Book Review:

Just Another Love Song by Kerry Winfrey

This book is adorable and I loved it so much 💕

Closed door, second chance romance. It kind of has Gilmore Girl vibes with the quirky townspeople.

Sandy's small town life seems perfect until the love of her life (and also famous country singer) comes back to town. Sandy's life suddenly has a Hank-sized hole in it. They are very cute together and have great chemistry. Hank's son Henry is a really cute addition and I loved Sandy's best friend Honey.

Make sure to check out this cute read when it releases tomorrow, Aug. 2!

Thanks @netgalley and @berkleypub for the advanced reader! ❤️

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“His smile could make a girl want things.”
— 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝘼𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙎𝙤𝙣𝙜, Kerry Winfrey

I really wanted to love this one. I’ve heard such amazing things about it from friends, but unfortunately it fell a little flat.

I’m absolute trash for the dual timelines, but I felt like things in the past timeline were rushed. I would’ve liked to have seen Sandy and Hank’s story as teenagers drawn out more than it was.

I also didn’t feel connected at all to Sandy. I think she could’ve left her hometown at any time; if she wanted out that badly, she would’ve done any and everything to make it happen. So her jealousy of Hank and him getting out and living his dreams was a bit exhausting to me.

The bright spot for me was Baileyville! I loved this cutesy little town. I come from a small town in Michigan, so it made me all warm and fuzzy thinking about what my life here is like.

All said, this is a 3.5 star read for me (rounded up for this review). I finished it, but I didn’t love it.

If you’re looking for a boThis is another story this year that has my heart. Kerry Winfrey’s writing is nothing but consistent, whimsical and always has me laughing and Just Another Love Song was so spectacular to listen to.

There is something magical about second chance romances and this story had me swooning. Hank provided all the feels with how sweet, caring, thoughtful and attentive he was to Sandy. Although I feel frustrated when a protagonist is the main obstacle in their way for happiness – and Sandy was no exception to this, she was also funny, endearing and I enjoyed reading her growth throughout the story.

If you’re looking for a book to give you the feels and laughter this summer, this is just the book for you.

Thank you Berkley for the arc. Thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.ok to give you the feels and laughter this summer, this is just the book for you.

Just Another Love Song by @kerrywinfrey uses certain songs to allow the main character, Sandy, to evoke memories of her high school love, Hank. The book tells the story of Sandy, 15 years later, still living in her adorable small hometown in Ohio, when Hank, now a famous country singer, has returned home. This is a perfect second chance romance with the charm of a Stars Hollow kind of town, filled with quirky and endearing side characters. It is witty and comforting and just makes you want to keep reading because you feel like you know these characters. I absolutely gobbled up watching Sandy and Hank reconnect in the sweetest way possible. The characters are imperfect and so relatable, the dialogue is on point and laugh out loud funny and everyone is just so unbelievably lovable. I mean, there is someone named Hotpants Ed. What more do you want from a book? This book is the hug that I needed.

This book has all the things I can never resist- Kerry Winfrey authoring it, a small town, and a musician romance. This delivered all I wanted from it- it's sweet, I loved the connection between Hank and Sandy, a great community around them. It had a very "roots and wings" feeling and I truly enjoyed every minute of reading it.

Sandy and Hank were high school sweethearts, despite that he was a popular jock and she was artsy. Hank quits football and pursues his love of music, which Sandy fully supports until Hank gets accepted into a college away from home and Sandy can’t afford to go anywhere but the local community college so she decides to end their relationship rather than hold him back while he’s away.
15 years later Hank is a successful musician and Sandy is still in her hometown running the local greenhouse and pretends she’s content with her life, but in her heart she still misses Hank everyday. So when she goes to her parents and finds him shirtless on the ladder working on their roof, everything inside her tumbles all over again and she can’t run from her feelings anymore. But since life has changed for Hank on the road over the years, have his feelings for her remained?
Super adorable second chance romance with loads of pop music references and great supporting characters. I adored the small town feel and the street fair sounds fab!!
Thanks to Berkley Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Thank you Berkley Publishing for the gifted e copy.

Another cute read by Kerry Winfrey! I can always count on her books to get me out of a slump, bring me back into the groove of rom coms, and put a smile on my face. This book had some epic banter, and made me wish I was as quick and witty as our main character, Sandy.

The second chance romance was predictable but sweet. My only (very minor) complaint is that it was a bit too "fade to black" and "closed door" for my taste.

Now, I need to find a town like Baileyville that has an awesome town fair to move to - or at least visit.

This is the perfect end of summer romcom - definitely recommending to friends.

I've loved Kerry Winfrey's writing ever since I read Waiting for Tom Hanks. Just like that novel and the ones that came after it, Just Another Love Song is a cute, sweet, and romantic story that you're going to fall in love with as much as I did.

