By: Ashley Poston
“In that moment, I realized that music could be everything. It was the feeling of existing, dancing, reveling in the pouring rain. It was magic.”
I haven’t read a 5 star book yet in July… and now I have. Joni Lark is a songwriter, but she’s in a slump. She heads home to North Carolina for an extended vacation hoping that it will help her get out of her slump. But nothing is the same. Her best friend, Gigi, is kind of ignoring her, her parent’s business – a music venue called The Revelry – is going to be closing, and her mother’s memories are fading. Then she hears it – a song in her mind, and a man’s voice. They decide to meet hoping that if they finish the song together, they can get out of each other’s heads. But the sweet voice of the man in her head is really a gruff and rough musician. Maybe they were brought together for a reason.
I’m going to be shouting from the rafters for a while about this book. It’s a love letter to music, to family, to following your dreams, and to love. Reading this book really did feel like being wrapped in a warm hug. Music has always been very important to me and I’ve always felt a strong connection to it. This book felt like it described how I felt. I’ve always felt that music is the greatest form of expression, as least for me. It can transport you to a moment of time instantaneously. Joni wanted to write a song that did just that. She wanted to write a song that made people feel.
Joni and her family are close, but I understand her struggles with living far away from her family. She felt like they didn’t want to talk about the big important things – the things that matter. She felt like she didn’t really know what was going on. While I’ve never experienced what Joni did, I appreciated the author using her own experience to write about such a difficult topic – dementia. I can only imagine how hard it is to be the spouse or the daughter of a family member with that diagnosis.
Now, let’s talk about the romance. UGH. My heart swooned SO hard. They were absolutely perfect for each other. I hated that Joni had so many walls up. I wanted to jump into the book, take her by the shoulders and shake her. I really liked the idea of them being able to hear each others inner thoughts. It is intimate and vulnerable. It brought these two closer. I loved that he had her call him a name that was so special to him, and that he gave her a nickname. He really was just so sweet. I want to date him!!!!
This has easily become my absolute favorite Ashley Poston book, and it’s easily my top read of the year. I’ve connected with this book on another level. I laughed, I cried, and it will live rent free in my head. I think everyone needs to read this book.
Publish Date: June 17, 2025
Find the book here.
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