Everyone loves Billy. He’s simply the most likeable guy who is always nice, gentle and funny. He wears a cardigan sweater just like Mr. Rogers – perfect for a SNL sketch.

Billy Perkins lives above a record shop while giving piano lessons in the Fell’s Point neighborhood in Baltimore. He’s a co-parent of his 18-year-old son, Caleb, who of course, adores him.

Caleb does something that shakes up his world. He manages to get his father’s idol to knock on his door. Margot Hammer is a rockstar who plays drums better than anyone else. Years ago, she was not only part of a popular female band but she was once married to an actor who was nominated for an Oscar.

Billy has liked her for years and now she’s chatting with him. This is his dream!

How can someone that has been in the high circuits of famous people have the desire to make an appearance at a small record shop? It seems like a stretch for this to happen. And then with the possibility that she might have feelings for this Billy character.

The book has short chapters and is easy to read. It’s a great advertisement for the charm of Baltimore which starts with the Orioles at the Camden Yards baseball stadium with those mustard covered hotdogs. There’s more. Readers can only imagine biting into a fresh crabcake sandwich at the Inner Harbor.

A big part of the book is about music. Billy’s big prize besides his son is his Steinway and making people happy with the songs he plays. And then there’s the love story that is simple, sweet and charming.

My thanks to Mathew Norman, Dell Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced book with an expected release date of June 6, 2023.

Charm City Rocks followed the intertwined lives of Billy, his ex-girlfriend, his son, and rock star Margot Hammer. This story had a really cute premise, but I don’t think it was executed to its’ full potential. There were a lot of time skips, POV changes, and some dialogue confusion. I would have loved to have seen more of Billy and Margot’s relationship dynamic. With this being marketed as a love story, it didn’t feel as if that was the central focus of the book. I felt like this book would have really resonated with me if we were more focused on the present, and kept the POVs to a minimum. There just seemed to be too much going on in this story for how short it was.

I’m all for the female rocker representation and men who teach their sons how to treat people with respect in Charm City Rocks!

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for access to this ARC.

A cute, enjoyable romance centered on a sweet piano teacher who is fond of cardigans and a badass former rock band drummer. There isn't anything particularly groundbreaking about the story, but I appreciate how the two main characters are both in their 40s. Middle-aged people deserve love stories, too! I was pleasantly surprised at the handful of chapters devoted to perspectives of secondary characters that helped bring depth to the book.

I appreciate a book that focuses on mature characters. Charm City Rocks is one I will recommend to those wanting a bit of nostalgia. Bonus points if the reader is a music fan. It is refreshing to see characters that have regular life situations behind them - divorce, children, etc. I also enjoyed the descriptions of Baltimore throughout the story.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy. This was about rediscovering yourself and breaking away from your comfort zone to take risks. I liked the musical themes tied into the story.

This was a cute read! Not my usual type of romance book but I did enjoy the single dad love story. The music touches were also really fun. Thank you for this opportunity!

Read an ARC.

Single dad meets his teenage rockstar crush, hijinks ensue. I absolutely loved the Baltimore bits and everything that seems to resonate from a positive non-nuclear family. The ability to co-parent without demonizing anyone? Sign me up.

Relatable characters except, without having ever been famous it's really difficult for me to imagine the motivation of a movie star ex husband and literally every time he was mentioned OR appeared it took me out of the story. Maybe too many secondary characters, could have spent more time with the two main characters instead.

Never really had deep feelings about any of the main characters in this book, except the city of Baltimore, and am very glad they made it to a baseball game!

3.5 stars
Billy and his son Caleb live above a cool music store named Charm City Rocks in Baltimore. After a funny incident, Caleb gets in contact with former famous rocker Margot Hammer, which serves as an impetus for her to visit their town. Then social media posts bring her back to popularity, and will Billy and Margot connect?

This story is cute and has the right beats (pun intended!). It makes me want to live, or even visit, Baltimore. It comes across as having a small town charm that I thought Baltimore was too metropolitan to have. I don’t often see the music scene as the setting for fiction, so that was a great element as well.

I wish we had learned more about Billy, our male main character. He loves the piano, wears cardigans (it’s mentioned so often that I think wearing cardigans is a personality feature), and has had a crush on Margot Hammer since he was young. Since Billy wasn’t fully developed, the love story didn’t click for me like I had hoped it would.

