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mmasten's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this light, easy beach read. Was it in depth, developed, or evolved - no but I enjoyed every bit of it.
verityw's review against another edition
4.0
****Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review****
It's only Monday, but this is a serious contender for book of the week. I really enjoyed this fun and sexy romance. Honeysuckle is a great central character - but all the people around her are also brilliantly drawn too. There's actually quite a lot going on in this book, but it wears it very lightly. I do like a moody tortured alpha-a**ehole hero sometimes - and Hal fits that bill totally.
And it's a bit different from your normal straight-down-the-line romantic comedies too - there are problems here that won't be solved, that people will always be grappling with. And I like that. I don't want everything fixed - even if Honeysuckle thinks she can.
I'm off to see what else Kat French has written...
It's only Monday, but this is a serious contender for book of the week. I really enjoyed this fun and sexy romance. Honeysuckle is a great central character - but all the people around her are also brilliantly drawn too. There's actually quite a lot going on in this book, but it wears it very lightly. I do like a moody tortured alpha-a**ehole hero sometimes - and Hal fits that bill totally.
And it's a bit different from your normal straight-down-the-line romantic comedies too - there are problems here that won't be solved, that people will always be grappling with. And I like that. I don't want everything fixed - even if Honeysuckle thinks she can.
I'm off to see what else Kat French has written...
bananatricky's review against another edition
4.0
Honeysuckle Jones hasn't had much luck with men so her two BFFs (as always when girls have friends in books there are two of them and they are extremely irritating) decide to try to set her up with a man, for some reason they decide that a pianist would be ideal, because he would be good with his hands, so they set her up on a series of blind dates with men who play the piano, or teach music, or something equally vaguely related to music. At the same time her boss announces that the company that owns the charity shop that she works for, and the old people's home attached to it, have decided to sell the buildings for redevelopment. Honey will be out of a job and the old people, many of whom are her friends, will be "rehomed". Nevertheless, despite all her bad luck Honey remains relentlessly optimistic.
A new man has moved into the flat that shares a hallway with Honey's, what she doesn't know is that the new neighbour is Benedict 'Hal' Hallam, former bad boy restaurateur and adrenaline junkie, Hal had a snowboard accident that left him blind and now he is hiding away from his friends and family, drinking whisky and unable to move on from the loss of everything that meant anything to him: his job; his fiancee; and his adrenaline-fuelled lifestyle.
Honey and Hal can't be more different but slowly an antagonistic relationship develops between them. Honey buys Hal whisky and food items, in return she sits at his door and talks at him, even though he rarely responds.
As Honey's plans to save the retirement home become increasingly eccentric Hal is drawn into the madness and starts to emerge from the prison he's made from himself. But when the press finds out where he's hiding, and his old life comes back to claim him, what will Hal choose.
If you are a fan of English romances featuring a cast of lovable but eccentric characters then this one is for you. The snarky banter between Hal and Honey is funny and the plot is enjoyable.
However, I'm afraid you do have to suspend a little disbelief. First that a blind wealthy celebrity would move into a block of flats that could be afforded by a woman who works for a small local charity shop. Second that the family that does know where Hal is make no attempt to check he is okay, they even send him letters! Third, Hal doesn't seem to have any issues wandering around his flat, or Honey's or various other places despite being blind.
Nevertheless, despite these minor niggles (and some issues I have with the age of the pensioners and the idea that they were adults at the time of the second world war - I'm an accountant deal with it) I really enjoyed the book and I will definitely look out for more books by Kat French.
A new man has moved into the flat that shares a hallway with Honey's, what she doesn't know is that the new neighbour is Benedict 'Hal' Hallam, former bad boy restaurateur and adrenaline junkie, Hal had a snowboard accident that left him blind and now he is hiding away from his friends and family, drinking whisky and unable to move on from the loss of everything that meant anything to him: his job; his fiancee; and his adrenaline-fuelled lifestyle.
