This book is chock full of emotions. Forbidden love, tragedy, broken families, miscommunications, all woven together by music. Cecilia is a struggling journalist who stumbles on some clues to solving the mystery of what happened to singer Eddie Vee and who is the girl behind his lyrics to the famous song,, What You Do to Me. Cecilia’s own life and emotions are all over the places as well and she’s looking for some answers in her own life as well. I love the playlist!

What You Do To Me is an incredibly moving book following the timeline of primarily Cecilia, but also Sara and Eddie. Cecilia is an up and coming journalist. She comes from a complicated family, carries anger toward her father and just can’t seem to be on time for her boyfriend. Music is a huge part of her life and after finding lyrics to an Eddie Vee song (and possibly meeting who it was about!), she goes on a journey to find the truth and ultimately finds so much more.

By the end of this book, I was tearing up and couldn’t put it down. There was so much love, passion, despair, pain… all the emotions!

If music really moves you, and you love reading about certain times and relationships in music history, you MUST add this book to your TBR!

Thank you to GetRedPR @getredprbooks and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. The review expresses my personal opinions only.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the copy.

I’m a huge music nerd and I loved Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's so I thought it was cool to write a book based on a song. That lead me to jump on reading it as soon as I could. My main concern was the middle of the story dragging on. I think I was left wanting more about the couple behind the song, but it was a fine book nonetheless.

One of my favorite reads of 2023!!! Rochelle has written a story that had me singing, crying, yelling and turning the pages so quickly!!!

I loved how each chapter has the title of a song!!! It made me think of those songs and what I was doing at that time in my life!!!

This book is the love story of Don/Tori, Cecelia/Pete and Eddie/Sara. It is a story of forgiveness, understanding and the quest for the truth!! I had a very hard time putting this book down once I started and was sad when it was over.

I had so many lines highlighted in this book but this is one of my favorites….”To Cecilia, music was just not meant to be heard; it was meant to be felt. She felt it like a whispery breeze. Tender and carnal, melodies were hands, caressing her skin, tapping on deep seated emotions.

I loved the cover of this book too!! So inviting!! Highly recommend this book!!!

“Journalist Cecilia James is a sucker for a love song. So when she stumbles across a clue to the identity of the muse for one of rock’s greatest, she devotes herself to uncovering the truth, even as her own relationship is falling apart.”

Told between two alternating timelines, What You Do to Me is the story of Cecelia James, an up-and-coming reporter for Rolling Stone Magazine determined to make her mark by breaking the story behind one of modern day’s best love songs, and Eddie and Sara, the musician and his muse at the heart of it.

This love story within a love story within a love story delivers on the promise that it’s never too late to fix things.

Inspired by the lyrics to Hey There Delilah by Plain White T’s, Rochelle B. Weinstein imagines a completely different backstory in her new book, What You Do to Me.

Great for fans of second chance romance, star-crossed lovers, music, the 90s, family dysfunction, first love, Miami nostalgia, Jewish representation, and the song Hey There Delilah.

This was such a fun book to read!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @LakeUnionPublishing for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

What you do to me is a dual timeline love story. Cecelia works at Rolling Stone in 1996 and it looks like she will have her first big break of a story. While covering another story in Florida she thinks she may have found the woman who inspired a massively huge song in the 80s, What You Do to Me, written by rock star Eddie Vee. Eddie has been MIA since a horrible tragedy at one of his concerts back in the early 90s. Sara and Eddie met when they were children in the late 70s, during her family's annual Florida trip. They reconnect each summer and fall in love, but their differences and family tear them apart.

Cecelia has her own issues with her father, and her boyfriend is constantly disappointed in her. it doesn't help that she literally misses the boat on their romantic Caribbean cruise because she got stuck at work.

This book was fine, but I felt the romance aspect unsatisfying. I think when you have dual story lines you have to really feel the love in both romances. The epilogue felt a little clunky.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

Cecilia is a journalist working at Rolling Stone and stumbles upon the story behind one of the greatest love songs of all time.

