What a cute book! I loved this. I loved the characters, I loved their journey together. It was heartfelt, sweet and so well written. 5 easy stars!

Though a slow burn, I found myself smiling so many times during this cute love story. I appreciate that this story touched on deeper topics such as severe anxiety, divorce, endometriosis, trauma, and service animals. Henry is such a sweet man, and I adore him. The writing style is clear and well paced. Slow burn, definitely but with some good steamy bits!

Speechless is a story about Lucy, a romance author going through a divorce, and Henry, a famous composer that Lucy is a huge fan of. Fate brings her to him at the perfect timing and she ends up with an offer to live with him, as well as his musicians, until she can figure out more permanent arrangements.

For a debut novel, I thought the writing was great and I loved the unique details of this story. The chronic illness and mental health representation was portrayed so well. I love when authors can bring in those elements into romance to bring awareness, but not make it the whole plot.

I loved Lucy’s personality and how she continued to see the good even if she was dealing with some bad. Henry was very sweet and the perfect person for Lucy to meet at this time in her life. The growth of these two and the development of their relationship was exciting to see. I loved the strangers to friends to lovers plot. The elements of music throughout the story was also so interesting and I really like all the details.

First of all, Rowan is a sweet baby and is utterly adorable. Lucy was such a fun character to unpack and read about and she explored her own feelings about everything in her life. She was funny and sweet, you could also tells she cares about everyone in her life. Henry being so shy and awkward around people made their interactions that much more interesting to watch. Neither of them let their struggles dictate their lives, they just learned how to adjust to make room for their struggles. Finding out each of their past played a big role in their relationship but once they finally had that hard conversation you could see how that didn’t change any of their feelings. I loved all the little book and bookstore nods.

A surprising debut with mental health and chronic illness representation! I requested this simply because of the cute cover, I mean just look at it! But was I taken for such a heartwarming ride.

Lucy Gold was on her way to moving to Los Angeles from Boston, when suddenly her plans fell through. On the brink of being homeless and with no one to go to, she was offered a place to stay by none other than Henry Turner, a composer whose music and scores have been her anchor during the most difficult stages of her life. What follows is a story of love, acceptance, friendship and found family with an adorable pup named Rowan.

I love how the characters, not just the two main leads, in this book have come together. From the moment Lucy was introduced to Henry’s housemates, I knew I was in for a treat. Also, it's not often that I come across romance stories that feature a female lead with a chronic reproductive health problem such as endometriosis and this is what I identified most in this book. How it affects her way of life and even her way of thinking kind of hit me on a personal level. I don’t usually like ‘noble idiocy’ as a plot element, but I can get behind Lucy’s reasons in this one.

A sweet and satisfying read overall that I look forward to Lindsey Lanza’s future works.

Thankful to Victory Editing, NetGalley, and the author for my early copy of this book. All opinions are honest and my own.

What a great debut novel! I enjoyed the characters and disability and mental health rep. Such a fun meet cute and absolutely loved all the roommates in the house! Definitely recommend!

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 5⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Contemporary Romance📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
Such a sweet forced proximity, strangers to lovers romance with the most adorable characters. I loved everything about this book from the chronic illness and mental health rep to the cutest service dog to the best found family/ side characters! If you’re a fan of romance, you have to read this one!

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Strangers to friends to lovers
Dual POV
Found family
Musician MMC & writer FMC
Heartwarming rom-coms
Great side characters
Airport meet cutes
New Girl vibes
Malibu settings
Lots of drama
Slow burn romance

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Rowan the service dog!
Chronic illness rep
Pop culture references
Mental health rep
The food songs
Tough topics were discussed but the book was still lighthearted
The cover

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
There were a few times when the miscommunication between them annoyed me- I wanted them to just talk to each other but that’s literally the only con I can think of!

𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
★ “But you are special, Luce. You are my anomaly.”
★ “You do. You look vibrant. Like the sun. Like everyone else is just orbiting around you.”

"𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘺-𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴. 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥."

This book left me pretty speechless!

I've had a couple underwhelming reads lately (NOT bad, just slightly underwhelmed)... so when I didn't have any negatives for this one, it was a nice breath of fresh air.

Let's talk run down my favorites:

• New Girl vibes, which is one of my favorite shows

• Strangers to Friends to Lovers

• Lucy's dynamics with the other guys in the house (except Craig, he was terrible)

• That moment you realize the difference between true friends/love versus the shittiness you've had in the past

• Tiramisu - enough said

• Honest talk about mental health/illness and handling very difficult topics with a lot of grace

All of that being said... Sarah and Jack are the ABSOLUTE worst. Like I was physically fuming during that particular portion (you'll know when you read it).

Also... go read it!

Thank you Lindsey, @victoryeditingngc, and @netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! ❤
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#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #book6of2023 #whatsnikkireading #speechless #lindseylanza #arc #advancedreadercopy #ebook #kindleebook #romance #friendstolovers #fivestarreads

This book was such a pleasant surprise. I had no expectations going into it. If you love New Girl, you’ll love this book.

