I absolutely cannot say enough good things about Charm City Rocks. The characters all leap off the page, wanting to get to know you and tell you who they are. It's crazy, but I quickly felt like one of the gang - hanging out with Daquan, Billy, Octavio, and Caleb.

The author brings Baltimore into the book like its a separate character, which is very cool. And thank you Matthew Norman, I now want to buy a cardigan for my husband and to own a drum kit. Mr. Norman made those things so cool that they're now on my bucket list...

Not only does this book have great characters and a wonderful setting, but the storyline is so good. It's all about growth, change, happines, and finding your own way in the world being just who you are. Charm City Rocks goes near the top of my list for 2023's best reads and I'm sure if you give it a shot, you'll feel just the same.

Thank you tht eauthor, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this! I thought it was fun and it kept me entertained. I couldn't ask for anything more. I enjoyed every single page and I would happily read this again and again just to feel the happiness I felt while reading. Matthew really knocked it out of the park!

This book was quite different from a lot of romance I’ve read, in a really good way. While it may not be for everyone, I really enjoyed the 3rd person POV, as well as the writing style. It felt quite unique, almost like reading a script at times. I loved the “adultness” of the book; the characters are all full/blown adults, and it’s a nice change of pace to late 20 year olds finding love. Margot is very likable, and while there’s a little bit of “not like other girls” vibe, she feels like a very real person. Billy is sweet and caring and creative, and comes across as such a positive person. The author does a good job of setting the scene and describing Baltimore, as well as all the characters, so it felt like the book came to life. A really fun read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

Aw, this was a really heartwarming read! I'm a huge fan of celebrity romances where they fall for a normal person (i.e., Notting Hill, Music & Lyrics, Win a Date With Tad Hamilton, etc) and it's a trope I love in books as well. So, picking this up was a no-brainer.

I know it's technically a love story, but it's actually so much more than that. This was a love letter to Baltimore and did well highlighting unconventional family dynamics, the relationship between father and son, and just knowing that you can be absolutely clueless about where your life is going at any age. I do wish there was more of a focus on the actual romance at times because I never completely felt the chemistry between Billy and Margot. I enjoyed Margot's storyline a lot more than Billy's (hello, she's a rock star) and I felt more of a kinship with her. There was a lot of lulls in the storyline, and I think the story could've benefited from a few more climatic moments. But overall, I enjoyed this one! I'll definitely check out Norman's other books.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Billy Perkins is an independent music teacher living above Charm City Rocks, a record store in Baltimore. He is happy and loves his life. Margot Hammer is a previous rock star turned recluse in New York City. Caleb- Billy’s sun cooks up a plan for the two meet so that his dad doesn’t have to be lonely anymore. This is the story of Billy and Margot meeting and also of Billy and Margot discovering themselves even at 40. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this early release. I enjoyed this romance read, it had so much depth and character development.

I really enjoyed this positive and warm story. Billy Perkins is a happy single dad, teaching music lessons and living above a record shop in Baltimore. Through a misunderstanding he gets the opportunity to meet his celebrity music crush and falls in love. This book is really readable and I finished it in two days. I enjoyed the celebration of Baltimore and the music references. Sometimes, nice guys don’t finish last.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy Netgalley and Dell Books.

4.5 stars

This is a romance that lives up to its name: utterly charming with a solid through line of rock!

While Billy is new to Margot since she meets him early in the novel after a hilarious mishap, Margot is not new to Billy. She's a relatively famous former rockstar, and Billy has been crushing on her for a long time: like two decades. When they finally meet, both are single, though their exes are quite present in untraditional ways, and this adds several layers of fun to everyone's stories. Through music, timing, and generally finding themselves at this new stage of their lives, Billy and Margot connect.

The central romance is super readable, and as truly every character notes, Billy, especially, is universally likeable. But it's the secondary characters that made this an extra fun read for me; they are fantastic. Caleb, Billy and Robyn's son, is round enough to root for but also brings in some profound and entertaining insights about his father. Margot's daughter, Poppy, plays unexpected roles in developing relationships. And the many relationship offshoots - personal and professional - each add to rather than detract from the richness of this story.

When I started this read, it took me a moment to get invested, and I worried that the storyline and characters were going to be too predictable. That experience changed dramatically over the course of what turned out to be a truly charming book that folks who want to see a win for the good eggs will also enjoy.

When a single dad meets the former rock star crush of his youth, everything they thought they knew about happiness and love is thrown into chaos.

I received an unsolicited advanced copy of this book from the publisher and didn’t know what to expect. Instead, I got a delightful story about two adults getting a second chance at love. What makes this story unique is that the main character, Billy Perkins, meets and falls in love with his favorite rock star, whom he has had a crush on for many years. And by the way, her ex-husband is a famous actor.

In addition to down-to-earth romance, we see Billy’s relationship with his college-bound son and trying to co-parent with his former girlfriend. They have everyday struggles that regular people have. The characters are authentic and people I’d want to know.

I’m so glad that I took a chance to read this book. It was a great choice, and I highly recommend it.


**Will post to Instagram on 05/23/2023

This is my fifth book by this author and I have loved them all, he is an automatic go-to when I need a laugh or pick me up. Matthew Norman writes about ordinary life with extraordinary characters. I am always invested in his characters and I loved that the romantic partners in this one are on the older side. I appreciated how the sexy time was implied instead of being shoved down your throat. Norman creates situations where you don't have to be hit over the head to appreciate chemistry.

