This seems to be a sweet story, but about a quarter of the way in, I’m finding it slow and aimless. The characters are not pulling me into the book the way they did in Harold Fry. This one falls into the Did-Not-Finish category for me.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Random House and Rachel Joyce for the opportunity to read and review this endearing book.

Set in London in the 1980s, this is a true ode to music. There is a dead-end street in a declining neighborhood where Frank sets up The Music Shop and lives above the shop. He was raised by a very unconventional mother who taught him to really listen to music. Frank now has the ability to know just what song a person needs to get them through a crisis in their lives. However, time is marching on and Frank is adamant about selling only vinyl - no new cassette tapes or CDs. Joined on his street are a cast of quirky characters - Kit, a worker in Frank's shop; Maud, a tattoo artist; Fr Anthony, a retired priest; brothers who own a funeral home; and neighbors. They are fighting to stay relevant while being pressured by developers to sell.

Arriving in the midst of this is Ilse, a German woman who faints in front of Frank's store. She eventually asks Frank to teacher her about music and causes Frank to have to confront his feelings about getting close to people. They both have baggage and secrets but form a special bond.

The journey Frank and Ilse take together and musically is a joy to be a part of. There's even a playlist created from all the titles in the book - you'll learn a lot about all different genres of music!

This was a lovely read, if not a fast-paced one. It's a love story between two lovely people. And every love story needs a source of conflict, a barrier, either external or due to their own characters. And these two share a reticence that is laughably British. Their inability to speak to each other about themselves, about anything but music, is the source of all their conflict. The story is full of long pauses. And quirky side characters, one cheery, one grumpy, one wise. And wonderful language about music. And more long pauses.

There are a few inconsistencies I could complain about, but really this is a feel-good story about lovable, flawed people, and it's best taken for what it is rather than what it isn't. A good, emotional read.

I got a copy to review from Net Galley.

I received an ARC of <b>The Music Shop</b> from NetGalley.

This book was a slow burn for me. It started off in a plodding manner, and I very nearly abandoned it altogether; but at around the 46 percent mark, it began to work its way into something more: a very broad, extremely poignant, and endlessly charming tale about change and love.

Frank wasn’t the most likable character. His need to hang on to a time that was destined to vanish—with or without him—was frustrating.

I found myself turned off by his pig-headed nature and, honestly, completely wrote him off at one point because I ceased caring what happened to him. He seemed hell bent on making his life miserable, so I figured let him.

However, as I watched him struggle with all he knows about love and music, and saw him come to grips with the possibility that his structured way of life wasn’t going to guarantee him happiness, I saw a lesson in how stubborn we all can be when it comes to putting ourselves out there and exploring the unknown.

Ilse was a woman <i>hoping</i> for a change. She was dealt a devastating hand at the table of life, and was left wondering if she had a purpose at all. Frank’s passion for music is reignites her desire to re-enter the world and see if there’s another hand to play.

I loved Ilse.

As they both navigated the waters, it became clear the troubles they’d each need to overcome were more than environmental. It’s also clear that a “Hallelujah” moment would be needed to save them all.

It’s a story about love and community, set in an era when gentrification and development became the bulldozer of choice for the corporate world.

In my opinion, gentrification has played a pivotal role in helping to destroy the very fabric of human connection. We’ve accepted the role of audience member—watching the world and its inhabitants do as they please—as opposed to being players and fighting for the blocks,and people, we love dearly—in that regard alone, Frank was to be commended.

<b>The Music Shop</i> is a beautiful story because it makes one question not only the ability to change, but how willing we all are to stand by, and watch the world go by without us, just to prove a point.

A truly lovely read.

1988, a run-down town, this book asks you to remember when there was a record store you would haunt for a new find. The author reminds you that in that store, where if you were very lucky, there was a a clerk or owner who knew everything about music and loved to take the time to explain it all to you? Meet Frank, the owner of the music shop, “a great bear of a man” who had the ability, if you told him just a little of your needs, to find the perfect record for you.

First few pages in and oh oh this is a bit jerky and not flowing as smoothly as I had hoped. A few more pages and I am intrigued and wondering where this is going and then without realizing it I am fully invested in the characters, the story, the place, the immediacy of each situation and I am catching my breath as the story revolves around Frank and his music and his “only vinyl” policy and I have said hello to Kit, Maud, Father Anthony and Ilse Brauchmann. I start to understand Peg but Frank, oh Frank, you pull my heart each way and make me comment out loud. You remind me that even when music is over it keeps living inside you. So many great insights about jazz, Bach, Beethoven, rock, so much to learn, so much to know.

This is such a wonderful story and music lesson all rolled into the most ordinary, yet remarkable book.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for an advance copy.

