“The Key to My Heart” by Lia Louis follows Natalie Fincher. It’s been two years since her husband’s death and she’s still lost. One thing Natalie has resumed is playing the piano- but only in the train station where she feels no one notices. Until one day Natalie begins finding sheet music, not just any music, music she and her husband loved. Music she played in the hospital hoping it would make him well again. As she tries to discover who is leaving the mystery music, Natalie begins to slowly open herself up to the world again- maybe being okay, is okay.

This book is sentimental and heartwarming from beginning to end. Natalie is a character that you root for because her experience is so raw and real. No one expects for their world to fall apart just when it seems like it’s all starting to fall together. Her relationship with Tom is everything, especially their simple banter about ordinary things.

Overall, this book was a solid 4 star read for me. I loved watching Natalie’s world change for the better, and her struggle with allowing things to get better will tug at your heart.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review! This book is available now!

"Exciting, isn't it? A bit of drama, a bit of a mystery." Yes! I loved the mystery of who was leaving music and the low key love triangle. It's sweet and feel good but also captured what felt like a very authentic portrayal of grief. The unexpectedly intimate look at the aftereffects of loss felt surprisingly at home in this lighter genre. I loved that the book managed to feel cozy and heartwarming while also being real and emotional.

I was more emotionally attached to the author's previous work, Dear Emmie Blue, but found the mystery in this one engaging and the characters, sweet. It was a joy to pick up and read. Lia Louis has become an auto-buy author and I know to expect a tender and entertaining story.

4.5 stars

Lia Louis has a knack for writing beautiful love stories. They touch my heart and often get me to cry and smile at the same time. I think what it comes down to is I feel invested in the characters and appreciate how there is a solid foundation for meaningful relationships.

Natalie Fincher's husband died a few years ago and despite her friends encouraging her to get back into the dating game, she isn't feeling the motivation. There's a piano at a train station in London and Natalie will occasionally sit down and play. One day, Natalie spots sheet music at the piano and it happens to be for one of her husband's favorite songs. She finds sheet music again with another song that her husband loved and well, one time can be explained as a coincidence. But two times? It's brought some much needed hope and excitement back in her life and Natalie is determined to solve this little mystery.

It's a great premise with the sheet music randomly appearing and I like how the storyline was carried out. Grief is a subject that isn't new territory in fiction but there still was value in watching Natalie attempt to move forward. While I enjoyed the book from start to finish there is a particular scene that I found absolutely brilliant. I know Hollywood isn't into making rom coms anymore, but this book would be an excellent choice to put on the big screen.

I originally picked this up because I had read Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis and loved it! Everyone is always looking for a One Day in December type book and I find that Louis’ novels are in the same vein.
When we meet our main character, Natalie, she’s 2 years a widow, still grieving and annoyed with her friends and families who she believes are not so patiently waiting for her to “get over” the loss of her husband. But a few things Natalie finds joy in- visiting the train station, playing the community piano and connecting with the manager of the local coffee shop.

I loved Natalie and her process of moving forward from her husband’s death. I found the cast of characters extremely sweet. 50% through the book I couldn’t decide on who was going to be the “one” for Natalie to fall in love with- which is excellent and I am kind of done with predictable romances. This one is for you if so!!

Thank you Atria books for a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Lia Louis is such a gifted women's fiction/romance writer. Similar to her previous novels, this one is incredibly charming and romantic. It follows a woman's journey in finding her purpose in life again after losing her husband unexpectedly. It touches on friendship (both old and new), grief, therapy and of course finding new love. It was a complete page turner for me and I am looking forward to more from her!

Don’t be tricked by the snow on the cover, this is not a holiday romance. 😆 In fact, I don’t even think it snows in the book.

Instead, this is a romance, bordering on “women’s fiction” with a big focus on grief, healing, and strong bonds with others: romantic, platonic and familial. This is my first book by this author, but I will definitely be reading more of her work. In The Key to My Heart we read about Natalie, who lost her husband almost 3 years ago and is lost in her grief. The book is about her slowly coming out of her shell thanks to an unexpected surprise left for her by someone at the train station piano where she plays from time to time and her quest to find who that someone is.

👍
+ What an absolutely fantastic book boyfriend! I fell in love with him from the first scene we meet him. He’s so sweet, considerate, romantic, patient, giving, the list goes on... I read this with a group of people and we all fell in love with him, and he was the favorite book boyfriend of the year for many of us!
+ The main character, Natalie carries a lot of grief with her, it impacts her life in every area. In a way, she wears her grief as armor, keeping people and feelings at a distance. Her not being ready to let any of her grief go was handled so beautifully, then various events has her slowly come out of that armor, and that was beautiful too.
+ Despite how much space Natalie’s grief takes, the book doesn’t feel heavy, it is still easy to read, it’s cute and it’ll put a smile on your face.
+ The romance is a slooow burn and doesn’t take up that much of the book, but with where the main character is in her life, everything in how the romance develops makes sense. I also love the friendship they build while they’re not romantic, especially how he helps her get out of her shell, she helps him not be afraid anymore. I think the fact that they build their friendship first also strengthens the payoff of the romance. Plus they have amazing banter! And the big gesture at the end! 😍
+ There are also many other people around Natalie, sometimes they blunder, but they’re all unique and great characters, who are trying to care for Natalie in their own way. I especially loved Shauna from the coffeeshop!

