This was such a beautiful and heartwarming story. It really showed how music can heal. I would love to see this turned into a movie

I originally requested this as an eARC from NetGalley in the summer or fall of 2020. Several books that I requested during that time somehow got wrapped up in all the feels of that first Covid year, and I dunno, starting them, even in ones and twosies, has been scary. But I think it's helping to process what was a difficult time for everyone.

3.5 stars. I didn't enjoy this book as much as Star-Crossed, which I felt was a little more hopeful and had a little bit of silliness to leaven the life changes and growing pains. This book is obviously going to be sadder, starting with a death. The structure is very similar to the first book, in that chapters popcorn around and the reader gets a series of interconnected short stories about characters whose orbits intersect and overlap-- a good readalike if you enjoyed the structure of The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece.

Original review: I really want to love this book. I really liked the author's previous title, Star-Crossed. This is off to a good start, but it's no secret that it's going to have some sad bits, and I'm not Hallmark-type-story at the best of times. Turns out that during Covid, I don't want sad bits.

I look forward to reading this when the world (and I) is in a better place.

This was a really heartwarming, romantic, delightful love story. I adored the characters and enjoyed every moment!

The Lost Love Song is a beautiful, inspiring story about love, loss, and how to keep going after life has dealt you a bad hand. The story had me in tears at multiple points, and the ending was an especially moving, full-circle kind of moment as well, which left me wanting to hug the book and smile for a few days. This novel needs to be digested—and deserves to be read—slowly. The writing was a little difficult to get used to at first, but once you get into it, you can’t stop reading it!

The Lost Love Song is not your average love story, so if you’re looking for a different kind of romance that will be sure to tug at your heartstrings, then pick The Lost Love Song up immediately! The Lost Love Song is perfect for fans of Renée Carlino, Jill Santopolo, and Lia Louis.

4 stars

The Lost Love Song is a really beautiful story of Arie, who lost his love Diana tragically in a plane crash. Little did he know that Diana had written him a love song that survived to be carried around the world, eventually leading Arie to a new love and through the promise of new love - healing. Cute, tragic, and hopeful, Minnie Darke has created a beautiful love story.

This story is absolutely beautiful. The intertwined lives of everyone who are touched by this love song make for a wonderful heartfelt romance. It’s. Shame I haven’t read this sooner.

Having never read anything by the author, I was intrigued by this general premise.

Diana has a love song that she has written for her love, Arie. This song is one she's written while touring to tell him of how she feels. Diana, as we, learn, makes it to Arie eventually. Evie, a young woman, feeling adrift finds Diana's love song just as she's questioning what she's doing in her life in Scotland. The man that she is with doesn't bring her fulfillment and she knows she needs to find that in her life. When she finds Diana's love song, something compels her on. Meeting Arie and knowing it's time to go home to Australia only part of the Evie and the songs journey.

I honestly found myself a little muddled as I was reading this book. I didn't know if Arie and Diana ended up losing each other early on or something happened to Diana. Of course, we do eventually learn, but it kind of takes the punch out of their love story. Was it created to help us understand just the song's origin? Or was it possibly good to know of Arie's capacity to love as well? Once the story transitions to Evie, the story feel much more grounded. Someone feeling aimless and finding their way back through song, seemed to really speak to me as a reader.

I do love the ending and how it worked out with Evie and Arie, but I kind just wish the book had had a little more concrete storytelling throughout. Thank you for the ARC!

Thank you so much to @PenguinRandomHouse & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 13 October 2020)

SYNOPSIS | Diana & Arie have been engaged for several years & Diana has decided that when she returns from her world tour she is finally going to agree to actually have the wedding. During her travels she has been composing a love story which represents how she feels about him & their future, but sadly she never gets the chance to play it to him herself.

WHAT I LIKED:
- the entire concept of a song travelling around the world & still ending up with its intended audience
- really lovely portrayal of grief & discussion into allowing yourself to love again after loss
- that the story doesn't just focus on one type of love (long lasting love, first love, familial love etc)

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- I wanted more page time with Arie & Evie as we watch them fall in love
- there are quite a few side characters
- I want to actually hear the infamous love song!

