I loved the concept of this book because I am a huge music lover. I love that all the chapters are named after songs. I like the time jumps between past and present. If you enjoy Taylor Jenkins Reid books and the celebrity stories she has created you will like this book.

This novel was okay. The characters I couldn't connect with in this genre. I think I need something with more meaning as this felt very materialistic.

I thoroughly enjoyed this musical tale of one strong woman’s drive and ambition to work in the crazy world of music journalism. Through dual timelines, this book weaves together two love stories. I really enjoyed the chapter titles named after famous songs, as well as all of the music references throughout. The Jewish representation was really well done.

Read this if you enjoy:
🎤 Taylor Jenkins Reid
🎤 music
🎤 dual timelines
🎤 Rolling Stone magazine

A nice romance with complex characters. Some of the decisions made by the Cecilia I didn’t understand but think it was ton to show her trauma. I enjoyed both timelines equally. I loved all the nostalgic music references.

This book has alot of nostelgia in it. Especially if you are a 90's child. The timeline is also retro too which adds to the nostelgia. It has a bit of everything in it, romance , mystery and suspense. There are also two lovestorues in the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the Advanced Readers Copy of What You Do To Me by Rochelle B. Weinstein!

Having finished Daisy Jones and the Six, I was looking for a book that had a similar feel without being derivative and this is exactly that! Strongly nostalgic with a compelling mystery and 'background music' throughout. Would highly recommend.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing an early access copy.

In the blink of an eye, music and lyrics can take us back, back in time to a place we remember. Faces we remember. Or loved. Or lost. It brings back memories of who we were, what we were doing at a specific time in life, the time we first inhaled the song. Rochelle B. Weinstein's "What You Do To Me" perfectly captures that moment, both the joy and heartbreak that same music makes well up in our memories. That's the power of music. It's meant to be felt. It's part of the heartbeat of our lives. In this book, Weinstein manages to remind us of both the heartache and magic of finding one another as well as ourselves.

Okay, enough waxing lyrical, or, well, trying to be profound. The main character, Cecilis James, is literally a child of Woodstock. As her parents kept reminding her, she was conceived during that famous event. Music has been her life, the thing that helped her through the days and into a profession she loved, writing for, whoa, Rolling Stone magazine. As such, she's made a niche for herself searching out the true meaning behind some famous songs. This time, she's trying to turn an unhappy ending into a happily ever after one. It isn't easy but you'll enjoy the trip.

Lots of name dropping, of course, and Weinstein's writing style lulled me in almost without me noticing it. You'll ache for her as she tries to make her own happy ever after as well as find her way back to her father, who she'd idolized....until he divorced her mother. Broken dreams aren't a stranger to Cecilia, unfortunately, which is maybe why she's so driven to bring the couple of the title song back together.

There are many things going on in this story. Will she be successful? Can youthful attraction be brought to fruition decades later? Should it even be? Will she manage to mend her own broken love story? Will she allow her father back into her heart? Will she have a great time listening to the music in the process? Will she...well, will she figure out love? This is a complex, lovely story, especially for anyone who remembers the emotions a song can conjure up. Thanks #NetGalley and #LakeUnionPublishing for allowing me to read this book early. I've gotta admit, that cassette tape on the cover took me back, calling to mind beloved, meaningful tunes and, yes, those who I connect to them. Music lovers, you need to read this one.

This was my first Rochelle Weinstein book and I loved it. It's beautifully written with characters you will really care about and root for. Cecilia James is a writer for Rolling Stone magazine whose column uncovers the backstories behind the lyrics of famous songs. Her love for music is fostered by her parents who conceived her at Woodstock. On a day filled with unforeseen events for Cecilia, she stumbles across a clue to the backstory of an iconic song about soulmates separated by unfortunate circumstances. Sara Friedman met Eddie Santiago when she was 11 years old and her family was vacationing in Miami Beach. Sara's large observant Jewish family never approved of her friendship with Eddie, the grandson of the super of their condo building. Their "forbidden" friendship grows into a deep love, but it never has a chance. A talented musician, Eddie writes many songs about Sara. When he becomes the wildly successful lead singer of the band High Tide, he refuses to reveal who his most famous song "What You Do To Me" is about. After Cecilia becomes the first person to solve the mystery, she desperately wants to figure out what happened to Eddie and Sara and try to fix it. Cecilia also has a lot to deal with in her own personal life. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more by Rochelle Weinstein. Thanks to #netgalley #lakeunionpublishing and #rochelleweinstein for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Let me preface this review by saying that I’m not a big rock music fan. That means that many of the song titles that head each chapter held little information for me. That doesn’t mean that I don’t love music.