My absolute favorite part of this book was the friend group and how we watched them become their own little family. That is one of my favorite tropes and this one was so well done. As previously mentioned, if you like the show New Girl, you’ll absolutely love this friend group too. The boys are hilarious and sweet and immediately take Lucy and her pup Rowan under their wings and make them feel at home.

Henry is such a sweet love interest and boy does that man have some LINES. “But you are special, Luce. You’re my anomaly.” SWOOOOOON. Learning about him and how is anxiety has effected his life was really interesting. I loved watching him come out of his shell.

Not only does this book have great representation for anxiety, but it also does for chronic illness, specifically endometriosis. Lanza goes really in depth with Lucy as she navigates life with her diagnosis and her treatment plans.

I lied. My absolute favorite part of this book was Rowan, Lucy’s service dog. He is the absolute freaking cutest.

One thing I wasn’t expecting from this was all of the drama. There was so much packed in for it being such a short book. There is a lot of miscommunication in this and “will they/won’t they” “shouldn’t do this but imma do it anyway” type of storylines. I was on the edge of my seat tho, just needing the popcorn!

Overall, I read this fairly quickly and enjoyed my time! If there ends up being companions following the boys, I’d be interested in reading those! I’d definitely recommend this. Plus it’s written by a fellow Bookstagrammer AND it’s on Kindle Unlimited!

TROPES:
- forced proximity
- slow burn romance
- miscommunication
- found family
- dual POV


READ IF YOU LIKE:
- pop culture references, mostly Taylor Swift and Throne of Glass
- New Girl
- writer mc and musician mc
- lil bit of spice
- amazinggg side characters ( hi, Graham and Adamma )

I wanted to like this one significantly more than what the writing and execution allowed me too. Most likely passable in a crowded market.

The prologue absolutely hyped me up and I had really high expectations of the book but sadly it’s all quickly went downhill.

But let me say that the story had a great chronic illness and mental health rep. And this was the only reason I drag myself through the book.

The storyline felt like a fanfiction I’ve read before on Wattpad. Lucy wanted to start a new life and her best i ditched her in the last minute and there he comes that guy on a white horse who helps her and etc happily ever after.

The romance is totally dried out and cringe which I couldn’t handle. Lucy’s character too immature and made me mad and Henry was the same with his boring personality. I didn’t feel the love between them. And the story was really flat and had problems with the writing style as well. It took me weeks to read this short book which shows it didn’t catch my attention.

But I’m glad it’s many people’s fav. I’m sad it’s not mine.

Thank you for the arc.

this one was so cute and adorable - it seriously made me squeal with delight! 🥹🥰 I loved the concept of meeting your real life inspiration and him falling in love with you? pls it’s every woman’s fantasy

showcasing soundtrack music and scores was such a beautiful part of this story, and I loved every minute of it. my happy music has always been soundtrack music and my greats of hans zimmer, john williams, ramin djawadi mean so much to me - just like they did in this one!! 🥰🥰🥰

even though the songwriting about food was cheesy as hell and I definitely could have done without that

having a “hidden” disability also takes the forefront of this plot - and the author did such an amazing job showcasing a day in the life of someone suffering from severe anxiety caused by trauma, endometriosis, and the list goes on. and henry was so kind and understanding that I just wish every male species on this planet would take note mkay

this was more of a rom com style than I normally love, but the characters were so real and human that I honestly didn’t mind! the side characters of HAAAM were really what took the cake for me!

for a debut novel, I think the author did a fantastic job and I’m looking forward to seeing her writing mature and her characters grow even more!!!!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 3.5 stars
wine pairing: anderson valley sparkling wine

This book is everything, I couldn't put it down. Lucy has had a rough go of it lately and is headed a new city to move in with her best friend. While waiting for her flight however, her best friend calls to let her know that there has been a change of plans and her on again off again boyfriend is back on and she no longer needs a roommate.

Henry is a composer and hears a beautiful stranger humming a very familiar tune from a movie score he wrote but that can't be because who listens to move scores? He wants to know her but he also has a hard time talking to strangers. Scratch that, Henry has a problem talking to most people.

Henry gathers the strength to talk to Lucy and offers her a solution to the predicament, come stay with him and his roommates. Will Lucy stay with Henry? How will she feel when she discovers Henry is the composer that has crafted the songs that have gotten her through every tough situation she has been put in for years?

Read Speechless. You won't regret it.

Lucy Gold is done with the ups and downs. As a best-selling author, life should be great! She writes fairy tales for a living, dreams about her knight in shining armor, and adores the magical happily ever after. What is she to do when her knight serves her divorce papers on the eve of her thirtieth birthday? Lucy realizes we don’t know what happens after the story ends, the words on the pages are not so realistic and charming anymore. Lucy is ready to run free, she packs up her belongings and Rowan her service dog, and heads to L.A.! Will Lucy find her prince under the palm trees?

Henry Turner may be a master of the keys, but he can't seem to master his own mind. Riddled with anxieties, Henry tends to stay home and out of the spotlight, surrounded by the few he trusts. What does it mean when an airport stranger crosses paths with Henry, ignites a flame of inspiration, and makes his anxieties miraculously melt away?