Did not finish. I tried a couple times and couldn’t get into this one. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy.

Another great title from Minnie Darke! This was a beautiful story about love, music, loss, and the ability to find yourself again after tragedy strikes. Darke has such a unique writing style, which was evident from her previous release that I also enjoyed, Star-Crossed. I can't wait to see what heart-wrenching stories this wonderful author will write in the future!

I really wanted to like this one, but just couldn't get into it... Ended up DNF'ing. Other readers seemed to have enjoyed it, so maybe it was just me?

Started out ok, but lost steam half way through. I found myself skimming towards the end and just wanting it to be over. I don't think the main character Arie had enough development to be our lead guy and the "lost love song" chapters were fillers to the story. I should have known this wasn't for me because someone related it being like The Two lives of Lydia Bird which I did not enjoy.

This book was absolute sweet perfection. I was hesitant at first, but it grew into something amazing. I had this warm happy feeling in my heart almost the entire time. It helps you remember how sweet real love is, in a story as intertwined as movies like Valentines Day.

If your looking for something to help you feel all warm and fuzzy again, this is the book for you.

I loved Minnie Darke's "Star-Crossed" so my hopes were high for this one! I will say I think I enjoyed "Star-Crossed" more because it was such a unique idea for a novel, but I loved this book, too. I instantly fell in love with the two main characters, mainly Evie, and they were very well-written and likeable. I did occasionally get a little confused by the shifting perspectives because there were so many different characters involved -- it reminded me of movies like "Love Actually" in that way -- but that may have just been a me thing! Overall, this was a hopeful, uplifting story about love and loss and finding home.

The Lost Love Song by Minnie Darke is a good book, though very sad. There are lots of characters to keep track of, which was one challenge. But ideas woven throughout the book is an interesting, and somewhat uplifting one.

This is the story of a love song. And like any good love song, it has two parts.

In Australia, Arie Johnson waits impatiently for classical pianist Diana Clare to return from a world tour, hopeful that after seven years together she'll finally agree to marry him.

On her travels, Diana composes a song for Arie. It's the perfect way to express her love, knowing they'll spend their lives together... Won't they?

Then late one night, her love song is overheard, and begins its own journey across the world.

In Scotland, Evie Greenlees is drifting. It's been years since she left Australia with a backpack, a one-way ticket and a dream of becoming a poet. Now she spends her days making coffee and her nights serving beer. And she's not even sure whether the guy she lives with is really her boyfriend or just a flatmate.

Then one day she hears an exquisite love song. One that will connect her to a man with a broken heart...


Definitely have the tissues ready when you pick up this book. While I enjoyed this book, it was absolutely heartbreaking.

What I loved about this book:

1. This book focuses on the power of music, how it can draw people together and help mend a broken heart.

2. This book was so well written with amazing characters, this whole story will stick with me for a long time. The writing is poetic (a bit different than what I'm use to), but I absolutely loved it.

3. The author weaves together random events through the story that seem unrelated but end up all coming together at the end. While not everyone may enjoy this aspect of the book, I really loved it.

This unconventional, but absolutely beautiful romance is one you have to read.

I will for sure need to read this one again. Lot’s of characters and I got confused here and there where it was. It is lovely how a song can travel and mean so much to so many. I was totally gripped in certain spots and I could not put it down. Overall a good read.

I found this a little bit slow to get into, particularly since I got really attached to a character who dies. But it picked up as the book progressed, and by the end, I couldn’t put it down. I also thought the little “interlude” short stories were odd, but by the end, loved how they helped bring everything together.

4.5 stars. I love a good serendipitous tale with all the parts coming together in a heartwarming way. This is the story of a love song and how it worked it's way through the world and all the peoples' lives is touched, how it morphed, and the impact it had. It was just a feel good story that makes a person still believe in magic.

4 1/2 stars.

I think this book will be with me for a very long time. It's sort of haunting, sort of tense, the feelings will linger and resonate with me for a while.

I semi-loved it. Can't say I loved it because I'm still anxious over it, ha. In a good way, though, I think