Remy is a session drummer/one-hit-wonder looking to hang on and develop his career in a music industry. Landing a gig on tour with Vivi Swan (a barely-veiled Taylor Swift analog) is a great opportunity. He can pocket some cash for minimally demanding work while making contacts and building his resume. He didn't expect more than that, but an accidental encounter with Ms. Swan changes everything.

This is a very interesting look at the music business, touring life, and celebrity, but it wasn't exactly a feel-good story. This deals with heavy themes like addiction, childhood abuse, codependency, betrayal, forgiveness, and the cost of fame. The romance is a slow burn and very closed-door. With the story told only from Remy's POV (which was interesting as it's exceedingly rare in this genre) the reader shares a lot of the same uncertainty about other characters' feelings and motivations. As such, I didn't quite feel the connection between Remy and Vivi as much as I think I was supposed to. Their resolution was extremely rushed, with almost no direct or substantive communication.

What left me most troubled was the feeling that Remy had been done wrong by almost everyone in his life. His brother, his brother's partner, his parents, and definitely Vivi herself all treated him poorly and prioritized their interests over is. It was sometimes called out, but it never felt like amends were made or he got the apologies he deserved. Vivi's mistrust, her blithe privilege (yes, sweetheart, you ARE his boss), her betrayal of things he told her in confidence, her two-timing (faux-mance or not!), and her focus on her own image over his feelings or their relationship...it's hard to root for her as a good partner for him.

That said, it's a meaty enough story to provoke these kinds of thoughts! Readers who enjoy complex characters, dramas, and peeks behind the curtain of celebrity will find a lot to engage with here.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

I enjoyed reading this book. Vivi gave me Taylor Swift vibes because everyone commented about how all of her songs were breakup songs about her exes and she switched from country to pop music along the way and that’s exactly what happened with Taylor Swift. And I LOVE Taylor Swift so of course I liked Vivi. I also think Remy is such a sweetheart. My favorite part about this book is how Remy and Vivi decided that her songs are actually love letters and not breakup songs and I thought that was just very poetic.

I recommend this book!

Six Ways to Write a Love Letter is a romance between a Pop Star and a drummer, who get closer to each other while touring and writing a song together.

We follow the story through drummer Remy Young’s POV and while the book deals with topics like misogyny, invasion of privacy, and media scrutiny through Vivi Swan’s stardom, it is Remy’s backstory that brings some unexpected heavy topics into this book.

I read most of this book in one sitting and had a blast doing so. The romance is slow, but considering the characters it felt natural, the tour setting felt realistic, and the conflicts - while quite predictable - unraveled in a way that never felt like a cliché.

Remy and Vivi’s romance was quite a slow burn. She is in a relationship with someone else for a good bit of the book, so there is some cheating here. (This is the part I would’ve loved to get Vivi’s POV in the book to be honest, as I’m still unsure what her relationship with the other guy truly was. Was it a mutually beneficially PR-relationship, was it an actual romance, a little bit of both?) Their romance was overall cute, though I would’ve loved to see a little more at the end, after they resolved the third-act-conflict, to see how they actually talked about it.

Through Remy’s backstory (which got explored through several flashback scenes) this book delves into some serious topics, like drug abuse, threatened conversion therapy, and traumatic religious upbringings. While it was nice to see Remy’s past, I finished the book questioning why it got this much space but no ‘resolution’. I do not expect characters to emotionally deal with every unresolved feeling from their pasts but the way the book set it up, felt like it should’ve lead to something.

Vivi Swan was obviously based on Taylor Swift, an inspiration that felt a little too close at times to be truly comfortable.

Unusual romance because it is entirely told from the man’s POV. Remy Young is a session drummer and plays with in a band with his brother. He gets called up to tour the mega star Vivi Swan. She is a country to pop crossover, think someone like Taylor Swift. She doesn’t usually mix with her crew, band or dancers but the two end up together on a tour bus for an evening. Remy wants to produce and so begins helping her with a new song she is writing.

I like the writing style and felt it told what life was like touring on the road well. Remy is very likable and I enjoyed Vivi. But you don’t get much character depth for her because of the singular POV. I also don’t love cheating in a story. I wasn’t clear if she was only with her boyfriend for controlled publicity for the two or if there was a real relationship that wasn’t working. So that bothered me. The flashback scenes of a fundamental Baptist childhood should have added depth for Remi but I was more interested in he and his brother’s short-lived success and his brother’s drug addiction. And while I liked Celeste I don’t believe she didn’t know the impact her story would cause. It is literally her business and livelihood and it was a betrayal.