Wow wow was this good! I delayed reading this book because I knew I would inhale it in one sitting and that is exactly what happened! I am an avid book lover who is dating a composer so perhaps this read resonated with me a bit more. I did at times wish there was more detail, I wanted to know each character better. Even without the extra details, the novel was a smooth read with lots of little twists and turns.

Lucy and Henry both have tumultuous pasts that have left behind some scars. Henry hints at why he has such intense anxiety and about what happens during his personal anxiety attacks. I think this is a good form of representation that not everyone has the same reactions, triggers, and soothing mechanisms. Lucy has a chronic illness that has its ups and downs and has brought up some life-changing details. Although her experience was not overly detailed, we got to see a glimpse into what her life has been like and how things have changed. How both characters cope with their personal insecurities and learn about the others.

You could tell how obsessed Henry and Lucy were with one another. How grateful they are to have found each other. The whole main group of characters seems like such an odd matchup from the outside, but in the end, they are all perfect. Each person has their own backstory and heartfelt connection, a reason for being there, and important. The mix of Australian, English, and American characters turned out to be quite entertaining.

Although all of the roommates are wonderful, Graham needs a shout-out. You can tell he has been through the wringer that is life and simply wants to live it to the fullest. He is loving and a secret teddy bear. He is also incredibly funny. Rowan and Graham will steal the heart of every person who reads this book.

Overall just a really wonderful read that I wish I could reread for the first time.

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for providing the ARC.

What a sweet tale of found family and two people finding their person in an unexpected way. What starts out as a serendipitous meeting turns into a love story that is poignant and uplifting.

Lucy and Henry were wonderful together. They complement each other well, even when they feel like the other couldn't possibly want them due to perceived inadequacies. But they really are able to overcome a lot between the two of them and they grow as a couple right on the page.

A sweet book with great characters, this was an awesome debut from Lindsey Lanza.

3.5 stars -

Lucy a best selling author is struggling to write her own happily ever after. Trying to move forward after a divorce, she agrees to move in with a friend in a new town but at the last minute the plans fall through. Finding herself homeless with her service dog, she doesn't expect a kind stranger to offer up a room at the airport. She wasn't expecting to find that he was none other than Henry Turner whose music helped her get through some difficult medical issues.

Henry is a workaholic, and selectively mute around strangers. Freezing and unable to talk with great anxiety. He finds he can talk to Lucy, it is easy for him to talk to her.

Lucy finds a family among the other musicians that also lives in Henry's home. Surfing with Graham, and Dami who becomes her great friend and confidante.

I really enjoyed many parts of this story, Henry especially. It felt a little long at times, but loved the diversity of all the characters.

This gem of a debut novel touched me on so many levels., and without giving away too
much, the title is MOST perfect. Lanza handles disability rep with sensitivity, and gives authentic voice to the individual struggles of both Lucy and Henry. Surrounded by a fabulously funny ensemble cast of characters, their love story will charm you and leave you swooning and speechless. Thank you to @NetGalley and Lindsey Lanza for my gifted ARC !

I am so grateful to have received this as an ARC from Netgalley. I loved this book so much! This is a great debut novel for Lindsey Lanza!
This story is told through two perspectives: Henry and Lucy.
Lucy suffers from endometriosis. This follows her journey after her divorce and moving to California. Henry suffers from extreme anxiety. This is their love story, and what an amazing love story it is. This book covers all the struggles of living with a chronic illness, making new friends, loosing old friends, and doing what makes you truly happy.

I loved this so much I am ordering the physical copy today!

I hope to hear more about the other characters in the future!!!

I thought Speechless was a cute romance. I related to the main character, Lucy. I could feel her pain. Henry was the sweetest! I loved his story. The side chacaters is what made this book so enjoyable. Graham, he was the perfect guy friend for Lucy. And I loved the dog, Rowan. I also enjoyed the Taylor Swift mentions and Throne of Glass.

Thank you NetGalley for my ebook.

When Lucy Gold meets Henry Turner, she is not at her best. Divorced at 30, she decides to start a new life in Los Angeles with her service dog, only to find her best friend, doesn’t want her to stay at her house. Henry, as it turns out, is the musician that she adores, whose music has held her together, when all around her has been collapsing. When he offers for her to stay at his Malibu home, she decides to take a chance with this stranger. But Henry is not as collected as he seems. Despite being at the peak of his career, his crippling anxiety has him living a life away from anyone but his musical friends. Yet, with Lucy, he finds himself doing things that he never thought possible. She gives him courage and soon, he is in love. Yet Lucy has given up on any future but is hiding her reasons from Henry. Henry is determined to stay by Lucy’s side and never let her down.
It didn’t take long, into reading this book, that I knew that this was a special book, that I would treasure and reread. The difficulties that Lucy and Henry have faced yet continued to explore their relationship was heartfelt. There are many sensitive topics that are dealt with and done so with such sensitivity, and well interwoven into the story, that they never overwhelmed the story. The secondary characters are also brought to life when they explain how Henry influenced them, which gave added depth to Henry’s struggles. There are so many wonderful aspects to this book that even writing this review, makes me smile.
I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.