This book is song fiction. Cecelia Jones, an up and coming writer for the Rolling Stone, happens across something that might help her solve a long standing mystery about a popular song. If she can trace the inspiration for that song, she’ll get her own column in the magazine. It’s something she wants more than anything.

Cecelia learned to love music from her father and mother, before they split. Her love for music has never waned, but she holds a lot of anger toward her father. Unfortunately, there’s a great deal that she doesn’t know or understand about her parents’ marriage. As she researches her lead, she’ll discover just how wrong she’s been.

Her tenacity in following her story will cost her a relationship she though would move forward, not end. But the story must come first, it will always come first. As she delves deeper into it, she’ll meet a former rock star, Eddie Vee, and his former girlfriend. There’s so much they don’t know about each other ten years after they last saw each other. Cecelia will make it her mission to try to bring them back together.

It took me quite a while to warm up to Cecelia. She’s a bit too whiney, too “poor me, but I’m awesome” for my taste. She’s also a drama queen, a big time drama queen. But she does come around and exhibit forgiveness and letting go of the past.

This is a book with several instances of second-chance love, of love lost and re-found. I loved Sara, but not her family. I liked Eddie, but I thought he was a bit of a coward. Pete was wonderful, if a bit lacking in understanding Cecelia. And Sara’s father, Don, and his second wife were wonderful. They were patient, understanding, and compassionate.

Sara offers a realistic view of a US Jewish teen from a religious family. Her family represents a certain segment of American Jews, but I couldn’t quite figure out what form of religion they followed. There are aspects of Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox, and they seemed to go back and forth between them. Her mother, Shira, is very religious, married to a man who is less so. Shira is determined that Sara will marry the son of her friend, live in their isolated neighborhood, and stay true to her religion. No outsiders are allowed or welcomed. That includes Eddie.

This is a book of kindred spirits and second chances. It’s a book of learning and growing and forgiving. It’s a book that shows that sometimes, no matter how hard you try to please others, you must eventually follow your own heart.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

You know you're old when you read the blurb and think about Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands, Sarah and Bob Dylan.
That said I wasn't a huge fan of this novel as I couldn't care for the characters and the story fell flat.
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Rolling Stone journalist Cecelia James lives and breathes music. Every song since her childhood captures a small piece of her heart. When things were good growing up, her dad Don lovingly shared his passion and record collection - when things were not so good Cecelia mourned the loss of her mother through melodies. For years Don has struggled to bring resistant Cecelia into the fold of his new family. Just before taking a romantic cruise with her longtime photographer boyfriend, Pete, she gets an unexpected lead on a story, her first byline. Making the hard choice to follow her instincts Cecelia criss crosses the country from Miami to Los Angeles on the hunt to track down mega rock star Eddie Vee who disappeared years ago leaving the world wondering who he wrote his hit love song for. Turns out Sara and Eddie’s early teen romance was a heartbreaking affair, innocent and pure but ultimately destroyed by over protective adults. She becomes obsessed with reuniting these lost loves. As Cecelia digs deeper into the past, she also discovers the truth about herself. Music, romance, family drama and a little bit of mystery - this novel really is a mixtape of love. Highly recommend this fabulous fall release!

The ending! Why oh why did you do that to me Rochelle!? This book was heart-stoppingly beautiful! I was transfixed, mesmerised, utterly absorbed by this tale of true love. You name it, I felt it, whilst reading. Gorgeously written and quite simply perfect. I can’t wait for it to hit shelves so people can share the love of it.