Some threads weren’t woven as well as I think they should have been. For example, the son Caleb is trying to decide between going to Johns Hopkins (close by) and Stanford (where he really wants to go but far away). Aside from the fact that this seems pretty low stakes (both are extremely good schools, just on different sides of the country), it wasn’t threaded through the novel. It was in a very early chapter and then at the end. Since it was the B or C plot, I think it should have been more throughout the book as the character(s) grappled with it.

Also, there weren’t often smooth chapter transitions. It felt sometimes that events were told more than shown. I think it needed some overall story integration. That being said, it was still a fun read.

There were a couple things that rang odd to me, and I’m pointing them out so I hope that they get fixed before publication. These are super easy fixes. 1) One of Caleb’s teachers calls their family structure “nontraditional.” A. Having a parent married to someone else is NOT nontraditional these days, or even 20 years ago. B. Educators would NOT say that. 2) You can’t get name brand shoes, like Vans, at Target. This one is a super small detail, but it took me out of the story. Just have Margot go to Famous Footwear instead.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4
Private Music teacher Billy has had a crush on rock drummer Margot for many years. After watching a Netflix documentary about the history of rock and roll bands with his teenage son Caleb, Caleb hatches a plan to get Margot and his dad to meet. The plan works, although not in the way Caleb planned and Billy and Margot begin to enjoy each others company. As time goes on, of course, we run into issues, and the interference of Margots ex, a handsome movie star, as well as her previous band mates.

I found this romance fun but very predictable, and felt I could have used a little more character development as I was never totally invested in any of our protagonists. I did feel that Baltimore and the small area of the city that the story took place was a strong character in itself making me want to go back and visit and get a pretzel from Gustov the pretzel man. This would be a great book to have a playlist to listen to while you read!

Thank you to net galley for a free copy of this book for an unbiased review.

What would happen if you had the opportunity to meet your rock star crush as an adult? And what if that rock star liked you back? For Baltimore native and well-loved music teacher Billy Perkins, this has become his reality. He is pleased with his job, apartment above a record shop, and teenage son. Billy is happy. However, his son thinks he needs a little push to start dating again. That push involves getting Margot Hammer, a former drummer for a once-famous band, to perform at Charm City Rocks. When Margot arrives in Baltimore, mistakes and missteps lead to an unexpected meet-cute and a lasting connection.

Author Matthew Norman has created a cast of relatable and likable characters with witty and realistic dialogue. The supporting characters were also well-developed and added depth to the story. The author did an excellent job of balancing the different plot elements of the story, from the romance to the music to the father-son relationship. The pacing was just right, and the ending was satisfying without being too predictable. Charm City Rocks is a delightful read and worth adding to your shelf.

Billy is a music teacher. When his son, Caleb, finds out his dad had a crush on Margot Hammer in his teens, he decides to trick her into coming to Baltimore. Billy has no idea what Caleb has done. Caleb is mortified when Margot comes, and he has to admit what he has done. Angry, Margot stomps off to the bar across the street for a beer. Billy follows her and before long she is asked to join the band playing the drums for which she is famous. Margot misses playing in a band but not the attention she gets from social media. Margot goes back home to New York but before long she is back to spend some time with Billy. I loved this book! It was creative as the story unfolds to include Margot’s sexy, actor husband, Caleb’s mom and her husband, Aaron, the neighbors on the street, and Billy’s music students. I could picture Margot and Billy sitting at his Steinway playing music. Margot could play many instruments and write songs. I enjoyed Billy’s crush on Margot both as a teen and now as an adult. Caleb loves his family and all he wants is to see them happy. This book is full of love, an eclectic group of characters, and much laughter.

I really adored this story right from the beginning. The whole journey was so fun. Every character really had their own personality and was pretty well rounded. It's a cute, but not at all simple, love story.

There is SO MUCH Baltimore weaved through this story, it's not just "oh it takes place in Baltimore" THEY GO TO ORIOLES GAMES! And walk through fells and the inner harbor. As someone who lived in Baltimore City for a bit, it was really awesome to read this.

I took one star away because of the lack of resolution for a few storylines I had become invested in. The ending was just a bit lackluster. By the end, there were so many characters that I cared about, I expected to get the answers to /what happened/ for each of the characters, and that just wasn't the case.

