I don't usually read a lot of cowboy romance because it's not something I enjoy. I decided to give this a try, simply because the premise looked fun... But, I still do not enjoy cowboy romances, and it definitely hampered my experience. For someone who enjoys such stories, this book would be absolutely amazing. But it's not for me.

The Love Song of Sawyer Bell is a straightforward, enjoyable and easy read.
The plot is not very complicated and the outcome pretty predictable, but I believe that not everything needs to be a complex character study to be a good book.

The read didn't blow me away, even tho I really wanted to love it with all of my heart because the description of it was basically my teenage dream.
The plot revolves around the tour, which kind of dragged on after a while and made the book feel much longer than it is. And while the big life lessons the main character learns from gthis experience are all well and good, I didn't really like her decision in the end, even tho I get why it was done this way.

I decided to rate it 4 stars instead of 3 anyways because I am pretty sure that if I would have found this book in my teen years, I would have loved it.
There's talented musicians, young queer girls falling in love, the tour life, bandmate romance and some lessons on sexuality, first sexual experiences and following your heart. And most of all, the edgy non-apologetic bisexual singer as love interest who teen me would probably have fallen in undying love with.

Sawyer Bell is a violin virtuoso finishing her third year at Julliard. Unfortunately, her dream-come-true of a scholarship to her school of choice has fallen into the "be careful what you wish for" category. The music is amazing, but the competition is fierce--cutthroat--and Sawyer's plagued by doubts for her future, if she even enjoys playing her once-beloved violin any longer. All thirs year students were supposed to audition for summer chamber ensembles that tour the US and internationally, and Sawyer, well, let's just say she didn't get the job. Instead, she went home to Tennessee and auditioned for a temporary spot in an indie rock/Americana band touring the US in a van for the summer. Just don't tell her uber-proud parents who think she made the European tour out of Julliard.

Victoria Vincent, called Vix by her pals, is the purple-haired, pixie-height, lead singer and head lyric/music writer for her band--also named Victoria Vincent. Their brand of music is good enough to get gigs at nearly all the dive bars from Chi-Town to Tallahassee and they ain't never seen nothing like sweet and talented Sawyer Bell before. Well, Sawyer and Vix had a glancing meeting back in high school when Vix--a surly, smoking, class-cutting, counter-culture gal half-heartedly urged Sawyer to show up her band bullies and make her music dreams come true...which led to the Julliard audition.

Vix is bisexual and Sawyer thinks she in lesbian--not that she's had any practice at it. She's only had one lover, and he was a big disappointment. Vix is game to have a little fun on the road, but she doesn't want to mess up the band's chemistry. They have been sounding pretty good, even if their crowds aren't large. Vix has a bunch of history with lovers on the road--and lovers in her band, and while she's grown a bunch since then, she's a bit unsure of taking on innocent Sawyer. And, when both these ladies feelings get engaged.

It's a sweet and sassy summer fling for Vix and Sawyer, but when the summer ends, can they walk their separate ways? I liked both Vix and Sawyer. They are great main characters with complex issues and struggles to battle. Sawyer's young, but she knows what she wants--and it's not more frustration at school. She's admired Vix from afar, and she's developed more than a bit of friendship on top of attraction. There are tense times, and Vix gets some much-needed advice from trusted former lovers, to grasp onto Sawyer and hold on tight because they got something special. It's a cool experience, riding along on their low-budget tour, seeing the musicians battle to capture the interest of lackluster crowds and the respect of one another.

This is the beginning of a series, so I'm wondering who's next in the band to fall in love. Sawyer replaced the fiddle player who'd gotten suddenly married, so I'm eager to see if Kit or Jeff are the next to find love. In any case, it's a really engaging New Adult rock romance, and I'd eagerly read on.

I don't often get the chance to read F/F romances and it is so exciting to explore new reads and authors to love. This is my first book by Avon Gale and I have to say I enjoyed it.

