Bestselling author Lucy Gold may write fairy tales for a living, but her own happily ever after is looking bleak. Seeking a fresh start after a sudden divorce on the eve of her thirtieth birthday, she decides to make a new life for herself and her service dog in Los Angeles. But when her living arrangements fall through just before takeoff, a handsome stranger offers to let her stay with him and his motley crew of musicians in Malibu.

Her gallant hero? None other than Henry Turner, the award-winning composer whose music has held Lucy together while her life’s been crumbling apart.

Henry might be at the peak of his creative career, but his crippling anxiety throws his personal life completely out of tune. Yet all that changes the longer Lucy stays with him and his housemates, swiftly becoming one of their own and offering Henry a glimpse of happiness he never thought possible.

As their relationship deepens, Lucy’s attraction to Henry cannot be denied, but as she works through the aftermath of her divorce, she’s resigned to give up on love. Henry plays all the right notes and says all the right words. Will Lucy be able to hear them over her fear of the past repeating itself?
An unforgettable story. It's beautiful all through, but the closing chapters are just astonishing, transcendent and hope-filled and life-affirming.

You know how you read a book and you just know that the story is going to stay with you forever? Speechless has done that with me.

Bestselling author Lucy Gold is ready for a fresh start. After her sudden divorce on the eve of her 30th birthday, she’s ready to make that fresh start with her service dog in LA. While waiting to board her flight, she got the news that her living arrangements fell through. Insert Henry Turner. Handsome musician who lives in Malibu who also offers to let Lucy stay with him and his motley crew of musicians. We obviously know that sparks are gonna fly and their relationship can only go up from here.

Y’all this book has a hold on me. I couldn’t put it down. Going into this book, I thought it was going to be a lighthearted rom-com but I was wrong. It’s definitely a heavier rom-com but still amazing. I loved the characters and the plot of the story. The author did an amazing job with representing chronic illness and anxiety. As someone who suffers from anxiety, I appreciated that a lot.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time reading this one. I highly recommend picking this one up on January 17th!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the e-arc!

4.5/5 stars.

SPEECHLESS is Lindsey's debut novel about bestselling author, Lucy Gold, whose idea of a happily ever after for her own life has been broken after a sudden divorce. Lucy is looking for a fresh start in LA, when just before she boards her flight her living arrangements falls through. A handsome stranger offers to let her stay with him until she gets on her feet.

Now can I say that the way this novel starts sounds like the PERFECT set up for a slasher movie or a thriller? A woman is down on her luck, a handsome stranger offers her help... and next thing you know she's trapped in his basement... (I may have read one too many mystery/thrillers before picking this up). Evidently, this is a romance novel and that does NOT happen but I'm sure you could see where I'm going with this lol.

SPEECHLESS is a beautifully written story that is told in both Lucy's & Henry's (our handsome stranger) alternating POV. I really enjoyed both of their perspectives and loved seeing the story and romance come together through both of their eyes. Their characters are both very realistic and dynamic. Lucy & Henry's character growth is well done, each exploring their deepest insecurities and learning to shape their life path (and their own happiness) with them.

I loved how Lucy's love of Henry's music is something that brought them both together. Music is such an important part of a person's life - something that can be so personal and cathartic. I really liked the use of music in this novel as a tool that each character used to cope.

A special shout out to Rowan because who doesn't love a furry companion?! I also would like to say that I loved Graham's character as well and was so happy with his role in this novel.

The one thing that diminished my interest at a certain point was the pacing in the middle section of the book - I felt like it was a bit slow. I understand the point of this section as it builds up to how the whole novel resolves, but maybe it could have been shortened a wee bit.

I liked how Lindsey discusses chronic illnesses and shares realistic and relatable thoughts and feelings about living with a chronic illness. It can be hard for those who don't have one to understand and I thought Lindsey's discussion & use of these chronic illnesses in her story to be poignant and tactful.

The tail end of this book is filled with angst, tension, and heartbreak. It's an emotional culmination that builds to its boiling point over the course of the book. The ending is so well done, truly pulling at my heartstrings.

A beautifully written book to say the least! I can't wait to see what Lindsey will write in the future!