Honey and Hal can't be more different but slowly an antagonistic relationship develops between them. Honey buys Hal whisky and food items, in return she sits at his door and talks at him, even though he rarely responds.
As Honey's plans to save the retirement home become increasingly eccentric Hal is drawn into the madness and starts to emerge from the prison he's made from himself. But when the press finds out where he's hiding, and his old life comes back to claim him, what will Hal choose.
If you are a fan of English romances featuring a cast of lovable but eccentric characters then this one is for you. The snarky banter between Hal and Honey is funny and the plot is enjoyable.
However, I'm afraid you do have to suspend a little disbelief. First that a blind wealthy celebrity would move into a block of flats that could be afforded by a woman who works for a small local charity shop. Second that the family that does know where Hal is make no attempt to check he is okay, they even send him letters! Third, Hal doesn't seem to have any issues wandering around his flat, or Honey's or various other places despite being blind.
Nevertheless, despite these minor niggles (and some issues I have with the age of the pensioners and the idea that they were adults at the time of the second world war - I'm an accountant deal with it) I really enjoyed the book and I will definitely look out for more books by Kat French.
maira_h's review against another edition
3.0
The reason why I picked this up was because the title and the synopsis sounded very, very appealing. Piano Man and all that.
But then, I don't think the content did the title any justice. The pianists in this book played little role in the storyline, to be honest.
Plus, the love interest had, apparently, lose his sight in an accident. But then, throughout the story, I need to keep reminding myself that he couldn't see when this should be the author's job when it comes to describing what it was like.
Maybe the author intended for his lose of sight to not be the main focus, but then again, it should be, especially when the conflict revolved around that.
The pacing was a little slow for my taste. Maybe because I got bored having to read about the two main characters playing tug of war.
Nonetheless, I appreciated the idea the book was bringing forth.
(*) 3 stars is enough, I think? (*)
But then, I don't think the content did the title any justice. The pianists in this book played little role in the storyline, to be honest.
Plus, the love interest had, apparently, lose his sight in an accident. But then, throughout the story, I need to keep reminding myself that he couldn't see when this should be the author's job when it comes to describing what it was like.
Maybe the author intended for his lose of sight to not be the main focus, but then again, it should be, especially when the conflict revolved around that.
The pacing was a little slow for my taste. Maybe because I got bored having to read about the two main characters playing tug of war.
Nonetheless, I appreciated the idea the book was bringing forth.
(*) 3 stars is enough, I think? (*)
reviewdiaries's review against another edition
4.0
This review was written for The Review Diaries
You can read the full review here
Huge thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
It’s summer time and I always need a few good chick-lits to curl up and read when it gets warmer, and that blurb had me more than a little bit intrigued.
The book starts with one of the most attention grabbing scenes I’ve read in a long time. Honey and her two best friends in a sex shop, discussing vibrators and sex. This is not a book that holds back, and you’re thrust in (no pun intended) right from the very first sentence.
I wasn’t initially convinced, I mean yes the book had my attention, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be good. But ‘The Piano Man Project’ ended up surprising me until by the end I was thoroughly invested and more than a little bit emotional.
Honey and Hal are fantastic together. The banter is brilliant and I frequently found myself laughing out loud. Add to that their chemistry and that alone would be enough to make this a good book. But it had so much more depth to it. It tackles sex, the culture and emphasis on orgasm. It tackles the plight of the residents of the home, the problematic attitude that so many have about sweeping the elderly under the rug and forgetting the things they have done for us with their youth. It has strong and brilliant friendships between Honey and her two best friends, plus the friendships Honey has developed with the residents of the home. There was so much to this book that it stopped being ‘just a romance’ from only a handful of pages in.
Whilst the relationship developing between Hal and Honey was fantastic, and the side story of the search for an elusive piano man was amusing/cringeworthy at points, the real show stealer for me was the story thread about trying to save the home. I loved watching Honey come out of her shell and start to really put herself out there and speak up for these residents. I loved the protests and the humour that came through above the fear in those moments. I loved the quiet determination throughout, but I particularly loved the crowning glory, the giant protest at the end where everything comes to a head. I was so emotional by that point reading the speeches from Honey, and the support from all of the other characters that I was actually in tears on the train whilst reading. I was so drawn into the narrative and invested with these characters and their lives.
