Thank you so much to Lonely Pages Book Tours and Netgalley for sending me an e-copy of this book. It was just the perfect last read of the year!🥺

I so agree with Tashie when she wrote in the author note that “music—and the friendships that come from it—can save your life.” With a found-family-boy-band trope and mentions of more than a hundred songs (every chapter title is a song), Stay With My Heart is a very sweet and simple feel-good YA love letter to music. The drama and tension in the plot are well-laid out and the characters are all adorable. I kept picturing Skyler Moon as Jade Hossler ngl 😭

My only qualms about this book are twofold. Firstly, i find the cover and title to be a bit misleading because they both give a sense that romance is the central plot in the book when it’s pretty sidelined.

Secondly, Liana getting no sense of closure with her dad just put me off. I get the whole ‘choosing your own family’ kinda thing and the contrast with Mohammad’s parents, but I really wanted Liana’s dad to come through. I feel like the potential of this arc wasn’t used to the fullest.

Overall though, I’d rate the book a solid 4/5 for giving me a breath of fresh air in YA and a lot of good music to check out! 🥰

where do i even start for this review? no contemporary YA books hit like tashie’s books, a rule further proven with her new release STAY WITH MY HEART.
i know i never shut up about how much i love found family in fantasy books, but it’s so rare to find it meaningfully written into contemporary that it hits so much harder. it’s probably the most prevalent theme of the book — even more than the romance. the development of their relationships made me cry multiple different times. they’re just so pure and lovable and perfect.
also, i need to talk about the music aspect?? like miss bhuiyan, hello? there were a few of third eye’s (the band’s name) lyrics where i made the note “this sounds like something taylor swift would write.” also, the amount of playlists in this book is insane (and they are TASTEFUL playlists). it made me want to become one of those pinterest girlies that has ten million different spotify playlists with hyperspecific names for every situation. tashie got me into sleeping at last with COUNTING DOWN WITH YOU, and i’ve had SWMH’s official playlist on repeat since i finished reading.
finally, even though it’s not the number one most important aspect, the romance slaps so hard. skylia is my new obsession and they are literally made for each other. that specific trope of “FMC doesn’t experience unconditional love in her family/home life and is amazed at the MMC taking care for her” that’s consistent in every tashie book has me on the floor. it makes me feel so many emotions.

This was such a sweet read. I've loved both of Tashie Bhuiyan's previous books and this one was no different. The anxiety rep was spot on and so endearingly accurate. It was heartwrenching to read but was amazing to see it realized on page. It was a love letter to music but also shed light on mental health concerns. Tashie Bhuiyan is an automatic read for me!

i have no words to describe how much i adored this book. it’s easily one of my favorite books of the year, if not the best one - it had everything i could’ve hoped for: the best found family ever, the cutest romance, relatable main characters & a plotline centered around music 🫶🏻 i hadn’t fallen in love with a book like i did with this one in a while and i’m so grateful to have been able to read it <3

firstly, i need to talk about the characters - they were all so well crafted, and their love for each other was the sweetest thing ever. liana, sky, ethan, mohammed and vinny have my heart and i am & will forever be obsessed with all of them and their little found family <3 liana’s personal story of finding her place in the world, healing, and finding the people who truly care about her means the world to me, and as someone who also struggles with anxiety, i saw myself in her (that representation is pretty rare in YA books so that was also an amazing part of the book!) i felt every word deeply in my heart and sometimes i wonder if i’m actually a person anymore or if i’m just a bunch of swmh quotes glued together haha (i’m joking but only barely tbh)
despite the fact that this book explores a lot of darker topics, it just mostly felt like a warm hug & a breath of fresh air 🩵

secondly, i live and breathe for music, and i’ve never read a book so focused on it before so swmh was truly the perfect book for me! (i wish third eye was real so bad rn) the way sky writes liana songs/liana makes sky playlists was absolutely adorable. their relationship was so sweet and perfect and their shared love for music was so heartwarming 🫶🏻 i’m also a swiftie so all the taylor references were highly appreciated haha 🤭

the writing flowed amazingly and the banter between the characters had me giggling all the time (i’d gladly read a thousand more books about them). all in all, if there’s one new release you pick up this year, please let it be this one <3

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start by saying if you're a fan of Julie and The Phantoms this is the book for you!