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley, the publisher, Victory Editing, and the author, Lindsey Lanza, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions shared are my own.</i>

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC!
"But under the rainbow, that's how I feel when I'm with you. Like the storm has just ended and I can finally see the sun. You're my fairy tale, Luzu." To say I am speechless by this debut novel by Lindsey Lanza is an understatement. I was initially drawn to the book by the super cute cover and of course the even cuter pup on it. My expectations were exceeded. Speechless follows Lucy who is moving to LA after a divorce. When her plans to live with her college bestie fall through right as she's about to board her flight, she is left with nowhere for her and her service dog Rowan to go. Lucy needs to calm down after this news so she listens to her favorite composer Henry Turner because his music helps her through hard times. When the handsome man she met before boarding the plane defends her dog Rowan and sits next to her on the plane she is shocked to find that none other than Henry Turner is her knight in shining armor. Henry offers for her to stay with him and his roommates/team at his home in Malibu and Lucy has no choice but to accept. The story follows Lucy who has a chronic illness and Henry who struggles with severe anxiety as they get to know each other and learn they may be more perfect for each other they either of them expects.
There are so many aspects of this novel that I absolutely love. The found family trope is a great place to start. Lucy is left with no one but her dog after her divorce and you can tell instantly when she moves in that she will be lifelong friends with HAAAM (Henry's friends and team of musicians). Graham is such a great friend to Lucy and definitely one of my favorite characters. I also loved Lucy's service dog, Rowan. He is the sweetest and so cute but when I learned he was named after Rowan from the Throne of Glass series I fell out of my chair. As a huge ToG and Sarah J Maas fan this was just the cherry on top of how much I loved this book. When Lucy and Henry discuss the books I was smiling so hard. Another thing I loved about this story is the representation of illness and anxiety. Specifically how Lucy handled situations where Henry's anxiety took over and was unbothered by it. Both of them are able to see each other's struggles and still love each other despite them. Lucy struggles with the idea of being wanted in a relationship because of her illness and past relationship turned toxic because of it. This makes it hard for her to accept a relationship with Henry because she thinks he will not be able to love her once he realizes the extent of her illness. I started to get frustrated with Lucy and originally thought her constantly thinking of ending their relationship was a con. However, after reading the author's note where Lindsey Lanza explains that it's hard to get out of your own head and that her writing about Lucy that way was intentional, it made me rethink my frustrations towards Lucy. I definitely recommend this as your next romance read!

I’m obsessed with this book! A few pages in, I knew I was going to love it and it just kept getting better and better as it progressed. I loved literally everything about it! Honestly, the only bad thing about this book is the fact that it ends 🥲
2022 is almost over and I’ve read a lot of amazing books this year but this is 100% one of the best ones I’ve read.

Lucy and Henry’s meet cute was probably one of my favourites ever. They meet at the airport when they’re waiting for their delayed flight and a short conversation reveals a spark they cannot ignore. Lucy also finds out that Henry is the Henry Turner, the composer whose music has brightened her darkest days and overall kept her from falling apart when her life started crumbling. When she finds herself without a place to stay when she arrives at her destination, Henry offers her a room in his house in Malibu, where he lives with his friends (aka HAAAM) and Lucy ends up accepting and moving in with them. What she thought would be a short stay ends up becoming a lot more and as she gets to know Henry and his friends, she finds the family she’s been longing for.

Lucy and Henry are such lovely characters. I just want to give them the biggest hug! They both have stuff they’re dealing with and it’s definitely not easy for either of them but seeing them find so much love and comfort not only in each other but in their friends and consequently grow more confident was so so heartwarming. The found family trope was really strong in this book and it’s undoubtedly one of my favourite things about it. Following them along on this journey was truly inspiring and I’m so glad they found each other and the happiness they deserve.

I also loved how the author approached chronic illness (endometriosis), anxiety and selective mutism. It felt so very real and my heart ached for both Lucy and Henry and everything they went through to get to where they are.
And because this review wouldn’t be complete without it, I have to mention Rowan, the cutest service dog ever, who not only helped Lucy when she was in pain but also brought life to the party and made this book even better.

Overall this was an amazing book that gave me all the feels. Although it pulled at my heartstrings at times, it was generally super sweet and fun and I had the hardest of times putting it down when I had to. If you’re looking for a beautiful story with the sweetest and most lovable characters, as well as amazing chronic illness and mental health representation, then make sure to check this one out when it comes out on January 17th! You won’t regret it!

