This novel started with the interesting premise of it being based on the No.1 hit song Hey There Delilah by the Plain Whites T’s about a guy falling for a girl who lives on the other side of the country.
In this novel, it’s 1996 (about a decade before Delilah was actually released) and journalist and music lover Cecilia is trying to get her start at Rolling Stone magazine.
She’s about to head off on a cruise with her photographer boyfriend Pete when she overhears a woman saying that she’s the reason behind the hit What You Do To Me.
The singer of that song, Eddie Vee, has disappeared from public life after a tragedy and no one has ever uncovered who his muse was.
The story then backtracks to the late ’70s, when Eddie was an immigrant from Argentina, living with his grandfather. He fell in love with Sara during her Jewish family’s vacations at Miami Beach but they needed to keep their relationship a secret.
The star-crossed lovers’ story and Cecelia’s hunt for the mystery woman dovetails with her reunion with her father and a revelation about her own past. This is a beautifully told and nostalgic tear-jerker about love and redemption, with plenty of details to keep music fans happy.

This is such a beautiful story of a love lost and of a young woman trying to make a name for herself. Written in two timelines, the narrative follows Cecilia as she navigates solving the mystery of Eddie Vee's disappearance and who his muse was for his popular love song, and Sara Friedman as she vacations in Miami Beach and befriends a boy named Eddie. I adored the characters in this book and the plot was so interesting. I love when a novel incorporates family, romance, and a mysterious past together to create a unique and intriguing narrative. The music references were a lovely flashback to the songs I grew up listening to and I didn't want this incredible book to end.

Song Vibe: Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's

I somehow missed the fact that What You Do to Me by Rochelle B. Weinstein is based on the song Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's until I started reading it. This is one of my favorite songs and one that means a lot to me, so how I missed that will remain a mystery! Moving on, this story grounded in a song was completely beautiful and I loved that Weinstein not only gave us Eddie Vee and Sara's story, but Cecilia and Pete's as well. There are a variety of timelines going on in the book and through this, we get to see quite a few facets of Cecilia's story, and we get to go back to the beginning of Eddie and Sara's. I feel that the synopsis is a little misleading when it comes to how Cecilia actually gets to speak to the pair, and this is one of those books where I think it is beneficial to go in as blind as possible.

What You Do to Me is an ode to music and the way it touches our lives, and I loved that the book started with a foreword from Tom Higgenson (writer of the song and frontman of the band). It is short but powerful and as much of a must-read as the author's note and acknowledgments. This was a fantastic book to listen to on audio, and I thought the narrator Stacy Gonzalez was incredibly talented. I do think it could have benefited from 2 narrators, one for Cecilia and one for Sara, but I enjoyed it all the same. Cecilia's character drove me absolutely bonkers at times for more than one reason, but it gave a huge opening for her character arc, and I was thrilled by the way she grew by the end of the book. I laughed and I cried, and this story brought a whole new meaning to the song for me. Weinstein is now an auto-buy author for me, and I can't wait to go back and read her other novels!

This was a sweet enjoyable read. I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the E-ARC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

WHAT YOU DO TO ME had me at the cover alone.

This whole story was multi-layered, nostalgic, and at times whimsical. Eddie and Sara were the ultimate love story. This was a love story told through music. A story about second chances, love lost and love found again. This book will have fans of romance swooning until long after they finish reading this one.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

3.5 stars, rounded up

Okay, so in theory, I really love the idea of a novel inspired by the backstory of a song. Love that imaginative narration. ...if it were for any song but "Hey There Delilah." HA. But as far as I know about the backstory of the PWT song, the actual Delilah was weirded out by the whole thing and the aftermath, so I don't know, this kind of left a weird taste in my mouth before I even started.

But that aside, this is a very different interpretation and I thought it was a unique take and overall, an interesting read about lost loves and second chances. I like the dual timelines and the intersection of the characters, and enjoyed the pop culture references.

It wasn't a stunner for me, but not a bad read.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. WHAT YOU DO TO ME is out now.

In a very sad time, it was amazing reading and supporting a Jewish author. I looked in these pages and saw myself and loved that. The 90's is my favorite decade and the nostalgia in this book brought me back to some amazing times. Music can be all encompassing and you feel that through the words in this story. This was such a satisfying read.

