Reading the blurb I knew I had to read this story. Anyone who has received a mix tape will understand the thought and emotion gone into its creation. I loved the musical references that provoked memories and raw feelings.

I have to admit I was expecting a lighter story but this had depth, dealing with serious issues.
The book doesn't shy away from the fact that going back to find the one that got away, has consequences and I felt Jane Sanderson delved into the pain and heartbreak well.

A will they, wont they love story that spans decades, Mix Tape drew me in and had me reading it over a couple of days.

My problem was that I expected a different kind of story. The story that was told was quite a raw story, and the hurt of the people in it, people who had not committed any crime themselves left me feeling a bit depressed, and took the shine off the relationship between the two main characters. Don’t get me wrong, this was a well written story and I devoured the first half of the book, but after the main characters have been messaging songs back and forth i felt the story lost something. When the main characters actually met, it felt a little unbelievable and flat. I did really love the music though!

Mix Tape is a love letter to music, and to love. I thoroughly enjoyed the time hopping writing style though it was a little hard to follow in ebook format at times. But watching Alison and Daniel during their first relationship alongside their new lives and loves lent the eventual coming together more meaning. As we learn more about who they were, we understand better who they are, and the choices that they're making.

I definitely need the playlist for this book and I will re-read it and enjoy it all over again. Some how Alison and Daniel managed to fall for two people who don't love music the way they do, who don't live it and breathe it. So it seems only natural that they would find their way back to one another, to where it all began.

I've never been one for the "I didn't realise my life was miserable until *insert whirlwind romance here* came along" stories. They so often cause someone else pain but we're not supposed to care because our main character is happy - looking at you Letters to Juliet and Leap Year. But Jane Sanderson doesn't shy away from their current lives, doesn't let them get off easy. And that makes it so much more believable, and heart felt.

Also I loved that Alison said "you can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness" and I've got ten Australian dollars that says her husband doesn't recognise those lyrics. I wonder how many more I missed though.

Although the subjects are only touched on Sanderson deals with topics such as alcoholism, and to a lesser extent dementia, with a very graceful hand in my opinion.

OVERALL RATING: 3.5/5 STARS

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS-AS NON-SPOILER AS POSSIBLE*

FAVOURITE CHARACTER: Dan. He was such a sweetheart throughout the book. He definitely had some ups and downs in terms of character, but his honesty was refreshing. Allison. She grew on me as the book went along, her journey of self-discovery was genuinely something that I enjoyed and it was interesting to see a romance novel in which the choice of the relationship is solely based on the female rather than the male.

LEAST FAVOURITE CHARACTER: Micheal. I really hated Micheal; Jane Sanderson did a wonderful job in making me want Dan and Allison to end up together, mostly because of how oppressive and judgmental Micheal was towards Allison.

OVERALL OPINIONS:

This book was a great take on a contemporary romance; it had all the components of nostalgia, love, mixed with the thread of good music. It was heartfelt and as a reader, I enjoyed the plot as well as the characters.

The formatting of the book did feel slightly difficult; there were large paragraphs that seemed to never end which was a bit daunting to have to go through. It felt a bit like I was getting lots of information too quickly, but none of it was resonating, which slowed down the story. It got better as I went along though!

The story had elements that felt a bit fantastical and unrealistic but at the end of the read, it was simply a good, funny, heartwarming romance novel. I wouldn't go in expecting a gritty realistic depiction of love and cheating; while it doesn't glorify cheating, it also glosses over the aspects of the relationship between Dan and Allison which could have caused issues.

Mix tape, I am mixed about my review.

I loved the writing style and the premise for the story. I loved how music was used to help tell their story but I just didn't like the two main characters together. Dan and Alison separately their stories were compelling and sad at times. I just didn't sympathise with them for their early love and I felt for their respective partners in this story. I appreciate that life is not always clear cut however their actions just didn't sit right with me. Hence why I am mixed about my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.

