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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
I was so excited to read this one after reading her previous book Eight Perfect Hours and really enjoying it!
Thankfully, this one did not disappoint! Just a warning, while the cover does look a little festive and snowy, this is not a Christmas book! I'm not sure why I assumed it was!
I loved that this felt like a realistic romance with an actual adult with real life problems while still having a little bit of wonder and magic. The main character has been widowed and is struggling to move on after the loss of her husband.
She finds comfort playing the piano in downtown London by the train station and starts noticing someone leaving sheet music....and not just any sheet music but her late husband's favorite songs. She's determined to find out who the mysterious person could be and the reveal is wonderful!
I'm definitely going to add anything Lia Louis writes to my list in the future!
*This is a clean romance, does have some strong language though*
Thank you so much to Atria books for the chance to read and review this book prior to release. It will be available for purchase on December 20th!
Thankfully, this one did not disappoint! Just a warning, while the cover does look a little festive and snowy, this is not a Christmas book! I'm not sure why I assumed it was!
I loved that this felt like a realistic romance with an actual adult with real life problems while still having a little bit of wonder and magic. The main character has been widowed and is struggling to move on after the loss of her husband.
She finds comfort playing the piano in downtown London by the train station and starts noticing someone leaving sheet music....and not just any sheet music but her late husband's favorite songs. She's determined to find out who the mysterious person could be and the reveal is wonderful!
I'm definitely going to add anything Lia Louis writes to my list in the future!
*This is a clean romance, does have some strong language though*
Thank you so much to Atria books for the chance to read and review this book prior to release. It will be available for purchase on December 20th!
challenging
emotional
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Medical content, Car accident
Minor: Pregnancy
Why have I not read this author before? (Quickly goes to the zon to fill up my basket with her back catalogue while grinning like a moron). Discovering a new author you love is like gold at the end of a rainbow, magical.
Talking of magical that is exactly how I felt about this book. You might think a book about a young widow and her grief would be sad, possibly depressing and you would be surprised to find it was instead funny, hopeful, heartwarming and have I mentioned funny? I really need to emphasise that as the humour in this was just so very much me. Natalie’s banter is so close to my sarcasm/wit that if she was real I would want to be her friend so I could find out what she felt about me. The way she speaks about the people in her life, you can feel the love even though it is hidden behind the jokey facade.
Two years after the death of Russ, her friends Lucy, Roxanne and Priya are on a night out and they are up to their usual matchmaking tricks. Uninterested but going along with it Natalie makes her way to the bar and chats with Tom who turns out to not only be a good sport but apparently has a laugh that can make a vagina explode.
Then there is that little piano stool, that nobody except Natalie knows opens, under the piano she plays inside St Pancras station. The appearance of sheet music inside, that could only be meant for her, gives special meaning and an air of mystery. Plus there is also the enigma of ex friend Edie and what happened there.
Every single character here is important to piecing Natalie and her story together like some cosmic jigsaw. Fate? A happy accident? Some things are just meant to be and this book getting into my hands felt exactly the same.
Talking of magical that is exactly how I felt about this book. You might think a book about a young widow and her grief would be sad, possibly depressing and you would be surprised to find it was instead funny, hopeful, heartwarming and have I mentioned funny? I really need to emphasise that as the humour in this was just so very much me. Natalie’s banter is so close to my sarcasm/wit that if she was real I would want to be her friend so I could find out what she felt about me. The way she speaks about the people in her life, you can feel the love even though it is hidden behind the jokey facade.
Two years after the death of Russ, her friends Lucy, Roxanne and Priya are on a night out and they are up to their usual matchmaking tricks. Uninterested but going along with it Natalie makes her way to the bar and chats with Tom who turns out to not only be a good sport but apparently has a laugh that can make a vagina explode.
Then there is that little piano stool, that nobody except Natalie knows opens, under the piano she plays inside St Pancras station. The appearance of sheet music inside, that could only be meant for her, gives special meaning and an air of mystery. Plus there is also the enigma of ex friend Edie and what happened there.
Every single character here is important to piecing Natalie and her story together like some cosmic jigsaw. Fate? A happy accident? Some things are just meant to be and this book getting into my hands felt exactly the same.
This book is about feeling stuck in the grief of losing your person, and finding love again. The music arc is a lovely one and I really enjoyed how it was interwoven into the character and how it helped her to find herself again.
