Rating: 4/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: I have the feels; I guess I understand things a little better, now; for a hot second, I was about to be REALLY angry about this book--and then I reread the blurb; I still don't quite understand

I'm going to be honest, Penguins. I got about 30% into this book, and for a hot second, was about to be REALLY angry in my review....and then I reread the blurb. See, a part of my brain thought there was no way in HELL this could be set in present-day, due to the internal monologues our main characters continued to have--and a multitude of ACTUAL THINGS other characters said aloud. But another part of my brain....well, it was confused for a moment. So when I went back and reread the blurb, and realized this is set in the 1980s, I felt better. And yet, at the same time, I DIDN'T. Because that dredged up a whole lot of emotions--and a whole lot of understanding about what my mom must have gone through, while I was growing up, in our tiny town.

I feel like the blurb promised more than we actually got from this book, however. As emotional as this journey is, these characters were not given a lot of chance to grow or resolve their traumas. If ever there was a whirlwind romance, this would be it...but I didn't feel, when closing this book on my Kindle app, that I had been given a true ending. Save for a few small moments of growth, these characters remained the same throughout--and while the ending granted a small amount of closure, I feel like there was a LOT more to be said about the things said or done in anger. I dunno....I just have a lot of mixed emotions about this read, I supposed, and I'm not so sure how to properly put them into words to get my point across.

This book gave me a lot of insight into a time wrought with fear and stigma and bias...and a small glimpse into what being "different" in a tiny town (or any town, really) might have been like in such a time. But it left a lot of questions and uneasy/unanswered emotions, as well. I'd also put a trigger warning out, for those who might have trouble with things such as chronic illness, loss, death, grief. If you're seeking an emotional read, Penguins--you've found it, but try and tread lightly

The synopsis for this book makes it sound very related to popular culture in the late 1980s. That is a bit misleading. The only link this story has is to the AIDS epidemic and society's nonacceptance of a homosexual male. There is no quirky pop references to balance out the seriousness running throughout the book. Sam is trying to distance himself from his former lover, who is dying of AIDS, and his life as a gay man. Jeanette is trying to distance herself from the small town where she grew up as the bastard daughter of the town slut. When they meet, their insecurities latch on to each other and they form a really unhealthy relationship built on Sam's lie. It was a struggle to not yell at the book "why?" as Sam and Jeanette are emotionally tortured throughout the story. But this heartbreaking story was an excellent reflection of how people let society pressure them to be what they aren't.

I didn't much like the characters.

This book tells the story of a man, Sam, alienated by his parents due to his romantic involvement with another man, Gil who is suffering from AIDS. To 'redeem' himself in the eyes of the Church, he attempts to change his sexuality. This gets out of hand, and those he loves are hurt..

I did like this book, the core message that you shouldn't change who you are just to fulfil the desires of others is obviously a good value to uphold. I also liked the music theme which remained a constant throughout: something the characters could trust with their true selves. I just felt the story needed some more excitement or something to entice the reader enough to actually care about the characters and Sam's struggle. For instance, I felt little sympathy for any of the characters, aside from Gil. Sam never thought through the consequences of his actions or the unfairness of deceiving someone who already showed herself to be vulnerable. Sam, for the most part, remained passive and detached from everything passing his attention aside from Gil. It just seemed as though he actually believed he could sustain his deception. This was obviously silly because it was plain to see that the author's intent had not been to portray him as the bad guy. Then, there was the character of Jeanette who foolishly refused to listen to her gut instinct and actually speak her mind or seek advice. I understood that she had little confidence but her thoughts always seemed to suggest that she would hurt anyone who hurt Sam. This conflicted ridiculously with the Jeanette that the author set out to describe from the beginning. Then, like Sam, her decisions were barely thought out. For someone described as socially anxious, introverted and cautious, her behaviour was implausible.

This book wasn't necessarily terrible. I just found that the characters, more often than not, made it a trying read.

I wouldn't describe this book as a love story, at least not in the traditional sense.

I received this book through NetGalley.

What would you do if you discover a secret that your husband has been keeping from you? Jeanette and Sam share a love of music.jeanette meets Sam when they are hired by a small orchestra trying to survive. They married yet both have kept their secrets to themselves. Will they tell each other these secrets that haunt them? It is a story that may surprise you. I ended up reminding me of a statement that someone said. It was: "you really never know your friends as well as you think--we all have our secrets."

It is a well written novel. It is an emotional book. As I read, my heart felt for them. Enjoy the book.

What am amazing book! Being born in 84 this book resonates with me cz allot

This one just wasn't for me. It's a very simple story of love and love for music. Sadly, it just didn't leave its mark. In fact, I nearly gave up on it.

Our protagonists Sam and Jeannette meet in the autumn of 1986 when they both secure a job with the small orchestra Richmond Symphonic Artists. Reagan is in Presidency, Elton John is regular on the radio and our two main characters fall for each other through their deep discussions about music. Throughout the story they try to build a future together but as with any relationship, secrets and their pasts threaten to ruin it for them.

My main issue with this book is that there is nothing new here. Nothing to really draw me in or completely engage me. I don't feel it's essential to like the protagonists of a novel to enjoy a book (hey, look at Gone Girl) but you at least have to be intrigued by them or curious as to what path they will take throughout the course of their story. I just didn't care about Sam or Jeannette, and nothing inspired me to care about their journey in this book.

I am sure this book will appeal to some readers, but it just wasn't for me.