Sandy was incredibly relatable and I could easily see being friends with her. Hank was such a dreamboat and the perfect book boyfriend. I laughed, cried, and may have even squealed at one point. I enjoyed the country music aspect, as I have been a fan of it for quite some time. The small town reminded me of a mix between Schitt's Creek and Stars Hollow. (Oddly enough, I recently compared Virgin River to these towns, so we can toss that into the mix too.) I loved all the quirky characters as well, especially Ed with his shorts. (You'll see...)

Kerry has what it takes when it comes to rom coms and I look forward to reading many, many more by her.

Movie casting ideas:
Sandy: Lily James
Hank: Nathan Parsons
Honey: Nathalie Emmanuel
Brian: Chris Wood
Shelby: Lyndon Smith
Julia: Katrina Bowden

Kerry Winfrey is an auto-read author for me and her books just keep on getting better! I honestly do not know how she does it. Just Another Love Song delivers an amazing small town, second chance romance with an amusing cast of side characters and a seriously swoon worthy hero.

Sandy and Hank were high school sweethearts for the ages. But fifteen years has passed and they’ve each built lives for themselves with Sandy owning a business in their hometown of Baileyville and Hank a country music sensation. When they (literally) run into each other in the grocery store, it’s hard to keep their distance in a small town. They agree to work together on the town fair but stay just friends. Thankfully everyone else in town recognizes that’s baloney.

I love in second chance romance when the narrative switches between now and then. This book does that for the first third of the book to establish their history, without overdoing it or short changing their present day relationship - it was the perfect balance. Sandy and Hank have excellent chemistry and every scene they spend together is really memorable. The supporting characters - Honey, Marcia, Ed, and the rest of Baileyville’s residents - really brought the small town setting to life.

Content warnings: Hank is a single dad and there are references to his ex-wife’s substance use.

Thanks to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

I’m a huge fan of Kerry Winfrey’s books anyway, but when I saw that her latest novel, Just Another Love Song, is a second chance romance set in a small town, I couldn’t get my hands on a copy fast enough. I’m happy to report that this romance was everything I hoped it would be and more.

Fifteen years ago, Sandy Macintosh and Hank Tillman were high school sweethearts. They were in love and had big dreams – Sandy was a gifted artist, and Hank a talented musician, and they wanted to leave their small town in Ohio, go off to college together, and then start building their future. When Sandy’s scholarship falls through, her dreams of college and leaving home are shattered. Hank goes off to college anyway, and even though they promise they’ll stay together no matter what, after a while Sandy feels like she’s holding Hank back from pursuing a career in music, so she breaks up with him. When the story opens, they have just run into each other for the first time since that break up.

I can’t even express how much I loved Sandy and Hank. I was especially enamored with Sandy, who in spite of having her dreams crushed so long ago, has managed to make a pretty good life for herself. She’s now a successful businesswoman with a thriving greenhouse business and she is very active in the community. She definitely made the best of a bad situation, and I admired her resilience. I also adored Hank. He’s of course sexy as heck, but he also clearly has a good heart and when he returns to his hometown, he immediately pitches in and helps anyone in need, even though he’s now a successful musician. There’s no egotism there at all. When Sandy and Hank reunite for the first time, it’s of course super awkward, but you can tell the old attraction is still there. My absolute favorite part of Just Another Love Song are the flashbacks Winfrey gives us to when Sandy and Hank first fell in love. Those scenes were just so adorable and magical, and they had me all the more invested in them taking another chance on one another and revisiting what they had as teens in love.

The small town setting was also a big hit for me. I loved everything about this community and its fun and quirky characters. It kind of reminded me a bit of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls and I enjoyed all of the humorous moments the various townspeople provided and they also provided a nice balance to some of the more emotional scenes between Sandy and Hank.

With its beautiful second chance romance and its charming small town setting, Just Another Love Song is sure to please anyone who is looking for a heartwarming, engaging read.

Thank you @berkleyromance for this small town second chance romance. It was sweet and no steam and I enjoyed the interaction between Sandy and Hank. I enjoyed the flash back to lead to their breakup and seeing how they rekindled their romance. There's not a whole lot of tension in the story, I wished that Julia created more conflict in the story.

Thank you Berkley for the #gifted copy of this novel. I especially appreciate Berittalksbooks and dg_reads for organizing the buddy read.on instagram.

Wow. Just. Wow. I absolutely adored this small town romance set in my home state of Ohio. This is book three by this author, and again she did not disappoint on the romance.

I’ll strum thru some of the chords as why this is a MUST read:

High School loves finding their way back to each after 15 years apart - second chance romance genre.

