loved it), but you get the hardships that come with being in the music business with this book, too.

This story deals with love (of course) but there is so much more packed in. You’ll get to know some musicians struggling in life and that being a rock star is not as glamorous as it’s cracked up to be. I really loved getting that insight and getting a deeper look into the music industry.

I recommend this one if you love music and a more heavy-weighted romance.

Also, every chapter is a song title and I couldn’t help but sing them every time I started a new chapter.

TW: Infidelity, Divorce, Death of a Friend, Drug/Alcohol Abuse, Suicide Attempt.

*I received a gifted copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review.

This book didn’t live up to my expectations. From the description I was hoping more for a behind the scenes PR/music love story but so much of it droned on. There were so many relationships and side stories and the romance took a backseat often. It was longer than it needed to be.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, & Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

I loved this book for the way it talks about music and the perfect chapter headings - all song titles that foreshadow a bit of what that chapter will entail - but I found myself lukewarm towards the rest of it. One of my least favorite tropes was in abundance throughout ... the dreaded lack of communication.

The basic premise of the story resides around Zoë, an editor at a music magazine that's standing on it's last legs - but not if she has anything to do with it. She's got one big score to make, an interview with a big star that's beyond reclusive. Enter in two complications, the unrequited love of her life (Simon), and the big star's antagonistic publicist (Nick).

I think the biggest problem I had was how little I was rooting for, well, anybody or anything. I didn't find myself particularly interested in whether the magazine survived, or if she ended up with Simon, or if Nick and she had yet another passive aggressive argument. Don't get me wrong, it was snarky and fun and such, it just didn't ever hit me the way that it was supposed to.

However, from reading other reviews there's a big chance that I just didn't connect the way that others have, because there's some rave reviews out there! If you like contemporary romances that lend themselves to the closed door category (and if you're a fan of music!), this might be the one for you!

TW:alcoholism & mention of suicide

There isn’t anything wrong with this book objectively but, it wasn’t for me. The heroine annoyed me the entire time. She was consistently rude to the hero and never stopped to think about her actions.

Zoe's childhood best friend and crush is back in the UK after 20 years (and one failed marriage) away. Now that Simon is in London for good can they finally move from childhood pals to something more? Zoe navigates this new relationship while trying to save the struggling Music Magazine she is the Editor of, landing the career-saving interview she needs, and dealing with an immature boy band and their quick-to-anger Publicist.

This book has a lot of potential. I loved the glimpses into the youth and long friendship of Zoe and Simon. They were so sweet!

Sadly, despite that sweetness, I had a very hard time becoming invested in these characters. I found this book extremely slow moving so I had a hard time engaging with either the characters or the story. There was a lack of chemistry between any of the characters. It felt like strangers, interacting with each other in shared space.

Sadly, this one wasn't for me. It wasn't terrible, just an okay read.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.