This book is truly a love letter to music and the way it creates and fosters community. Music has always been an important part of Liana’s life and these days it is the only thing that she and her father have in common. In an attempt to impress her father, she shows him a demo of an up and coming solo artist only to later realize that this decision has unknowingly sabotaged local band, Third Eye. Knowing that she can’t come clean to her father, she makes it her mission to help Third Eye, while hiding her involvement in their ex-bandmate and friend’s betrayal.

I adored this book! Tashie does a great job in creating young Brown FMC’s that are trying to come into their own while also dealing with the pressures she feels from her family/culture. Seeing Liana struggle with her mental health and her neglectful father made me emotional. But I loved seeing how she has fostered a family for herself, with her friends, cousins and Third Eye. Seeing the individual relationships the band members have with each other, as a band and with Liana was great, the love they all share is so palpable.

I also loved the inclusion of playlists throughout the book made me smile because I have so many of those for the same reason Liana did.

I was deeply moved by the story of Liana Sarkar, a South Asian American teenager navigating the complexities of grief, anxiety, and familial neglect. Bhuiyan masterfully blends music's unifying power with a tale of personal growth and resilience. As Liana inadvertently hinders a local band's success and falls for their enigmatic leader, her journey of secret atonement and self-discovery unfolds. The portrayal of mental health is authentic and thoughtful, resonating with me profoundly. This book, a poignant exploration of love, healing, and finding one's tribe, truly captures the essence of young adulthood. It's a compelling read for those who cherish YA contemporaries rich in emotion and character depth.

Liana Sarkar loves music and wants it to become her career. Except her dad is already an industry big shot and she doesn't want people to know. The two don't get along and all she wants is for him to care and to prove herself to him. This becomes harder after she makes a big mistake and can't come clean to him. So she'll do everything to make it up to the people she's wronged, even if she's lying to them in the process as they become a substitute family to her.

I loved this so much. I was enthralled from beginning to end, from the songs on chapter pages, to the playlist and all the characters. I was completely captivated, even as Liana made mistake after mistake, I was rooting for her with all I got. I wanted her to get everything she deserved and more. I also really loved the side characters, especially Liana's best friend and her cousin. The plot drew me in from the very start and I could not stop reading. I just loved it so much, like every single book I've read by Tashie Bhuiyan. Another masterpiece, I simply adored it.

4.5 stars
I think Stay With My Heart might just become my favourite Tashie Bhuiyan book. As I read through, I felt as though I was able to connect to the characters more than I had in her previous books. Lately, I have become a fan of stories that center on music and I think this one was pretty cool. I loved how music was such a central theme to the story, that I honestly would have read this (even if there was no romance in it). Liana was a well-written character and I loved reading from her perspective; personally, in certain aspects, I found her very relatable and that made me love her even more.

The romance in the story was pretty good and I enjoyed it, though I felt there was something missing? I don't know how to describe but it could have been something more. But nevertheless, what we got was pretty fun as well.

All in all, I quite enjoyed reading this and am looking forward to more Tashie Bhuiyan books!

4.5 stars

This was very sweet and a good rep for anxiety. I could feel everything that Liana was going through. I loved her connection with the band and their development. Her desperation to connect with her father and how she stood up to him towards the end was so well done. I have really enjoyed everything from Tashie I have had the joy to read so far.

Thank you to Inkyard Press and Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for a honest review.

I've absolutely flown through Tashie Bhuiyan's previous books, and this was definitely a slower one. But it's also my favourite in a lot of ways. It took me a little while to get into it, but once I did, I felt for Liana so much, and I loved reading about her, the band, and all the music references.

