Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, in exchange for an unbiased review.

I've enjoyed some of Levitan's previous novels ("Take Me With You When You Go," and the astonishingly original "Every Day") but wow, Levitan misses the mark here on an almost impressive scale.

This book is a ponderous, navel-gazing exposition into one man's experience of 1) creating songs for weddings, and 2) getting dumped by his girlfriend. This plot is repeated over and over for all 10 chapters (Weddings 1 through 10). The "plot" is repetitive and boring, and frankly all characters are insufferable. And not in a good, fun way; in a "I have no desire to read about these people" way.

When I started this, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I had a bit of trouble getting into the story at first, but by the end I enjoyed it. The book tells the story of J, a singer/songwriter who also is dabbles as a wedding singer. Most of the plot circles around J and his complex relationship with V, his girlfriend of 2 years. We are given an inside view of the complexities of their relationship and the inner thoughts of the characters. At times I felt frustrated with both J and V; however, I think the author does a nice of job of giving an honest recount of the life of a relationship. I used to listen to Jens Lekman back when I was in college, so it was really nice to revisit his music as I read the book, and I enjoyed the songs scattered throughout the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Abrams for this ARC!

I liked the concept of this novel and was looking forward to reading it, but I had a really hard time getting into it and feeling connected to the main characters. I did like the unique songs and the themes of the weddings that the wedding singer sang at.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher, for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This story follows J, a wedding singer who writes each couple whose wedding he sings at their own unique song, as his romance with his girlfriend V goes through a major shift and they are left in limbo.

I liked this book a lot! It was a very realistic look at the complexities of relationships as it explored if being in love is really enough. I would classify it as general fiction and romance but not really in the way people typically think of romance novels. When I first started it I thought I’d be annoyed by the use of J and V but the writing was strong and I quickly got over it. I did find that there wasn’t really a strong story outside of their relationship itself. Which contributed to the feeling of being invited into someone’s relationship but didn’t make for a book where I just couldn’t set it down. Still an enjoyable read though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams for the ARC!

J is a wedding singer based in Sweden with a most unique mission: he writes custom songs for couples when he performs at their weddings. He learns about the couple--how they met, their little idiosyncrasies, what they love most about each other--and creates a musical memory that will last them a lifetime. Even with all of his experience, he has never been less sure of his knowledge of love. His girlfriend, V, accepts a job in New York City, and requests space from J as her life begins to blossom. As J tries to navigate his own tricky relationship, how will he manage to give couples their romantic happy ending?

David Levithan's writing style has always resonated deeply with me. He has a way of taking grandiose, abstract concepts like life and love, and putting feelings into words that I could never explain myself. J and V both felt so, so real as they each tried to understand their own feelings surrounding their relationship. Their story reminded me of Tom and Summer in 500 Days of Summer. There has been so much discourse about that movie--"Summer treated Tom so badly and he deserved better!---No, Tom is the villain and he did this to himself!"--when really, I always thought the story was about two young people just trying to figure themselves out. That's what I saw in J and V, too. Neither is right or wrong, and neither is the villain; they want and need different things, and their journey is one of learning and healing.

This is a beautiful character-driven tale of reflection and growth, told with depth and sensitivity unique to David Levithan's style. I also really enjoyed the song lyrics, which were written by Swedish musician Jens Lekman. I wasn't familiar with him before reading this book, but I sped to Spotify immediately afterward to hear his music.

Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams Books for a galley! Songs For Other People's Weddings publishes on August 5, 2025.

Love the premise and the premise of the book! the chapters being split into weddings and the fact that the two main characters that make up the very complicated couple are the only ones without full names, only initials- is both intriguing and genius. I'm not sure i liked how it ended but the rest of the book was funa dn quick read. every personalized song was intimate and sweet.

Songs for Other People's Weddings was incredible. It was hands down one of the most romantic and genuine feeling romance books i've read in a long time. This book was so unique and well written. I would highly reccommend it to romance lovers.

***1/2

J, a Swedish singer/songwriter does side gigs creating an original song for a couple and debuting it at their wedding, told over the course of ten weddings. The first wedding, a crazy, fun, song-themed affair where the guests come as a favorite song to celebrate their friends marriage, is full of funny characters and scenarios, pop culture allusions and documentary-style pace and cinematographic visuals. He tries to pick up the cute, mysterious girl at the bar after singing his hit about hoping the next woman he meets at a wedding will be the one, but someone else seems to have caught her attention.

The story devolves as J mopes over the suspension of his own romantic relationship. Together for two years, he and V survived all of his traveling and touring, but when the virtual reality/social media startup created by a genius 19-year old goes viral and public, she wants to ride out the opportunity to be part of the something bigger. She abruptly moves to New York, where her time is filled with work, and enjoying her solitude. She neither wants to pull the plug on the relationship, or to see J. when he comes to visit, and the limbo takes it's toll on his mental state, his clients, his work, and the relationship. He doesn't begrudge her this time, but misses her in a way he doesn't he's the one away for business. It's telling that neither, when faced with her indefinite, out-of-town work, suggests the J move with her.

This book has an excellent title, an eye-catching cover, and a wonderfully unique premise, but it did not hold my attention, maybe simply because I wasn't in the mood for a heartbreak tale. I didn't realize the setting was Sweden until a good way through the book; it didn't have a sense of time or setting for me, perhaps echoing J's own limbo. Less a love story than a meditation on love, this is a slow-paced thoughtful book. The writing is never as good as the first 50 pages or so, but both Levithan's emotional narrative and Lekman's lyrics are poignant, clever and well-written. Recommended for those who prefer fiction with romantic elements over true romance.

I received a free, advance reader's review copy of #SongsForOtherPeoplesWeddings via #NetGalley courtesy of #Abrams in exchange for a fair and honest review. A review will post to HLBB 8/5/2025

"There will be an original song, correct? Tommy told me you write a song for all your weddings. It's a darling conceit."

As is this novel. Songs for Other People's Weddings is a beautifully told story about J, a successful wedding singer, who writes and performs one-of -a-kind songs for his brides and grooms. What is so charming about this book is how his connections to one wedding leads to the next. Each wedding holds significance to the development of J's complicated relationship with V, who is across the world, starting her own life that he is no longer apart of.

This book and the characters felt so real. This easily could have been someone's memoir or biography. I really rooted for both J and V independently. While this book is not funny, there are funny moments. The unironic way they refer to V's boss as "Thor" was quite hilarious to me and added so much to his character.

Where it fell a little flat for me was the lack of plot. A lot of the book was J pining after V and how to save their relationship. There was little to no conflict, and no overall goal. I applaud both V and J for their communication - two characters who can articulate their feelings in a non-combative way? We love a healthy communication trope. But I almost would have liked a 3rd party love interest to intervene, but maybe that would have changed the whole story.

This truly is a one-of-a-kind novel that doesn't fake emotion, or feeling.

Thank you to the authors, NetGalley and Adams Press for the e-ARC of this book. I am sure this will succeed upon publication.

What a great exploration of wedding songs and the meaning one musician can give to each couple on their special day. I liked the concept of this story and thought the authors drew it together in a hopeful and magical way. I was entertained throughout. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.