Reading Amanda and Abner’s love story and general life philosophy was fun. Not too much to say other than that it was a light glimpse into the humility, fun, and creative spirit of two of my favorite musicians. The photos are also great!

I am a huge Johnnyswim fan and love getting a behind the scenes peek at how everything comes to be, but from the source rather than an outsider looking in. Amanda and Abner are so open and have such a beautiful family and talent that they are s so sweet to share that I will always come back to their story in print the same way I do their music! Beautiful!

I love Jonnyswim. I got to know about them from their appearances performing on late night talk shows over the years and then they really gained notoriety and popularity after being chosen to perform for Chipnand Joannas yearly Silas event. I loved getting a behind the scenes look at how this beautiful married couple balance life both on and off the road and how they do it with a family as well!

I think that, on some level, all JOHNNYSWIM fans really just want to be friends with Abner and Amanda. Home Sweet Road showcases exactly why. It's funny, endearing, honest, and humbly confident. They've somehow managed to bring some of the same energy to this book that they bring to their live shows. There's something about it that's instantly recognizable to anyone who's seen them live. Throw in some gorgeous photography and a few great recipes and you've got a fantastic book.

Happy pub day to HOME SWEET ROAD! 

I’m a huge Johnnyswim fan, so I was thrilled to read this one. I was lucky enough to get an advance copy from @netgalley and Convergent Books. If you aren’t familiar, Johnnyswim is an incredible husband-wife duo that takes their kids on the road with them to tour all around the country. I saw them live several years ago and it was blast. I loved their energy and watching them put on an incredible show while bouncing around the stage with their baby boy.

I couldn’t wait to learn how Abner and Amanda became Johnnyswim, how they broke into the music industry and how life on the road works with little kids tagging along. This wasn’t a typical memoir. It was a very quick read filled with beautiful photos and even some recipes. I read it on my Kindle, but I’m sure the physical version would be gorgeous. Several chapters were transcripts of conversations between Amanda and Abner. Other chapters read like a friend sending you an email. It was all very casual.

At times, it left me wanting more! Abner teased a future book about his father and his story of immigrating to the US. I really hope he follows through. It sounds like his family has many more stories to share.

Definitely pick this one up if you’re a fan! If you aren’t a fan yet — give Georgica Pond a listen.

Home Sweet Road was a very fun memoir-style read, chock full of fun little anecdotes, pictures, and even some recipes. Their colloquial style of writing made it feel like you were just sitting in their living room having a chat and catching up with an old friend. Which, incidentally, is also how their music makes me feel.

Not being a religious person at all, I felt that when addressing their faith, they generally did it in a pretty matter of fact way. They only got a smidge preachy at some parts, but nothing too over the top.

I found the strongest chapters to be those in which they discussed grief—Abner losing his father and Amanda losing her mother. Again, they did so in a way that didn’t feel cliche or preachy; they simply and accurately described the rollercoaster of emotions surrounding the sickness and loss of a parent.

The book could have, in my opinion, used a touch more editing. I was expecting more of an account of their lives currently, rather than the first 50% of the book discussing before they got together. It was never boring by any means, but I could have lived with a little less of the pre-JOHNNYSWIM stories.

One small thing that I enjoyed in particular was titling each chapter with a song title of theirs that fit the content well. One larger thing I enjoyed was their elaborate lies about how they got their band name.

A very fun and super quick read, Home Sweet Road gives a little deeper of a look into the life that they’ve built together and all of the chaos within it. Definitely would recommend for any pre-existing JSWIM fans.

🌟Book Review🌟 Home Sweet Road: Finding Love, Making Music & Building a Life One City at a Time by JOHNNYSWIM

Page Count: 272 pages
Publication Date: June 8, 2021

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5. To paraphrase the book, this is not quite a memoir and not quite a coffee table book, but I’m fond of it anyway. Abner and Amanda — can I be friends with you?

I enjoyed this peek into life on the road (and more!) from Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano Ramierz, the husband and wife singer-songwriter duo that comprise the band JOHNNYSWIM. Anything and anyone that Chip and Joanna Gaines are fans of, I am too! The book reads like a long magazine article, with a few sections being written individually by Abner and Amanda, a few sections that read like a transcribed interview, several of their “true” accounts of the origin of the name JOHNNYSWIM, lots of photos, and even some recipes. I especially loved Amanda’s reflections on what it was like having Donna Summer for a mother (and what it was like constantly being asked that question), Abner’s retelling of his father’s harrowing story of immigrating to America from Cuba, and the conversation they had with each other surrounding how important it has been for them to create community wherever they go. Abner and Amanda’s personalities really come through, and my biggest take-away is that they seem like such decent, admirable people. I wish them much continued success and would definitely recommend this book!

Thank you to @amandasudanoramirez, @johnnyswim, @NetGalley and Convergent Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be published on Goodreads and Instagram (@sanfranliterarlygal) close to the publication date.