I absolutely love this cover and the authors note of this book. The cover for sure gives me falling in love by accident and beauty that comes with it. The authors note made me feel something deep in my heart. Music has saved my life on many occasions, more than I can ever hope to count…
I honestly loved the main character Liana, she’s so relatable on so many levels. From her struggles with depression to how she talks to guy and the way she carries herself. Seeing her deal with the loss of her mother and a rocky relationship with her father got me right In the feels.
I also love how the supporting cast of characters and main love interest felt grounded and believable.
The authors writing made this story really easy to just get lost in and before I knew i was 50% done with the book in one sitting.
I for sure loved the way music is incorporated into this book. I knew a lot of the songs and found myself humming them throughout my reading.
Overall this book was amazing read. I loved the found family aspect of this novel mixed with the center being how music brings us together. Charming, heartwarming, relatable and just breathtaking.

Thanks to the folks at NetGalley and the Publishing house for a copy of this book. My review is a honest reflection of my feelings towards this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC of this book

I was in a bit of a reading slump when I picked this up. It was well-paced and enjoyable. It had an MC dealing with family drama and depression in a realistic way.

Some slight spoilers: the betrayal was probably a little predictable, particularly given the book blurb. I didn't like some of the exchanges between the MC and her bestie. The MC would casually throw in some suicidal thoughts and casual "kill myself" (kms) shorthand. While these can be a cry for help, they often can be REALLY stressful and detrimental to the mental health of the person hearing these things. It really felt like a bit of a toxic relationship for the bestie and I wish maybe some of this had been addressed.

Once one character found out about the MCs secret, I'm not totally sure it was necessary to keep keeping said secret? I think it might have been fun for the "bad guy" to try and out her and the band just being "Duh, we knew that and we love her etc."

This book is thematically similar to Tashie Bhuiyan's other works. I don't think that's a bad thing as in each book the characters feel distinct with distinct struggles. They all circle around the theme of brown girls figuring out their first romance in the context of complicated family dynamics.

I loved the nuance with which Liana's relationship with her dad were explored. Initially I took her lie as typical teenage immaturity, but as we further explored how the neglect had effected her, it made her decision to lie make more sense. It also made her confusion at Mohammed's family dynamics all the more heartbreaking

It took a surprising amount of time for the premise to develope. The first 25ish% was just setting up the premise. Normally I don't like when books spend that long in set up, but I think it worked here. Knowing that things were going to fall apart, but you weren't quite sure *how*, created suspense. Hitchcock's bomb in the best way

As music is a central theme of the book, each chapter has a song listed at the top. The chapters are quite short, taking about 3-5 minutes to read, which hey is about how long a song is. The author even made a Spotify playlist with all the songs, meaning that you can listen to the music as you read, creating a unique multimedia experience.

Though I was paying more attention to the story than the music, it the songs seem to be incredibly well selected to correspond to the chapters, increasing the emotional impact of the story. Reading Chapter 47 while listening to The Moment I Knew by Taylor Swift? Fucking emotional.

It wasn't a seemless experience however, since often I would finish a chapter before or after a song had finished, so I was constantly having to open Spotify to pause songs, which was a little annoying. So while not perfect, I think this is a really interesting experiment with multimedia storytelling. I hope to see this technique expanded upon and further improved as I think it has a lot of potential as a new innovative storytelling format.

Thanks to Netgalley for granting access to a digital ARC of this title.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. What drew me to this book was the sweet cover. Then I read the blurb and decided I had to read this book. I love music and this came off as a love note to music, but it was more than that. It shined a light on mental health and what it is like to be a teenager in this day and age when nothing seems to go right or their way. Music, love, and secrets is what I got from this book in the best way.

This amazing YA Romance is for:
- the music lovers
- the ones who can't get enough of the friends to lovers trope
- banter fanatics
- LGBTQIA+ rep
- BIPOC main characters
- drama
- relatable parent and child relationships
- found family trope
and more!

Reading this book, I grew an attachment to Liana. Our shared love for music, confusion in navigating random life bumps, trying to repair the things in life we never expected to be broken, I felt so heard even as my 23 year old self.

