A unique holiday romance with overarching themes of grief, coping with music, and friendship.

I truly enjoyed this read!

Read if you like:
- closed-door romance/fade to black
- second chance
- books that make you cry like a baby and then LOL a few pages later
- great dialogue and playful banter

Triggers: Death of a spouse, cheating

**Huge thank you to NetGalley, Atria, and Lia Louis for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!**

An engaging look at life after the death of a loved one. Friends and family try to help. Romance may come eventually. A sweet mystery is also included. Enjoyable look at life in London too. Other than the use of the "f" word, the story was quite pleasant and heart-warming. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

I wouldn't necessarily categorize this as just romance because of the extreme slow burn that underscores the flow of this story. I see this book as more of contemporary women's fiction since a large part of this book delves into how Natalie Fincher, the protagonist of this novel, rediscovers her passion, makes amends and finds herself after losing her husband.

This book was such a quick read, and I managed to read it in two sittings! I love the way Lia Louis writes—it's to the point, witty, charming and funny, yet tugs at your heartstrings and brings tears to your eyes. Natalie finds herself in interesting conversations and meets a handful of new people along the way. The last quarter of the book really emphasized how one's reality can change drastically after the loss of a loved one, and a partner, to be more specific.

The theme of music is evidently a big part of Natalie's story. We watch her as she takes part in music therapy as a way of healing, and plays songs reminiscent of her past. Natalie is quite loveable because of the way she perceives things. I found that she changed tremendously by the time the book wrapped up, and I love how she not only found herself after two years of isolation, pain and grief, but also that special person who can finally bring the light and joy to her life that she lost. The musical aspects of the novel were a major highlight for me.

I really liked this book, and I do recommend this as something to read before the month of December ends. Lia Louis, this was a fantastic book, and I can't wait to read your other novels ❤️

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Atria Books for my eARC!

This was such a feel good romance book!

Natalie was so in love with her husband Russ, but after a freak accident, it left her a lost widow. After a couple years the only comfort she finds is playing the piano at the train station.

Someone mysteriously starts leaving her special sheet music everyday. I loved the anticipation and guessing who was leaving the music for her.

I was rooting for her to find love and find the mystery person. Such a cute, clean romance!

This book is listed as a romance, but honestly, for me that is the wrong genre description for this book. While there is some romance in this book, the story is much more about Natalie coming to grips with the loss of her husband. It is a story of loss and grief more than it is a story of love. So as I began reading it, the genre kept throwing me off, and leaving me feeling disappointed. However, once I realized this is really more contemporary fiction than it is romance, and I wasn't expecting all those aspects that make something a romance novel, I really enjoyed it. It is actually a very moving story, and I came close to crying multiple times. The way it all wraps up at the end was very satisfying and beautiful.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Pleasant read but slow-paced start which picked up in the 2nd half. Not your typical happy romance read as this one deals a lot with overcoming grief and letting go. I thought the story could have been shorter and dragged a bit which led to me skimming a bit leading up to the ending. There was a good ending and an enjoyable epilogue. This is the third novel I’ve read by this author but her first, Dear Emmie Blue, remains my favourite.

Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

If you had told me at the start of this book how I’d feel upon finishing it, I don’t know that I would’ve believed you. I’ve read so many light-hearted Christmas stories lately that I wasn’t quite expecting what this book brought.

We meet our main character, Natalie, and she’s struggling to cope with the loss of her husband. It’s been a few years, but she’s having a hard time letting go and moving on. Her friends and family want to support her as she walks this journey of grief, but it’s been so long now, and they don’t quite know how to help her and push her out of her comfort zone. They’re understandably worried for her. All of this makes for a heavy start to the book. I had a hard time getting into the story because I didn’t find myself to be prepared for what I was getting into.

However, once we meet Tom and Joe, two wonderful supporting/main characters, the story starts to turn. Each of them play a vital role in Natalie’s ability to mourn this loss of her husband and discover what she’s meant to do in this next phase of life. How can she be happy without feeling guilty?

While there is some romance in this story, it is primarily the story of love and loss, walking through grief and finding happiness again. It was beautifully told. By the end, I was crying because of the journey Natalie had been on. Looking back, I feel the author was intentional about the heaviness at the beginning of the book. I think she wanted us to feel that for Natalie, because it made the joy at the end feel triumphant. We were right there with Natalie, as readers, feeling her successes.

My one thought/recommendation for this book would be this—be in the place for a sad story (that ends happily) when you pick it up. I don’t think I was ready for this when I started it, which is why it took me a bit to get into it. I *do* suggest reading it…but maybe just after the holidays. Enjoy the light, easy reads for now, then pull this one out when you’re ready to feel all the things. Also, be sure to take in all the little clues/hints to the story found in the cover when you finish. It’s like a fun little seek & find!