I have mixed (excuse the pun...) feelings about this. It was a good read with a well considered storyline. However, without giving too much away, two of the secondary characters were conveniently flawed in a way that Makes two of them, at least, something of a stereotype. And I found myself conflicted because, while I was rooting for our two main protagonists, I often thought I didn’t want to be. That said, a lot of the reactions were believable and in this way the writer did a good job of not just having flat good and bad guys. I also didn’t know many of the songs listed and this meant perhaps some of the meanings shared were lost on me. I googled one or two and felt vaguely disappointed and it made it clear how dependent on time and place songs can be. Worth a read though, particularly if you like a romantic story where you kind of know where you’re heading but enjoy the scenery along the way.

I felt this would make a great movie with a solid soundtrack; I was entertained throughout and liked the unusual settings *Adelaide and Sheffield rather than London and Sydney,for instance).
I wasn't entirely sold on Alison - there was a bit too much focus on her being pretty as justification; can't average-looking people be worthy of a great love affair too? There was almost no corresponding emphasis on Dan's looks. That said, I loved Sheila, Dora, the canalboat couple, Cass, McCulloch; there was plenty here to enjoy and I would read another by this author. It was One Day-esque without being another rip off.

What a delicious read. I loved how the two main characters communicated using songs. I often stopped reading to listen to the tracks, and I wish now that I had made a playlist, so I could listen again.
I was actually expecting chick-lit, but was pleasantly surprised, as there was much more depth to the characters and the plot. I would definitely recommend

This is the first book I have read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Alison and Daniel were teenage sweethearts in Sheffield in 1978, they were brought together by their love of music. When circumstances forced Alison to disappear, Daniel was left heartbroken.

Fast forward 30 years and Daniel discovers Alison is now a best selling novelist living in Australia. Through a series of twitter messages of old songs, they reconnect.

A love story from the past into the present which was a great read.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and I really liked it. Reminiscing over music living there past and present and hoping for a future together I was. Worth a read

The story switches between Sheffield in 1979, when Alison and Daniel are eighteen-years-olds, to three decades later in Scotland and Australia. Revealing the plot would be to deny any other reader the sheer unadulterated delight of immersing themselves in the lives of these two wonderful characters; their families and friends.

Thirty years elapse and they begin to communicate with each other again but through carefully selected song choices. These musical love letter add another delightful layer of depth both to the story and their relationship. The ‘mixtape’ of song choices which Alison and Daniel send to each other via Twitter links are in place of conversation add another wonderful, original layer of meaning to their relationship. As a reader, I was swimming in a delightful sea of nostalgia. I googled the full song lyrics and even found myself watching a Dusty Springfield performance on YouTube.

At frequent points during the denouement, I was reading with tears rolling down my cheeks. It is moving, tender, humourous, and in parts almost unbearably poignant as the story of these wonderful believable, edgy and thoroughly engaging characters is revealed.

Suffice to say Jane Sanderson has achieved that rare feat of writing a wonderfully enjoyable story which fully immerses the reader in the lives of the characters - making this particular reader’s heart beat faster, often feeling my chest tighten with tension and making my eyes fills with tears. This is a spectacular book which like all the finest will my linger long and large in my memory and I’m going to buy multiple copies for friends and families to spread the joy that is: Alison Connor and Daniel Lawrence.

For me, Dan and Ali join the ranks of Dexter and Emma; Louisa and Will as one of the unforgettably wonderful and enthralling contemporary fictional romances. I am thoroughly envious of everyone who has yet to read this utterly charming book and felt bereft as I read the last page. Thank you, Jane Sanderson!

I kept hoping this book would get more interesting, so I persisted with it. But it didn't get much better. There was a good twist that I didn't expect, but it still didn't grip me.

I love the concept of soul mates being drawn back together after many years apart, but I didn't really believe their relationship or understand what exactly drew them back together - their love for music supposedly...

My dislike is also probably a little biased. How can two people, particularly the man who had a happy marriage, just up and leave to be with someone the other side of the world who he hasn't seen or spoke to for 20 years? If their younger story line was more convincing I may have liked it more, I was left however disliking both characters and not seeing any spark between them which made it even more frustrating to read.

I was immediately gripped by this book. It is well-written, and the characters are so well-drawn. I have known people like Claire, the lovely Bill, and the immature Daniel. It was a great nostalgia-fest too, taking me back to the days of my youth. Unfortunately I started to lose interest when the "follow your heart" nonsense took over. I thought the ending was too trite, although I was glad we found out what happened to Peter. I would like to read more by Jane Sanderson, with less of the hippy stuff next time.

