Oh, this was a perfect way to start off the new year with a bang! Zoe, the protagonist, was one of my all time favorite heroines, i adored her snark and the way she juggles all her responsibilities made me a bit ashamed of myself, lol!
Loved this, an amazing debut!!

I really found myself liking this one! I liked how real Zoe was and she was dealing with all these family dynamics that I think a lot of us can relate to. I was thinking this was going to be a predictable romance, but it surprised me!

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

Zoë, a 34 year old music magazine editor, has to land a major interview in order to save the magazine. She knows her music, but her love life on the other hand is non-existent. She’s had a crush on her best friend, Simon, since they were 13, and now twenty years later he is back in London and newly single. She is navigating this change as well as trying to deal with Nick, the publicist of the big artist she is trying to interview. Will she get the interview and save the magazine? Will she finally find love?

Even though I’m not that into music, I loved that each chapter was named after a song that went along with what the chapter was about. This was a cute rom-com and I’d be interested in seeing what the author comes out with next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Love Songs for Skeptics
By Christina Pishiris

Zoë Frixos’ life is in quite a disarray to say the least. Though she has the dream job of a lifetime as an editor for a major music magazine, it’s at risk for closure unless she lands an interview with an elusive and big name music idol - which also means she has to get through her arrogant publicist Nick. Her love life is dismal, though some amazing news about her first love Simon moving back to London has her heart fluttering.

I enjoyed this fun read while listening to the amazing playlist with music from the 80’s and 90’s that is set for every chapter. It was also fun signing up for Zak Scaramouche fan club as well and you’ll get it when you read the book. I loved the refreshing and joyful writing that I find myself smiling reading this funny, lighthearted and absolutely brilliant romantic read!

"Love Songs For Skeptics" is centered around a music journalist named Zoë, and as a music journalist myself, that fact alone immediately made me want to read this book. Zoë is the editor of a major music magazine in London, and is trying to save it by scoring an interview with an artist she idolizes, which is easier said than done after she realizes she'll have to get approval from the artist's publicist, Nick.. Despite Nick's arrogance, Zoë finds herself falling for him, as well as her childhood crush, Simon, who has returned to down after separating from his wife.

Between the music journalism and PR references throughout the story and the love triangle between Zoë, Nick, and Simon, I thought this was an incredible read and I highly recommend it to fellow romance and contemporary readers.

Cute rom-com, but for me it just lacked in terms of the potential to be very good. It's cliche in terms of the aspect of the main character still being in love with this guy who clearly isn't worth it.

Love Songs for Skeptics by Christina Pishiris is novel telling the story of Zoe, a music magazine editor who has not fallen in love since her best friend Simon moved away when they were teens. Zoe has a second chance to tell Simon her feelings when they cross paths twenty years later, but not without a few obstacles. Between an obnoxious music producer, Nick, and an ex-girlfriend, Zoe begins to question her feelings for Simon and what love actually means to her. The theme of love songs is present throughout the novel with chapter names corresponding to actual song titles. The writing was fun with entertaining characters. I recommend this book for readers looking for a light romantic read with an ending just like a romantic comedy!

Many thanks to the publisher Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you to @bookmarked for a copy of the book. I love books that involves music, especially songs in the 80s-90s so I was excited to read this. This book covers music, friendship, family, saving a business and a love triangle. I enjoy the aspect of Simon and Zoe’s friendship and how they continued their made up fan club once they reconnected. I wanted to see more of Nick and Zoe’s connection to make the triangle more interesting. The story was predictable but it was an overall entertaining.⁣

I liked this one and it was a fun quirky book to end the year with. Zoe writes for a music magazine that is struggling to survive. She pins her hopes on getting a reclusive singer from a decade ago to give her an interview and boost the magazine’s circulation. She has to get the singer’s sexy publicist on her side but he needs her to do something for him in return. Zoe’s life is also turned upside down with the return of a friend from her past that she is secretly in love with. I liked the characters and the flow of the story. There were humorous and many heartfelt moments throughout the story. Overall this was a book that I really enjoyed. This is a debut author and I’m looking forward to more from her.

DNF this book. I think this story could actually be really good, but I couldn't get into it. Granted I was trying to read it over the holidays, so it was a bit chaotic. I think it sounds like a cute premise, but I just put it down about 20% of the way through. I honestly think a lot of people will like this. The other two books I DNF were because I actually did not like the writing. This was just wasn't what I was looking for at the time.

High Fidelity meets Almost Famous in this funny British rom-com.

Zoe might be jaded. Maybe it is writing about rock stars whose love lives' are always in turmoil? Or maybe it is because her life long crush on her best friend Simon has only left her pining. Whatever the cause, Zoe, a music aficionado, cannot help her brother plan the music for his upcoming nuptials or the first dance, will be to Tainted Love.

Zoe's life gets complicated when Simon moves back to England. His friendship with a rocker is her only ticket to getting an interview with her rock idol Marcie and Zoe's only hope for saving the magazine she is editor of. Life gets more complicated when Nick Jones, Marcie's publicist, is thrown into the mix. Zoe can't decide if he is a good or bad distraction.

As rom coms go, things worsen before they get better, which makes the HEA even better.

This is a great winter pick-me-up read perfect for readers who love a little bit of music thrown into their books.

As someone who has worked in this industry before, I thought I would like this book and find it hilarious but I honestly didn’t. I didn’t find Zoe’s mentality relatable at all. Some of her actions were not consistent with her character. Simon seems like a douche - why does she like him and why has she been pining over someone like him? I couldn’t understand his appeal. I also find it hard to believe that she would swear off men for decades after that one rejection.