Liana is such a strong, sweet, vocal, young girl who loves her music and loves helping others because that's just who she is. Making playlists, working in a family record shop, helping out a boyband she accidentally threw off their path to fame, interning for her dad while trying to deal with the feelings of his neglect. Liana and her life, her story, is all so complex and yet was so relatable. For people who don't want too relatable of a book, there definitely is some fiction in this book. I wish landing an internship/job at a record label was as easy as it is here, same goes for helping a boy band rise to fame as quickly as Skyler (her love interest and lead singer of the band) and his band did.

To sum it all up, you get a little bit of everything and I really enjoyed this book. I can't wait to read more of Tashie Bhuyian's work! I want to thank Bhuyian and her publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this before it was released. :)

Finally, go read this book!!!! Don't think about it, give it a chance and enjoy the drama, friendships, and love.

Quick Summary: A YA novel about the journey to knowing self

My Review: Stay with My Heart by Tashie Bhuiyan is a YA read that is rich with the tones and textures of life. It is heartbreakingly sweet and incredibly realistic.

About the Book: Liana Sarkar hasn't had it easy. Loss seems to be the theme in this particular season of her life. It has weighed on her, causing her to struggle. When an unfortunate event happens, it opens the door to change, to relationships, to truths, and to realizations. It all leads her to a new journey of the heart.

My Final Say: The first thing I have to say about this book is that the emotional arc was just how I like it. (On point!) It made for great reading. From the beginning, I loved how the author gave insight into the who, the how, and the why of Liana. It made her easy to connect with and understand. The unique challenges she faced showed the internal struggle she had in dealing with external situations. With that said, the specific relationships she made were... connecting points. They were growth points, even. (I won't say more than that, so as to avoid spoilers). Lastly, the music and lyrics greatly added to the entire reading experience.

Other: Readers who love a good YA with a message will adore this book.

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: YA/T
Status/Level: 💛

Sincere appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (Inkyard Press), and to NetGalley. Thank you for granting access to a digital ARC of this title. It was a pleasure to review this novel. I look forward to reading more books by this talented writer.

Tashie Bhuiyan does YA contemporary so so well. This was absolutely fantastic, I highly, highly recommend. So swoony, such well drawn characters and a great plot!

4.5 rounded down to 4

I love this book so much!! I was always expecting to like this book because I liked Counting Down With You, but I didn’t expect to like it this much!

A lot of romance novels have a playlist at the beginning of it, but this one was unique and had a song for every chapter. I didn’t know most of the songs, but when I did, it really helped set the mood and let me know a little bit of what would happen in the chapter.

The plot was super good! There was a betrayal towards the beginning of the book that I didn’t expect, but it definitely helped advance the story along. I don’t want to describe it too much without spoiling it, so you have to read it to find out what happens :)

The found family aspect of this was amazing. Third Eye and Liana had the best scenes together, and I love how Liana became friends individually with each of the members. Nobody in the band felt like they were written just because there needed to be another member, all of them served a purpose in the story, which I loved a lot. My favorite friendship was probably between Liana and Mo, their families are so different from each other, but they still connected from a similar heritage and familial pressures.

LIANA AND SKY ARE MY NEW FAVES AKLFKLDKLASLDKJ everything about them was perfect, they were beautifully written, and I love them so much!!! And Ethan and Vinny were the cutest omg <3

This wasn’t just a simple romance book, it was so much more than that. It was also about family, self discovery, mental health, friendships, and betrayals. It basically covered every aspect of someone’s life when they’re Liana’s age (summer before college). It didn’t brush past any hard topics, but explored them and connected them to the main plot.

Only a few days after finishing this, I bought the last book by Tashie Bhuiyan that I haven’t read yet: A Show For Two. After loving her two other books so much, I’m very excited to finally read this one!

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for the ARC of this book. all opinions are my own.
I absolutely loved this! It was fantastic and I can not wait to see what's next! The character development, plot, and story were so well developed. I loved it. Tashie truly never misses. I'm pulled in from the very beginning and never let go. This will stay with me long after I finished reading it.

This was really hard to review. I really did not like Liana. But I l9ved Sky. He was adorable. Ialso really loved the relationship between all of the band members.