Ugh, this one hurts.

I absolutely adored Morbidly Yours. I loved the setting, the way Fairbanks wove an adorable romance in with serious topics, and most importantly, I loved the characters. I felt like I had a full grasp on who Lark and Callum were as people and why they worked well as a couple. Their love story was absolutely precious and I was rooting for them the whole time.

Aidan and Cielo just did not have that same spark for me.

It might be a me problem. I don't typically love exes-to-lovers romances - I feel like they tend to skip out on the actual 'falling in love' portion of a couple's story. This book starts off with a couple whose history the reader is mostly unfamiliar with, and as a result, their reconciliation feels hollow. There's no tension because they're already familiar with one another, and they spend very little time being nervous or awkward after a long time apart. The entire conflict hangs on the fact that Aidan is a touring musician and Cielo craves stability, which in this day and age feels like a rather minor setback. Aidan isn't even all that famous yet! Idk, this point just didn't really work for me.

Also, there's a scene involving a speaker that I may never be able to scrub from my mind. I have so many questions, the most pressing of which is - 'why?'

All in all, not horrible, but my expectations were set perhaps unrealistically high after the first Love in Galway book, and I was left pretty disappointed with this one.


Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC!

This was SO GOOD! I love a second chance romance so much and this was everything that makes them so delicious. I loved being back in this universe! Seeing Lark and Callum! And all the new characters were so fun and made the story feel so full! Without it ever taking away from Cielo and Aidan! Everything about Ivy’s writing makes my heart happy. There is so much HEART written into the story - between Cielo’s cancer and her medical school and her parents and Aidan’s family and his music struggles. Everything was so well balanced and I loved seeing every part of the story really shine!!

I LOVED Cielo and Aidan! The yearning! The love! How deeply they both felt the loss of their short but intense relationship!! Cielo really is my favorite kind of girl, a people always leave person, fiercely independent but almost to a fault. But she’s had to be right?? Until she realized this time around it is okay to let people in!! To let herself be seen and be loved and be helped!! I also loved watching Aidan find himself, because he realized he also could make different choices and wanted to! Especially because he wanted to keep Cielo!

They were sweet and everything good about a second chance! I can’t wait to see whatever is next from Ivy! Maybe a certain florist and her museum nemesis?!!

Thanks so much to Putnam for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

This second chance romance was so healing and wholesome and beautiful okay, and the grand gesture was really grand gesturing 😭

It's a rockstar romance btw! He's a rockstar, she's a med student and his muse and his support, and they both go through so much character development in their second chance <3

TWs for cancer in the past/present, estrangement of a parent, exploitation in the music industry

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

Thanks to Netgalley & PENGUIN GROUP- Putnam for the E-ARC! Loved so much! So cozy & cute! Beautiful characters & great plus-size rep. Excited for the next book!

I love Ivy's world, I was lucky enough to read Morbidly Yours during its indie time and knew that Ivy was someone that I'd keep reading as long as she kept writing. Heart Strings was nice...but didn't tug at mine like Morbidly Yours did. While it felt familiar (our setting and cast of characters), I found myself being able to put the book down a few times when it felt slow. I'm calling it the sophomore slump and awaiting Ivy's next love story.

Thank you for the opportunity. All thoughts are my own.

I loved Ivy Fairbanks "Morbidly Yours" so I was so excited to see her next book! I really loved Lo, her cancer survival and health anxiety made her relatable and tender. The anxiety she holds makes sense. I enjoyed the chemistry between Lo and Aidan. The lyrics were sweet. I enjoyed the cameos from Morbidly Yours too! The Irish setting was a charming touch. Would love to hear this on audio! I love second chance romance, so that worked for me, but the pacing got slow at times and focused too much on careers when I was here for the romance!

*4.5

Aiden and Lo are really cute and I'm so happy that they are able to make it work. Cielo is filled with so much guilt about a lot in her life and it's hard for her to let go. Aiden is the perfect person to be right by her side and not let her give up on them. The fact that literally every song he writes is about her makes me a little crazy.