The last note I have is that these characters seem to really propagate binge drinking - it’s not that cool. Binge drinking culture is not healthy.

Charming, comical, and delightfully uplifting!

Love Songs for Skeptics is a sweet, heartwarming tale that takes us into the life of the hardworking Zoë Frixos as she juggles her feelings for her newly returned, single best friend who she’s crushed on since she was thirteen, a cocky boy-bander with an overinflated ego, a potential interview with a famous, reclusive musician who could save her career, and a push-and-pull relationship with the arrogant, yet handsome publicist, Nick Jones.

The prose is sharp and fluid. The characters, including all the supporting characters, are multilayered, amusing and endearing. And the plot is a smart, engaging tale full of life, loss, love, tricky moments, awkward situations, quirky mishaps, delicious chemistry, romantic drama, tension, self-reflection, and a soundtrack of some of the most unforgettable, retro, love songs of all time.

Overall, Love Songs for Skeptics is a light, refreshing, entertaining debut by Pishiris that I thoroughly enjoyed and is the perfect choice for fans of contemporary romance novels that have a lot of humour, heart, and hope.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thirty four year old Zoe Frixos is an editor at a failing music magazine. She is banking on an interview with an elusive musician to save the magazine.

There is so much going on this story with Zoe's childhood crush (Simon) returning to London, Zoe's brother's wedding, girls' nights, the Marcie Taylor/Jessica Honey feud. It's a lot to take in.

I didn't care for the supposed love triangle between Simon/Zoe/Nick. Simon didn't treat Zoe right and she didn't treat Nick right. The romance, in general, fell a little flat for me. I didn't really feel the chemistry between Zoe and Nick. I wish we could have gotten more than Zoe's point of view. Nick's would have been good. Maybe then I would have believed it more.

I loved the chance to read this book in advance of its early January publication. Zoe is smart savvy, kind of quirky and very skeptical of love and romance. She reminds me a little of Bridget Jones, but she’s a more believable person to me. She is more together and with-it, less scatter brained, more likeable, somehow. One reviewer said this book is like High Fidelity and Bridget Jones put together; a good description. Zoe is not perfect, and she is not always wise, but she is brave and she’s determined to save the magazine she works for, without being overly cynical, goofy or disinterested. Simon is the boy who used to live next door; her best friend whom she has secretly loved from her early teen years. Simon has moved back to London and their friendship blossoms, but there are also mixed messages from him. One day she bumps into Nick Jones and the situation changes into something new and unimaginable.

The secondary characters are funny, quirky, and complicated while also adding credence and depth to Zoe’s story. I loved her dependence on her family, but also that she lived independently and bravely, too. Zoe’s hero’s journey is personal, filled with growth and mistakes, and I truly enjoyed reading this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Source Books Landmarks for the opportunity to read and review this book. So this book was on my radar because of the music representation plus the main character's skepticism about love. That's definitely there but there's also a lot of Alcoholism and Drug use even going to the lengths to have a stomach pumped.This is because this book represents the UK modern music scene.Theres also grief of a mentor figure as well so keep that in mind. It also shows the lengths publicists and journalists do to either keep their magazine running or to maintain their clients' image or make it better. There's also a love triangle involved, which to be honest was effective in the sense that I wasn't sure who she was going to be with and I am really glad that who she picked was who I wanted because it fits so much better to me. The family dynamic also was awesome especially when its comes to the wedding/family dinners. There's also Greek/Cyprus representation in this book so if that interests you, check this out. Overall, I really enjoyed myself when it comes to this novel and if you like/are interested in it check it out 4 out of 5 stars.

3.5 stars

I was very excited to read Love Songs for Skeptics. I love the cover and was intrigued by the blurb. After reading this book, I have mixed feelings about it. There were a lot of things I liked about the story: a snarky heroine, supportive female friendships, and lot's of musical references. But there were also a few things that annoyed me. Specifically, a trope where our heroine is pining for a man who is not interested in her but leading her on, while ignoring a great man who is very much interested. Another thing that I didn't love is how much of the story was about drinking alcohol. There was so much mentioning of drinking and getting drunk in this book, and I just found it trite and boring. All in all, I enjoyed Love Songs for Skeptics while reading it, but it won't stay with me or go on my favorites list.

Witty, fun, and delightfully British, I flew through this romcom in just two sittings! I tend to prefer romances that center on women who have their shit together at work but not in their personal lives because, hello, that’s me✨ and this was such a great example of that.

Zoë was a really relatable protagonist whose career, though maybe meant as a secondary story, I felt more invested in than the romance itself. It spent a good part of the book teetering between two tropes and I just didn’t love the execution of one of the two, and I think it interfered too much with the other one to the point where I just wasn’t as invested.

Nevertheless, I got quite a few laugh out loud chuckles from this one and especially loved the Greek flare (there’s a moussaka joke early on that had me choking on my drink) and really loved how the story came together.

I really enjoyed this one! With each chapter titled after a song, and music flowing on every page, it's really a fun contemporary romance for music lovers (I definitely had the urge to cue up Spotify for almost all the songs mentioned). I thought Zoe was a really likeable character to follow- she's a good friend and relative to the people in her life, and she cares for people in a way that often in books we're supposed to applaud people for, but both in this story and in real life it's just how you're supposed to treat people. It makes it easy to root for her.

I wasn't sure I would settle into this one and almost didn't, but at about 20% things changed in the story for me and I just needed to keep reading. I always forget how much I enjoy stories set in London and the cadence of the writing. I was so worried for Zoe as she navigated her job and her relationships, but watching her overcome getting in her own way and her perceptions of life were so enjoyable and the end was absolutely worth it.