Lia Louis is known for her sweet and heartwarming romances that also deal with some heavier topics and The Key To My Heart is no exception. In this we are following a young widow named Natalie who two years after the death of her husband she struggles with moving on. While all her friends are telling her she needs to move on Natalie is isn't sure she is ready or wants too. I really loved the writing in this story and it made me very emotional at times, not only with her loss but also with how Natalie dealt with her family and friends. Grief is such a unique experience for every individual and I really liked how Lia talks about that in this book. Sadness was not the only emotion that I felt while reading this, their was a lot of happiness as well as anger towards some of the characters and how they constantly pushed Natalie but the ending was great. If you are looking for a romance that will make you feel something then I would recommend checking this one out! If you need content warnings then you might want to look into that for this one as it does deal with heavier topics. Thank you Atria for my gifted copy for review! All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book is out 12/06/22.

I really enjoyed all of Lia Louis' previous books so I knew I was going to like this one, too, and I was not disappointed!

This is the story of Natalie who lost her husband two and a half years ago and she's still mourning him and is stuck in a house that is falling apart and a job that she doesn't love. She gave up her musician past but now she regularly plays the piano in a subway station where no one knows her. Until someone starts leaving her the notes for songs that are meaningful between her and her dead husband.

There aren't a lot of characters in this story so the "mystery" isn't hard to guess. But of course this story is not about the mystery. It's about moving on, about friendship, betrayal, about living others' lives. About friendship and honesty and beautiful characters that will stay with you long after you're done reading.

Loved this story.

with gratitude to Atria Books and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I so loved this story! The main character, Natalie, is so quirky! Her husband died three years ago andit was then that Natalie lost her self. Her friends mean well, but keep talking about ‘moving on’ and going out but Natalie has not yet finished mourning. A friend at a coffee shop, Shauna, is one of the few people who truly understands her. She finds it difficult to make decisions, does not know if she wants to move house or what to do. Natalie may be quirky, but she is honest, loving and just plain scared to move forward. I loved the story and especially the ending!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC. It has been two years since Natalie lost her husband to a biking accident but she is still grieving. Her friends, not understanding her pain, sets her up once again. Natalie convinces Tom to be the bad guy and walk out on the date but soon form a friendship that helps her heal. The first couple of chapters were slow but soon turned into a beautiful story of healing, friendship and a little mystery thrown in. #TheKeyToMyHeart #LiaLouis #AtriaBooks #Dec2022

I loved this authors previous novels, gave both of them 5 stars. But unfortunately for me, The Key to My Heart was just too slow moving for me. I kept putting the book down and taking a break to the point that I just didn’t want to pick it up again and read more.

I had just finished up an intense nonfiction book when I was presented with the opportunity to read this contemporary romance. I am not a regular romance reader by any stretch, but this one appealed to me, especially since it was written by an author I had read before and enjoyed.

The Key to My Heart is a wonderful story about Natalie who is attempting to recover from a devastating loss that occurred 2 1/2 years previous. Her friends are worried about her and try to get her re-engaged into a happy life, but that is not going well at all. Natalie has no idea how to come to terms with the curveball life has thrown her and is basically just treading water. She is racked with all sorts of mixed emotions, especially guilt, which throw her into a state of ambivalence about her direction in life. The story has an engaging cast, especially Natalie’s coffeehouse boss Shauna, Notebook Guy, and the bar guy. There is a little mystery to think about plus several major decisions facing Natalie that really pulled me in. The writing is very good, the pace is brisk, and the “depthy” plot easily held my interest. I loved the ending though I wished it had been just a bit more drawn out (that’s a personal preference I often have with the books I read).

I enjoyed my little detour into contemporary romance and rom-com land. So much that I signed up for another ARC in this genre. I recommend The Key to My Heart to anyone looking for a warm, heartfelt, poignant story. As for myself, I will be trying another Lia Louis book sometime soon.

I would like to thank Net Galley, Atria books (Katelyn Phillips), and Ms. Lia Louis for the ARC. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

I loved this romance novel so much. It was just what I needed after reading a couple dark books in a row. Romance novels for me can be cringe-inducing or swoon-inducing, and this was the latter.

Natalie is only 32 years old and a widow. She thinks her friends think she’s broken because it’s been two and a half years since his death, and she hasn’t moved on. In addition to losing the only man she ever loved, she also lost her best friend after a truth is revealed. Natalie stopped teaching and working on her music when these two terrible things happened, but she would play the battered piano at the rail station. She began finding pieces of music that were important to her and her ex, Russ. She wonders if Russ somehow knew that he wouldn’t make it and set up someone to put these pieces of music here.

So there’s a mystery along with hoping that Natalie moves on, and that really compelled the first part of the novel. You’ll fall in love with the new love and everyone else, I assure you.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES ON DECEMBER, 6, 2022.

I'm such a fan of Lia Louis's writing. She has such a way of writing about the challenging experiences we all face in life - the loss of a loved one, struggling to learn how to live your life independently. I thought this book was really touching. I loved how the relationship between Natalie and Tom developed as she discovered more and more about the person she wanted to be without her late husband.