The Music shop is a fun trip to the late 1980’s and all thing music related. I loved the quirky characters and the little community they created in a down and out English neighborhood.

I really enjoyed how Franks story is told through a musical history that is not only a good way to revisit his early life but provides some fun and interesting facts about a few famous musicians.

The story is a little on the sad side but never looses it sense of hopefulness and I thought the end was perfect.

This book needs to come with a music cd--or better yet, an old vinyl record. I’m no music trivia expert and I enjoyed this novel, but I can see how someone who is into music might enjoy it even more.

The story is about Frank, the owner of a music shop that sells only the old vinyl records. Frank refuses to modernize and carry cassettes or cd’s. Frank also has the unusual gift of discerning exactly what music a customer needs to hear. Music that will speak to them, help them with a problem, lift their spirits or improve their marriage.

The Music Shop is on Unity street, along with a few other businesses and their eccentric owners. These owners make up Frank’s group of friends. They are a tight-knit group, each struggling to keep their stores open in an area that has seen better days.

One day, a woman comes to the music shop and Frank’s life is set on a new path, although it is not without a few bumps along the way. The story is told in present tense and in flashbacks to Frank’s younger days and his life with his unusual mother, who is the person who cultivated his love for music.

I enjoyed the story and thought the ending was wonderful. This was a good book to read going into the Christmas season. Oh, and there was a little surprise at the end--all the music can be found on spotify!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Random House for

I adored this book and if I added adult books to our library, I would certainly add this one. I will recommend it to fellow teachers. Rachel Joyce is an auto-buy author for me, and I love the themes she chooses to illuminate and thread throughout her authentic narratives.

Wonderful book. In a dead end street in 1988, Frank sells vinyl records. One day Ilsa steps foot in his shop and faints. All the other shop keepers and residents on the street play a part in their romance. Joyce does such a good job with her characters.

The Music Shop
In 1988, a dilapidated store, in a run-down neighborhood we find the setting for this novel. The owner, Frank, doesn't set up his records in the customary style, he doesn't categorize them. They are sorted by emotions, together in groups of what he feels people need emotionally. The shop attracts those who are lonely, those who are out of tune with society and mostly offbeat. The records, however, must all be vinyl records, no CD's, no cassettes. In this small shop in a corner of London, we meet all sorts of quirky characters, all delightful in their own way. His background is such that he never really has a normal relationship with his mother, pretty much setting the tone for what makes him the way he is eccentric. The love interest in this novel is Ilse Brauchmann. Standing in front of the store, she passes out, is revived and then runs away. Eventually, she asks him to teach her about music and the lessons and romance begin. All in all I felt as if I couldn't connect with the story or with the characters as much as I wanted to, however, I stayed with it. It was a slow read for me, unfortunately. This was my first pass at reading anything by Ms. Joyce, I shall have to try again with a different story. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Charming book! Thoughtful, sweet, and entertaining. I like the characters, their quirks and how they care for each other. Another hit for Rachel Joyce.

Frank owns a music shop on a little run down street in England. He has the uncanny ability to provide people with exactly the music they need when they walk into his shop. One day, a beautiful woman faints on the sidewalk in front of his store, and his life is changed forever. Full of quirky characters, at turns humorous and heartwarming, this novel hits all the right notes.

2.5 stars

The cover grabbed my attention and the book synopsis was definitely interesting. I am an avid music fan and was excited to see where author, Rachel Joyce, was going to take us with her novel, The Music Shop. It had such great potential, but I found myself more disappointed than engaged at times. 

Frank, the owner of The Music Shop, is known for his knack of matching a song with a person in need. He has changed people’s lives whether through exposing them to music they didn’t know existed or by opening up his music shop to other’s who find it a place of comfort. Frank is always giving support, but cannot take it. His upbringing with his mother Peg, was nontraditional and the source of his communication hindrances.

In walks a stranger, Ilsa, who causes Frank to feel for the first time in a long time. Frank becomes the one who needs the saving, and from there we have the building story of Frank and Isla and the characters in-between.

It took me a bit of time to get into the book, I felt it was dragging in the beginning. Once I got 25% through I was interested in the mysterious girl in the green coat, Isla, and how her character was going to play out in Frank’s life. It slowed down yet again for me around the 70% mark and I was reading the rest because I had already come this far.

The problem for me with this story is that it was mostly depressing. Music for me is an outlet and you can listen to it when you are happy/mad/sad, etc. but it is to usually lift you up: I did not get that from this book.

The ending to me felt rushed. At one point we flash forward 21 years and some things that are referenced I didn’t believe would be the same after that much time.