Do you ever wonder what the backstory is with the named person? What You Do To Me is the story of a famous live song and a journalist’s quest to find the woman who it was written about, while also struggling in her own personal life. The secondary story is about the songwriter and his muse so the chapters alternate between the stories and timelines. This book was just so good. It was about first love but also about family, grief, forgiveness and resilience. It was about following your heart and moving forward and beating the odds. About standing up for what you believe in. I loved both storylines. I loved both women. And I loved the music references and how everything tied together. You will get songs stuck in your head and because it was based off of Hey There Delilah, that will be running through your head for days.

I'll just be over here balling after reading my first Rochelle B. Weinstein novel "What You Do To Me." First of al, epic epilogue that I love and would 100% feature in a part 2 of my 'Rebecca's favourite epilogues' blog post. Second, almost tears which these days means it's good stuff. Third, not one but two love stories and you're not sure until the almost very end if you are actually getting 0, 1 or 2 HEAs....so read on and find out for yourself!

This is a beautifully told story of love, music, family...the forces of time and space on us and it's just so incredibly well done. The story follows young Rolling Stones writer Cecelia James as she slowly but surely uncovers the story of the inspiration behind a hit song from a band whose history is marked by tragedy. The different time lines, different main leading ladies and song titles as chapter titles are just part of what makes this book what it is. Bravo!

LOVED this book. I love a music themed story and this really hooked me in. I’d definitely re-read this and especially over the summer. Made me feel very nostalgic about the importance of music. Will check out more books from the author!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved all the 90's references, the Hey there Delilah connection, both the love stories that connected at the end and the writing style by the author. I listened to the audiobook of this one and the characters were brought to light so well by the narration. This will be one book I'll remember for a long time - it was that good!

U most definitely want to read more books by this author. To be fair, it took me a bit to get into the story. I had other similar stories in my head, and couldn't divorce myself from them, automatically assuming they'd be the same (think Drive or Reverse IYKYK). How wrong I was and happily so (or sadly as the case may be as tears are still streaming down my face). Told in dual timelines that eventually make sense and flow nicely, I could indulge in two beautiful love stories that eventually merge into a satisfying story of life.

This was a sweet read. Love the cover and LOVE the chapter titles!

Cecilia is a writer for Rolling Stone Magazine. She somehow stumbles upon the muse for one of the biggest love songs of all time. She begins investigating to find out more about their love story for a piece that could catapult her career. Meanwhile her own relationship is a mess. And her familial relationships aren’t great, either. We have dueling timelines where we follow Sara and Eddie’s story in one and Cecilia’s investigation and her own relationships in another.

I found the storyline for Eddie and Sara very interesting. I always love a good every summer reunification. We also have a forbidden love aspect as well. I wasn’t super into the Cecilia and Pete storyline, though, and could have done without that aspect. I just never felt any love there. On the other hand, Cecilia’s relationship with her father and her stepmother was really interesting. It made me think a lot about how there really are three sides to every story.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

When I read the synopsis for this book it immediately reminded me of Daisy Jones and The Six, a book I loved. I am not only a book lover, but also a music lover, so whenever music plays a big role in a book I want to read it.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out at the beginning of the book that the song that inspired the story was Hey There Delilah by The Plain White T's. It had been a while since I had heard the song and because of the book I started listening to it again. And as someone who makes a Spotify playlist for all of their writing projects, I can confirm that songs can indeed inspire entire stories.

Every chapter title of the book has a song reference in it. Those kind of details made me enjoy the book even more, because I could hear the music that went with the chapter.

Following both Sara Friedman, the muse of the song the book is about, and a reporter from Rolling Stone magazine was a good choice for telling this kind of story. Cecilia and Sara go through similar yet different experiences and switching between their POV's and timelines worked really well.

I think my only criticism of the book is that I didn't entirely believe the level of devotion between Eddie and Sara, especially in the present timeline. So many years had passed that I found it difficult to believe that they would reconnect that quickly. But I was willing to suspend my disbelieve, because of how romantic the story was.