Overall rating: 4.5⭐, rounded up

Thank you so much to Atria Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy of this book.

Lia Louis has become an auto buy author for me over the past couple of years. I have loved all of her books, and this one was no exception. The Key to My Heart is another slow burn romance that will stick with me for quite a while.

Natalie lost her husband unexpectedly 2 years ago, and her friends think it's time to move on. She is working in her sisters shop, living in her and her dead husband's fixer upper without really knowing how to do the fixing up, had a falling out with her best friend, and just seems to be at a stand still in life. Then, she starts finding sheet music in a piano she plays at the train station. Who is leaving it there and why? Natalie is on a mission to figure it out, and in doing so, starts putting her life back in order bit by bit...and opening her heart up in the process.

One thing I love about this author is that her books are so much more than just one singular plot. Sure, Natalie wants to figure out the mystery of the music, but she is also navigating through her grief, friendships (old and new), her house, whether or not she is ready to start dating again, what she wants her life to look like...it's all woven together in the story. I felt so much for Natalie as I was reading. Sometimes I just wanted to shake her, and sometimes, I wanted to hug her.

Highly recommend this one. 4.5 stars.

This is a sweet story about dealing with grief and falling in love again. Also about forgiveness and friendship and it was a joy to read.

(This is not a Christmas/holiday/winter book like the cover suggests)

Thank you to Atria Books for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I can always count on Lia Louis to make me feel things. In The Key to My Heart, Natalie is living as a shell of herself 2.5 years after the sudden death of her husband. She begrudgingly tags along on nights out with her well meaning friends and can only bring herself indulge in her musical passion by playing at a public piano at a train station.

Natalie’s struggle trying to honor her late husband while also give herself the grace to move forward with her life was so heart wrenching. The way that her grief impacts her relationships with those around her and the unwitting pain she herself causes added such emotion and intricacy to her story.

I was obsessed with all the secondary characters in this book. Natalie has a rich community around her, from an older woman she befriends at her regular coffee shop to a handsome stranger at a bar who she uses to get her friends off her back about getting back in the dating scene. Everyone had such a detailed backstory and distinct characteristics that they came to life and created such a well rounded support system for Natalie.

The flirty banter in this book was next level. It was sexy and funny and creative and it was impossible not to root for the romance to work out.

This was a 5-star read until the ending, which left me wanting. There was a mystery throughout the book and the conclusion of it felt anticlimactic. I still highly recommend this book, but I wanted just a little more to wrap it up.

This book has my heart and soul and you should read it.

Lia's Louis' newest book is such a gem...I have adored her books. They tackle grief and change in such a beautiful way, and the Key to My Heart is no different.

What to say about this book? It's really difficult for me to talk about this because there were things I really loved about this book but also things I despised. Let's start with the things I didn't like, shall we. First of, the main character's inner monologue. It was so exhausting to read. She was just really insecure and overthinking every single possible interaction she could have. It was a real slog to get through. Especially because it halted the actual story WAY too much. This is just something I didn't really like but something I despised were the main character's friends. I mean, she does have some really good and supportive friends but there's also just some terrible friends in here that somehow get a really lamely done redemption arc (as in they just say "sorry" and that's it). These friends spend the entire book being selfish little shits and trying to police how the main character griefs. Blegh. I really hate the fact that they got a redemption AT ALL but the fact that there was barely any effort put in just made my blood boil. So now, things I liked. I really loved the discussion around grief in this book, especially the focus on feeling guilt around moving on. I especially liked how this all was combined with a side character and their experience with grief and how there are similairities and differences between the two. I really loved it. I also thought the romance was really well done. I love how they were friends first and how we got to see them really get to know each other before feelings were ever really talked about. The big moment where they get together also made me cry. It was so beautiful and felt very satisfying as we've seen them go through a lot together already.

If I had to describe Lia Louis's books in one word, it would be "charming." And this one is definitely charming, as well as sweet, cute, and deeper than the cover/romance marketing would make you expect (also a hallmark of her books). The only real complaint I have, and the reason for the 3 stars, is that I found it too predictable. I'm not usually the person calling the plot twists before they happen, but there were just some really obvious setups that took away from an otherwise unique premise.

4-4.5 stars

It took me an embarrassingly long time to finish this book because the winter storm and Christmas and just a whole lot of other stressors and time consumers that happened all at once and it was just a tad bit slow to start so I wasn't making reading it a priority. But. Once I sat down and truly gave it the attention a Lia Louis book deserves I really, really enjoyed it.