Thanks you for allowing me to read this book for an honest review. I thought the first half of the book was quite slow but then picked up. I would recommend this book. The author covered a lot of ground, AIDS, homophobia, abandonment etc. It was an enjoyable book to read.

As the author told me, when I interviewed her, the protagonist, Sam, had something that happened that made his father throw him out of the house, but like Jeannette, the other protagaonist, for the longest time, she could not figure it out. And as she wrote, she realized that it was because he was Gay.

This is a well written take on Gay life in the 1980s, during the height of the AIDS crisis, when President Reagan did not give a damn, and the Gay men were dropping like flies.

This is not a quick read. It is a well written, long drawn out story of what happens when you try to act straight while your gay former lover is dying of AIDS, and you can't tell anyone about it.

With a background of music, this story dives not only into the world of orchestras and small towns, but what one person, one man would do to be loved by his father, even to marry a woman, and try to be straight.

I would recommend this both for lovers of historical fiction, as well as for those who like stories that explore the feelings of two people who have secrets that they are suffering through.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for making this book available for an honest review.

I have such wildly mixed feelings about this book. It tells the story of Sam and Jeanette, a maestro and his accompanist, and their relationship in Richmond during the late 80s. It is quite difficult to talk about this book without giving anything away, so I will have to keep things fairly surface level. The prose is really well written and the pacing is languid, allowing for a real interrogation of the characters and I think this was my problem. I found the two main characters really difficult to empathise with. Both people make horrendous decisions that have wide reaching consequences for other people and while I understood their motivations, that doesn't mean that I had to like them. I don't necessarily think that it is crucial to like the protagonists in a novel, but you have to be able to connect with them in some way and I just couldn't with either of these. That being said, I felt that the author writes incredibly thoughtfully and with great nuance about difficult subject matter and her writing about the music, which forms a great part of the novel, is truly exquisite. I am sure that there are people who will love this book - it just wasn't for me.

I really enjoyed To Love A Stranger. I thought the characters were fantastic, so real and flawed it was almost painful to read the book at times. I thought Sam was a very sympathetic character. He was faced with difficult choices trying to do his best. Jeannette was also very sympathetic and my heart went out to her for loving Sam, someone she didn’t know at all. Sam is a horrible person at times, completely shutting his wife out, acting with little regard for her feelings and treating her with indifference. It would be easy to hate him but because of his struggle to accept himself I felt great sympathy for him. I wanted to dislike him but I couldn’t because the author made me care about him. I understood Jeannette’s decision when she finds out what Sam has been hiding even though I didn’t completely agree with every choice she made. To Love A Stranger has a heart-felt, emotional conclusion without being over the top. I loved To Love A Stranger; it’s raw and emotional and I’d highly recommend it.

To love a Stranger is a very touching story. Trying to change, to meet the expectations of society can be more damaging and hurtful than accepting and being who you are.

Sam is a young talented Maestro who is running from his past. The Richmond Symphonic Artists, a failing small orchestra gives him a chance to try and turn things around. It's not much but it's something and more of a challenge.

Jeannette is an accompanist, looking to find her place in the music industry. She moves in with her sister to work with the Symphony. She is quiet and avoids being noticed because of what she went through in her childhood.

The first time that she meets Sam, she can hardly believe that he is the Maestro. She is impressed by his talents and becomes besotted, which is unlike her. They work well together and their souls speak to each other. Sam is convinced that they can have a "normal" relationship. He can leave his past behind! They start to make plans and soon these come to fruition. Is it as easy as it looks?

Gil, the reason he is running has contracted AIDS, and even though it's not his fault Sam feels responsible. As hard as he tries, he can't forget. Jeannette tells him about her past but he holds back. She knows that he is keeping secrets through little clues that she has picked up along the way and when the inevitable occurs, he is devastated but so is she as he won't open up to her.

This novel is about what's considered to be forbidden love. Sam is a nice person but by trying to fit in and do what he thinks is right, he causes a lot of heartaches and pain. Jeannette is naive and loving but when she realises what's been really happening, she makes a hasty decision. At this point tissues come in handy. Nathan comes across as being intrusive and hard to like, but as the story develops, his true intentions come to the surface. I feel for Sam but Jeannette is the innocent victim and she is not the only one! Honesty is definitely the best policy.

It's a beautifully written story, where the author takes us on a fantastic musical journey. It's full of love, guilt, selfloathing, lies and betrayal. The emotions are raw and I felt them all. A great debut novel.

I received a complimentary eARC from the publisher via NetGalley and the views expressed are my personal opinion.

NetGalley, please don't allow 'trip-links' in promotional emails. I didn't want to put this book on my shelf. I only wanted to read more details. Instead, clicking it meant I would accept the invitation to read it. I've heard a lot of book bloggers 'misclick' like that. And it's very unpleasant.

I'm very sorry no actual review is forthcoming. I did not want this book because it has topics that will trigger me, I can't read it for my own good. Truly sorry, dear publishers, but I didn't know the link would put the book on my shelf. I would have not requested it.

The theme if this book is not particularly original and will be recognised by many who have had similar experiences but it is sensitively written and the setting is well described. The reader keeps wanting to know how it will end which is essential. The book seems to set up for both main characters to have something to hide but it never really transpires for the woman. We are left unsure about her troubles and that leaves an imbalance in the story. It does,however,tell a tale relevant to our times.

An incredibly beautiful and moving piece of literature.
The writing flowed and the characters had such depth that you can't not build a connection with them.
A lyrical masterpiece which punches you right in the gut.
It's a book that's hard to review because really, people should just read it. I'm looking forward to future work from Faatz.