The Love Song of Sawyer Bell is a contemporary romance that involves a Julliard-educated violin player, Sawyer, and Vix, the lead singer of a band. I always loved music-related stories, so I was quite sure that this book would be a hit.

This story was about self discovery, finding out what you want, and having the courage to go for it.

This story was about learning about sexuality, too. Though I don't identify as bisexual myself, and therefore is not an authority figure for representation, I think that this book made a great of correcting misconceptions. In fact, Vix even calls out people who say problematic things about her sexuality.

This book was a good mix of everything and I definitely enjoyed their traveling for the tour, getting to know each other, the banter, and the humor.

Overall, I can say that this read is a really good one.

I really enjoyed the Story. I thought that it took a lot for Jax to try out for the part in the band and to go for it. It takes a lot to sometimes say that you want to make a change especially when you don’t want to rock the boat with your parents. I thought Jax was a great character and I loved how she supported Sawyer. This is the first book by Avon Gale that I’ve read, but I’m looking forward to others. I imagined hearing the music and wish I really could. I would recommend this story to others

Avon Gale has written another perfect romance, but this time it's so much better because it is f/f! This book was swoony, angsty and gives you all the butterflies. I loved it so much.

When Sawyer tells Vix, the openly bisexual lead singer of the band she's touring with, that she's pretty sure she's a lesbian but hasn't explored being with a woman, Vix offers to introduce her to the wonderful world of lesbian sex. And that's the book! They meet, they f*ck, they keep f*cking, they create unnecessary drama, then make up and get back to f*cking. The end. It felt more like erotica than Romance; they only seemed to care about the next time they'd get naked.

Also!! Vix says they're a 'queer-friendly band', but the book is littered with hostile biphobic vibes and guys making gross 'let me watch' comments. It was majorly disappointing for a book that started out empowering and progressive to be reduced to a plot that reinforces biphobic stereotypes --it also felt out of place for the characters as we knew them! The ending was fine, but not worth trekking through the unnecessary drama to get there. I felt like we missed out on them developing feelings for each other, so there wasn't enough of a believable romantic relationship to care about it resuming. The epilogue was called an Encore, though, so that was nice.

As a longtime fan of Avon Gale, I’m glad I gave her female/female romance, The Love Song of Sawyer Bell a try. No surprise here, my faith in Ms. Gale’s skills as an author is well deserved. This novel is filled with strong, interesting characters, clever and witty banter, and a story which held my attention throughout. A combo of sweet and sexy romance and incredibly fun band scenes, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Taking a break from the demands of Julliard, violinist Sawyer Bell answers a call to audition for an indie alt-rock band. The bandmates can’t believe their luck, not only is Sawyer’s fiddle playing amazing, she’s also a great fit for their band. Added bonus? This is Sawyer’s dream come true: performing with her high-school crush, Victoria “Vix” Vincent.

It doesn’t take long for the attraction to spark between Vix and Sawyer. What starts as purely physical soon becomes a promising friendship, and finally grows into a deep and very compelling connection. I don’t have to tell Avon Gale fans that she writes a scintillating sex scene, and the physical relationship between Sawyer and Vix is scorching. Add in Sawyer’s complete lack of experience, and Vix’s gentle guidance… well, Sawyer’s induction into the world of lesbian sex is spectacular.

A good portion of The Love Song of Sawyer Bell is centered around Vix’s band. The behind the scenes drama is lively, and the settings of the band performing are very entertaining. Anyone who enjoys watching live music, especially fans of alt-indie bands, are going to enjoy this part of the novel.

Avon Gale’s trademark humor and wit come through loud and clear in the interactions between the bandmates. Their squabbles had me laughing, and details of their past history add entertaining insight to the dynamic between the band members.