A huge thank you to Lindsey Lanza, NetGalley, and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. I loved the individual obstacles the main characters had to overcome. I love the love they shared. I. loved. this. book.

Lucy has been through a lot. The beginning of the book devastated me. I couldn’t imagine that happening to myself.. She is so brave & conquers through her battles. Henry sounds like a dream. He is so sweet & patient with Lucy. He has had a difficult past which has caused his anxieties but it is so amazing to see him grow throughout the book. All of the characters in Speechless are swoon worthy. & don’t forget about Rowan - he is the start of the show. I love how Rowan became everyone’s dog, not just Lucy’s.

Lindsay did an amazing job with her DEBUT novel! There is spice, love, real connections leading to friendships. The issues represented in this book are done beautifully.

Lucy meets Henry on a plane journey. He is surprised that she is a fan, and also that he manages to speak to her. When she needs a place to stay he offers, and both their lives turn out better. A great read, some sad parts where you learn about his past.

This is a rollacoaster of a book, you will laugh, cry & smile when reading this & will probably read it in no time like I did. It is a bit of a slow burn but Lindsey wrote this book perfectly. I highly recommend this book to all romance lovers and everyone else looking for an enjoyable read.
Thanks to netgalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review,

When I beta read this book last year I fell madly in love with these characters and this amazing story. Now, reading an arc of the final book, I feel so emotional seeing how far this story has come.

I loved every second of this amazing story. I loved the romance, I loved the spice, I loved the found family, I loved the mouthwatering food descriptions, I loved the SJM references, I loved the music, and I loved the fluffy floof (who is 100% my favorite character). I am so inspired by the beauty that @readwithli was able to capture in this story and the amazing representation she included. I know a lot of readers are going to feel so seen by these characters.

At its core, this is a book about building a community, finding your people, and allowing them to see and love you for who you are. I just love it so much 😭💕

What a stunning debut !!! Absolutely loved and adored Lucy & Henry. Lucy’s journey after her divorce was so raw and emotional sometimes and through all of her doubts I love how Henry stuck it out and stayed with her and didn’t let her give up. Absolutely cannot wait for the authors next work!!! 4.5⭐️

I was lucky enough to beta read this and LOVED it the first time I read it. I am happy to report that I love it just as much now that it's complete. To reiterate my thoughts from my first review for this gem of a novel: Lindsey Lanza was able to “compose” an actual masterpiece! The love story was “music to my ears”!

Reading the finished product solidified my deep feelings of love for these characters, this story, and of course, this author! This was one of my absolute favorite romances last year when I'd read the beta version, and remains one of my favorite romances EVER.

The story was just so well done - I’d be here for days talking about what specific things I adored, but to quickly name a few things - the romance (duh!), the found family trope, the modern bookish references throughout, the original story, the setting, and the lovable characters. If you want a feel good story with depth, do yourself a favor and read this! I highly recommend it and will continue to scream about how fantastic it is forever.

Lindsey did the best job for her debut novel and I can’t wait to see what’s next for her!

Thanks to NetGalley and Lindsey Lanza for the eARC of this!

Both the hero and heroine have their own personal problems. Some unknown trauma when Henry was a small child has led him to freeze up and be unable to talk to strangers. And Lucy’s evil ex-husband asked for a divorce when she got a bad health diagnosis. These were two lovely people and I really enjoyed seeing how they developed a close friendship and learned to help each other deal with their personal traumas.

The only problem was that the author had to figure out a meet-cute for these two unlikely people to meet up. So the meeting takes place at the Boston airport where Lucy is supposedly travel to live in LA. Henry has been meeting with TV producers who want to hire him to write the score for their new Game-of-Thrones-like series. Henry just happens to be a multi-award winning composer. And Lucy just happens to love his music and uses her personal playlist of his music to calm her down when she’s depressed or has panic attacks.

What is never explained is why does this guy who is constantly portrayed as unable to talk in person to strangers and has his best friend, Graham, act as a business go-between for his important meetings traveling alone across the country to meet with the TV producers? Wouldn’t Graham have gone with him? We’re told that Henry has invited his musical partners to live with him in his Malibu mansion. Can’t one of them at least help out when he has a major business meeting? There still could have been the meet-cute.

