I was drawn into this book much faster than expected, as it was a bit of a departure from my typical reads. The first half was great for me and then I started to struggle a bit, and it took me awhile to finish reading. The character development is great, but there were so many people to keep track of. I think it was just personal preference but this caused the story to lose steam for me, and the pacing was a bit drawn out, which made it tough to stay interested. I would definitely read another story from this author. I did enjoy the rich background information on Circus and the women in his lives, and there were some beautifully written sections, especially from his daughter’s point of view.

Wow. This book far exceeded my expectations. Laura Warrell is a lyricist - the world the created in this story will stay with me for such a long time, and her prose and analogies were so powerful that they stopped me in my tracks a few times. I love when an author can weave words together like she does!

I won’t lie and say that I liked Circus Palmer - he’s precisely the type of man that gets far too much attention for doing far too little, but that’s the role he’s meant to play in this story. The women he left in his wake were often left raw and vulnerable and confused, including his own daughter. I do admit that I loved seeing him get his life together (I love a good redemption story). His period of realization and self loathing was relatable in a way. He was transitioning just as much as Koko was.

I adored this book, and I’ll be keeping Laura Warrell on my author watch-list!

There was so much to unpack in this story. Told in vignettes, through the eyes of the women who have walked in and out of aging musician, Circus Palmer's life, it's beautifully written, although sometimes challenging in the storytelling.. The eloquent prose is powerful and engaging, but the characters aren't necessarily likeable.. It's one of those books that you will either love or hate and if you're able to find a median of understanding, one that will stay with you long after the last page is read.

When trumpet player Circus Palmer finds out that he is having a baby with secret love Maggie, he flees. Instead of honoring his responsibilities, his running sets off a chain of events that affects the most important women in his life, including his daughter and ex-love.

“Delivering a lush orchestration of diverse female voices, Warrell spins a provocative, soulful, and gripping story of passion and risk, fathers and daughters, wives and single women, and, finally, hope and reconciliation, in answer to the age-old question: how do we find belonging when love is unrequited?”

Circus Palmer loves his trumpet. Circus Palmer loves women too. The one thing that Circus does not love is commitment. But when his ex-wife disappears and he has to take responsibility for his teenage daughter Koko, things begin to change.
Laura Warrell presents Circus’s story in vignettes told by the various women in his life, most notably his daughter. This is Koko’s coming-of-age story. Interestingly enough, it is also Circus’s. As this “good-timing” man comes to terms with himself, his relationships with the women in his life change. How refreshing to read a book that ends on a high note. Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm.

DNF at 10%. I downloaded this book because I received a widget for it but on closer examination it's not a fit for me. I find the prose too wordy and dislike the main character Circus.

What a treasure!! Soft, Sweet, Plenty Rhythm is about Circus Palmer; old school jazz musician and the women in his life, including his daughter; Koko.. Circus loves women but not commitment. And so, with each of his relationships comes conflict and agreat deal of emotional hurts. This is Koko's coming of age story and for Circus as well. I loved this exquisitely written book. Laura Warrel's characters are beautifully crafted and moved me from tears to laughter, kept me reading till dawn and will remain with me. The characters, although flawed, were painfully authentic and very human in their need to be loved. "I will give you anything, if you love me. Forgive me. Listen." Right to the heart. 5 stars.

This book was so sad in a toxic way… does that even make sense?? Stay with me…

It’s Boston in 2013, and Circus Palmer is living a bachelor’s dream. He’s a trumpet and an old-school ladies man. When Maggie, the woman he cares for the most, reveals she’s pregnant he flees and sets off to bang every woman he comes across 😬 Meanwhile his teenage daughter Koko is struggling through her own sexual awakening accompanied by Circus’s rejection and a mentally unstable mother.

I loved that this book was from multiple points of views. Circus perception of each sexual encounter was a stark contract to the woman involved.

It brought to light the way in which we sometimes avoid the easy path to happiness and instead dive headfirst into toxicity. Is it because we think we are undeserving? It was surly the case for Cyrus.

And poor Koko, she just wants to be seen and known by her father but he constantly avoids and rejects her. I have to say the girl is resilient.

I want to dissect this so much further but don’t want to give the ending away.

This was beautifully written almost poetic at times. And a whirlwind! I swear with every chapter my eyes got wider and my eyebrows got a inch closer to my hairline. I applaud this book. And highly recommend if you loved Open Water this one is definitely for you!

DNF at 30% after multiple attempts. I think I would classify this as “not for me, not at this time.” It’s a story told in vignettes and is simply not capturing my attention, although the writing and prose are beautiful and this author shows promise. Circus is a pretty loathsome character and I felt sorry for the women in his life.

Richly imagined and beautifully written.
Many thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A beautifully written book about searching for the meaning in life and not necessarily recognizing it when you find it. This is a study in life and love. It shows how you can easily overlook life's little joys if you're always looking for the next best thing or if you doubt that love truly exists. It demonstrates that people don't always understand how difficult it is to truly make yourself vulnerable to another person.

There is a great deal of depth in this book while also being so obvious in its storytelling. It's truly a gem.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Really enjoyed the interconnected stories that made up this novel. I love jazz and this truly embodied the essence of jazz -- the sorrow, the roller coaster of emotions, the fact that you never know where it is going.... Circus Palmer is a varied MC but I enjoyed learning about his life through these stories and various POV. Definitely recommend this one!

Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm comes out next week on September 27, 2022, and you can purchase HERE!

"It's new every time," he said. "You got the notes and arrangements, yeah, but once you start playing, something different happens. You don't know what's gonna come. That's what it is about jazz. Everything else about living stops surprising you at some point, right?"

The first 60-70% of this book felt like it took forever to get through. None of the characters were very likable for most of the novel. It wasn’t until the last 30% where things started to move along, people started growing and changing and their stories started to flesh out.

I could not understand the appeal of Circus throughout this book. Women were OBSESSED with him, and he was just terrible? Like he was the worst, and yet there were so many women we got chapters from in this book who were part of his life, many constantly trying to get his attention and approval. It was hard to read.

I thought Maggie was a great character, but we get so little of her. Koko could be frustrating, I had to keep reminding myself she was a teenager. The story just felt so slow. It was tough to get through.

This one just wasn’t for me, but the writing was strong and the cover is lovely.

This affecting debut is a kaleidoscopic character study, a polyphonic riff on the modern-day Casanova from the perspectives of the myriad women in his wake. When charismatic trumpet player Circus Palmer learns that his free-spirited lover Maggie is pregnant, his first instinct is
denial. His second is to flee. “I already got a kid barely talks to me,” he tells her; he’s not keen for another. The alternative — that he could do better by both— doesn’t seem realistic. And yet, regret is “the dread that stayed in his gut and grew solid.” Both visceral and finely observed, the novel captures social nuance and emotional wreckage with precision

Wasn't my favorite book. Okay but not what I thought was a good read. Rather boring. Hope the author keeps writing.

Cyrus Palmer, known as Circus, I think is best described as one “cool cat”. He’s a jazzy, trumpet player who has a thang for the ladies and his music. This book is told from various point of views and the chapters touch upon his relationships with various women, probably most importantly his daughter Koko, a young teen.

The writing in this one is good and the characters are well developed, but the plot in this one just fell flat for me. It’s good at exploring Circus’ relationships with women and I’d be eager to read another book by this author as her writing is good. I would like to see if a different story might keep my interest more.

Pick this up if you have music in your soul and a penchant for the character driven novel

3.5 stars (rounded down). The prose is gorgeous - it's a lyrical debut by Warrell. But the main character, Circus, is not terribly likeable. He finds out his current girlfriend (although I use that term loosely) is pregnant, and he runs off. The novel tells the story of the many different women in Circus's life, and how he's affected them, and any affect they've had on him. This includes his teenaged daughter, Koko. Most of the book is somewhat depressing - these women are mostly unhappy with their relationships with Circus. Meanwhile, Circus is realizing he's never going to be the big jazz star he expected to be, and that changes his outlook on life. Somehow, against all odds, the novel ended on a note of hope. Part of me thinks Circus does not deserve it, but the hope and happiness was engineered by Koko, and she most definitely deserves a bright future. Because after all, this is a novel about love, be it unrequited or scorned, it's still love.

"It's 2013, and Circus Palmer, a forty-year-old Boston-based trumpet player and old-school ladies man, lives for his music, and refuses to be tied down. Before a gig in Miami, he learns that the woman who is secretly closest to his heart, the free-spirited drummer Maggie, is pregnant by him. He flees instead of facing the necessary conversation, setting off a chain of interlocking revelations from the various women in his life. Most notable among them is his teenage daughter Koko, who idolizes him; she's awakening to her own sexuality even as her mentally fragile mother struggles to overcome her long failed marriage and rejection by Circus."

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday/Pantheon for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Cyrus- known as Circus- is a jazz musician who brings chaos wherever he goes, especially in his relationships with women. This is all about those relationships and the women have their say about him too. Now, though, he's learned that Maggie is pregnant and that he's got to come to terms with his teen daughter Koko, who is the only one who doesn't seem unduly charmed by him. You, like me. might want to tell the women to walk away and Circus to grow up but the stories weave together in a way that keeps you reading. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Interesting literary fiction.

This is a perceptive story about one man, his impact on the women in his life, and the lives they each build together and apart. Circus Palmer is well-known in certain circles for his skill as a trumpet players. He has had a string of relationships, some lasting only for a night others over the course of years, but he refuses to remain committed for too long. When Maggie, one of the women he has seen periodically over the years and who he has lately been developing deeper feelings for, tells Circus she is pregnant, Circus flees. Over the course of the book, we see the effects of this and other decisions Circus makes on Maggie, his daughter, his daughter's mother, and the other women in his life, as they realize Circus's love is, at best, complicated and, more often, unrequited, and what that means for their own lives.

This is a powerful story, with well drawn characters and astute observations about relationships, connection, family, wealth, and ambition.

Highly recommended!

This book was so different, and its hard to describe in this review. We have various women, and their POV’s and there is a man by the name of Circus in the mix of it, a man who is trumpet player, a man who runs from responsibilities, and women who fall for his charm. As a woman, and reading this I was getting more pissed every chapter I read, but like these women there was something about Circus that intrigued me as well, even though I couldn’t relate at all to the characters, even his daughter, I couldn’t stop reading, even though there is not a true plot to this book. But the message of some trying to stay relevant, finding peace, love and acceptance, coming of age, are relevant in this book, but its hidden behind each story of these women and in Circus himself.

Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book. As complex as it was at times I can honestly say I enjoyed this book.