3.75 stars - Fast-paced and music-based, this was such a sweet romance! Allie Andrews spent her teens touring in a punk band, but ever since their disastrous break-up she's been working in her aunt's café in Brooklyn. Life is no longer the crazy adventure it once was, and Allie is mostly okay with that, but she misses the music. When a chance encounter with a fan from her former life kick-starts a surprising and significant new relationship, Allie is finally forced to deal with the past she's been avoiding all these years.

Filled with autumnal vibes, holiday parties, and café romance, this is a cozy and cute read. Allie and Ryan's love for music comes across so clearly and adds so much heart to the book. And when it comes to the romance, although their chemistry was a bit faint at the start, I do think it got there eventually and I adored the ending. Overall I'd say this is a story about finding your passion, finding your place, and finding your family.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada, DoubleDay, and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was a quick, cozy read that felt like a love letter not only to small neighborhood coffee shops but also the nostalgia of mixtapes and music from the 1980s. I always enjoy some of the tropes in this book - found family, grumpy/sunshine, he falls first and they were all well done here. The found family trope really was well done here and is central to the entire book. I did get frustrated at miscommunication between characters from time to time, but I was rooting for Allie and Ryan to figure things out. There was a bit of mystery built into the story as well, with Allie trying to reconnect to her punk roots. Overall, this hit the nostalgia perfectly and had characters that I was happy to see fighting for their HEA.

I enjoyed the reverse Grumpy x Sunshine trope in this book as I often prefer it this way around with the golden retriever-esque MMC.
Beyond their characteristics I couldn't really picture Allie and Ryan throughout the book as there is little physical description. This is not necessarily a bad thing in a book as allows people to put create their own leads in their head but it did mean that I struggled to fully immerse myself into the book. I think my struggle to immerse myself was also not helped by the book being in 3rd person as I normally like reading romance in 1st person but with multiple POVs.
My biggest pet peeve throughout the book was the poor communication between Allie and Ryan. I understand that they have reasons in their past that cause this but I found that they didn't get better at communicating throughout the book which would have redeemed this for me.
This is a slow burn book with a little but of spice and i enjoyed the plotline of Allie finding her old bandmates that has the hints of the found family trope. I enjoyed reading this but it is unlikely it will be my go to romance recommendation or one that I re-read.

Make Me a Mixtape had the perfection combination of lovable characters, interesting story and a little bit of spice.

Allie is our Grumpy FMC and she meets the cutest golden retriever guy in Ryan. I am an absolute sucker for a good Grumpy/sunshine romance and this hit all the marks. It was fun getting to read the dance the two of them played wanting each other. I do wish the FMC and MMC were better about communicating but their backstory made the lack of total communication make sense.

I thought the story was sweet, well rounded, cozy and made me want to make a mixtape for my significant other.

What a delightful debut that I devoured it in one sitting. Allie is a former punk musician, who for ten years has been hiding out as a barista in her aunt's cafe after her band's unceremonious break up. To her horror she's recognised by Ryan, a sound technician, while making a delivery.

This book was well paced with a cast of interesting characters and a setting that felt real. I loved that the insta-attraction was slow burn romance as the very sweet Ryan slowly worms his way through Allie's prickly defences. I am a huge fan of seeing the female character being the 'grump' so I loved this dynamic. Ryan and Allie were just so good together.

Balanced with the romance, however is Allie healing from her past and finding her way back to her first love: music, thanks to Ryan's encouragement and support. Where other books would've focused on, say a road trip in search of her bandmates or Allie trying to get her old band together, this book instead focused on the internal changes with a more gentle and measured approach which I appreciated. Allie needed to slowly work her way through long-needed changes in her life afer a decade of stagnation.

With its references to 80s tunes, 'Make Me a Mix Tape' is a heartfelt, warm and wonderful story about second chances and growth. Mostly though its a love letter to music and how it connects people. Dust off your cassette player and crank up those old mix tapes. I cannot wait to read what Jennifer Whiteford writes next.

Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the ARC.