Other than that, I was willing to suspend disbelief and read along pulling for Lucy and Henry to find their HEA.

After a divorce, author Lucy Gold is supposed to move to Los Angeles and live with one of her friends as she starts fresh. As she is in the airport, her friend tells her that there is no longer space for Lucy because her friend's former ex moved back in. A handsome stranger at the airport turns out to be Lucy's favorite composer, Henry Turner. After hearing about Lucy's situation, Henry invites Lucy to live with him and his band at his Malibu beach house until she can find out a new living situation. And I bet you can guess where it goes from there :)

This book was FUN!

Contemporary romance is definitely not my favorite genre (if I'm picking up a romance, I would prefer it have some sort of fantasy or scifi element), but I had an absolute blast reading SPEECHLESS. It had some of my favorite things - dogs, cooking, and Disney references!

Henry was an absolute sweetheart and deserves to be protected at all costs. One of my biggest frustrations with romances is when the third act breakup is due to some MAJOR red flag that you saw coming from the beginning. I'm usually telling one of the two to run far away. But from the beginning, Henry was precious and kind and I wanted nothing more than for the two of them to finally admit their feelings for each other!

That being said, I probably not would have accepted Henry's offer, even if he was my favorite composer, because there are people in this world that seem nice but are actually creeps. While I wish that they had been able to form some sort of friendship before she went to live there, I also appreciate that the book did not drag on and made that choice for the sake of getting to the meat of the plot.

I also really loved how much time was spent developing Lucy's friendships with the side characters. The B-plots were woven in seamlessly without adding too much bulk to the book and I was rooting for those friendships to develop just as much as her relationship with Henry.

The writing style was simple but enjoyable and worked well for the tone of the book. It never dragged or felt like it was spending too much time on one topic.

Thank you so much to the author for the gifted copy! I can't wait to read what Lindsey writes next!

I loved this book! It has such amazing and relatable characters. The romance was lovely and the way this book was written is fantastic!

This was such a cute and fun read that dealt with some serious topics which I loved! A perfect summer read for people who want something a little bit more serious while still getting that rom com feel. I felt like this plot was something I had yet to read which I also loved.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing team for this ARC!

Unfortunately, it was not for me. The writing style did not keep my attention at all and felt juvenile. I found the FMC to be very annoying and immature. The MMC was boring and I didn't find the romance believable. There's only so much suspension of belief I can do in a contemporary romance and this felt too much.

I didn't connect with the story or the characters and found it very hard to keep pushing through. All the side characters were a copy of each other (couldn't tell any of the band members apart), and it all seemed too convenient and easy.

The story had good representation but everything fell too flat for it to matter. Everything felt all over the place. There is no character or plot building. It wasn't fleshed out well.

This cover is deceiving.

The story contained in the pages is so much more than the light and fluffy cover would lead you to believe. Yes we had a romcom. BUT we also had so much more depth and meaning and heart to the story.

This one will stick with me for a while - highly recommend!

I got about 16% through before DNFing. I honestly wasn’t enjoying it much before, and it seems incredibly unrealistic that a relatively well known musician and an introvert would invite a complete stranger to live with him, and even more unrealistic that the fmc thought it was smart to blindly trust an almost stranger. And then the author had to disrespect cats by saying they’re pointless and all they do is hide and hiss? Like clearly they’ve had one bad experience with cats and equate that to all of them.

This was a cute romance with with chronic illness rep and focus on friendship. I was really into the book at the beginning and curious where it was going to go. Once again, a dog in a book is always loved! I felt like some of the feelings and romance for the two main characters went from 0 to 100 rather quickly and without warning. I was almost afraid I skipped over some parts and missed something. There seemed to be disconnect here and there. I really like the friendships Lucy developed with other characters. Overall, it was a sweet read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the arc. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this book!

What a beautiful beautiful book. I felt every emotion while reading this book. I kept think how much i adored each & everyone of the characters. They were so well developed and you couldn’t help but love getting to know them. This book dealt with heavy topic in a seamless way & ensured they did sugar coat anything in the process giving a raw representation of people who suffer from these diagnoses. Henry & Lucy’s love story was magical in every way, they supported & accepted each other for exactly who they were. I was sad to see the book come to end, i could read about these characters forever. An easy 5 star read. I can’t wait to see what else this author will write in the future!