"Hey There Delilah" was on repeat in my mind as I read this novel and I have to say it made for great background music! I loved the two different storylines we got in this book, especially the respective family dynamics. I am Jewish and I really enjoyed the Jewish representation we got in Sara's story. I was captivated by the unraveling plot and never wanted to put the book down, needing to know where it would go. I loved the resolution for Sara's story but I was honestly upset about Cecilia's. She had already been through so much!

What You Do To Me is described as “a moving novel of two unfinished love stories and the music and lyrics that bring them together.”
I loved this book by Rochelle B. Weinstein and stayed up way too late finishing it the other night. It came out earlier this week so you can also read it now.
I’m not going to lie. Hey There Delilah is not my favourite song. And this book is fully based on Rochelle Weinstein’s imagining of the people in that song, and it WILL be in your head while you’re reading the book. But also I think it’s so cool that she was so inspired by a song that she wanted to write the story behind it. And now the song has grown on me.
I loved the Jewish representation in this book. I loved the dual timeline in the 1970s and 1990s and that it was before cell phones and internet. I loved that there were two different stories, and the mysteries of trying to put all the pieces together in both. I really loved the parts where Cecilia was conducting interviews and that it was written in interview format.
I definitely did not see certain things coming and I don’t want to give spoilers but wow it broke my heart a few times.
My favourite quote that I may have normally read and moved on but I think it resonates so much right now: “Don’t ever hide who you are.”
What You Do To Me was unlike anything I’ve read before and I highly recommend it.

Cecilia, a writer at Rolling Stone magazine, is determined to find the muse behind the hit song, "What You Do To Me." Who did Eddie Vee write the song for, and why?

Inspired by the song, "Hey There Delilah" by Tom Higgenson of the Plain White T's, the author wrote this imagined love story about a couple forced apart by their differences. I've loved other books by this author (see below), but this time, I just didn't feel much of an emotional connection to any of the characters. I did enjoy discovering that Sara (not a spoiler) was the inspiration behind the song written by Eddie Vee, and I definitely enjoyed that storyline more than Cecilia's. I also liked how songs were used as titles for each of the chapters.

This Is Not How It Ends (4 stars) and Somebody's Daughter (4 stars) remain my favorites by this author!

Lastly, this quote from the book, "You're a liar. And a fake. And a phony." made me giggle because it reminded me of this iconic quote from Sandy in Grease, "You're a fake and a phony and I wish I never laid eyes on you."

Location: New York City, New York; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; Tucson (Bisbee), Arizona

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

4.5⭐️

What You Do To Me is an utterly delightful tale, with two interconnected love stories unfolding and unraveling in two timelines. Cecilia James’ relationship is crumbling, and her connection with her father has long-since fractured as well. She’s at a loss for what to do or how to feel. Employed by Rolling Stone, she stumbles across the key to rock legend Eddie Vee’s mysterious muse, and channels all her emotionally frustrated energy into solving the mystery and helping reconnect long-lost loves. What she uncovers leads us all down a moving and entertaining path right alongside her. I found myself frustrated with her character at some points- she was definitely not portrayed as a perfect character. But in the end, the story was all the better for it- and I was glad to be along for her journey and personal growth.

Thank you Rochelle B. Weinstein, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

The premise for this book is cute, and there is enough to draw you in at the beginning. Unfortunately for me, there isn't a character that I connected to or was rooting for, so ultimately it felt like a drag. Cecelia doesn't feel like a "full" enough character to carry the book. It felt almost as if the book was made up of little vignettes of stories, rather than a full novel. Perhaps it's meant to be this way, but for me instead it lacked flow. There is romance, but the book for me didn't read as a romance and much more in the realm of straight fiction. If you like a serious type of romance, with plenty of personal growth with some music sprinkled in, this might be for you. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

4,5

I loved this book. It's a story about Cecilia a journalist who works for the rolling stones who tries to unmask a story that no one ever could. As the pages past we travelled back in time, where we are shown the story between Eddie and Sara, the story that Cece wants. I really liked that both stories have depth and we got to know the true colors of the characters. I liked how Cecelia learns to forgive and how everyone faced their fears and choose to love again.

It's a story of love, forgiveness and acceptance.

My only complaint here and that's why it's not a 5 star book, it's Eddie's Spanish wasn't Argentinian Spanish, and I as an Argentinian I noticed it.