A second chance romance set at an Irish castle in the countryside? AND he's a musician? Oh I am so in.

This book follows Lo and Aiden as they must reunite after a tumultuous break up to be the best man and maid of honor at the best friends' wedding. When old memories and feelings arise, can Lo and Aiden fight off their disdain, and reignited attraction, for each other?

Aiden stole the show for me in this book as the dreamy folk musician that only wrote songs about Lo. As a huge music lover, I felt so attached to their story and how Aiden's music told each part of it so beautifully. While there were moments that lost me (ie. singing during unspeakable times), this was a fun read.

I really enjoyed Morbidly Yours so when I found out that the sequel, Heart Strings, was on its way, I had high hopes. This did not disappoint. We return in time for Lark and Callum’s wedding, yet it is Lark’s cousin, Ceilo, and the couple’s friend Aidan that take center stage in this second-chance romance. Although we don’t get to experience Lo and Aidan initially falling in love (which is my favorite part of any romance), we do get to see them reconcile not only with each other, but with themselves as they realize the various ways they have been holding themselves back from happiness with each other. This approach was both fulfilling and refreshing as it didn’t follow the trajectory of the first novel while still keeping the bits of the Galway series we have come to love.

While the characters weren’t as instantly loveable to me as Lark and Callum, these two grew on me as their story became more involved, especially near the middle and end. Like Morbidly Yours, there is an undercurrent of serious emotion beneath the fluffy, feel-good romance which helps keep this grounded (and made me cry, obviously). And though there were times that I felt Aidan’s inner voice was a bit too flowery even for a singer/songwriter, it did contrast nicely with Ceilo’s direct, analytic narration.

Overall, I found this to be quite entertaining and engaging, and I’m very excited by the hints for the next book’s main character and love interest! Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an ARC to read and review!

Ivy Fairbanks does it again in this trip back to Galway in Heart Strings.

Ceilo "Lo" doesn't give second chances, and frankly, I get it for what she has been through; cancer, her dad leaving when she was sick, and some overall shitty experiences, including being heartbroken by Aiden O'Toole. But Aiden is determined to prove to her that second chances are and could be a good thing. Well, the stars align for Aiden when he and Lo are thrown together for Callum and Lark's wedding as Best Man and Maid of Honor. The chaos and romance that ensues is absolute perfection.

One of the things I absolutely loved about this book was the growth that both Lo and Aiden show by the end of this book. This wasn't a journey for just one character, it is for both. We see Lo stand up for herself to her mom, break down the wall that she put there and start letting people in. And Aiden stands up for what is important for him in his life with his music career.

I absolutely LOVED seeing all my favorite characters from Morbidly Yours, and I _think_ we get a glimpse of who is next in the Love in Galway series?!

This second chance exes-to-lovers romance was the perfect read.

Thank you Putnam books and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5

***Trigger Warning: Cancer***

I thought this was really cute. I am not a fan of the second-chance romance trope. I love that this had so many callbacks to the first book. I should have reread before reading this one ( because I forgot some of the things that happened in that one). But overall I did enjoy this and I would suggest this series..

Thank you, Ivy Fairbanks, Putnman books, and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This comes out on August 12!

I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet second chance love story! Aiden and Cielo were both relatable MCs going through challenges and trying to decide to lean on each other or go it alone. It was a very lovely quick read I would recommend!

This book had so many things that I love.
A second chance romance? ✅
A plus size, hyper independent fmc? ✅✅
A hot, tattooed, redhead musician mmc? ✅✅✅

I really like Cielo, I think her character was so well written. She made the exact choices I would have made as a fellow hyper-independent woman with daddy issues. Something about it just didn’t quite make me obssesed though. I think I wanted more angst. These two were so obviously in love with each other right off the bat, which was lovely, but I wanted a little more tension. The sexy scenes also didn’t really do much for me, so.

Overall I think it’s a sweet story. I love that there was no third act breakup. It was a quick, pleasant read and I’ll definitely be coming back to read the next one!

Thank you NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this one with seeing how Lo and Aidan's relationship unfolded and how Aidan showed up for Lo with everything after not doing so the first time around. I'm glad they got to have their second chance at love. I enjoy the dual POV's, that way you can see inside both of their heads instead of only getting one side to the story. I sincerely hope Ivy Fairbanks writes a third to the series with Saoirse and Gabe.

I requested this ARC because I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and was surprised how much I liked it. This effort is not as strong, in my opinion. I liked Cielo and Aidan, but the premise seems ridiculous for no reason (she's dating the Noah Kahan of Galway right before he makes it big? Or something like that with less TikTok?) and some of the side characters are so outrageous that resolutions don't even feel useful (Cielo's mom, I'm looking at you). I will definitely read the third one in the series, but this is a 3.25 rounded up because I'm on vacation and would like to go to Ireland.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley.

Morally gray men? Fan of The Little Mermaid and Pirates of the Carbbean? Ok say no more! I loved this book.

I enjoyed this author's writing style.

I love books inspired by our beloved princesses but give it a twist. Love the fantasy elements.

I cannot wait to see what the author does for the next part. A great debut novel!