My only issue was with some of Hal’s character points. I got that he had to be grumpy and abrasive, but there were several points where the way he was treating Honey was just too awful to really then sell the romance. I could have done with his terribleness being toned down a little bit so that I wasn’t constantly questioning why Honey was falling for him. It was decidedly problematic at several points. That said I loved the slow build-up of their relationship. The kisses, the cooking, the dinner and talking through the door. It was brilliantly done. I loved that we had a hero who wasn’t the norm. Kat really embraced the challenge of having Hal be blind, and I loved seeing how he dealt with that, the emotional and physical problems, how he tried to deal with it and the fall-out from that. It added more unexpected depths that I truly wasn’t expecting and surprised me in the best possible way.
This whole book surprised me. I was expecting a light romance and instead I got a romance with some much deeper themes underlying it. It was emotional, and poignant and utterly brilliant. I was swept away with this story and loved spending time with Honey. This is definitely one that I’m going to come back to again and again.
You can read the full review here
Huge thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
It’s summer time and I always need a few good chick-lits to curl up and read when it gets warmer, and that blurb had me more than a little bit intrigued.
The book starts with one of the most attention grabbing scenes I’ve read in a long time. Honey and her two best friends in a sex shop, discussing vibrators and sex. This is not a book that holds back, and you’re thrust in (no pun intended) right from the very first sentence.
I wasn’t initially convinced, I mean yes the book had my attention, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be good. But ‘The Piano Man Project’ ended up surprising me until by the end I was thoroughly invested and more than a little bit emotional.
Honey and Hal are fantastic together. The banter is brilliant and I frequently found myself laughing out loud. Add to that their chemistry and that alone would be enough to make this a good book. But it had so much more depth to it. It tackles sex, the culture and emphasis on orgasm. It tackles the plight of the residents of the home, the problematic attitude that so many have about sweeping the elderly under the rug and forgetting the things they have done for us with their youth. It has strong and brilliant friendships between Honey and her two best friends, plus the friendships Honey has developed with the residents of the home. There was so much to this book that it stopped being ‘just a romance’ from only a handful of pages in.
Whilst the relationship developing between Hal and Honey was fantastic, and the side story of the search for an elusive piano man was amusing/cringeworthy at points, the real show stealer for me was the story thread about trying to save the home. I loved watching Honey come out of her shell and start to really put herself out there and speak up for these residents. I loved the protests and the humour that came through above the fear in those moments. I loved the quiet determination throughout, but I particularly loved the crowning glory, the giant protest at the end where everything comes to a head. I was so emotional by that point reading the speeches from Honey, and the support from all of the other characters that I was actually in tears on the train whilst reading. I was so drawn into the narrative and invested with these characters and their lives.
My only issue was with some of Hal’s character points. I got that he had to be grumpy and abrasive, but there were several points where the way he was treating Honey was just too awful to really then sell the romance. I could have done with his terribleness being toned down a little bit so that I wasn’t constantly questioning why Honey was falling for him. It was decidedly problematic at several points. That said I loved the slow build-up of their relationship. The kisses, the cooking, the dinner and talking through the door. It was brilliantly done. I loved that we had a hero who wasn’t the norm. Kat really embraced the challenge of having Hal be blind, and I loved seeing how he dealt with that, the emotional and physical problems, how he tried to deal with it and the fall-out from that. It added more unexpected depths that I truly wasn’t expecting and surprised me in the best possible way.
This whole book surprised me. I was expecting a light romance and instead I got a romance with some much deeper themes underlying it. It was emotional, and poignant and utterly brilliant. I was swept away with this story and loved spending time with Honey. This is definitely one that I’m going to come back to again and again.