Thank you to @netgalley and @rochellebweinstein for providing this ARC


In this dual timeline novel, follow the love, loss and heartbreak of two couples as they try to find their way back to each other. Drawn to the lyrics of a popular song, Cecilia tries to reunite a singer with his muse as an assignment for Rolling Stone magazine,while also trying to save her own relationship. Along the way both couples find ways to overcome obstacles and find love again against all the odds.

This fictional novel based on the song "Hey There, Delilah" by the Plain White T's, was a treat for my music-loving heart. The dual timeline/POV was interwoven perfectly and I really rooted for both couples. I love the idea that the author turned the story of the song into basically a contemporary fairy tale.

Cecilia and Pete's story is so relatable. Cecilia's reluctance to commit based on her childhood trauma will resonate with anyone who has ever mistrusted their own validity in a relationship. And Pete's tenacity makes me just want to give him a big hug.

Eddie and Sara's story is as heartbreaking as it is uplifting. It truly exemplifies that "love conquers all" while shining a spotlight on prejudices that, while being depicted in the late 70s/early 80s, are unfortunately still prominent today.

I really enjoyed this book. The only complaint I have is that sometimes dialogue ran together making it a little hard to follow, but I can overlook that since the storyline was so compelling.

I was really excited about the premise of this book but ended up caring more about one of the side plots, Cecilia’s relationship with her father, than I did about the main storyline. It took me a really long time to care about anything. The fact that I was one of the few people who found the song “ Hey there, Delilah” cheesy didn’t help. Reading about it as this huge pinnacle of love songs made me cringe. I never bought Cecilia as a journalist and never understood her romantic relationship. The only time I really liked her was when she was interacting with her half sisters. This one just wasn’t for me.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly having a hard time finishing,

I absolutely love the concept but I can’t get the image of this being a Plain White T fanfic out of my mind. Adore the concept though!

“What You Do to Me” is Rochelle Weinstein’s latest effort and a great story for lovers of the music industry and for anyone who has wondered what could have been.

We all hear a certain song on the radio and wonder who the singer wrote that song for, right? Here, journalist Cecilia is determined to uncover the story behind the popular song, “What You Do to Me.” The song’s creator is Eddie Vee, and his muse is Sara. Hence, Weinstein’s novel alternates between their story and Cecilia’s.

Weinstein is a master at creating intriguing characters and putting them into lively situations. Sometimes, stories with dual timelines make me wish the writer chose one storyline over the other, but that was not the case here. As a writer, I can really relate to the poignancy and impact of certain songs.

Fun fact: “Hey There, Deliah,” which was the song that inspired Weinstein to write this book was a song I listened to constantly for the two years my boyfriend and I were long distance. Fortunately, our story has ended happily, which is what the reader will hope for Cecilia after reading this wonderful tale.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you the Rochelle Weinstein, NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.

This book made me cry. All the emotions and then some. Told through multiple viewpoints and timelines we follow a Rolling Stone journalist as she tries to uncover the muse for a song and we follow that muse and singer.

I was often frustrated reading this story and sad. It was well written and the ideas behind it were very well done. I just wanted to shake some of the characters up a little bit. Couldn’t they see what was right in front of them?

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This book is being hyped everywhere- Bookkstagram, Twitter, FB groups, I liked the Jewish representation and I am a big music lover. The main character Cecelia (think Simon and Garfunkel) is a writer for Rolling Stone. This may have been my dream job in college as I wrote for the school paper entertainment section.

Some of the timeline was confusing and not as interesting as I hoped. I was drawn to this book because of the description, but I felt a bit misled? Knowing about the Delilah song which was an ultimate unrequited love song or maybe a little stalkerish, I was a little put off.

I never read TJR so I can't compare it to Daisy Jones and the Six.

Thanks to Netgalley for the complimentary E-ARC! I really enjoyed this! The characters were really cool and the setting was perfect. Love the cover too!