Grief, forgiveness and the power of friendship and family shine in this one and it most certainly tugs on the heart strings more than once. My heart broke for Natalie as she muddles along trying to find purpose in life again after the death of her husband. I enjoyed the witty banter, especially between Tom and Natalie and Natalie and Joe. I loved the "spark" moments and the moments of hopefulness. The ending was a bit plain but happy nonetheless. Really enjoy this author!

This was my first Lia Louis book and I really enjoyed her storytelling. This isn't a light Christmas read, but instead focuses on Natalie as she continues to mourn the loss of her husband after a terrible accident. This book is filled with heartache and grief, yet also manages to be sentimental and hopeful. The grand gesture at the end of the book is one I will never forget!

After the sudden loss of her husband, Russ, two years ago, Natalie is still struggling to find herself and figure out the meaning of life beyond a loss so deep. Until she finds mysterious music laid out for her, songs that connected her to her past and to Russ.

This was a sweet story, with more depth than I anticipated going in. I thought it would be a light hearted holiday story, and appreciated the uniqueness of the plot line to bring me into something a little different. It really also showed a depth of Lia Louis that was impressive, as talking about this topic and making it feel real takes a great deal of heart put into the writing and that definitely shone through.

I guess one part that was a little confusing is the timing of the release along with the cover led me to believe that there would be more of a holiday connection than there is. In reality, this is a book that can be read and fit for any time of the year as I would not classify it as a holiday read. I'm not sure if it was this, or what else it might have been, but I did find it slow and hard to continue to engage. While I was intrigued in the story and interested to see how it goes, I did not find myself particularly connected to the characters nor particularly excited to keep reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. This one is out now!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, I adored Lia Louis’ Eight Perfect Hours. Natalie Fincher had it all, married to the love her her life, a quaint cottage they were excited to fix up and grow old in and excited by her work on a musical she had written with her best friend. She had it all … that is until one faithful day everything changed. Her husband Russ passed away after being involved in an accident and suddenly she was facing life alone.

Her friends have been letting her go through the motions but 2.5 years later it is obvious they think it is time to move on, to start living again. Natalie wants to, of course she does but how does she make everyone understand she doesn’t want a fresh start, she was perfectly happy where she was but there is no going back. She starts playing on the public piano at St. Pancras, music has always been her safe place. Then one day she finds a piece of music left behind, or possibly left just for her … it is her husbands favourite, one she used to play for him in the hospital after the accident … before he was gone.

This book really tugs at the heartstrings, it is a story of grief, healing, self-discovery but also of hope and finding love after loss. It is beautifully written, it ebbs and flows and we really get to know Natalie and her grief … her love for the husband she has lost. It is obvious Russ has left behind a gaping void, one which will not easily be healed. She feels guilty, guilty that she is still here and Russ isn’t. Guilt because the things they had dreamed of doing together no longer spark much interest because she never wanted to live this life they planned alone.

By coincidence she finds out about a music therapy group and it turns out this is the beginning of her healing process. Music having always played an important part in her life slowly opens her up and helps her realize you can love someone deeply and forever but also allow yourself to move on.

This book made broke my heart, put it back together and and sealed it with a kiss. I went into this book thinking it was a finding love after loss romance – and it was but I realize I like Natalies friends was in the “time to get on with it” mindset. I didn’t grasp how important working through the grief was to the character, reading how she worked through it, founds ways to help her heal her broken heart was the only way for her to truly be able to open herself up to love again. I loved how kind and patient he was with her, he understood she needed to go through the motions for them to have a chance of love and with so many books before I wish there was another to check in on them again.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lia Louis and Atria Books for my free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first novel but this author, but it will most definitely not be the last. I found this so so adorable and so honest about loss. I was rooting for this lovely woman to find out what she really wanted in her life and k enjoyed every page of her story.

My second Lia Louis book, and I read it on the recommendation of another blogger who raved about it.

I read Emmie Blue and loved it; this book was just as good.
An emotional read with a little bit of suspense thrown in.

Who is leaving sheet music that ties Natalie to her deceased husband?
She's not necessarily ready to move on, especially since the reminders from the sheet music bind her to her husband...but 2 men capture her eye, a friendship that could lead to something else.

I suggest to anyone who enjoyed Emmie Blue to read this also, as Lia Louis writes beautifully and gets me every time with her books.

I didn't love this one as much as I loved Eight Perfect Hours but still enjoyed this journey of learning to live again after loss. Loved watching Natalie find hope and joy and, ultimately, love again. I loved the development Lia placed on the more peripheral characters like those in the coffee shop. I want to find my own Tommy Buttons one day!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced readers copy of this book. I was thrilled to read another book by the author of Dear Emmie Blue which I adored. The Key to My Heart was slower paced and also touched a lot on the theme of grief. It reminded me a lot of P.S I Love You which I also loved. While heartbreaking and emotionally tough, it was a story about finding yourself (and love) again. The slow pace and the focus on grief was a lot. However, I loved the epilogue and the ending.