I received an arc through netgalley.

We are SO back with the "A Love in Galway" series with Ivy Fairbanks' new book. This second chance romance dives into Cielo Valdez, Lark's cousin, and Aidan O'Toole, Callum's best friend, relationship from the past and what is looks like now. She's in medical school. He's a musician. Their relationship didn't work the first time, so will it be worth it to try again?

Heart Strings is a fantastic sequel to Morbidly Yours. Cielo and Aidan's relationship is so different compared to Lark and Callum. One couple is very sweet to each other and took the time to develop their relationship, while the other one loved quickly and ended heartbroken, but reignited that spark even faster when seeing each other years later. I can't wait to see where the next book takes Saoirse's relationship.

Thank you, Putnam and Penguin Random House, for sending me an eARC for Heart Strings!

The follow up to Morbidly Yours, gives us Lo and Aiden’s second chance romance. I enjoyed seeing how independent and fierce Lo was as American medical student studying in Galway. Aiden is a musician who wrote an entire album about their relationship that ended when he got his big break in music. Romantic much?! An Irish castle wedding throws them back together. I enjoyed seeing both POVs in this book to better understand their relationship. I wish we got a little more backstory from the start of their relationship.

A major part of the story is about Lo being a cancer survivor and how that has shaped her as a person and her relationships. I am not sure that every reader will be able to connect with Lo as much as I did, but as a cancer survivor this book had me in tears for the last few chapters.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very cute second chance romance story. I liked the Irish vibes and learning a bit about their wedding customs. It was funny and lighthearted (I especially liked the sheep and the hearse scene). Loved the spicy scenes, the light bondage was done well (consent and check ins present). I also loved the Callum and Lark cameo, I missed them. The health scare worried me it was going in a really bad direction but I then realized it was written just to give Cielo the reassurance she needed to know that Aiden was going to stick around in her worst case scenario. Overall it was a good, light read and I am looking forward to Saoirse’s story

I was so happy to be back in Galway!! I loved Moridbly Yours, so I was absolutely looking forward to Cielo and Aidan's story. The second chance romance was the perfect amount of angst and I adored seeing Callum and Lark's wedding. I think Heart Strings is very good, the heat between Cielo and Aidan was very present and had me blushing consistently. I still think Morbidly Yours is the best of the two in this interconnected series, but there is definitely an abundance of things to love about this book. Cielo's struggle regarding her past cancer diagnosis and fear of remission was realistic and something so many people have in the back of their minds, so thank you to Ivy for doing her research regarding the subject. I can't wait to read Saiorse's story next!!!

Thank you to Putnam's, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

Super cute read…. We met Aiden and Lo in Morbidly Yours and got a little glimpse into their budding relationship. Now in Heart String; they have been broken up for two years.
Lark and Cal are getting married and Lo is the maid of honor and Aiden is the best man and they are going to be seeing each other for the first time since their breakup.

-Second Chance Romance
-Med Student x Musician
-Forced Proximity
-Women in Stem
-Found Family
-Curvy FMC

“She was silence and sorrow. He was patience and light. Together they made music”
“Some hearts don’t break they go quiet, until someone gives them permission to be loud again”
“She was a song with no lyrics and he knew every line by heart”

This book was everything my heart needed and I didn’t even realize it. The journey of learning to love yourself, finding the strength to open your heart again it was portrayed with so much care and truth. Watching Cielo heal felt real. It was realistic and honest and beautiful.

Heart Strings reminds us that sometimes love is terrifying, especially when you’ve been hurt. But it also shows that love can be soft, healing, and safe. Ivy Fairbanks’s pen game is strong emotional, lyrical, and full of depth. I felt every word. This story is like a much needed hug.

Cielo is a resilient fierce FMC who overcame so much. It’s easy to lose track of yourself when in a toxic relationship, family being overbearing and cynical of your decisions. Cielo wasn’t perfect and had insecurities like the average woman & often that doesn’t get put in a book. I loved that so much. She’s Raw, relatable and authentic.