It was a treat to experience The Love Song of Sawyer Bell as an audiobook. Performed by Ariela Crow and Lauren Sweet, they do a marvelous job of infusing emotion as the characters process everything that happens. I’m glad this one was done with two narrators, as Vix and Sawyer are vibrant ladies, total opposites and I enjoyed how the narrators brought them to life.

As a devout fan of Avon Gale, I hope she plans to revisit this genre soon. Her light and funny romances are just as compelling as her darker stories, and now that I’ve finally given The Love Song of Sawyer Bell a go, I hope I don’t have to wait long for more!

I love a good band romance. The Love Song of Sawyer Bell is not your typical band romance. First of all, the two main characters are both female. Usually we get love 'em and leave 'em until they meet the one tales of redemption. Sawyer Bell starts out as a friendship that develops into so much more. Vix and Sawyer are the two leads here. Vix has been in a band forever and Sawyer is trying to figure out what life has to offer outside of her sheltered Julliard life. Taking place over the course of the band's tour, we watch as Vix and Sawyer become friends who make each other better people. That friendship takes a turn to romance one night and neither of the women is expecting it. What I loved about the relationship was the honest to god friendship these two women had and how they were both written as strong yet vulnerable people.

Another aspect of the story I loved was the commentary on society's expectations of women, especially bisexual women and women who like sex. Avon Gale is a completely new to me author and I want more. I really enjoyed this story and can't wait to see what's next.

Sweet, sexy and incredibly funny - The Love Song of Sawyer Bell was an incredibly enjoyable romance. The connection between the two women was believable as both friends and then more than friends and the rest of the band formed an wonderful background cast. Full of witty lines and tangible emotion I thoroughly loved this one. Tackling biphobia, dating, university stress and following your dreams all in one book is a risky move but everything was given the right amount of focus and nothing important was left unmentioned. A quick read that made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion.

[my review will be up on my blog, acquadimore.wordpress.com, on July 13, 2019]

The Love Song of Sawyer Bell is a new adult f/f contemporary romance following Vix, a singer, and Sawyer, a violinist, as they start to play together in a band and fall in love.

As usual with me and adult romances, there were parts of this book I found really boring, but unlike most romances I've read, The Love Song of Sawyer Bell started out boring and became interesting around a quarter of the way through, which I find I like much better than the opposite combination.

What made this book stand out the most from other romance books I've read were the sex scenes. I've read too many that were ruined by awkward euphemisms (especially in f/f books), or even by the boring she-did-this-and-then-she-did-that kind of format. This book refers to body parts by their names, and during the sex scenes the character actually communicate - they joke, sometimes awkwardly, and you can tell they're having fun; you're not reading something that has the structure of a grocery list.

I also really appreciated that this book followed two main characters who had very different experiences with queerness - Vix is bi, has known for a long time and talks about how bisexual stereotypes have affected her; Sawyer is a lesbian who has just discovered she likes women - as it was interesting to see how this affected them. I liked them as a couple and didn't even mind the miscommunication too much. Even though some plot points didn't feel that natural, I liked how they solved things by talking.

I didn't feel strongly about any of the characters, not even the main ones, both because it was a short book to begin with and because I didn't think they were as developed as they could have, but I still ended up mostly liking this story about not expecting the future to be like the past while also being able to recognize (and let go of) what doesn't make you happy.

Sawyer runs away from her life at Julliard to join a rock band fronted by her high school crush, Vix, who doesn’t even remember her. They’re not a big time band, yet, so touring means a hard scrabble life of truck stop showers, greasy spoon eats, and sleeping in the van.

Two things took my attention in this book. One is the trial and error that the mc’s experienced when they had sex which I found endearing because that’s exactly what happens with a new couple or a young one. You’re not going in knowing everything that your partner likes and in so many books, the people exclaim, woohoo best sex ever on the first try. Doesn’t matter that they’ve never been together or that one of them is a virgin.