Natalie lost her husband Russ to a tragic accident two years ago. An accomplished pianist and songwriter, she played to him in the hospital every day until completely giving up on it and launching her musical after his death. No one knows that she’s started playing again recently at the piano at the train station. But when pieces of sheet music are left for her, songs that are close to her heart and meaningful to her and Russ, she loops her friends Priya, Lucy, and sister Jodie in to help her figure out who is leaving the music for her. This includes her friend Shauna who owns the coffee shop at the station, as well as Shauna’s son Tom who seems to be hanging around the station a lot. During her quest to get to the bottom of it, while still processing her grief, she joins a music therapy group, where she meets Joe, who also hangs about in Shauna’s coffee shop. The pair become close, spending a lot of time together and Natalie begins to question if she should be moving on from Russ and be open to the idea of dating again. Meanwhile she’s spending a lot of time with Tom as well, as he seems to just get her and is helping her with her house, the fixer-upper that her and Russ bought just before his death. As time goes on, Natalie begins to see a future before her, where before she only saw grief and despair and nothing, she now sees possibilities. But first she has to solve the mystery music as well as decide what, and who, she wants.

I absolutely loved this book! It’s equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming. I loved the characters and their journeys. It felt like an authentic experience, the emotions and events, the way it might in real life and not the easy, speeding/towards-a-happy-ending that so many books do these days. I enjoyed seeing Natalie open back up to her friends and the possibility of love again, and rekindling her love for music I. A way that helps people the ways it helped her. It truly was a beautiful story.

I love Lia Louis books. They are a perfect blend of women's fiction/romance that blend friendship and family and have endings worth waiting for. She always creates this cozy settings that feel so easy to step into. They have a slow build and a beautifully done crescendo at the finish.

The key to my heart isn't a holiday or Christmas read but does overlap at some point during this time of year. It is about the powerful ache of loss and the willingness and struggle to finally let things go.

Natalie is still a wreck 2 years after the loss of her husband. And while her friends are ready to help her move on, she just can't quite stop feeling stuck. Throw in a choice encounter with a handsome stranger, musical therapy and some found family elements and you've got yourself a story worth reading.

I appreciated seeing Natalies struggle...that one step forward two steps back kind of growth but growth none the less. The love interest is pure gold. I fell in love with him on first sight and laughed at his dry wit and humor. His ability to light up a room is magnetic and he really pushes her to start LIVING again.

So while there is a romance that isn't the focus. Natalie's journey is sweet and bitter and all the little things in between. Grief is fickle how it can effect us all in different ways and throw us out on the other side not the same as before.

"What I often forget is that we can't really expect other people to know what we want without saying it out loud. People are barely tuned in to what they want for themselves, let alone what other people want."

Lia will be an author I automatically read with every new release. I found this to be fresh, funny and full of heart. If you aren't floored by the epic gesture at the end then I don't know what to tell you. Perfection.

4.5 stars for me

Natalie begins to receive sheet music for her husband's favorite songs at a piano in a train station. This is about two years after her husband has passed away suddenly.

This book sounded so good and I had heard such good things, but after reading a few chapters, I did not feel that I could continue. Normally, I would not review it, but I do feel that a book should hook you in those first few chapters and this did not do that. I just did not like Natalie at all.

This book is probably a great book for others, but not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a romance after loss. A 32 year old is trying to live her life after the sudden death of her husband in an accident. She's just moving through life but grief is a hard and relentless emotion.

Her friends are trying to help her meet someone just to get her out of her funk but she ends up talking to someone that she realizes she has a lot in common and they become friends. While they both try dating.

All the while a public piano she plays at routinely, suddenly has sheet music left in the stool of music that is familiar to her. She's so curious as to who is leaving them.

This did have some banter humor but it's not a rom com. It's set in the winter but not really holiday book. I appreciated the grief aspect and the messy parts of long term relationships and dating. It's not always bright and clean. Sometimes there's settling and staying because it's scary you be alone. Not everyone makes the right decisions and then don't know how to fix it. But life is messy as hell. I say this as I'm recovering from some epic cold thing, everything feels messy everywhere right now🤣🥶🌨️❄️.

I love realistic stories with so many emotions and so much life that never stops even when you need a break from it.

Thank you atriabooks and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

I wish I could attach the texts I sent to my friends about my feelings while reading this book to a review. It was a RIDE. I felt for all of the characters in this story and hoped that their lives became what they needed them to be. They felt like such real people and their stories were all heartbreaking and they were in need of healing. This journey of how the right people coming into your life can help you to heal from different events was especially moving and sweet. This is a great romance for anyone who wants to read something with especially real feeling characters.

I thought this was a super cute story and a good representation of grief and the way that grief changes over time. I liked the main characters a lot and I loved how slow-burn it was. Overall it was a sweet romance book.

After loving Eight Perfect Hours and being absolutely positively wrecked (in the best way) by Dear Emmie Blue I couldn't wait to read this one! It is everything one would expect from a Lia Louis book. A little heartbreak, the best friend group and meddling relatives (shauna and her sons 🤣), and heartwarming growth.