Aidan is just so sweet , charming and patient. I was so in awe with him the entire time. I felt like Cielo needed him in the best way. The way he wrote about them in their relationship in his music was adorable. I love Aidan in the sweetest way.

A wonderful sequel to Morbidly Yours. I enjoyed every single moment. Thank you NetGalley, Ivy Fairbanks for the ARC opportunity!

Med student Cielo is not thrilled to learn that her ex, Aiden, is going to be the best man at her cousin’s wedding in Ireland where she is the maid of honor. The pair are instantly thrown together for various pre-wedding activities and their spark is still there. They test the waters of giving each other another chance and help each other navigate some tricky family situations. Aiden, a musician, travels to New York for a performance but it happens to coincide when Cielo needs him most.

I have not read Morbidly Yours so I don’t know how this book compares (the cousin getting married in this book was the lead of the previous book). The book was on the shorter side and I read it rather quickly. I enjoyed the setting in Galway and the characters. Cielo is on the pricklier side and I can see why some readers aren’t connecting with her, but I think it fit her background and her mistrust of Aiden. I really liked Aiden and he was just deeply romantic (serious Hozier vibes). A third book in the series was briefly teased and I will happily read it when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Though I didn’t read the first book of the series (Morbidly Yours…it has been on my never ending TBR) this was true to its word on being a standalone!

First and foremost I liked the characters A LOT. Not only were the two MCs relatable, but the background characters added to the story and stood out as well.

The relationship between Aiden and his family was really heartwarming and a good comparison to Lo and the strain she has with hers. I want more Marie and her ventriloquist doll. Aiden’s entire family just had me cracking up, honestly. And then you go over to Lo and her helicopter mom and nearly absentee dad. 😥

I think that Ivy brings perfect representation across multiple categories. Curvy, POC FMC who is going through not only the heart ache of her past relationship. But though Lo is strong, she learns to lean on the others around her. Which I really, really relate to. This book was a mix of heartwarming, found family and steamy romance.

The chemistry between Lo and Aiden was also streamy, believable and I like how we didn’t dwell on the breakup too long, but also didn’t resolve it so quickly it seemed unbelievable. But who doesn’t love a groveling man 👀…especially one that does it through song (or albums…)

I am for sure picking up the first one, Lark was so funny to me and Callum was interesting to where I really wanna see how those two came to be. Also the setting for this story, a wedding in Ireland? Uh…..YES PLEASE!

A second chance romance that really pulled at my heart strings. A story of "will they, won't they?" I had to keep putting the book down, the angst between the two was so strong. I loved being able to see the finale of the couple from the first book while these two were falling back in love.

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

3.5 stars rounded up
I didn't love this as much as Morbidly Yours, hence the slightly lower rating. However, I would still recommend it. Could it be a standalone? I guess, but you'd be missing out on a great first book in the series, so pick up Morbidly Yours. I liked both Lo and Aiden and how they worked their way back to each other. Lo needs some serious therapy after all the trauma in her life and I'm glad the part near the end - where she doesn't communicate what's going on in her life - wasn't dragged out. I loved Aiden's family; how they contrasted with Lo's was well written, but good lord, I wanted to reach into my Kindle and absolutely throttle Lo's mother. What a horrible woman! Lo and Aiden definitely had physical chemistry but I wished we had seen more emotional ties between them. There was definitely something missing for me.

I was hoping there would be a third book in this series and that it would feature Saoirse. According to the author's note, it looks like that's the case. Yay! I love that character.

I absolutely loved their story! It was even better than Morbidly Yours and I can't wait for Saoirse's story!

Absolutely love this. Aiden and Cielo’s relationship is one everyone should aspire to have. The fact that they both wanted the other to chase their dreams without feeling like they potentially could be holding their partner back. The way they fought to get back to each other through everything? Loved

I really enjoyed this book due to being a true believer for second chance in love. I enjoyed the characters' personality and tones. I look forward buying this book when it comes out.