I liked the central conflict in Good Morning Love, Ashley M. Coleman’s début novel, very much.  But the hero didn’t really set me aflame due to his pushy and occasionally controlling nature.

Carlisa – Carli - Henton is a blossoming singer-songwriter who has moved to New York City to try her luck in the entertainment industry and Tau Anderson is a superstar on the rise.  Their paths shouldn’t cross, but when they do, both of their worlds are completely rocked.

Carli thinks nothing of her initial meeting with Tau, but it’s clear that he wants more from her.  He presumes she’s playing hard to get; she presumes he’s not interested in the kind of woman she is.  But they’re both wrong, and the connection between them is unmistakable.  Yet Carli is attracted to other men, and she’s not entirely sure that Tau is being faithful to her.  But as they begin to collaborate both professionally and personally could Carli’s connection with Tau complicate everything she holds most dear – and ruin the dream she’s been hugging to her chest?

Good Morning, Love is a wonderful story about a woman who’s trying to figure herself out.  Carli has to decide who she wants to be on the job front, romantically, and as a daughter (her father is a superstar singer)  and a musician.  That’s a tall order for any young woman, but her stumbles are wonderful to read about because they’re incredibly relatable.  She’s a wonderful heroine.

I was less impressed with Tau, who is pushy and pesters her even when she tries to maintain a professional boundary between them.  He does not take no for an answer, and for some that’s going to be a repellant quality.  It certainly didn’t really work for me.

Carli’s friendship with her roomie Talia is delightful, and the imperfect but lively Dawn (scion of a media empire) is a great presence.  I found myself more interested both in the family and friend-related conflicts Carli goes through than anything else in the book, along with the incredibly vivid picture Coleman paints of the music industry.  I really wanted more of everything except the romance here.  Maybe if Carli had ended up with another guy instead of Tau I’d’ve liked the book better.  As it is, Good Morning, Love is one part Empire and one part total frustration.

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I really enjoyed this light romance novel. The main character, Carli, was likable. I think it would make a great beach read this summer!
Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of Good Morning, Love in exchange for my honest opinion!

I really wanted to love this book, I was truly excited for the positive representation this had. However, I didn’t love Tau and felt that he wasn’t the person I would hope Carli would end up with. I thought she was a good protagonist and I cared more about her/her happiness than anything with Tau.

I do like a romance that has a satisfying ending, even if I felt that the ending was rushed!

I received a reviewer copy of Good Morning, Love by Ashley M. Coleman from the publisher Simon & Schuster from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Carli Henton dreams of being a songwriter, she works in New York City with a producer and a wanna be singer on the down low, while she earns her salary working as a media company to cover living in New York City. Carli has a very meticulous plan but when she meets a rising star Tau Anderson and the attraction is there. Their whirlwind connection leads to the careful balance Carli values being thrown off course.

What I Loved: I liked the setting of the New York music scene and loved that our main character wanted to be a song writer, it was a nice change from people who want to break into Hollywood as singers, a bit different. I liked the side characters like her roommate and her producer and also her boss. I liked the aspect of her career versus her dreams.

What I didn’t like so much: Ugh, unfortunately a lot. I didn't like that she was secretly the daughter of a famous performer. I didn't love the love interests. For one, I didn't buy the chemistry between her and really any of the guys. I didn't get her interest, at one point she'd say she hadn't had a kiss like that ever and then be like but he's the safe option. These seem conflicting to me. I also do not like the trope of jealous and controlling men and for me that's what both the love interests were like to me. I would have loved this book much more without the romance or love triangle aspect.

Who Should Read It: People who love books set in the music industry. People who love aspiring artists working on their dream. People who love Hollywood star falls for normal person troupe.

Summary: A woman who balances her dream with her professional life loses that balance when she connects with a Hollywood star

I think this was a simple concept, and the author developed the story from it beautifully and with solid characters.

This was a really enjoyable read that made me realize I need to be more intentional about reading from perspectives different than my own, including from BIPOC voices. I liked how Carli came into her own throughout the book, and the detailed look into the music industry was really fascinating. This only took me a few days to read because I didn’t want to put it down. I do think Carli came across as both a powerhouse and someone who was oblivious at times, and it was hard for me to understand how both aspects could exist in tandem. But overall really loved this.

What a cute and refreshing story! I usually tend towards thrillers, but was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying this very much. While the beginning was slow, I felt that it picked up pretty well towards the middle and end. Overall, a solid read.

thanks Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Adult romance is not my favorite genre, so I wanted to try this story. This definitely has a slow start and I am glad I stayed persistent and finished. It will not be for everyone but if you like music and NYC give it a try.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was a bit of a hit-or-miss one for me. There were parts that I really enjoyed and thought were written well—the building of the music industry felt thorough and well researched. But there were also a number of parts that I felt could've been edited out entirely, and didn't necessarily do anything to move the story forward, but rather just felt like filler. There were a number of situations that arose and then seemingly immediately forgotten/never resolved.

The writing style was very colloquial and served for a quick read, which I enjoyed.

Music industry professional Coleman draws on her expertise in her debut novel, which brims with authentic details about how musicians are discovered, how records are produced, and how megastars live.