The other thing that got me was that Vix identified as bisexual and this seemed to be a sore point for Sawyer who identified as a Lesbian. There was an underlying tension in the relationship, seemingly because of Sawyer’s jealousy. Age old fight for people who are open when it comes to preference. There’s the suspicion that you will always seek out the other, on the sly. My feeling is that if you are committed, then that’s it, you are with that one person. I appreciated that the author not only highlighted this issue in their relationship but resolved it. Good summer reading.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks so much to Netgalley and Carina Press for providing me with a copy!

The Love Song of Sawyer Bell is a book which has left me with mixed feelings. On one hand, for the most part it was a fun, fluffy NA romance with a great subplot about how scary it is to realise that you’ve changed, and what you once wanted is no longer what you want. The terrifying feeling of falling out of love with something that used to mean everything. On the other hand, there were some aspects of the book that were personally difficult to me as a reader, and I had to put the book down for a few days because I just didn’t feel emotionally equipped to deal with them. Once I’d waded past that point, the book became very enjoyable and I flew through the rest of it, but it was a bit of a struggle to get there.

I very much enjoyed a lot of things about the story. Touring musicians is a trope I’m fond of, and I loved the daily interactions of the band and our insights into their life on the road. There were lots of little details that made the characters come to life, like Vix keeping dozens of pens around so she can write lyrics that come to her, Sawyer’s career conflict, the banter between the various bands and so on. The relationship was fun, and I loved that it blended sex and humour so seamlessly. A lot of romance novels present sex as this idealised, polished thing when in reality, sex can be silly. I appreciated the way they had awesome, hot sex, but they could also be laughing and joking around at the same time. All the dorky moments made it feel real, and as much as I love my super-serious emotional sex scenes, I found there was something adorably intimate about the two of them just fooling around.

The plot was pretty chilled out for the most part, which felt right for the mood of the book. This is definitely a character driven story that focuses on developing the relationships between characters, and I appreciated that – I feel like we got to know everybody really well, and it made their personal growth all the more satisfying once we got to the end. If you’re looking for a story that really immerses you in the character’s heads then this book definitely delivers. Sawyer in particular felt very real to me, and I empathised a lot with certain aspects of her journey, the pressure she puts on herself and her fears.

That being said, as I mentioned there were aspects of the book I found difficult. Most of my less positive feelings about the story revolved around Vix, who is bisexual. I’m a bisexual woman myself, and while I enjoyed Vix’s character, a lot of the conversations surrounding her sexuality were difficult for me. Firstly, the way Vix’s bandmates talk about her sexuality really grossed me out. One of her bandmates repeatedly jokes about wanting to watch her have sex with a woman, finding her relationships with women hot, and other similar comments. When a random passer-by on the street exhibits similar behaviour, they are called out and it is shown to be unacceptable – but the side-characters seem to get a free pass to make gross remarks about Vix’s relationships. I understand that this could be seen as a joke, and just teasing, but it personally made me uncomfortable. In addition to this, Vix’s bisexuality created conflict in her relationship with Sawyer, and this was the part of the story that really bothered me. Sawyer was very jealous of Vix’s previous relationships, frequently expressed anxieties about not being enough to satisfy Vix because there were ‘things she couldn’t give her’ (aka PIV sex) and being cold to Vix because Vix was having totally platonic interactions with men she’d previously slept with. Again, this is addressed, called out and basically resolved by the end of the book, but it really pulled me out of the romance. As someone who has experienced biphobia in my own romantic relationships, I understand that it happens and it is something that can be challenged and unlearned. That being said, I read romance largely as a form of escapism, so it kind of hurt to read about a character who wore her prejudice on her sleeve like that.

Overall, I found this book to be fun and fluffy. It was well-written and enjoyable, and I particularly loved the ending; the payoff was great. I just wish that the relationship conflict had come from a place which wasn’t so difficult for me to deal with.

All my favourite romances are rooted in friendships, and I feel like Avon Gale GETS that. While I do wish we’d seen more of Vix and Sawyer’s transition from strangers to pals, the bulk of their friendship/love affair is SO cute, and SO sweet, and SO full of banter that I’ll overlook it.

Likewise, I got such a kick out of the mechanics of their North American tour by van (as opposed to fancy bus) and the joys (and perils) of following creative dreams, that I can live with fewer of the vicarious performance highs I usually crave from rock star romance. This is good stuff, and I’ll look forward to Gale’s next book.

Sweet, romantic beach read for the summer with one really great lead. I had fun with this book, as it had a good message about finding oneself and being comfortable with who you are. It's also funny and snarky, with some rough edges provided by band leader Vix. Sawyer is sweet and earnest to a fault, however she is the one who is having trouble with who and what she is meant to be.

I love the over arching plot of Sawyer finding her place in the world and being comfortable with it, even though it flies in the face of the expectations she and her family places on her. She's a talented violinist who was accepted into Julliard, but found that the cutthroat culture wasn't what she wanted from her music. Sawyer met Vix while they were both in high school, and she admired Vix's outward appearance of rebellion, and sought her out when Sawyer dropped out of an audition at school.

There's alot of stuff going on with Sawyer's journey, but not so much with Vix. She's surprisingly stagnate - not a bad thing - but I feel like some of her issues were put to the side to focus on Sawyer. It works to a point, because Sawyer is so great, but I do wish Vix is given more time. I love that Vix is bi, but it avoids the 'promiscuous evil bi' trope, while subverting it a little bit.

I'm glad I got a hold of this great summer romance read. Sawyer is amazing, and the description of the music was great. It was not too deep, but was thoughtful enough to keep my attention, and gave a satisfying ending.

The Love Song of Sawyer Bell is a fantastic FF rocker romance by Avon Gale.


Hired by the band for a few months, Sawyer falls for band member Vix. Both are attracted to each other, and once they make their first move, things get hot and heavy. Of course, it's just a temporary thing and there's no commitment.


Their story is one of fear, anxiety, and making decisions, in addition to being a great look into the music world and band dynamics. The angst is intriguing, as they struggle with some complex decisions and dropping the barriers they've built around their hearts.

Sawyer's anxiety is well developed, realistic, and honest. I appreciate all of her issues, as we need to see more of this representation.

It's a story of self discovery and coming of age. It's about taking a stand for what you want and owning your decision. It's about taking risks and finding a place where you belong.

The Love Song of Sawyer Bell is a wonderful read. I love the snark and banter, as well as the heat! It's a must read if you're looking for a F/F rocker romance.

This book is about a band going on tour, recruiting Sawyer, a violonist in Juilliard who is not that happy in this dream school of hers, to play with them for the summer. The lead singer of the band is Vix, who happened to be Sawyer's old crush in high school. Now that's the basic summary, but we get so much more than that, like Sawyer first questionning if she's a lesbian and then slowly growing more confident in her identity. I really liked when she asked herself something like "is that attraction or admiration I feel toward this girl?" because this is a feeling I know all too well and maybe it took her years to figure it out but that's ok! And Vix calling people out on their bisexual stereotypes? Hell yeah girl, say it louder.

I also really adore the progression of Vix and Sawyer's relationship. I mean, when you're stuck with people in a van while you're traveling across the country and singing most night, you'll grow closer to them. So at first they become friends but it felt just natural for me? Their late night conversations when Vix was driving and Sawyer keeping her company made me warm in the chest. And then they become sort of friends with benefits with Sawyer exploring her sexuality and then they maybe start to like-like each other and aaaaah I love them I love their relationship how it was written and everything. I admit at some point I just wanted them to be honest with each other and truly communicate but we do need angst and drama in our life.

The Love Song of Sawyer Bell by Avon Gale, first published by Riptide in 2017, has been recently acquired by Carina Press, an imprint of Harlequin. I think this book is considered new adult which isn’t a genre that I read often. I had some apprehensions when I realized how young the characters were, but I was happily surprised. This was a fun, quick, enjoyable read with characters you grow attached to.

The Love Song of Sawyer Bell is about Victoria ‘Vix’ Vincent, a 25-year-old indie rock/Americana singer whose band is about to go on tour for the summer. Having lost their fiddle player, the band is trying to replace him a couple of weeks before they’re supposed to get on the road. Come in Sawyer Bell, a 21-year-old classical violinist with a full ride scholarship to Julliard who’s trying to escape the constant pressure she finds herself under.

Once on the road and living in a van, Vix and Sawyer grow closer and develop a friendship that quickly morphs into a sort-of-relationship when Sawyer confesses she’s a lesbian and has never had sex with a woman. Vix offers to show her how fun sex can be, and from there, they embark on a casual sexual relationship. All is well at first until insecurities and jealousy are thrown into the mix.

The line between YA and NA is very thin, and I had some worries that I would find the main characters too young or that the story would be overly dramatic. The characters do read young, but I wasn’t put off by it, and other than the little jealousy/miscommunication trope used, the story had just the right amount of drama. I was very impressed.

The writing is good, but the repetitive use of “ew” had me sighing. I’m also not a fan of the word “cunt” which was used a lot during the sex scenes. Other than that, the story flows well and keeps you engaged.

I have a very soft spot for novels about music/artist/band, and so I was really looking forward to this one. I must say that I was a bit let down on the music front. These women are artists, music lovers, and yet, I didn’t really feel or believe their connection to music. Their performances were described on a very superficial level. I wish there had been more…passion. That’s really my only complaint, but since the story is centred on music, it dampened my enthusiasm for the book.

The Love Song of Sawyer Bell is mostly about discovering yourself and coming to terms with who you are and what you want to be. I love the discussion surrounding college and how, in the end, what you thought you wanted at first might not be what makes you happy. How it’s okay to quit something that makes you unhappy even though you think people will be disappointed. In the end, we only live once, and we have to make the best of it. Life’s too short to be miserable.

Finally, I love how this book tackles biphobia, has a cast of characters with diverse sexual identity and is sex positive.

Thank you to Carina Press and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This book was first released by Riptide in 2017. I didn’t read it at the time but according to Carina Press, no significant changes have been made to the text.

Sawyer’s dream has always been to study the violin at Juilliard, but after three years there, she’s finally ready to admit it’s not all she thought it would be. She’s under so much stress that she’s worried she doesn’t like playing anymore. So she wants to try something new. When she auditions to go on tour with Americana band Victoria Vincent, Vix and her bandmates can’t believe their luck. Sawyer is talented and sweet and gets on really well with all of them. She’s also coming to terms with the idea that maybe she’s a lesbian. In good news, Vix is bi and both think the other is hot and their friendship morphs into some sort of summer fling and then of course into something more.

One of the things I loved the most was the banter between Vix and Sawyer, including in sex scenes (which are totally hot), and how Vix falls in love with Sawyer mostly because she’s having so much fun with her.

This is such a feel-good novel that I think I smiled almost the whole time, and I might have laughed aloud when at some point Sawyer summarizes it as « Fingerblasting and Fiddles: What I Did on My Summer Vacation ». It’s sweet and sexy (except cigarettes. Cigarettes are not sexy) and mostly happy.

One last thing, I love that this is published by a division of Harlequin. While I’m very attached to lesbian publishers, where I feel at home and know what I’m buying, making books about wlw accessible to a larger audience is always good news.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Love Song of Sawyer Bell is a delightful f/f contemporary romance between classical violinist Saywer rediscovering her love of music by joining a rock band, and the band's singer who she's had a crush on since school. It's a great lesbian awakening book with Sawyer coming to understand and explore her sexuality, as well as figuring out how to use her musical talents, and I enjoyed her journey which had just the right amount of conflict and tension for me.