I've read a number of, let's say subpar arcs, but this one was definitely up there as one of the most difficult to trudge through. I like to start my reviews with the positives, but I honestly don't have much positive to say. The only things that really comes to mind is the representation, but the way it was handled really took away from this positive. It also had some more serious themes, and the main characters both had some attachment issues which is nice to see, but even as an attachment issue haver, I did not relate, and it felt very surface level. I'll sometimes skim near the end of a particularly rough ARC, but I'll be honest I skimmed pretty much all of this. I really did not like it.

As I've probably made clear at this point, there were many elements that I had gripes with in this book, but the root of so many issues was the sparse writing. For one there was a lot of telling, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But combine that with showing being used for details that, for me at least, are necessary, like the characters physical appearance, it made both poor uses stand out even more. I don't need to know extreme detail of what a charcter looks like, but please at least tell me what their ethnicity is and what their hair looks like. Facial structure is great too, but not necessary. This book gave very little of all those. The side character cast was pretty diverse which was nice to see, but for ethnicity particularly, it was often revealed through side details. For example, I didn't realize one of her old bandmates was Asian until there was a mention of making dumplings with her grandmother in a memory.

The worst culprit of this was Ryan. For one, I still have no idea what his hair color was. All we're given when he's first introduced is that he has a "thick, tidy beard and a kind, open look in his eyes" and that he's quite attractive. There's lots of descriptors of his smile throughout, and I think there was a mention of him being broad shouldered at some point early on too, but that really isn't giving much. Saying a character is broad, with a beard and a smile, and is attractive is extremely vague, and for me personally, I need more than that. The realy kicker though is later Ryan refers to himself as fat. Having fat characters is amazing, and I am so here for it, especially for male love interests, you basically never see that in straight romance. This representation, along with the diverse ethnicities in side characters, is completely undermined by avoiding describing them as such. The only descriptor that we get that alludes to Ryan's fatness is during the explicit scene where its mentioned that his belly is hanging over the top of his pants, and Allie says she doesn't mind at all. But that's it as far I could tell. It's important to actually portray what the characters are representing, and by shying away, its implicitly implying stigma and like it's something uncomfortable or not normal or not attractive, which is in some ways worse than having no representation at all.

Lastly, for me the chemistry wasn't there. I'm sure this lackluster description hurt my immersion, as well as how surface level the characters and the dialogue was. It got a little better later on, but especially at the start writing and dialogue felt quite juvenile, and the characters actions felt quite a bit like highschoolers - although in their defense, they are self-aware and Allie makes mention a number of times how she's acting like a teenager. It was also very insta-lust, which is probably my least favorite trope, so this book definitely didn't line up with my tastes in that regard. If you have a passion for music, enjoy the New York cafe setting aesthetic, and don't mind cheesy romantic moments and insta-lust but also kind of friends to lovers, you might enjoy this one more than I did

I grew up in the era of the mixtape. They served so many purposes. They allowed you to showcase your amazing musical tastes, could serve as a love letter to someone, or serve as a time capsule for songs that evoke memories. I think all three instances are touched upon in Make Me a Mixtape, and it was an interesting springboard for Allie's personal journey.

Once upon a time, Allie and her high school besties started a punk band called The Jetskis. The band enjoyed some success but eventually imploded. Fast forward ten years, Allie is working in a coffee shop and is recognized when delivering an order. This opens up an old wound, forcing Allie to confront her past while she also makes so many positive changes in her present.

I know Allie was shocked and dismayed by Ryan's "Allie Jetski" cry, but he was such a beautiful human. Him and his precious Labrador retriever ways had Allie doing things that she hadn't done in a decade - opening up and making connections. I loved the friendship that developed between them and seeing her found family grow was a wonderful thing.

Allie may have lost both her parents by the time she was eighteen, but she was lucky enough to find a place with her aunt and her coffee shop family. She may not have been living the life she thought she would, but she was actually surrounded by wonderful people, and the addition of Ryan and his roommate made it even better.

There were a few storylines I thought were fantastic. First, the search for Allie's former bandmate and best friend. Jessi was someone very important in Allie's life. When the band broke up, Allie not only lost Jessi but also her maternal figure (Jessi's grandmother). This left Allie hesitant to form meaningful relationships. I enjoyed the search for her, and the self discovery that resulted from that search.

I was also all about a romance between Allie and Ryan. Ryan seemed very happy go lucky, but he was wounded from his past, and this affected his romantic relationships. Be prepared for a slow burn, push and pull kind of thing, but keep in mind that both Allie and Ryan had scars and needed that time to grow and heal.