Two and a half years after her husband's death, Natalie Fincher feels like everyone is just expecting her to move on by now. Yet, Natalie isn't really sure she even wants to be who she used to be. When someone starts leaving her sheet music of her husband's favorite songs, Natalie unexpectedly finds herself enjoying life and opening up to new possibilities.

After loving her debut (Dear Emmie Blue) and being disappointed by her sophomore novel (Eight Perfect Hours), Lia Louis finds her stride again with a sweet love story with nuanced characters. Louis handles Natalie's widowhood with care, showing the complicated process of grief and giving her a gradual path toward a second love that starts with friendship. Although this feel-good romance has no steam, the characters are very British, so there is lots of swearing in their casual banter, which I don't mind but some readers might not enjoy.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Lia Louis did it again, another great story! Heartbreak, love, mystery what more could you want in a book? Loved it!!

First half: 3 stars, second half: 5 stars. This moved a little slow for me in the beginning. Once Natalie started spending more time with Joe and Tom, I was a lot more interested. I loved the banter between Natalie and Tom. The reveal of the mystery was not all that surprising, but there was another surprise toward the end that was so touching it brought tears to my eyes. This is the third book I've read from Lia Louis and I've enjoyed them all. I'm looking forward to reading more from her.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy!

A wonderful book following Natalie’s journey after losing her husband. I love when book combine my three favorite things. Winter, music, and love!!, If you love second chance like romances you’ll love this book by Lia Louis! Thank you for the free arc copy!

I loved Lia Louis's other books so I was really looking forward to reading this story. It did not disappoint! It is emotional, sweet and has a little mystery included. Our main character is dealing with the loss of her husband and is having a hard time moving on and still very much dealing with grief. Then she meets some new people and things begin to start looking up. Loved it! Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Netgalley!

I always look forward to Lia Louis' books, especially around the holiday time and was really excited to read this one once I found out it was coming out. i enjoyed it alot! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this one. Can't wait for the next one!

This one took me a little bit to get into but once I did I LOVED it, it was heartfelt and sentimental and it proved that there is still love after loss.

Natalie, our main character is struggling with the grief over the loss of her Husband and is feeling like all her friends want is for her to just get over it. Her friends introduce her to Tom and they strike up a friendship. Tom is there for her in a way that no one else is and when mysterious music starts showing up at the Piano in the Subway Natalie sets off to figure out who is leaving it and finds more than she could've ever hoped for.

This book was AMAZING, I'm not going to lie though.. I teared up a few times.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a good read about opening yourself up to love but it was a bit slow at times. Understandably for the MC but boring for the reader.

The pace of the storyline was to slow for me. I lost interest after a short while. DNF.




****************************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.**************************************

What a sweet story! Natalie’s journey is a tough one, trying to figure out what to do with her life after a major loss. Charming cast of characters here. Love all the relationships and friendships. Hits a lot of dramatic themes - grief, forgiveness etc… A few “British” sayings I didn’t get (being from the U.S.) but I enjoyed this!

I'm not usually a sappy reader, but MAN this book got me in the feels!

I loved Eight Perfect Hours, so I knew I had to pick up Lia Louis's next book. If anything, The Key to My Heart just took my love for her to the next level! This book is sweet, but it also handles grief in a very real-feeling way. It doesn't gloss over the loss of a loved one and the desperation to hold onto them in any way you can. Louis also focuses on the struggle of just not being able to move on yet, despite all your friends and family thinking you should have.

The past couple of years since the pandemic have been hard, and I typically avoid the topic of grief in books because it's my escape. I was hesitant to pick up this book because it focuses on a young widow, but ended up loving this book so much! It ended up being really healing for me to watch someone else process through their loss in a way that I never could have expected.

All that gushing to be said, there were some points that felt a teensy bit drawn out or slow to me. Take that with a grain of salt, though, because I tend towards plot-driven books over character-driven ones anyways.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

THE KEY TO MY HEART, by Lia Louis, is a nice, slow-romance that deals with the incredibly heavy topic of grief. Natalie lost her first husband to a biking accident. As expected, this completely upended her life. Still grieving three years later, Natalie is trying to move forward, but then again, doesn't think she needs to move forward when she is still grieving.

With the "help" of her friends, she meets Tom at a local pub. They form a fun, easy friendship. And then, of course, it eventually turns into more.

I LOVED Eight Hours More by Lia. I think THE KEY TO MY HEART was just as enjoyable, but I did not like how elements of Nat's friendships were handled. I think her friends were toxic at times, yet, Nat also seemed to be oblivious to her friends own problems because she was grieving. The resolution was fast and not as detailed as I wanted it to be considering her friendships were a B plot in the story. This is a tricky subplot to write.

Nonetheless, THE KEY TO MY HEART would be a great read for any Lia Louis readers. I'm ready for her next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an e-copy of THE KEY TO MY HEART to review.

I rate THE KEY TO MY HEART four out of five stars.