The coolest thing about this book was the musical references and often the history behind how the music was made or how it was received. There is actually a Spotify playlist that highlights all the songs showcased – there are some great tunes there.

All in all, it was well written I just wasn’t into the story.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

A love story. The setting is a dreary suburb of London, with the ubiquitous smell of cheese and onions from the fast food factory. The people come together as owners of shops who barely eke out a living. Frank has a music shop, selling only vinyl. It is 1988, and he refuses to sell tape cassettes or heaven forbid, CDs. Frank says CDs are a flash in the pan idea. Kit, a high schooler, works as a sales assistant. He is a chatty type, and Frank tolerates him.

Frank's neighbors, the Owen twins run the funeral parlor; Father Anthony sells religious articles (Anthony is no longer a priest). Maude, taciturn as they come, runs a tattoo parlor and sports a multicolored mohawk. There is the Polish baker, the pub owner, and the florist. Across the street, there are small houses and Mrs. Roussos and her chihuahua who visit the store regularly. Many people visit Franks shop because it is unique, Frank is particular. If you tell him you are feeling sad because you think your wife no longer loves you, he will give you a record to take home and play. It is a magical kind of thing. He knows people, and he can match them with music, giving them what they need.

One day a woman faints in front of the music shop, and that woman changes Frank's life. She touches a place in his soul that he thought was gone with the loss of his mother, fifteen years ago. It takes a while, but they finally find out that the woman's name is Ilse Brauchmann and she speaks German. The story is about watching Frank and Ilse and reading interspersed chapters about Frank's mother, Peg, who talked to him about music and taught him everything he knows about each composer, their stories and what their music is saying. Frank's uncanny ability to understand people and music came from Peg's tutelage, and he freely gives it to everyone who needs a little help in life.

Margaret Thatcher's economic policies are at play in the story, and a development company pushes the community to sell the stores and the homes. The company wants to build new homes, promises to make the grimy area beautiful again with young families who will brighten everything. In the meantime, we read about the relationship Frank develops with Ilse, teaching her about music.

Frank is the love story. He gives love in a way that is unique and complete in its beauty. Frank doesn't ask for anything in return. His nourishment is perfect with his world of music and the incredible understanding he has of every record in the store. I loved this story; the unfolding warmed my soul and made me want to listen to music, and I did on a mixed play. I think Frank would approve.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House. Published in the UK, will be published in the US on January 2, 2018.

I am a big fan of Rachel Joyce's novels The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy. Both books showed the depth of human love and connection in ordinary people.

I was hoping for more of the same in this book, but it didn't quite deliver. In attempting to create quirky characters and a throw-back plot (the premise of the book includes an introverted record store owner standing strong against the push of modernity) the book just seemed like it was trying too hard. As a result the characters were inauthentic and the plot was a bit of a snoozer.

A two-star rating seems harsh, but three stars is a stretch, so I'll settle on 2.5

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the music shop - the whole time i was reading it I kept imagining the movie, and who would play each character. It’s that kind of book. You can’t help but fall in love with everyone it it. Joyce did an amazing job with th details, they all but jumped off the page. Sweet and a quick read.

I loved the author’s previous books and have a weak spot for records and all that is involved in their upkeep. The premise of quirky characters and an out-of-the-way record store, by an author with a clear sense for the unusual hidden in the midst of the everyday, seemed too good to be true. And it was. There’s something lacking here and it’s hard to know exactly what. The characters don’t quite hit the spot; the plot doesn’t quite engage; and the love story underwhelms. On all three fronts, the author did so very well in her previous books that it seems hard to believe she could stumble here. So, I’m left thinking perhaps it is my fault and that I am not quite the reader for this book.

I loved this book and didn’t want it to end. A beautiful heartwarming love story & unforgettable characters. First book I’ve read by Rachel Joyce - if her other books are anything like this one - I’m a new fan!

Barely 3 stars. So dull... I loved Rachel Joyce's [book:The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry|34743566] and [book:The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy|20890479]. She has a talent for delving into deep emotions through quirky characters. The Music Shop set off to do the same, but unfortunately I didn't feel like it delivered. In the 1980s, Frank runs a small vinyl record shop. He is huge and sensitive. He has a knack for connecting people with music that soothes their troubled souls. Visitors to the shop adore him. But vinyl is going down the tubes and Frank refuses to get with the times and sell cds. A few other misfits form part of the ensemble, including distressed Ilse, with whom Frank seems to be engaged in a push me pull you awkward tangle. And I won't say more to avoid spoilers but it's not hard to guess where this one ends up heading. Maybe I'm just being grumpy, but unlike her previous books, this time it felt like Joyce's characters were missing emotional depth or originality. I'm not going to give up on her yet, but I hope she gets back in her game next time round. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.