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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Natalie is a widow who is trying to find her life again post loss. She works and barely handles her friends, but she is far from living a fulfilling life. But when someone begins to mysteriously leave the sheet music for her husband’s favorite songs at the station’s piano, Natalie begins to feel a sense of hope and excitement for the first time. As she investigates just who could be doing this, Natalie finds herself on an unexpected journey toward newfound love for herself, for life, and maybe, for a special someone.
This book was so heartbreaking and simultaneously heartwarming. we see progression of Natalie come back to life as she finds new purpose and friendships. I do have to admit, it took me a while to get invested. I found myself skimming and it took me a while longer to read than normal, but the last third of the book was so beautiful and made it all worth it! I loved the love triangle, and the little webs of connections were so satisfying. Overall this was a very enjoyable book.
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.
This book was so heartbreaking and simultaneously heartwarming. we see progression of Natalie come back to life as she finds new purpose and friendships. I do have to admit, it took me a while to get invested. I found myself skimming and it took me a while longer to read than normal, but the last third of the book was so beautiful and made it all worth it! I loved the love triangle, and the little webs of connections were so satisfying. Overall this was a very enjoyable book.
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This was a great read. The premise was unique, and Nathalie's journey through grief (and how it affected those around her) felt authentic. I liked the piano and music therapy aspect of the novel, and the love story was sweet.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Key To My Heart
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Key to My Heart is a heart warming story of a widow finding her way through grief. She navigates through friendships, her career and home as she learns to adjust to her new life.
This was written by Lia Louis, author of Eight Perfect Hours, which I read last year. I liked this one even more! While it has some romance going in, I thought the preview prepared me well for a more melancholy story. Good to the happy ending!
Thanks to @netgalley for this advanced copy!
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
read this book at the same time as “Once Upon a December” by Amy Reichert, and I liked both, but “Key to My Heart” struck me as much more complex, more characters, more relationships, and strong development about the isolation of the grieving process.
I found the book, with its London setting and breezy British humor to be a good place to hang out, which was good because the book gets a little overstuffed in the second half. What starts as a book about picking up the pieces after being widowed, with a sheet music mystery to carry it along, includes a lot of subplots: falling for the wrong guy while being oblivious to the right guy, at least three perceived betrayals because someone didn’t tell someone something (very sensitive!), moral dilemmas over other peoples’ infidelities, and minor characters being mad at the main character. Some of this is necessary to explain why the true lovers don’t realize they are meant for each other, but some of it could be skipped.
My other beef is that I hate the cover art, and the title, which reduce a winning novel to just another rom-com.
I found the book, with its London setting and breezy British humor to be a good place to hang out, which was good because the book gets a little overstuffed in the second half. What starts as a book about picking up the pieces after being widowed, with a sheet music mystery to carry it along, includes a lot of subplots: falling for the wrong guy while being oblivious to the right guy, at least three perceived betrayals because someone didn’t tell someone something (very sensitive!), moral dilemmas over other peoples’ infidelities, and minor characters being mad at the main character. Some of this is necessary to explain why the true lovers don’t realize they are meant for each other, but some of it could be skipped.
My other beef is that I hate the cover art, and the title, which reduce a winning novel to just another rom-com.
Lia did it again! I feel like I need to do a reread of all of her books now that I finally finished this one. I started it in July, read some more here and there, and then got hooked on it tonight and binged the rest. It only took so long because I haven't read a print book in a long time because it hurts and/or I don't have enough energy to hold them. Even now, my hands and arms hurt but they were doing ok when I started tonight so I was able to get into it. Such a lovely exploration of grief and how to move on when you've lost the love of your life.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
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
Natalie had everything she could ever dream of, until her husband dies in a freak accident. It’s been two years, and she cant seem to get herself out of her grief rut. The one thing she always makes time for is playing the old piano in the train station. She is sure nobody listens, but it helps her. When she gets there one day to find a piece of music on the bench, Natalie is shocked and wonders who left it. As the music keeps coming, all with an intense connection to her and her husband Russ, Natalie is sure he is somehow leaving this for her…
Oh man, Lia Louis can just pull on every single one of those heart strings. I love that all her books have a hint of romance, but there is so much story behind it, that it isn’t just a romance. I have loved her ever since I read Dear Emmie Blue and this one did not change that at all! My heart just broke for Natalie, but I also felt for everyone in her life that just wanted to help and didn’t know how. This was just such a fantastic look at grief. How everyone handles it differently, and how we learn to live with it. I recently saw a post that said “grief doesn’t get smaller, we grow around it.” I thought it was a beautiful statement, but also it fit this story so well. Lia Louis did it again!
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have yet to read a Lia Louis book that I do not love! And this one was no exception! I fell into this story with these characters so fast and easily. I have come across a lot more books with grief as the undertone and a topic of discussion and I think that’s great because it is something we all go through and may not know how to process or may feel we should be “over it” by now.
My favourite part was the “one word” part (iykyk.) I’m not going to spoil that, so I guess you will just have to read it to find out!!!!
Thank you to Lia Louis, Atria Books, and NetGalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
My favourite part was the “one word” part (iykyk.) I’m not going to spoil that, so I guess you will just have to read it to find out!!!!
Thank you to Lia Louis, Atria Books, and NetGalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.