Finally the ending was too open ended for me. There was no talking or resolution. Somehow I'm supposed to think his smallish gesture is enough. It didn’t resolve the conflict for me. This starts as one of the better books about a famous person, musical touring, and workplace romance. But it didn’t deliver for me when all is said and done. It is a closed door romance and there are mentions of drug use, addiction, cheating and religious fundamentalism.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Jackson Pearce and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Vivi Swan is America's sweetheart with a long list of exes and the breakup songs to prove it. Our main character, Remy Young is a dreamer who's goal is to become a producer. When these two are thrust together in a tour bus mix up, everything comes together for these two.

This was a forced proximity, strangers to friends to lovers, boss/employee, music industry love story.
And it is what drew me in from the start.

The writing was easy to understand and the author wrote like she knew about the music industry. When it came to the storyline, I liked the overall arc of it, but I guess I just wasn't a fan of where the story actually ended up going. Vivi Swan closely resembled Taylor Swift (breakup songs about her exes and the media constantly berating her about it, Nashville, the tall blonde with trademark cherry red lipstick) this story practically screamed Taylor Swift. Definitely not complaining about that aspect because I am a huge fan of hers. I kind of wish we got more of a story with Remy and his brother Val with their backstory and addiction and making it back into the music industry.

I think some people will like this book if they're fans of the pop star romance and light fluff pieces, but to me I just couldn't connect at all with either character and that is a huge thing for me in books. To me that is what makes for a great story if I can connect with the characters. I am also not a huge fan of the cheating trope at all, and I was generally surprised when it came up nor did I like how it was handled in the book, and why I gave the book a lower rating amongst other things. I felt like a lot of things were left open-ended and the ending was too rushed.

Read if you like: forced proximity, pop star romances, boss/employee, Taylor Swift persona vibes, road trips, music world tours, globe-trotting, strangers to friends to lovers, songwriting

I enjoyed this, but it wasn't my favorite. I thought it was slow to start and I almost gave up. I'm glad I finished it because I thought the story was deep and really really good.

4,25⭐️
It was very good, i loved it. The only thing i would change in this book is the first chapters. They were a bit slow but the rest was awesome. it had me hooked.
If you want to read my full review you can find it on my goodreads, link below.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this amazing book.

I'm gonna start with the take away I saw... this was definitely inspired by Taylor Swift right?

This was a cute book, but not necessarily one I would go back to. I didn't get the major butterflies i look for while reading a romance. So this is definitely perhaps a 1 time read for me.

I absolutely loved Remy, Vivi was 'Okay' to me, but Remy made me keep reading. His background was fascinating.

While this wasn't the book for me personally, i do think fans of fade to black, slow burn, taylor swift, proximity, workplace romance, and the music industry would enjoy this!

3/5

This story is unique because it is being told from the perspective of the man, you don't find a lot of romance books where that is the case. I hate the cheating in the story though! I understand how it leant to the plot, but I hate to see that in my books. Overall,really good read.

Thank you NetGalley & SourceBooks Casablanca for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review

This book was a bit of a miss for me. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. It kind of sat somewhere in the middle...

I loved the idea of the story, I loved that it was being told from the male MC as opposed to the female (although dual would have been better IMO) but that's where it ended.

I didn't feel like their was resolution with the characters, they never talked or worked through their conflict. Plus I didn't like how one dimensional Vivi felt at times.

Great idea, just not the best execution.

Thank you Netgalley, Sourcebooks, and Jackson Pierce for the gifted ARC of this book.

Vivi Snow, America's sweetheart, is looking for a new drummer to take on her world tour because hers fractured his elbow. Remy Young decides to take the gig even though he comes from a completely different world than Vivi. Vivi is a pop princess who writes her songs about all the different breakups she's had with her multiple boyfriends. Remy and his brother failed at stardom and now play gigs at local joints. To Remy, this is just another paycheck.

After an unfortunate event ends up having Remy and Vivi stuck together for hours, Remy realizes Vivi isn't exactly who the media makes her out to be. When Vivi asks Remy for help writing her next song, Remy says yes. Through each version of the song that they write, they realize it's a different way to write a love letter. Soon Remy begins to think that he is going to end up as one of the exes in Vivi's song. Then a gossip blog threatens to break everything they've created together.

This story is told from Remy's pov. It alternates between the story of Remy and Vivi in the present and the story of Remy and Val in the past. Both stories are integral to Remy's growth as a character. While the title of this book makes you think that it's a romance novel, that's not only what you'll get. It's a story about two brothers who escape from a bad life growing up, who depend on each other and who must learn how to live without each other. It's also a story of two friends writing a song together who realize through music that their feelings run much deeper than friendship. The author takes the love, pain, and struggles that these characters go through and allows them to express it through music. This was a heartfelt, sweet, tender book that will leave you wanting to put on a record, cd, or whatever form of music you listen to.