The ending was probably my favorite part. I swear the grin I wore split my face because I was so happy. Overall, a great found family vibe, excellent coffee shop setting, characters I grew to adore, as well as a fantastic soundtrack made this a wonderful experience for me.

If your favorite tropes are friends to lovers, found family, and you don’t mind the miscommunication, this is absolutely something you should read, especially with the upcoming fall and winter months. I loved the girl band, touring, recording music on cassette tapes detail and how that played a role in the MCs story. I loved the LGBTQIA representation. I loved that one of her former band mates’ names was spelled just like mine because it is not your typical spelling. The beginning was slow to get into and at first, I didn’t like that the book is in 3rd person, but I didn’t end up minding it as the story moved along. I read the last 40% of the book in one sitting. It’s a tad on the predictable side, but moreso in a comforting way. I was still in my feels with the sad parts and squealing with excitement at the good parts. This is a great first novel! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

3.75 stars but will round to 4.

Pros:
- Make Me a Mixtape had a logical timeline and plot progression, which I found really nice to read considering it's more of a cozy romance (emphasis on cozy).
-Music and pop culture references were nostalgic and a sweet touch
-Setting was phenomenal and Whiteford captured the Brooklyn spirit perfectly
-The cozy-ness of the conflict and setting are a nice palette cleanser
-It's giving Gilmore Girls in the best way!
-Loved the execution of the found family trope
-Some LGBTQIA+ representation

Drawbacks:
-A second round of editing for copy/line
-Would have benefitted from a character-relationship developmental edit as I was left waiting for the moment where Allie and Ryan really jumped off of the page
-I personally struggled to connect with the romantic tones as they seems superficial and/or forced

Thank You to Net galley, Jennifer Whiteford, and publisher for sending me a digital e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really, really wanted to like this book. I love a good cozy romance, especially with a fall small town vibe. I love a guilty-pleasure lighthearted hallmark romance, but unfortunately I couldn’t get into this one. I read 46% before deciding to DNF. I didn’t get attached to really any of the characters and so much of the dialogue and action was cringe. I feel like this book was an attempt at being very modern and inclusive, using different pronouns and a variety of characters but it felt like trying too hard. I didn’t feel like I knew the characters much other than their queer quirks. I love a slow burn, but this was a slooooow burn. Almost halfway through the book and it really does seem like such a friend zone I’m not even hoping for more. I was interested in the plot, wondering if she ever finds her ex-bandmate and what she decides with the cafe, but unfortunately not enough to keep reading.

This was a charming, cozy, fall drenched, Gilmore Girls in Brooklyn vibe romance.
Allie was a teenage punk star, think The Runaways meets Paramore in suburban NJ. Ten years after the band break-up she is living a quiet life, working in her aunt's coffee shop in Brooklyn, when she delivers coffee to her biggest fan, Ryan. Ryan helps remind Allie that she has a lot of life to give and that she should follow her dreams. He is a hurt little bunny though with fundamentalist Christian parents who kicked him out of the family, so he runs away from everything. I love that male body diversity is celebrated in this book- dad bods are sexy! I love the friendship between Ryan and Allie. The supporting characters are quirky in the best way. Though 2 out of 4 are millionaires (owning property in Brooklyn is no joke expensive). It was so easy to root for Ryan, Allie and them as a couple. I wish they both had more self esteem and weren't stuck and a bit regressed. But this immaturity made so much sense with their backstories so it didn't bother me.
This was a great read for young Gen X/ older Millenials who remember punk and pop punk and were here for them both. If you loved Girl by Blake Nelson, or the recent LoFi, and if you love quaint cozy romances, this book is for you. 4 stars. Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and Net Galley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a heartwarming love story with found family, second chances mixed with nostalgia. Cozy with autumnal vibes, a good book to read under blankets with a hot beverage.

The story follows Allie, former singer in a punk band she has spent the last decade hiding from her past living in Brooklyn and working in her Aunt Mindy’s cafe. A safe, predictable bubble until Ryan steps into her life, a fan of Allie’s old band he pushes her out of her comfort zone, reigniting her passion for music and sets about helping Allie to reconcile with her past.