We get the story from multiple points of view, getting inside each character's head and their thoughts and feelings. The writing style is so easy to get into that you get sucked into the story. Charm City Rocks is a charming romance that is actually a love letter to Baltimore. I've been there many times and the city gets a bad rap, it is so much more than crab legs and crime. I enjoyed how the author used the city as a character in and of itself. And being on the older side I really got into the old music mentioned. This book was really fun and I enjoyed it immensely.

Absolutely completely delightful. There wasn't one thing I didn't love about Charm City Rocks. The music theme coupled with sparkling dialogue and real, vibrant middle-age characters was just absolutely wonderful.

If you like music and romance I would suggest this book. I really enjoyed this one. Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy.

A single dad who teaches music meets a former rock star, and they fall in love. Now, how to handle family and friends and careers - that makes the story.

This was a fun sweet read. I liked the cast of characters and while I don’t normally enjoy when narration flip flops so much, I didn’t find it hard to follow here. This may be one of the few times I actually wished for an Epilogue of some kind as I feel we could’ve had a better understanding of where Margot’s music was to go; everything else felt fairly wrapped up, though.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What if your musical crush made her way to your hometown to meet you? What if a former rockstar likes a quieter life in Baltimore, of all places?

I absolutely loved this book. I loved how close Caleb and his parents were. I loved the complicated relationships between everyone. They seemed genuine. I even really enjoyed Lawson even though he was, admittedly, not a great person.

The only thing I didn’t love was the way the story was told. I may have liked POVs better. I feel like I missed out on some what’s-really-going-on-in-their-heads moments.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

. I wanted to love this book because Baltimore has a special place in my heart and…mission accomplished! This story is an unconventional romance in the best way. The characters are interesting and worth rooting for, and the city of Baltimore gets some much deserved praise. You’ll want a soft pretzel from Gustavo to enjoy while reading this delightful, rockin story.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read Charm City Rocks as an ARC. This was an interesting story set in present day Baltimore. Billy Perkins teaches music to children in his apartment above a record store- Charm City Rocks- in the Fells Point section of Baltimore. Billy has an 18 year old son Caleb. Billy and Robyn, Caleb's mother, never married but they are friends and have happily co parented over the years. Robyn is married to a man named Aaron, and the 3 of them seem to have a untraditional working family relationship. Margot Hamer was a drummer in a all female rock band, Burnt Flowers, in the early 2000's. She was married to an actor , Lawson Daniels, and had a daughter , Poppy. The band and marriage exploded one night at the MTV awards. Now Margot lives quietly in New York. Until the night that Billy and Caleb watch a documentary about rock and roll and see footage of the Burnt Flowers. Billy mentions how he had had a crush on Margot , back in the day. Later that evening, after a run in with some CBD Gummies, Caleb concocts a plan to help his dad meet his long time crush. That is the bare bones of the story. I do not want to give anything away, but a lot happens between this and the end of the book. It is funny, sad and at times a bit silly. It is also a valentine to Baltimore, from its love for crabs and Natty Boh ( National Bohemian Beer) to the Orioles and the harbor. The author lives in Baltimore and it shows.I really enjoyed this book.

Margot is a former rock star who is trying to find meaning in her life. Billy, a music teacher, is happy with his life, albeit a bit lonely. Billy's son, Caleb, gets Margot to meet his dad by pretending to be someone else. Can they overcome obstacles and take a chance on love?

This book just rocks the house. The story is absolutely hilarious, while still showing vulnerability when it counts. I rarely get chills when finishing a book, but I did with this one – I was sad that it ended maybe, but also I was so glad to have read it. Margot and Billy are in their 40s and I think that helps so much – it makes them so relatable. The characters are so three-dimensional, they jump off the page. The supporting characters are amazing as well. I would love to see a series come out of this - hint hint 😉. I just can't say enough about this book. One of my top books of the year so far, for sure. 🙂.

This book was charming and heartwarming. It is about an on again, off again romance and second chances. Billy is a super nice guy who had a crush on a rock star in his teens. He gets to see her again, will this lead to something more?
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Opposites attract all kinds. Margot and Billy are a great example of this. They give great examples of how relationships can work if effort is made.

Billy is a single dad who teaches piano lessons. He lives above a record store in Baltimore. When his seventeen-year-old son and he watch a documentary about the modern history of rock, he tells his son how he was always half in love with drummer Margot Hammer. He admired her skill and persona. His son, Caleb, just knows that if he could get them together, Margot would also love his caring musician dad, so he writes Margot's management and gets reclusive Margot to visit Baltimore. Will sparks fly between this average nice guy and the former rocker? Will their pasts get in the way of their futures?
This was an almost perfect rom com. I loved the couple and all the secondary characters. I even could look past the dumb meet cute. Baltimore played such a big part in the story, and I have never wanted to visit there until now. I was unsure about a rom com written by a man (it's a little along the lines of High Fidelity without the angst), but I really liked this interesting and not completely predictable romance set in the world of music. It is sweet without being saccharine and has just the right amount of love, friendship, parenting, and wouldn't really happen mortal/celebrity pairing.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review. Put this on your summer reading list!