As someone who has been playing piano for 20 something years, cheers to Nat for playing a piano in the middle of the tube station, I could never!! I loved the music aspect and trying to solve the mystery of the music. The revelation was both unknown until the reveal but also not surprising. I'll refrain from using this characters name but I will say, even amidst Natalie's possible crush, I was not a fan. I think the audience is maybe supposed to root for him for a bit, but for me I was always team Tom.

LOVE Tom. Absolutely rooting for Tom from the very beginning. His and Natalie's friendship was everything you could hope for. Also the gallery ending. I could not. 🥰 😭 🥰 😭 🥰 literally the most perfect.


Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Love lia Louis - will forever read anything she writes!

Thanks to NetGalley and atria for the advanced copy

Pub date: 12/6/22
Genre: romance
One sentence summary: Natalie's struggling with the death of her husband more than two years after the fact
- when a stranger begins leaving sheet music of their favorite songs at a local piano and brings her new hope.

Sad romance isn't my go-to genre, but I love stories with musical elements, so I thought I'd give this one a try. I had trouble connecting with Natalie at first, and the book took awhile to get going. Once it did, I enjoyed seeing her try to unravel the mystery of the music and work to find a path forward for herself. The ending was good, but IMO it took too long to get there.

I didn't love this book as much as many other reviewers have, but if you enjoy stories about grief, I think you'll enjoy it more than I did!

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

A big thanks to Altria and Netgalley for the early copy of this book. All opinions to follow are my own.

Brief Summary: Natalie lost her husband 2+ years ago. She is struggling to "move on' as others expect her to. She begins playing piano in a trainstation and starts finding sheet music left for her anonymously. Each piece of music is in some way connected to her life with her husband and she is desperate to know who is leaving this music.

Don't let the cutesy cover fool you. This lovely book was not a romcom. Instead we have a very emotional look at the way grief affects a few of our main characters. From loss of a husband, death of a brother, unfaithfulness of a husband and father, to walking with friends after extreme loss. This book dives deep into some emotional stuff.

I really appreciated the family and friendships that were represented in this story. They all felt very realistic to me and not shown to be perfect in any way. They were messy at times, but the love for each other was so strong. It was beautifully done.

The thread of music in the story was a delight. Our main character is a pianist and song writer and is struggling to find her passion for it after the death of her husband. She eventually begins to play at a piano in a London train station and that is a jump off point for a lot of her healing. I loved the influence of music as part of her therapy and connection to others.

There is a bit of romance in here as well and I absolutely loved that it started with a friendship. Their banter was perfection! As was the romantic gesture at the end. Holy moly! The way this book ended melted my heart. Lots of tears and smiles.

I love Lia Louis' books because they give me a romance story while also having so much substance. I found Lia Louis on a whim and knew I needed to read this book. I loved Natalie's story because she was human. She went through the hardest thing she's ever known, losing her husband at such a young age, and pulled herself through it. Sometimes it was messy and hard, Natalie wasn't always perfect, but she did the best she could at the time. I loved her character even if sometimes she was whiny or had her "head up her own arse" as Roxanne says.

Tom... oh Tom. I loved Tom. There were moments I felt like he could've been a little more developed but then we'd get a little piece of his humor or why he made choices he did.

And then there's Joe. Sweet Joe who understands Natalie and they seem to be a crutch for her. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Joe was the perfect reason and I loved following their relationship development.

This book was a romance but it was also more than that, and I loved it.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Another beautiful story from Lia Louis! I'm always left in bliss by her full-circle conclusions.

It's been two years since Natalie lost her husband. Feeling incredibly lost in life, she is tired of friends pushing her to date, pushing her to move on. Often hiding away to play the public piano at the train station, Natalie begins receiving sheet music of significant songs relating to her late husband. Who could it be?

A mystery that truly kept me guessing! And Natalie doesn't have to solve it alone. There's Tom, the man from the bar that has a fate-like way of continually stumbling into her life. I adored him and his fear of love and crocodiles. Their relationship, initially igniting as friends, was so special. Tom allowed Natalie to just ... be however she needed to be. But there's also Joe, the man from music therapy who shares a mutual understanding of loss.

This story was a heartwarming example of grief running its own course. I did find it a little slow at times, particularly with the love triangle detour, but it all comes together in a clever way. Like I said, it always does with Lia Louis!

Honestly, Lia Louis is a treasure. I fell in love with her writing in Dear Emmie Blue and again in Eight Perfect Hours, she really can write a heartfelt and heartwarming story. In The Key to My Heart Natalie is alone and trying to find her place in the world following her husbands sudden death - on her journey she meets new people and learns new things of herself. All of the characters were wonderful, and you really do not see the twist coming at the end, which I was very excited about! This book covers so much, from grief and loss to learning to love again and does it so well! Another great book brought to us by Lia Louis!