I wanted to love this as was hoping for a Daisy Jones, Songs in Ursa Major style read but unfortunately it didn’t quite meet the mark for me. I didn’t particularly mesh well with the writing and I found it a bit all over the place in parts, however i’m sure a certain audience who enjoy fictional stories about famous people and famous musicians will enjoy it, but it wasn’t for me.

Cecelia James is a music journalist working for Rolling Stone when she decides to solve the mystery of who wrote one of the top love songs of the 90s. The song has touched hearts with its soulful lyrics and beautiful melody, but it turns out the story behind it isn’t so pretty. In a dual timeline, the story of Eddie Vee and Sara Friedman is told. The pair meet at a young age, communicate via music as Eddie learns to speak English, fall in love, and then fall apart. As Cecelia stumbles upon the pieces of the puzzle, her own relationship begins to fall apart and she tries to mend broken bridges with both her father and her boyfriend.

The music is such an important part of this story, from Cecelia’s job and the fact that she uses song lyrics to express herself to the chapter titles named after songs. The song in the book is Hey There, Delilah by the Plain White T’s, and you will be humming it in your head over and over again. I love that the song inspired the author so much that she crafted an entire story behind its meaning, and it appears that her story about it is much more romantic than the actual story of its writing.

There are layers upon layers to what happens to break up the pair and keep them apart, including family expectations and plans and even a tragedy. I enjoyed the premise and thought it was well written. Sara’s family is Jewish, and I liked reading about her huge family and their traditions, though I couldn’t agree with many of their choices and interference.

The story is told in third person, which is always tricky for me. I don’t feel a strong connection to characters in this tone, and that was my one complaint. Things happened throughout the book that would normally move me much more, but I wasn’t fully emotionally invested.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

It’s 1990 something and Cecelia James is a journalist for Rolling Stone magazine. A lifelong music lover, sometimes she still can’t believe she works at the infamous establishment. But she still has aspirations of climbing the ranks- making herself a reputable name in music journalism.

Her love for music came from her father, a man who works in the business. As a child, she was close to her dad, until he left the family- remarrying and starting over. Cecelia never forgave the betrayal and losing her mom at a young age didn’t help much. Now a grown woman, she sees the struggle it takes to balance a home and work life, her own romantic relationship hanging in the balance.

Then one day Cecelia overhears a women referring to the famous, but elusive Eddie Vee, a singer that shot to stardom, but went into hiding after a tragic event at one of his concerts. Determined to discover the mystery women’s identity, Cecelia goes all in on finding out who she is- confident this is the key to finding not only the story behind the chart topping hit, but the path to finding Eddie as well. In an alternate timeline, we go behind the music-learning Eddie and Sara’s love story. As the worlds collide, secrets are revealed and relationships are tested. Can the power of music heal all that’s been broken?

What You Do To Me sources it’s inspiration from the Plain White T’s iconic track, Hey There Delilah. It’s an interesting jumping off point for a novel, and not one often used. But the love for melodies doesn’t stop with Delilah- each chapter named after other memorable hits. This concept, along with Cecilia’s occupation, is particularly intriguing to me as I love music as much as I love books. But even if music isn’t your jam, there’s plenty of tracks here to keep all sorts of readers in the mix.

Cecilia has a song lyric for almost every moment in life. Only problem, she isn’t so great with stating her emotions without using lyrics, which leaves her boyfriend Pete feeling less than stellar. When a moment blows up her relationship, while also giving her the story of a lifetime, she has a hard time not following the story. Can she write a story for Rolling Stone that moves her to a regular columnist and save a relationship?

Trigger Warning: you will have ALL the great songs stuck in your head while reading this book!

Seriously, Hey There Delilah was on repeat in my head the entire time I read this book…actually maybe it still is. I am not a music/musician aficionado, actually pretty much any celebrity could be standing in front of me and I would have no idea…but I really adored this book! I loved the story of Cecilia and her estranged family, plus her story with Pete, and I fell head over heels for the story of Eddie Vee and Sara. I enjoyed every second of following Cecilia on her journey to find out who this woman the song was written for was, and where Eddie had disappeared to. I could not stop reading, I just needed to find out if she was solve the mystery! This book did make me wonder who/what was something that really happened, and left me googling a good bit!

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.