This book is funny and charming. I just wanted a little more action. I was not glued to these pages and could easily put the book down. Overall, not a bad story especially if you love a story with a rock and roll theme. This story moved quickly, but sometimes it felt a little too quick.

A love story for aging millennials who have never given up that dream that they will end up their rock star crush. I loved this charming story and felt that the story and characters were so relatable. This book is a reminder that it's never too late!

This book lives up to its name, and is a real charmer. If you love music, and if you know Baltimore, you will especially enjoy this book. Margot Hammer is a famous drummer who scandalously blew up her band. Billy Perkins has loved her for decades as a far from afar. A totally ridiculous and adorable twist of fate (with the help of Billy's son Caleb) brings them together. So much of this plot seems improbable, but these characters are so funny and likable that you really enjoy going along for the ride. Caleb's mom Robyn and her husband Aaron also play a big role, as does Margot's famous actor ex-husband Lawson. The perspectives in the novel switch, and keep you on your feet. I just couldn't stop reading because I really wanted to know how all these disparate and different people were going to end up, and the finale of the book doesn't disappoint. I can already see this being made into a movie or limited series.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

This was a great story! I really enjoyed that the main characters were older and finding their love. It was an interesting read that combined romance music.

Billy Perkins is happy to be a piano teacher living above a record store in Baltimore and seeing his son Caleb for alternating weeks. One night, Caleb is up late after listening to Billy's favorite drummer Margot Hammer and finds some gummy candy hiding near the cereal. He eats the THC laced gummies by accident and become inspired to write to Margot via her publisher and invite her to Baltimore under the guise that he is a young (female) drummer who is inspired by her. In NYC, Margot has been a recluse since the breakup of her band and concurrent breakup of her marriage to famous actor Lawson. Her PR company finds the email from Caleb and whisks her down to Baltimore. This was a strange meet-cute but Margot finds her musical spark again and she and Billy eventually hit it off. A lot of complications ensue-their exes, their geographical distance, their career paths, Caleb's imminent departure for college, etc. This story was heartwarming with a lot of fun secondary characters. Lawson was my favorite -his narcissistic POV was hysterical. I also loved how everyone kept mentioning Billy's cardigans-I felt like they were a physical representation of his personality.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for my honest review.