Another thing that stood out for me is how loved Natalie was, and given the right circumstances, the right man, forgiveness, and friendship, she is able to move through the grief and latch onto something truly inspiring: HOPE.
I haven't cried like this over a book in quite some time. Tears of laughter, tears of joy, tears of sorrow.
Read it. You won't be disappointed.
Thank you Lia Louis for this beautiful book.
Another thing that stood out for me is how loved Natalie was, and given the right circumstances, the right man, forgiveness, and friendship, she is able to move through the grief and latch onto something truly inspiring: HOPE.
I haven't cried like this over a book in quite some time. Tears of laughter, tears of joy, tears of sorrow.
Read it. You won't be disappointed.
Thank you Lia Louis for this beautiful book.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Lia Louis is an auto-buy/auto-request author that I love. I have now read 3 out of the 4 books she has written and loved every single one of them.
The Key To My Heart is a beautiful, heartwarming and at times an emotional story about grief and hope for the future. Like in her other books, Louis has written realistic and relatable characters who feel like they're a part of your life. The banter between these characters is just amazing!
I also really liked the premise of this one, the way music played such a key role in this made me so happy! I also loved that whilst this is a romance novel, it's also a story of friendships, loss and finding yourself.
I will always recommend Lia Louis and this one hasn't changed that. Go pick it up!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Key To My Heart is a beautiful, heartwarming and at times an emotional story about grief and hope for the future. Like in her other books, Louis has written realistic and relatable characters who feel like they're a part of your life. The banter between these characters is just amazing!
I also really liked the premise of this one, the way music played such a key role in this made me so happy! I also loved that whilst this is a romance novel, it's also a story of friendships, loss and finding yourself.
I will always recommend Lia Louis and this one hasn't changed that. Go pick it up!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Key to My Heart. Key. KEY. MUSIC KEY!!
Lia Louis, you genius!
------
Have I ever not liked anything written by Lia Louis? The answer is no.
If you have read her books before, you know that Lia has this serendipity theme going on in her books, that has always gotten to me.
She also does makes the situations her characters go through seem so freaking real - like having someone say something funny in a very deep, very heavy moment.
The Key to My Heart deals with Natalie's grief and how-does-she move-on, how she feels people perceive her, how there's a before- and after- tragedy. I feel like this is more woman's fiction than romance, but the romance bit just felt fated (I loved it!). I loved how the story came together in the last chapters.
Waiting for Lia Louis's next.
Lia Louis, you genius!
------
Have I ever not liked anything written by Lia Louis? The answer is no.
If you have read her books before, you know that Lia has this serendipity theme going on in her books, that has always gotten to me.
She also does makes the situations her characters go through seem so freaking real - like having someone say something funny in a very deep, very heavy moment.
The Key to My Heart deals with Natalie's grief and how-does-she move-on, how she feels people perceive her, how there's a before- and after- tragedy. I feel like this is more woman's fiction than romance, but the romance bit just felt fated (I loved it!). I loved how the story came together in the last chapters.
Waiting for Lia Louis's next.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5*
Gosh Lia Louis knows how to write an incredible book! THE KEY TO MY HEART really tackles grief as a whole and it's so emotional and beautifully written.
My thoughts:
-ALL the emotions! I laughed, cried, smiled
-the musical aspects were so touching - especially with the piano and the sheet music, how it was used as a form of music therapy too
-lighter on the romance side but the story itself has a lot of depth
-the ending, ughhhh
-the banter between Tom & Natalie was just too good
I haven't read DEAR EMMIE BLUE yet but EIGHT PERFECT HOURS was also fantastic. Lia Louis is definitely an auto buy author for me and I know I will enjoy her future work.
Gosh Lia Louis knows how to write an incredible book! THE KEY TO MY HEART really tackles grief as a whole and it's so emotional and beautifully written.
My thoughts:
-ALL the emotions! I laughed, cried, smiled
-the musical aspects were so touching - especially with the piano and the sheet music, how it was used as a form of music therapy too
-lighter on the romance side but the story itself has a lot of depth
-the ending, ughhhh
-the banter between Tom & Natalie was just too good
I haven't read DEAR EMMIE BLUE yet but EIGHT PERFECT HOURS was also fantastic. Lia Louis is definitely an auto buy author for me and I know I will enjoy her future work.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated