Night Music by Deanna Lynn Sletten is not my usual genre, it’s romantic, and it’s historical fiction. This book takes place during the Vietnam war, where Charlotte, known as Char, writes to a soldier stationed in Vietnam. She tells him all about her picturesque small town, and he tells her about how he’s doing while fighting for his country. Then, when he gets injured, he’s forced to take a leave of absence, that’s when he decides to head to that small town and find Char, hoping to spark an interest.

Joe is a kid from the Bronx, he’s used to loud neighborhoods, dirty snow, and a lackluster childhood, so when he reads about the seemingly beautiful life of Charlotte through her letters, he’s almost immediately infatuated with her. She shares stories of her home town, her college, and how her brother died in the same war that Joe is currently fighting in. Soon after, Joe gets released because of an injury to his leg, and that’s when he decides to enroll in the college that Char is going to, luckily he finds that they have the same English class. Joe has seen a picture of Char before, but she has no idea what he looks like.

When Joe finally gets the courage to speak to Char, he finds out she has a boyfriend, who is very very anti-war, and anti-soldier. Her boyfriend, Deke, has an immediate issue with Joe and Char’s friendship. Joe hopes that some day, hopefully soon, Char will change her mind and dump Deke. He eventually gets his way, and Joe and Char start a sweet, slow, romantic friendship that soon turns to love.
This story was just so pure and wholesome, I thought it was such a good book to read, especially around Valentine’s Day. The backdrop of the Vietnam War gave the drama that the book needed, but other than that, the story of Joe and Char made me just want to squeeze them and never let them go. All the characters seemed so real and the relationship that Joe and Char have is just so encouraging. I really enjoyed this book, even though I usually don’t read these kinds of stories. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars, and that’s because I found that some of the parts of the book were really long winded, and I wanted to story to move on, but other than that it was perfect. I would definitely be interested to see where Joe and Char’s relationship went.

3 war aftermath story stars

Coming back from the Vietnam conflict was not easy for our soldiers. They were met with being spit upon, called baby and women killers, ostracized and offered little in the way of help to overcome the problems they encountered. Many of these soldiers wound up on the street while many of them chose to commit suicide because of their nightmares and what they had seen.

In this nicely written book we meet Joe Russo. He had connected with a high school young woman who wrote him letters which he treasured and held close to his heart. In them she described her small town and the life it provided and Joe decided that if he made it back alive he would look up that small town and try to make it and Charlotte, the young girl, his own.

Joe enters a small college in that town and meets Charlotte. They connect through school and also later as Joe is hired to work in Charlotte's family store and through their experiences Joe is able to face the foibles of the time, the antiwar on campus, the suicide of a friend, and the nightmares. Joe is readily accepted by the townspeople and loved by Charlotte's parents.

Thanks you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this sweet and loving novel. Once could only wish that all of our Vietnam soldiers had found the peace and love that Joe found.

One of my favourite books of 2017 was Atonement by Ian McEwan, so when I read the synopsis for this one, I couldn't help but to draw a few resemblances and hit the request button. I was in the mood for a love story set in the past, and this book didn't disappoint.

It's definitely a slow burn type of book, and although it does deal with topics of veteran PTSD and of war opposition, it overall is a light, innocent book. I would even go as far as to qualify it as a "cute" story even though it does get quite intense at times.

I loved the characters, though. From protagonist Char all the way to secondary characters, they were all quite complex and I got attached to most, if not all, of them.

I'd like to thank Deanna Lynn Sletten, as well as Netgalley, for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. #NightMusic #NetGalley

I tried really hard to enjoy this book, but I couldn't get past chapter 11. I hate leaving books outside of my usual realm of YA/fantasy/sci-fi unfinished, but I honestly could not stand this book. I did enjoy the different time frame (Vietnam War era), with focus on a small town (Grand Rapids). But it read like a super corny Hallmark movie script. Deke was a straight up dick, and I'm embarrassed for our lead to have stayed with him for so long. Charlotte didn't have a mind of her own until chapter 9, and by then it was too late for me to care about her. Joe was the only slightly interesting character, but he was also bland enough that I forgot his name and had to reopen the book to see what it was.

Like I said, I hate not finishing books, and I really wanted to like this one. But I just couldn't.

Overall, this book was okay. I really enjoyed the perspective of the past during the Vietnam War. The characters themselves were interesting, and I liked the major plots points of the book. I would recommend this for someone wanting a real life look into the past, especially the time during the Vietnam War. Even though I liked the plot points themselves, I felt like the plot advance too quickly at times and things weren’t explained as much as I would have like. I also did not entirely enjoy how Charlotte acted. She wanted to be a strong woman, but then her actions spoke the direct opposite. I understand that her actions were already a bit out there for women at the time, but I felt that her character could have been more progressive. Otherwise, there isn’t much wrong with the book. Joe, a former soldier in the Vietnam War, was an amazing character and I loved reading about him. He stood up for his beliefs and his fellow soldiers, which is something I deeply admire. I’m no history buff, so I couldn’t say how historically accurate the book is, but it definitely felt like you were living in the past. This is a good, easy read for those looking for a peak into the past, and the lives of real people during the Vietnam War.

The Author did a wonderful job explaining what life felt like in the late 60s to early 70s concerning war and the draft. Interwoven throughout were the negatives concerning war, horrific things that can come from it, including heartbreak and loss of life. Everyone certainly has their opinion of war whether good or bad and this story shows that in the characters and in their beliefs.

I enjoyed the sweet and tender romance throughout the story concerning the main couple. You will be drawn into their relationship and feel how they genuinely loved one another. I couldn't put the story down. I kept thinking about it as I went on throughout my day.

I cannot think of a negative thing to say about the book. It drew on my heartstrings more than once.

Thank you NetGalley and Deanna Lynn Sletten for allowing me to read this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange my honest review.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. Joe served in the Vietnam war and was pen pals with a young woman who lived in a small town. When Joe is injured, he moves to the small town to finally meet Charlotte. This story has a lot of different views of the war and romance too.

Night Music tackles a hard subject with some favorable results. Even 40 some years after America withdrew from Vietnam, there is hurt and misunderstanding. Having lived during that period in America’s history, I can tell you it was tough on everyone.
Most of the characters were believable. There was a sweet love story between Char and Joe. Some of the anti-war rhetoric was quite unbelievable. The character of Deke was more of a cartoon character when it came to his anti-war activities. Things were much more organized and more violent in reality. Char was wishy-washy when it came to how she felt about the war. Joe, having lived it, knew exactly what he believed.
I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley and Deanna Lynn Sletten in exchange for my honest review. Thank you.

This book was really sweet it started out with our main character Char writing letters to a soldier in war. She wasn't sure this was really what she wanted to do after the devastating loss of her brother, however she gave it a try. Living in a small town she is very against the war. Things change however when she meets Joe. Joe is ex-military and also unknown to Char the man that she has been writing. While Joe is the embodiment of what the war stands for Char's boyfriend (Ron) is head of the large anti-war movement in town as well so the contrast is jarring for her. When her feelings for Joe start to change into something more romantic she doesn't know what to do anymore. This book had almost a movie feel about it with the town where everyone knows everyone, no one locks their doors at night and the family that's suffering because of the war that took away their son and brother. I also enjoyed the contrast between the main characters they were together nicely but they also kept their differences and stuck to their own morals no matter what. Really enjoyable. The only criticism I have and its not really a criticism at all is if you don't like stories with soldiers don't read this book as it focus a lot on different stances of the war both pro and con as well as how he dealt with life after his time in the war was over. However in my opinion that is part of what makes it so good it isn't just the one voice. With lots of different topics such as death war, suicide PTSD and of course love this book will last a long time I feel and help reach a variety of audiences. Very well done I didn't want it to end.

A wounded Vietnam veteran seeking the American Dream in a small town in the early seventies, against the background of the anti-war movement and college student activism.
Joe is a wonderful character, wounded but not bitter or resentful, an honest, gentle and kind man. It’s great that his character is shown through his actions and dialogue.
I found Charlotte a bit naïve sometimes and a bit too easy to manipulate, but she’s a good counterpoint to the hero.
I enjoyed the slow romance, really ideal for Joe to accomplish his dream in this small town (Grand Falls) context.
The author tries to offer different perspectives on the US intervention in the Vietnam War, simultaneously depicting the ravages of war on American soldiers (PTSD, suicide, disabilities).