Famous country writes all his songs about you - how can you NOT love him after he admits as such.

Great cast of secondary characters - please Honey be my friend too.

Witty banter, humourous and Swoon worthy.

Finally, Just Another Love Song is truly heartwarming!

I LOVED this book and this charming small town.

Sandy Macintosh and Hank Tillman were high school sweethearts in a small town in Ohio. They both had the same goal back then -- to get out of the small town and make something of themselves. Hank wanted to become a singer while Sandy was a talented artist. While Hank gets accepted to college in Boston, issues with Sandy's scholarship keep her at home making their dreams of leaving together fall to the wayside and they broke up. Now, 15 years later, Sandy owns a successful business and home still in their hometown while Hank is a breakout country recording artist. When Hank returns home and wants to help with the annual street fair, Sandy now has to confront her past and her still present feelings for Hank.

"...books, I found made me feel the same way I did when I was painting. Like my physical body didn't exist, didn't matter." -- Sandy in Just Another Love Song.

I love books that make me feel good. A book that takes you out of your reality and makes you feel like your "body doesn't exist" or matter. This book did that for me. This story gave me all kinds of warm fuzzies and I felt transported to this tiny little fictional town and like I knew all of these fictional people. Hank is swoony with his chivalry, love for his family, and good ole' southern boy manners. From the references to 90's pop songs, the high school nostalgia and the great group of friends, this book packs in so many of the things I love.

This is a closed door romance, but the chemistry between Hank and Sandy is so good and will give you all the feels. I just love characters that make me smile and this book wholeheartedly did that.

Just Another Love Song is a small town, feel good romance that you should certainly pick up on August 2 when it is released.

Thank you to Berkley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

When high school sweethearts Sandy Macintosh and Hank Tillman became a couple they were like a classic love song- swearing they would be together forever. Both of them were itching to get out of their small town in Ohio to spread their wings at their perspective colleges- Sandy in the arts, Hank in music.

Then Sandy’s dreams of becoming an artist falls through, and the couple’s plans of leaving together fall through along with it. While they try to make it work long distance, Sandy doesn’t want to hold Hank back. So she makes the hardest decision she’s ever made before or since- letting Hank go.

Fifteen years later Sandy still lives in the same small town, trading in her paintbrushes for plants. With her best friend Honey, helping out at her family’s bed and breakfast, and running her own thriving business, Sandy has more than enough on her plate. But every so often, Sandy still croons about the one that got away. Then Hank comes back to town, along with his country star swagger, an adorable son, and a ton of feelings that Hank has channeled into song. As they relive their greatest hits they start to realize they’ll ultimately have to face the music, and what happened all those years ago.

Just Another Love Song is a sweet, easy read if you love second chance romances remixed with humor. In fact, the quirky humor is what set this one apart for me. There are no hidden tracks in this musical love story, however. What you see is what you get. That being said, I wish Winfrey gave us more of Hank’s music. I also wanted him to have fought harder for them in the past. And in the present, Hank is apparently a big deal, yet Sandy doesn’t know some basic facts about him. I mean it’s 2022. It’s pretty easy to know something about everyone. 😂

Despite its minor flaws, I’m still, in large part, focused on singing Just Another Love Song’s praises.

This was sweet! I’ve been a Kerry Winfrey fan since Waiting for Tom Hanks was released. I absolutely adored that and have enjoyed all of her books since. Just Another Love Song may be tied for my new favorite Kerry Winfrey. I loved the second chance small town romance of Sandy and Hank. Hank was just so swoon worthy. He is new book boyfriend material! There were a several paragraphs towards the end that I highlighted as they finally admit what they mean to each other!

It took me a little bit to get into the beginning, but once I did I flew through it. I continue to be a huge Winfrey fan and can’t wait to read what she writes next!

Just Another Love Song by Kerry Winfrey is a pure delight. Sandy and Hank were friends who dated in high school in the small town of Baileyville, Ohio. They parted in college and now Hank is back in town fifteen years later. Sandy feels like her life does not resemble the one she had planned. Hank is a famous musician.

It was a pleasure to watch Sandy evolve and change in the story from seeing herself as Baileyville Sandy to realizing who she could truly be. Hank was the kind of guy you could not help but love and want to be your friend too. I enjoyed all the small town references and the cast of characters who lived in Baileyville. From Sandy’s best friend Honey, the town veterinarian, to Hot Pants Ed who dances and performs magic the secondary characters were relatable, interesting, and kept me laughing. Baileyville was the quintessential small town. Watching the planning of the town festival was hysterical and very relatable to this fellow Ohioan.