This is an unique book by Abner and Amanda (Sudano) Ramirez, the musicians that make up the husband and wife duo, Johnnyswim. It is about a dream chased, but also the realization that the dream is not distant. It’s not a future thing. It won’t happen when sales hit a specific number or awards are achieved. Rather, the dream is found in this moment, right now. If I can describe the book’s other facets, I’d say it’s one part travelogue, one part family history, one part memoir, one part love story, one part photo album, one part music business navigation, one part family dinner, one part shooting the breeze, and one part tall tale. That adds up to quite a delectable multi-course meal.

The Ramirez’s strength is that they don’t take themselves too seriously. In world full of people taking themselves too seriously, I found their perspectives refreshing, fun and full of joy.

The fact that the Ramirez’s know how to enjoy a good time does not mean the book was lacking in depth. I particularly enjoyed the conversations with their manager, Jason King, as well as their stories of staying open to the organic path they are taking to achieve their dreams as they relate to the music business. They are staying true and honest to themselves, living above the noise in an industry where some are seeking fame and fortune. Refreshingly, they operate from a different definition of success. I appreciated their personal perspectives of not letting their goals get in the way of relationships. Their business relationships are their people, their family.

My one disappointment is a minor one. I’m sure this is going to sound prudish and old fashioned and really, I don’t want to even mention it. There is an abundance of criticism in these times and I don’t want to be that person, so take it with a grain of salt. In the photo album section is a picture of Amanda in a bikini that I think embodies a message contrary to what the Ramirez’s seem to want to convey. The photo felt out of place.

I enjoyed and would recommend this book.

I received an arc copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

I adored this book. I’m squarely in the middle of their target market, in that I’d heard of the band but hadn’t heard their music. This amazing sharing of their story has earned them a new fan (and a bunch of new downloads). I know I won’t be the only one. HOME SWEET ROAD is a chronicle of their love story and their music story, told in a way that makes you feel like you’re hanging out with them, surrounded by their friends and family. The tone of the book is raw and real, with unexpected detours that pack a punch (See: the story of Abner’s parents immigrating from Cuba).

A couple of my favorite quotes: “So often the best things in life and art come when we free ourselves from our own mental seatbelts, dip into our most primal places, and let go. That’s not to say it’s not work. Sometimes relaxing is harder work than striving. Rest is a weapon, one that takes practice to wield..... So, instead of requesting ease, let’s ask for fearlessness, and do our work in the freedom that comes with it.“

This book is an escape and an inspiration, and I hope it’s the first of many from this unique couple.

Thanks to Convergent Books & NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had first heard of Johnnyswim somewhere in passing at some point, I'm sure.  I first saw them perform at the Basilica Block Party in Minneapolis when I went to see Hanson and was absolutely blown away by their talent and harmony.  Really good harmony is usually for siblings, not a husband and wife duo so I found it kind of amusing when Amanda mentioned in the book that she thought Abner had looked like her brother.  Maybe there was some higher power pushing them together somewhere along the way.

The book tells the story of how they met and their backgrounds (I had not realized that Amanda's mother is Donna Summer!) and I got a kick out of how they both went back over what was going through their heads and their plans to try and get each other's attention (which ended up taking 4 years!) But Amanda's plan had a few different ideas, "since being a normal human wasn't an option."  What is it about these guys that we are interested in that makes us forget how to be a normal human, anyway?

The book may also tell you the real reason behind the name Johnnyswim.  Or maybe it won't.  Just know every story you may have heard previously is a lie - and they tend to not repeat the same stories twice. I guess use your best judgement if you believe what they actually included to be published! 

Abner and Amanda are also all about community with their friends and so they decided to include some recipes from their friends as well and they told about how they used to have community dinners.  It was nice to feel like I was part of their world even if it was just for an afternoon.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

This is a hard book for me to rate because it's not a true novel, but as fan of , it was perfect everyway so I'm going there with the 5 star.

The first time I saw JOHNNYSWIM was at Raven's Tower in Houston because my friend Ellie convinced me to go see this band I'd never heard of. I didn't realize the venue outdoors and it was February. I wore a light jacket thinking we'd be inside and nearly froze my butt off.

But it was worth it because that concert introduced me to one of my favorite musicians. Before the pandemic shut everything down, I was over the moon to see JOHNNYSWIM and Lauren Daigle perform together and I'm still hoping that concert happens in the not-too-distant future.

So as a reader, I wanted this ARC of a memoir, interview, recipe, story photo book even though it's different from my typical novel. And it didn't disappoint.

For fans, this is all the behind the scenes knowledge you've wanted from stories about the origin of the name JOHNNYSWIM to Abner's family leaving Cuba to Amanda's impatience for Abner to propose. It is the stories fans live to hear told at concerts x100 while maintaining Abner and Amanda's authentic voices.

And for those who aren't fans, well first I really think you should because JOHNNYSWIM is great. But also if you're just wondering what it's like to try to make it in the music business and be real authentic people and have a family and just live and enjoy everything. Well this is a book for you too.

Go watch a Live from the Backyard virtual concert, listen to the album Georgica Pond and grab this book. If you live singer songwriter music, I think you'll love them both!

Also New Orleans Jazz Fest, please have JOHNNYSWIM back to play a feature on the mainstage. I'll be there in a heartbeat.