I’m normally not one for gingers, but Aiden stole my heart right away. I loved how bad these two had it for each other even after two years apart. Aiden was happy to take any crumbs Cielo gave him and Lo fought hard, but ultimately couldn’t deny that he still had her heart. Ivy did a great job of making their reconnecting authentic and natural. I can’t wait for the third book in the Love in Galway series.

A sweet, spicy second chance romance that I couldn’t put down. I connected with Cielo right off the bat and saw so much of myself in her. Aidan was such a sweet family man. I loved reading this story!

I really must be in my second chance romance era and I am NOT complaining!

This was a good second chance romance. Both characters had to face their part in the ending of their relationship the first go around and had some growing to do. Their dedication to doing things differently the second go around, while has some ups and downs, is what makes this a good second chance romance.

I loved the setting and the entire cast of characters throughout the book. I did read this without reading Morbidly Yours first, and didn't feel lost or confused by the mention of anything that happened in that book. This does make me want to go and read Morbidly Yours because I found that I really enjoy Ivy Fairbanks' style of writing.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC.

There’s a lot to like about this book — the setting is lovely, the side characters are fun, the tropes are troping — but there were a few things I had a hard time overlooking: we’re told ad nauseam that Lo is strong, lively, generous, and patient, but all we’re shown is a neurotic mess with control issues who isn’t in any position to be in a relationship with anybody but her therapist. Aidan is painted as a passionate, soulful artist but he just seems boring and starry-eyed. The biggest sin, the one I simply can’t forgive, is that he sings during phone sex. I don’t kink shame, but if someone tried to sing to me during sex, I think I’d just give up and run away forever. Imagine someone singing during sex. Actually, don’t.

A great second chance romance!
I loved Cielo and Aidan. They are reunited as maid of honor and best man at their friends’ wedding and old flames reignite.
My only reason for 4 stars is because I wish we got to see more of their past relationship.

So this is my review WITHOUT reading book one! I will be going back and editing my review afterwards.

I'm more into a slow burn and this just felt in your face fast. I didn't enjoy the plot (or lack there of) and it just left me wanting more.

I read Morbidly Yours while I was on leave for my hysterectomy last fall. I was beyond excited to receive an ARC for this book. I put all other books down to read. Let me just say, I kicked my feet with joy, I laughed, I cried, and I read parts of the incredible writing of this book to my husband. This is truly a 6 star read. It could not have been better.

Thank you to NetGallery and G.P. Putnam publishing group for the opportunity to read this eARC in advance for an honest review.

3.25⭐️s
This was an easy romance read and it was enjoyable! This isn’t a five star for me but I did enjoy reading it. My reasons are that I’m a known slow burn lover and this burned a bit fast for me. However I did feel the love between the two mcs. It was believable seeing them together but I do think the book for slow or little for plot wise, As in I found needing to find motivation to continue reading it, not because it was bad I just wasn’t gripped. Though I did find the book more enjoyable after 50%, it got quicker and easier to push through. I do think that I would’ve have liked to have seen more from Lo being able to put boundaries in place with her mom. I think in general I didn’t find the family relationships completely believable as in like it didn’t feel real to me and I would have liked to see more. But in general it was pretty good and I’d recommend it for someone who likes a good honest romance book!

Thank you again to the publishers and NetGallery!

Let me start off by saying I LOVED Morbidly, Yours so much! I was so excited to see she was releasing another book in the same series. It went into it expecting it be another top read. Unfortunately, it was just really slow and hard to get into. I loved both of the characters separately. I just felt like they didn’t really have any chemistry. I also was annoyed about the reason why they broke up in the first place. That being said I was living for the Callum and Lark moments. Overall it just fell a little flat for me.

Thank you Putnam and netgalley for an arc!! I was so excited to get Ivy Fairbank’s sophomore book, because I LOVED Morbidly Yours. Heart Strings picks up about two years after the end of book 1. While they are “interconnected standalones”, I wouldn’t recommend reading Heart Strings without having read Morbidly Yours because the characters from that book are very prevalent throughout this one. Book 1 heavily hinted that there was something going on between Cielo and Aiden. In the first half of Heart Strings, we get to see these two reconnect as they’re forced together as maid of honor and best man for a wedding. Cielo is a med-student and cancer survivor, and Aiden is an upcoming singer. The back half of the book is driven more by events going on in their separate worlds. I’ve seen a few other arc reviews say that they felt the back half of the book is slower. The first half is more rom-com-y, so it’s definitely a switch up, but I think it depends on what you like in a book because I loved the more serious back half. The only thing I wished were different about this book is that we got a deeper look into what happened between Cielo and Aiden during the first book. I feel like it was left kinda vague and miscommunicate-y? However, it did leave room for such good character growth, on both of the main characters parts! This book is definitely more spicy than the first one, and Ivy writes it so well. She also dropped some hints about how might be the main couple in a third book, and I really hope we get to see those two’s story! Overall this book was 4/5 stars for me and I would highly recommend!

This book was just okay. Second chance romance set in Ireland with a sexy musician MMC and a stem girly as our FMC. Ceilo is a cancer survivor who is learning to open her heart again. Aiden wants to be the one to show her how to live life again.

It had a lot of promise but ultimately fell flat for me. The original reason they broke up didn’t feel fully discussed and their current tension just wasn’t there for me. I had a hard time believing that they really fit together this time around. The Irish castle vibes were stellar though! If you’re a big second chance romance lover this might be for you!