Full review on Booklist, April 15 issue.

A great new adult story about young love set in the music industry. I am older but I am a person who loves music, who is familiar with the slang, and who can appreciate the hustle of the main characters. Tau learns to be less of an and alpha male and Carli learns to find her voice.

Clearly the people in the reviews saying they didn't "connect" because of the slang or that they weren't the target audience clearly didn't look beyond it to the theme of the story. If you want diversity, then read with an open mind..

ALso, the title made me wanna throw on the John Legend song of the same title. It def gave me the same feelings.

This was an enjoyable enough book, a solid 3.5 stars. The story was a fun ride through the music industry. I was rooting for the main character and her love interest. The plot was predictable, though the will they/won't they guesses kept up right to the end.

The sister plot line was introduced kind of late which didn't add too much to the story, though nor did it distract. I got the impression that it was a personal story line. And even if it wasn't, it still helped me feel connected to the author or like she was sharing a part of her in the novel.

I enjoyed how positive the book was. It's nice in today's society to be reminded that people can continue to surprise you in a good way.

This was the right book to read to be able to read a book. It kept me interested enough to want to keep reading, though I'm not sure I'd run out and tell everyone I know that they need to read it. However, I did not waste any time by reading this book either.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story was more than I expected. It doesn't just envelope one genre, it covers romance as well as finding your place in the world. I found it to be very entertaining. and it held my attention from start to finish. The different genres mixed together made this book very satisfying and made the pace wonderful.
This is the story of a musician and songwriter who is working in the music industry during the day, but going on musical engagements for herself (performing) at night. I really enjoyed that this story had the main character finding themselves and their place in life.
I enjoyed following Carli through her experiences. I enjoyed following her as she discovers herself, finds out what she truly desires most. Seeing her follow her hopes, and dreams along with finding her voice. Taking the ride with Carli as she goes through the ups and downs through the music industry and her romance.
I really liked Cali. She wasn't perfect, she was charming and very likeable. I found myself cheering that she would succeed and that all her dreams would come true.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Schuster for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

Good Morning, Love
Ashley M. Coleman

If you are into the world of professional music – most notably rap/hiphop – you will probably like this book. This is a subject which only mildly interested me. This is the story of a young black/Latina would be song writer who hooks up with a star and eventually must decide whether she wants to "have it all" – love, success as a song writer/singer, all her dreams come true – or stay in a somewhat safer life in New York City.

The writing here is okay, but the intermittent use of idiomatic speech (or dialect if you will) felt like the author was narrowing the reader base she is writing for to those who share her experience. That is not an issue as long as that is the author's intention.

I think this had some great parts...and some parts that dragged. It had several romcom tropes which made it fun but it slowed down the plot at points where it really did not require more detail. Cute story.


I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I came to this novel because I've been enjoying contemporary romance since the beginning of the pandemic and was excited about the comparison to Jasmine Guillory. A more apt "read alike" author, to me, is Leesa Cross-Smith rather than Jasmine Guillory. Like Cross-Smith, this book deals more with the development of the main character placed in very specific circumstances than a straight up romance (which a reader of Guillory would expect). Unlike other readers, I enjoyed the urban vernacular used in the book, which I think anchored this story in a tangible and contemporary setting. But, I agree that the primary male character had flaws that I would not like in a straight up romance, but, in a more "comtemporary fiction" read appreciate as "we're all human and flawed and need to work through that". I think that the cover and blurb do this novel no favors to find it's appropriate audience.

Really enjoyed the overall theme of this book which seems to be leaning into and being open to where life leads you. I thought that Carli was an easy protagonist to root for and Tau made for a perfect love interest. The story flowed well and felt like a dream and a real possibility all at the same time. My only complaint would be the story was almost too perfect. It almost reads like a fairy tale which takes away from the depth a little bit. But sometimes life does fall together that way.

Final rating 3.5/5

Good Morning, Love is a book about both romance and self discovery.

There were parts of the book that I did enjoy however, the majority of the book fell flat. I enjoyed the parts where we get to learn about Carli and her finding her way, but I wished it was touched upon more. On the other end, the amount of slang used ruined the flow for me and seemed excessive at times and I didn't really enjoy the romance between Carli and Tau. When we were first introduced to him at the concert, I didn’t immediately like how he was portrayed but continued reading in hopes that the more I read, I would grow to love him. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Instead, I felt a disconnect to the MMC and sometimes Carli too.

I would have also loved to see Carli be more independent and if the story leaned more towards the self-discovery side, the book would have been right up my alley.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC

Love can be hard to trust. Especially when it comes hard, fast, forbidden and inconvenient.

That’s the kind love superstar Tau and aspiring song writer Carli are thrust into. The odds are stacked against them. Careers, reputation, and ghosts of their past threaten to stop them before they even get started. And can it be love so soon?

What risks are you willing to take for a relationship that’s not promised to last? Are you risking more by never taking a chance at love? What risks will you take to become who you’re meant to be?

I was routing for Carli and Tai to keep becoming. Together or not. Is it love? Will they make it? Y’all should read it!