Kerry Winfrey brings a certain delight and charm to her stories that makes me smile!
Just Another Love Song hit all the right notes for me. It was charming, had wonderful characters, and had depth that kept me engaged. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

This adorable novel reads like a Hallmark Christmas Movie. Hank and Sandy, high school sweethearts with their lives completely planned out are dreaming of the future until plans change. Years later they are brought together in their small town to work together on the town's fair. This second chance romance was adorable from start to finish and brought all the Hallmark move vibes!

Will be posted on Smexy books.com

Kerry Winfrey writes romcoms with small town, Hallmark-movie vibes. Even when she writes about cities, they seem to be written in the style of Gilmore Girls - there are lots of props, quirky secondary characters, and a twisty way to a happily ever after. This latest book is no exception to the rule.

Sandy has spent her whole life in Baileyville, a small town in Ohio. She knows everyone, and is mostly happy - she lives 3 doors down from her childhood best friend, she owns her own business, she volunteers to support the town’s fair, and she helps out with her parents’ quirky Ohio-themed B&B. Yes, the Stars Hallow vibes are very strong in this book. The one fly in Sandy’s ointment is that she is single - and somewhat stuck on the high school boyfriend who got away and made it semi-big as a country musician. Hank, the ex, is back in Baileyville with his 5-year-old son, and keeps running into Sandy all over the place. But will their relationship ever get to a happily ever after?

The good things about this book: it really did feel like Gilmore Girls. If you like the early seasons of the show, you’ll love this book. Sandy and her best friend Honey have a Sookie-Loralei vibe, and I love how supportive Honey always is of her best friend’s happiness. The quirky townspeople, including hot pants-wearing Ed, are in abundance. I really liked the small town setting, and felt charmed by reading about the fried Oreos and corn dogs.

The things that brought this book down for me were centered in the romance. For Sandy, I understood why she was currently single (small dating pool in a small town), but it wasn’t clear to me that she had a full life with other romantic encounters in the intervening 15 years. I wish the author had given Sandy a little more of a romantic background, to make her more three-dimensional. Another heart break or two would have really given me a sense that this is a woman who is single in her 30s - sometimes Sandy felt a bit immature because of her lack of experience outside of her high school boyfriend.

Hank, on the other hand, had gotten married and had a kid in the intervening years. He also was on the road, making himself successful as a musician. And I understand that they had a childhood connection, but it wasn’t clear to me why they would continue to feel so hung up on each other after all this time.

And that maybe brings me to the weakest point of the book - I think for second chance romances to really work, the author needs to convince the reader that the original romance was extraordinary. It didn’t seem extraordinary- it seemed like a typical high school romance that couldn’t stand the rest of time and distance. And then, a second chance romance needs to convince me that these two characters, with their growth and wealth of experience, are more perfect together now than they ever were. And for these two, I couldn’t quite understand what helped them both realize that the other person was “right” for them now. For Sandy, it felt to me like she had never let herself find anyone else. For Hank, I don’t think the reader quite understood enough of his perspective, either in the past or present day, to know how he feels.

So although there is a lot to like here, it wasn’t quite as successful for me as some of Winfrey’s other works. That being said, it was a charming and pleasant way to spend a few hours, and I’ll definitely pick up another book by this author in the future.

Grade: C+

4.5/5 stars

A super cute, clean romance. It felt like reading Gilmore Girls, except Lorelei didn’t have a kid and Luke was a very sweet musician. Small town feel, Sandy was witty and charming, Hank was adorable and sweet. All around, a great book.

I received a complimentary advanced copy of JUST ANOTHER LOVE SONG by Kerry Winfrey. Thank you to Berkley Publishing and PRH Audio for the chance to provide an honest review.

JUST ANOTHER LOVE SONG follows Sandy Macintosh, a young woman who lives in the same hometown where she grew up. She’s a business owner with strong friendships in her life and she’s always considered herself to be fairly happy even if life didn’t quite go according to plan. Sandy always wanted to be an artist and to leave town with her high school boyfriend Hank. Instead, Sandy wound up having to stay in town while Hank went on to live his musician dreams.

It is now 15 years after they split and Hank is back in town just in time for the town’s annual festival full of competitions, performances, country music, and fried food. Seeing Hank again brings up a lot of questions about what might have been and what still could be.

This was a fun read full of music and crave inducing food. I am a bit picky when it comes to second chance romances because there is a fine line between buying into the initial romance and why it didn’t work out and not believing it is worth another chance. Here, I think it really worked well as the reasons between the couple were issues somewhat beyond their control. It was a good relationship but at the wrong time.

I really loved the small town setting and the group of people that Sandy had surrounded herself with. The festival backdrop also made for a lot of fun moments full of quirky characters and fantastic relationships. I loved that we got good friendship stories and Sandy’s self-discovery along with the romance.