Such a brilliant concept for a book, well written and easy to read. I read the whole thing in a day.
I found Alison hard to like at times, her tendency to bolt at everything really frustrated me.
But that’s ok. It’s still a good book, with a satisfying ending.

I enjoyed this story very much. I was brought up in Sheffield so the setting was spot on for me. I did think the music mentions were too much and got in the way of the story, because I couldn't remember all of the tracks I didn't always appreciate the references. I recently read a book in a similar vein where films were the link and found this overdone also. It would make a good film where you could actually hear the music. The author made me believe in this love story.

‘Mix Tape’ spans thirty years of Daniel and Alison’s very different lives. The reader first meets them as teenagers in Sheffield where they bond over their love of popular music. When he hopes to impress her with a mix tape, she tells him that she prefers to listen to whole albums. His ‘The Best Last Two’ gift is a nod to this and a collection that the reader becomes familiar with as the author moves us back and forth between the couple’s teen years and their adult life.
Daniel and Alison seem a perfect match but her dysfunctional family life puts pay to her staying in Sheffield to follow the expected route of A levels and university. Her disappearance influences whom they both become – happy enough but with unacknowledged and unresolved feelings. When they find each other online as successful adults – she is a novelist, he a music journalist – and begin sending each other tracks from the past, the music provokes more than nostalgia.
Those who enjoy David Nicholls’ and Nick Hornby’s novels will, no doubt, find this story engrossing. Anyone who grew up in the 70s and 80s is bound to enjoy the music choices, in themselves an important narrative, and the author also writes convincingly of domestic life in the different continents that this novel spans. The depressing squalor of Alison’s childhood terraced house is just as effectively created as adult Daniel’s desirable Stockbridge home and the bohemian outback cabin in Australia that Alison’s friend, Sheila, shares with her partner.
Jane Sanderson ensures that we are rooting for Daniel and Alison throughout by creating two reasonable, kind and considerate people whilst giving them partners who are less in tune with their needs and desires. Towards the end of the novel, however, the pace flags and the introspective ruminations don’t really suit the tone of this story whilst the predictability of the plot may weaken the overall effect for some readers. This would be a perfect beach read – what a shame that it will be published in January. Still, that’s summertime in Australia!
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

I loved this book - from the description I knew I would but it was even better I had hoped.

I loved the Sheffield setting.

The book could have so easily turned into a standard rom-com type type but think it explored the complicated nature of adult relationships really well. Will recommend this book wholeheartedly!

4.5*

I could not put this book down. I found myself taking every opportunity to read it. I loved the way as a reader we got to see Alison and Dan’s lives in the present, how their relationships were. We got to know them today and with the flashbacks we get to know who they were. Their connection was strong and Alison had a very difficult upbringing and some horrible experiences but Dan was her safe place and then she disappeared on him.

Loved Dan - he was so strong and new what he wanted. Alison was strong in a different way and I was glad she got brave and went to Dan.

Loved the Britishness of this book and references to some great songs.

This is a book about what ifs and what happens when you reconnect with someone that was meant to be your one. I have docked half a star as I really wanted an epilogue. I wanted to see how they were in the future. I had no doubt they were together but I wanted to see it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was excellent. I laughed, I cried, I listened to the music. I wanted to know the characters in real life and I definitely want to make a playlist of the tunes mentioned in the book for future listening joy. Would 100% recommend this.

I absolutely loved this one.

It's a second chance story at its heart, but not an easy path. I got the feels but it was challenging too.

Ali and Dan met as teenagers in late 1970s Sheffield then lose touch. Thirty years later they reconnect through their shared love of music. As times have changed, twitter and spotify have replaced the function of the custom mix tape, but its purpose still holds true.

It started a little slow, but it gradually grew into a beautifully poignant story. What I loved though was that while I wallowed in the romance and the feels, their story felt authentic and their issues hit home. I was engrossed in this and found it difficult to let go of the characters and the story when I wasn't reading it.

The style reminded me of a Nick Hornby, especially the evocative music and cultural references that were so completely apt in this.

Standalone, complete story. Highly recommended, quality, thought provoking read.