It’s a sweet, slow burn romance and even though it is set in the city the author creates a small town vibe that makes it feel warm and homely. The secondary character are vibrant and charming, adding depth and towards the feel of cozy community.

Make a mixtape hits all the right notes for a nostalgic, feel good cozy romance and was an enjoyable, warm hug of a read.

Ever read a book that feels tailor-made for you? This was one of those books for me. It’s self-discovery with a side of romance and packed with nostalgia.

I’m totally an Allie - grew up in the music scene, played bass in a band, kind of a grump. And Ryan would have SO been my type in college. In fact, I married my Ryan. The grumpy to my sunshine, a drummer mwho spent the first few years of our marriage touring. Even the ex-church kid stuff resonated with me.

Nostalgia aside, I enjoyed this slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance. I loved Ryan’s enthusiasm and understood Allie’s reticent nature. Loved the side characters too.

Would have given this 5 stars if there had been a bit more emotional depth and if Ryan's personality didn’t seem to sometimes contradict itself.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the advanced reader copy of this book.

The cover of this book is what initially attracted me. I love music, likely similar to what the main characters band, the jetskis, would have sounded like. Mix tapes and cds are my love language, so I did love how this mix tape story line came full circle- you’ll have to read it to know what I mean! How ever, many parts of this book felt drawn out to me and there were parts I struggled to get through. This book is about music, second chances, friendship, cozy romance, and figuring out what you really want (or don’t want) in life. Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC

This book was a big dose of nostalgia with and found family and a little bit of romance. I was immediately suck in. While I enjoyed Allie and the rest of the side characters (especially George), I had a hard time connecting with Ryan's character. 4 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

I enjoyed this book so much. I loved all the music references and checked out a few songs that I wasn't familiar with. And the plot point about the mixtape at the end of the story was *chef's kiss* perfect. I still don't quite understand the falling out between Allie and Jessi but I loved how it was resolved. Allie and Ryan were so great together! In fact, all of the characters were great together in that found-family kind of way. I absolutely loved the ending - a very good friend of mine did the same thing (no spoilers) and it brought back a good memory for me. All of the characters show depth and growth throughout the story, which was lovely to see. Very much looking forward to seeing what this author comes up with next. Highly recommend.

This is short and sweet! The plot really interested me, I loved the musical aspect and the fact that Allie was in an all-girl punk band in her youth. That immediately made me want to like her. The setting is also so cozy, fall and winter in a Brooklyn cafe? Perfect.

Something about this just fell a little bit flat, the characters needed some oomph to them. I wasn’t very invested in the romance like I wanted to be. I really loved the moments of rekindling with some of the bandmates though, those were so heartfelt and lovely. I loved that Allie learned she’s not the villain she made herself out to be for so long.

I’d be interested in what Jennifer writes in the future! I think her work has really great potential and I love the creative ideas in this.

Books and music are the way to my heart. Combine the two and you are absolutely speaking my love language!

I enjoyed reading about Allie's post-punk band member life. Life at the cafe with her aunt and friend Ren sounded wonderful, but her roots leave her unsatisfied. When she meets Ryan (the sunshine to her grumpiness), Allie starts to remember how much she loved performing. The recordings she made for elderly patron George were adorable. I also appreciated how Allie and Ryan built their friendship before their inevitable hookup. There were a lot of sweet elements to this book, despite it being punk rock (punks don't cry, do they?! Yes, they do. Many times apparently).

I absolutely loved the mixtapes that went along with the book titles. There is a twist at the end that I utterly adored. Overall a fun, punk rock story full of love and music (and love for music!).

Allie has been stuck in a music-less rut after her punk band broke up almost ten years ago and she hasn't spoken to her then best friends since. When her grumpy runs into Ryan's sunshine, her life changes forever (despite her best efforts to keep it exactly the same).

This was a really original story of found family, friendship, love and an obvious ode to music. Also, a heartbreaking warning of the stories we weave in our own heads that hold us back from living a full life.

I loved the story, the mystery and the small little town of quirky characters that was created within their community and friends.

I just wasn't the target audience for most of the themes and a lot of the music references went over my head so I wasn't able to enjoy it to its fullest.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Make Me a Mixtape was a read that had me reminiscing about my high school days. I wonder what happened with my old mixtapes.🤔