This story was incredible! Character development was phenomenal. The storyline flowed perfectly, and I loved how it slowly unfolded the past with the current timeline. It was such a unique plot, refreshing after a lot of retells and similar themes. I loved the Filipino culture; the food and cooking scenes, and speaking Tagalog, it was all so perfectly done. My favorite character was Ujima, or "Jee", their one-liners always made me laugh, and all the LGBTQ representation was really well done. A really feel-good read, I couldn't put it down and read it in two days.

Piano player and aspiring composer Quito Cruz pines for Emmett Aoki throughout their senior year at Sunvalley High School, but settles for friendship because Emmett is a popular, straight jock. Then something happens during their freshman year of college when Emmett visits Quito at Oberlin, and the two MCs don't speak to each other for 20 years. Emmett becomes a world-famous action movie star. Quito toils in obscurity in New York City, accompanying aspiring singers, playing in piano bars, and occasionally subbing in the pit at Broadway productions.

When Quito's dad announces his plan to step down from his role as Sunvalley High choir director, he manipulates Quito into agreeing to play at the upcoming retirement celebration in California. Even worse, he urges Quito to bring Emmett with him. With the enthusiastic help of his drag queen BFF Ujima, Quito schemes to surprise Emmett who coincidentally is in NYC to host Saturday Night Live. But when the two men are face to face, Quito has to come to terms with what really happened 20 years ago, and whether their uncanny ability to create music together will ever transform into something deeper.

Debut author Dominic Lim's experience with music composition and performance is evident in the lively descriptions of the magic that happens when Quito's piano playing accompanies Emmett's singing. Lim's pride in his Korean heritage is also evident in his descriptions of Quito's relationship with his father and the joy they take in cooking together. However, the romance didn't quite work for me. While we know every single thought in Quito's mind, Emmett remains a cipher for most of the story. In fact, we only hear his version of past events at about 70%. There's the fact that Quito already has a boyfriend (who is conveniently taken out of the picture at just the right time). And it was hard for me to believe that both MCs carried a torch for each other for so long despite having absolutely zero contact the whole time.

The strongest relationship in the novel is between Quito and his dad, who has always wanted his son to be happy even if he has to meddle a little for that to happen. When Mr. Cruz, Sr. has to take a temporary break from work, Quito is petrified to step in as choir director because he can't possibly live up to his dad's stellar reputation. Compared to the father/son dynamics, the question of whether Quito will get with his high school crush seems unimportant.

Still, there was a lot to appreciate about this book. Ujima (nee Gerome) steals every scene he appears in, and makes a strong case for starring in his own book. Quito's unique way of processing music makes it easy to understand his passion for it, as well as his frustration when he hits a long-term composer's block. And Quito and Emmett are cute together for the little bit of page time that they are officially a couple, including a short but rewarding epilogue.

ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review.

Author Dominic Lin takes on a big challenge in All The Right Notes as he creates a story with two different timelines and makes them easily comprehensible to the reader. His use of diverse characters is well done. The father character is not always credible, but he sure has good interest. So we come down to Emmet, the sexy one, who is quite in the closet, and his friend Quito, our main character. Quito is a music whiz and Emmett becomes his pupil early on, but a rift occurs and we pass twenty years with no communication between them. That's a long time. Nonetheless, Lim brings them together in a mostly believable way and they finally face the topics they have avoided.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The only word I keep coming back to when I think about All the Right Notes by Dominic Lim is heartwarming. It truly made me feel so good reading it and I felt so happy and hopeful when I finished the book.

If you love Broadway or just music in general, I highly recommend you read this one. You can tell the author doesn’t just live music but believes in its magic. In the world we live in today, that’s more important than ever.

I adored Quito and Emmett. I just wanted to give them both the biggest hugs because they were so precious. I could truly gush about these two for hours!

This book is for everyone who feels like they’ve never been seen. There is always someone who sees you and this book proves that!

This was a very sweet romance. I loved Quito and his Filipino heritage, especially all the food, leapt off the page. My one quibble was that I wish he and Emmett had better communication ,because I felt a lot of the conflict would have been avoided.

Actual rating 4.5 stars.

Sometimes I just want to immerse myself in a book. Because I feel down. Or because I’m tired. Or like now because my previous read consumed me wholly and still haunts me. All the Right Notes is the perfect book to read at times like these.

Told in a dual timeline, senior year in high school and twenty years later, All the Right Notes is a story about two men who once bonded over music and fell in love, and meet again, still feeling that tingling vibe between them from the past.

Like I said, I needed a book like this. It’s a wonderful debut. The almost blunt writing, the rather short chapters, and the alternation between now and then made me sit on the edge of my seat, and the palpable chemistry between Quito and Emmett made me want to devour this story in just one sitting. That heavy feeling in my chest from my previous read slowly disappeared. Instead, a fuzzy fondness entered my body and a smile started to tug at my lips. Not only because of Quito and Emmett but also because of the side characters. I immediately fell in love with Quito’s sweet and supporting dad and Jee, OMG, Jee. They reminded me so much of ‘glitterbal’ Jacob from First Time for Everything (Henry Fry). And can I gush about Emmett for a moment? He was so cute, no wonder that he had so many fans! Last but not least, I shouldn’t forget to mention that Domenic Lim is a Filipino-American author and Filipino food is interwoven throughout the story.

If you love dual timelines, music, a slow burn second chance romance with little steam but lots of yearning, and fully fleshed out characters then you should definitely read this great debut! Domenic, I can’t wait for what you have in store for us next!

Quito and Emmett are thrust back into each other's worlds almost a decade after their last fateful meeting. At first a pianist at a piano bar and a famous actor seem to be polar opposites with nothing but their high school past a common vein in their lives. Their second chance romance is a test of time, closeted feelings and what it takes to acknowledge a love that has far reaching consequences.

What do I say about this book? My heart was wrenched the whole time. Every single chapter is so well written and I feel like I'm living Quito's life, feeling his feelings. Loved all the wonderful imagery, Quito's honest introspection and the inclusiveness of this book. Loved the song woven through the book too. The secondary characters in the book, especially Jee, were written just as well as the main characters. Quite honestly, I can't believe this is a debut novel- it's that good.

I wish I had seen a bit of Emmett's introspection, his feelings, though. I loved his character.

This was a really sweet book! The storyline is endearing & engaging; I think there were a few rough edges here & there, but overall a good story.

I particularly loved Quito's point of view in the piano bar he worked at - the mockery of the very 'showboat'-y style singers who tried to show off & the shy old man he got to sing something nostalgic, and then having someone famous come in -- loved this scene & from his perspective - would have been happy to see even more of the book set from his piano bench in this bar - super fun setting!

Overall, I wanted a little more of the 'now' storyline and how Emmett & Quito find their way back to each other/communicate more as older characters -- and a little less/more condensed of the 'what happened back THEN' storyline, but both were interesting & keep the reader engaged. I might have liked a chapter here & there from Emmett's perspective...

The whole "let me teach you about pronouns and trans people through this example and this example' was a little too on the nose/clumsily done & I think actually takes the reader out of the flow of the story - I find this more effective if it's not so overtly preachy.

A new author I'll keep an eye out for in the future!