What a pleasant surprise! This a novel about an almost extinct species, a truly nice and happy man. Billy is a forty-something music teacher living in Baltimore. He is the father of Caleb, a very tall 18 year old son. He shares custody with Robyn, Caleb’s mother, who is a vice-president of financial company.
You don’t really need to know about music (or Rock and Roll) to enjoy the theme here. Since he was very young, Billy has had a crush on Margot Hammer, the drummer in a female rock band. And when he meets her, through a series of unlikely events, watch for the black-and-white film to become rainbow-hued. What I guess I’m saying is that this is a fairy tale in the age of social media. Everything that happens is seen, recorded and seen on the internet. And that affects the plot.
Keeping the fairy tale idea in mind, just go ahead and enjoy the characters: The vinyl record store owner, the pretzel vendor (really? Flavored frosted pretzel toppings?), the Baltimore Ravens star and father of a piano prodigy, the Academy Award Nominated Black British actor formerly married to Margot, and a young boy who plays drums in the street on a set of Home Depot garbage cans.
It’s a very sweet love story whose ending leaves you with a sense of satisfaction with the novel, kind of like the taste of that fresh pretzel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC copy to enjoy in exchange for an honest review.
What a pleasant surprise! This a novel about an almost extinct species, a truly nice and happy man. Billy is a forty-something music teacher living in Baltimore. He is the father of Caleb, a very tall 18 year old son. He shares custody with Robyn, Caleb’s mother, who is a vice-president of financial company.
You don’t really need to know about music (or Rock and Roll) to enjoy the theme here. Since he was very young, Billy has had a crush on Margot Hammer, the drummer in a female rock band. And when he meets her, through a series of unlikely events, watch for the black-and-white film to become rainbow-hued. What I guess I’m saying is that this is a fairy tale in the age of social media. Everything that happens is seen, recorded and seen on the internet. And that affects the plot.
Keeping the fairy tale idea in mind, just go ahead and enjoy the characters: The vinyl record store owner, the pretzel vendor (really? Flavored frosted pretzel toppings?), the Baltimore Ravens star and father of a piano prodigy, the Academy Award Nominated Black British actor formerly married to Margot, and a young boy who plays drums in the street on a set of Home Depot garbage cans.
It’s a very sweet love story whose ending leaves you with a sense of satisfaction with the novel, kind of like the taste of that fresh pretzel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC copy to enjoy in exchange for an honest review.
What a pleasant surprise! This a novel about an almost extinct species, a truly nice and happy man. Billy is a forty-something music teacher living in Baltimore. He is the father of Caleb, a very tall 18 year old son. He shares custody with Robyn, Caleb’s mother, who is a vice-president of financial company.
You don’t really need to know about music (or Rock and Roll) to enjoy the theme here. Since he was very young, Billy has had a crush on Margot Hammer, the drummer in a female rock band. And when he meets her, through a series of unlikely events, watch for the black-and-white film to become rainbow-hued. What I guess I’m saying is that this is a fairy tale in the age of social media. Everything that happens is seen, recorded and seen on the internet. And that affects the plot.
Keeping the fairy tale idea in mind, just go ahead and enjoy the characters: The vinyl record store owner, the pretzel vendor (really? Flavored frosted pretzel toppings?), the Baltimore Ravens star and father of a piano prodigy, the Academy Award Nominated Black British actor formerly married to Margot, and a young boy who plays drums in the street on a set of Home Depot garbage cans.
It’s a very sweet love story whose ending leaves you with a sense of satisfaction with the novel, kind of like the taste of that fresh pretzel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC copy to enjoy in exchange for an honest review.
What a pleasant surprise! This a novel about an almost extinct species, a truly nice and happy man. Billy is a forty-something music teacher living in Baltimore. He is the father of Caleb, a very tall 18 year old son. He shares custody with Robyn, Caleb’s mother, who is a vice-president of financial company.
You don’t really need to know about music (or Rock and Roll) to enjoy the theme here. Since he was very young, Billy has had a crush on Margot Hammer, the drummer in a female rock band. And when he meets her, through a series of unlikely events, watch for the black-and-white film to become rainbow-hued. What I guess I’m saying is that this is a fairy tale in the age of social media. Everything that happens is seen, recorded and seen on the internet. And that affects the plot.
Keeping the fairy tale idea in mind, just go ahead and enjoy the characters: The vinyl record store owner, the pretzel vendor (really? Flavored frosted pretzel toppings?), the Baltimore Ravens star and father of a piano prodigy, the Academy Award Nominated Black British actor formerly married to Margot, and a young boy who plays drums in the street on a set of Home Depot garbage cans.
It’s a very sweet love story whose ending leaves you with a sense of satisfaction with the novel, kind of like the taste of that fresh pretzel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC copy to enjoy in exchange for an honest review.
What a pleasant surprise! This a novel about an almost extinct species, a truly nice and happy man. Billy is a forty-something music teacher living in Baltimore. He is the father of Caleb, a very tall 18 year old son. He shares custody with Robyn, Caleb’s mother, who is a vice-president of financial company.
You don’t really need to know about music (or Rock and Roll) to enjoy the theme here. Since he was very young, Billy has had a crush on Margot Hammer, the drummer in a female rock band. And when he meets her, through a series of unlikely events, watch for the black-and-white film to become rainbow-hued. What I guess I’m saying is that this is a fairy tale in the age of social media. Everything that happens is witnessed, recorded and seen on the internet. And that affects the plot.

Keeping the fairy tale idea in mind, just go ahead and enjoy the characters: The vinyl record store owner, the pretzel vendor (really? Flavored frosting pretzel toppings?), the Baltimore Ravens star and father of a piano prodigy, the Academy Award Nominated Black British actor formerly married to Margot, and a young boy who plays drums in the street on a set of Home Depot garbage cans.

Matthew Norman's novel is a very sweet love story whose ending leaves you with a sense of satisfaction with a sense of satisfaction, kind of like the taste of that fresh pretzel?

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC copy to enjoy in exchange for an honest review.

Cute story with a fun premise, I read it in one night!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

This is a fun one! The rock star/non-celebrity trope works. Fantastic characters and an entirely engaging storyline. I found it easy and fun to visualize the scenes unfolding. Lots of swearing, but a clean romance. Pub date is June 2023 and will be a fun beach read!

Thank you #NetGalley and #DellPublishing for the ARC e-book!