When Remy, an LA studio drummer, is tapped at the last minute to serve as the drummer for Vivi Swan on her nationwide tour, he sees it as a way to make some quick cash and to boost his résumé. Swan, a Taylor Swift-esque figure, maintains her distance from her backing band, backup singers, and dancers, but, when a mixup places her alone on the bus with Remy early in the tour, they begin to form a connection.

This slow burn is told from a single POV, but, while you typically get the female perspective in a single POV romance, this one is told entirely from Remy’s perspective. The flashbacks to his fundamental Christian childhood and to the experiences that bonded him to his brother provide depth for his character and depict what he could lose if he pursues a relationship with Vivi.

I enjoyed watching Remy and Vivi slide into a songwriting partnership, a friendship, and ultimately a romance. I appreciated the details that Pearce includes when the characters foray into the various cities on the tour. The title tie-in is clever, and romance lovers will enjoy the grand gestures at the end.

Personally, I was not a huge fan of how the conflict is resolved in the story. My issue was not with Remy and Vivi but with how they deal with some of the other parties involved.

This one is a good pick for fans of musician, workplace, proximity, and closed door / fade-to-black romances.

Content Warnings: drug use, addiction, isolation, religious fundamentalism, controlling family, estranged family, chronic illness, cheating, mentions of prostitution

I received an advance copy from Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

great romance about a pop star and a drummer who end up writing a love letter in 6 different ways to each other. Maybe its me is the song and it changes over time. loved that they finally found romance with each other. I liked that they got to know one another while on tour.

This book surprised me in a lot of ways, mostly because I went into this read expecting your classic formulaic rom-com but what I received was something much more gut-punching than that. I'm very impressed by the writing and the depth of feeling that went into crafting these characters. Remy was a personal favorite for me, and I loved his temperament and character voice.

Crossing my fingers that this could be a BOTM pick for July???

This book was provided by Netgally and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for an honest review. All of the thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you love Taylor Swift this is a book for you. Seriously. Imagine if Joe was he new drummer instead of an actor and tere you have it. A reimagend romance between the two.
If you are not her fan, I'd still read it just for fun.
It was an interesting read but ultimately not really resonating with me. It felt at times very juvenile (and it's not the fade to black that's making it so) and the miscommunication trope is heeeeaaaavy here. The romance felt kind of disjointed and rushed even tho they took their time.
Overall I nice book but not for me.
Unfortunately 2 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters and story was very well put together for the most part. There were a few places it fell flat but could be overlooked as a whole.

The plotline was a bit predictable but I’ve read a lot of romance and I tend to be able to predict how something is going to go.

Overall cute story!

I really enjoyed the reading experience of life on the road as a musician, I loved the characters, and I really enjoyed the writing, but there were some things that felt a little empty or unresolved to me and that’s leaving me in a tough place to review. I truly enjoyed the book and would recommend it as a fun read, but I wanted to understand more from Vivi’s perspective and the religious family background felt a little forced for the sake of drama. If you’d removed that aspect altogether, I’m not sure what would have truly been different. The brothers’ connection could have been just as strong and I felt like I was left with more questions than answers. 3.5 stars.

What a unique romance book!

Now, this book was a surprise, in a good way! It's very unconventional in the writing style and subject matter. It's point of view is the male MC, Remy, and we see this relationship that gets developed between him and Vivi throughout this book.

Remy is a total sweetheart and I love him! This book is definitely different because of the different styles it has and I honestly had no idea it was a band/tour kind of book!

Love the cover btw!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the earc in return for an honest review.

Vivi's character and the details of concert made me think of Taylor Swift often. There are many details about what happens behind the concerts and celebrities lives. All the characters are so pure at heart. Remy felt so sweet like he is incapable to hurt anyone.

But, to be honest, this is very long for a simple love story. Very slow-paced. I am not sure if it is because of writing or the way the story is narrated.

Other than that, I loved the story and would recommend to the readers who would like a light love story.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC

in Six Ways to Write a Love Letter, session drummer Remy Young is tapped to fill in on pop star Vivi Swan's latest tour, kicking off an excellent slow burn friends to lovers romance. The story is told entirely from Remy's point of view, an interesting choice given that the character Vivi Swan is based on Taylor Swift -- not getting her point of view in the story may bother some readers, but I liked the way it contributed to her pop-star mystique and demonstrated the walled-off qualities of her persona. The love story is interspersed with vignettes of Remy's youth with his charismatic and talented brother Val in their extremely repressive religious upbringing and their escape through music, adding a lot of complexity to Remy's characterization. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read this!