I enjoyed Star Crossed so I was intrigued to read Minnie Darke’s new book despite the blurb in honesty not totally encouraging me. I’m so glad I gave it a chance as this is a hidden gem and for me much better than Star Crossed. The whole tone of this book is enchanting despite the incredibly written tragic death of Diana and Arie’s grief. I love the way the story travels with the different characters in the interlude and indeed with Evie, and the emotions one song inspires. This is so original and so well written with attention to detail. This is all kinds of emotion but above all heartwarming, it was a pleasure to read.

This is the story of a love song . . . And like any good love song, it has two parts.

In Australia, Arie Johnson waits impatiently for classical pianist Diana Clare to return from a world tour, hopeful that after seven years together she'll finally agree to marry him.

On her travels, Diana composes a song for Arie. It's the perfect way to express her love, knowing they'll spend their lives together . . . Won't they?

Then late one night, her love song is overheard, and begins its own journey across the world.

In Scotland, Evie Greenlees is drifting. It's been years since she left Australia with a backpack, a one-way ticket and a dream of becoming a poet. Now she spends her days making coffee and her nights serving beer. And she's not even sure whether the guy she lives with is really her boyfriend or just a flatmate.

Then one day she hears an exquisite love song. One that will connect her to a man with a broken heart . . .

Review

Ok where do I start? I LOVED!!!

This is such a beautifully crafted book in which you feel each character’s trouble and joys. Evie and Arie are so well rounded as individuals with their own dreams it’s relatable and not over the top but still manages to be gut wrenching.

What I loved most is how the song in the title became a character in itself and not just a thread through the story. It brought people together whilst making its own journey which I thought was so clever and original.

The music lover in me loved the fact that this book was centred around the art. Again, it is so cleverly weaves through the book and helps with the atmosphere and feelings as music often does in real life.

I don’t want to say much more for fear of spoilers but honestly it’s amazing.

Rating

Five stars

Recommend

Absolutely. And stick some music on while your at it.

Beautifully interwoven stories about love, loss and music. Heartbreaking and heartwarming with great characters and plots.

A lovely story about love and lost love. A pleasure to read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I adored Minnie Darke's Star-Crossed when I read it last year and her follow up The Lost Love Song was equally as delightful. While it didn't have the cannot put down quality of the former this novel sparkled, made me smile and had me silently crying on the train.

Beautifully romantic vignettes that are linked together by a wistful and mysterious love song. Simply gorgeous.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre, I’m more into crime/thriller books and even psychological thrillers too so I am extremely pleased and grateful to them for opening up my mind to something totally different.

A very cleverly interwoven tale of love and love lost with a song passing from person to person across continents and bringing people together in unexpectedly beautiful ways.
I loved the way the song introduce such a wide and disparate group of people to the story and the way it changed as it travelled, as all good music does!
The thread of bereavement, wound throughout the book was so beautifully described that you felt the raw pain and then the longer term grief right along with Belinda and Arie and rejoiced with them as they gradually came out of the darkness and restarted life beyond Diana.
a great read!

thank you for the opportunity to read this book, not my usual genre but i like to cleanse my reading pallet now and then and this definitely did, weren't sure at first but soon hooked and do recommend it, will defo follow up with another book from this author

This is not the type of book that I normally Read but I was drawn by the description and decided to try something new.
I don’t intend to go into the story itself as I may spoil it for future readers .
I found the book to be really engaging with many side stories tied into the main one . This kept the book really interesting and hard to put down.
This book is really well written and a great read.

In Melbourne Arie and Donna have a marvelous life, but after several years Arie wants to get married. Donna isn't convinced that that it is necessary to their happiness and instead Donna, the concert pianist, writes him a love song.
Flip to Evie Greenlees in Scotland who after several years away from her Australian home decides it is time to return. Chance and circumstance lead her to hear Donna's love song while waiting at an airport.
And so this book weaves through the lives of a number of characters who are touched by this song in different ways. The main story remains with Arie, and then Evie, and we experience tragedy, loss, love, and uncertainty of the future through their eyes.

I thought this was a beautiful story with many layers and characters that stay with you long after you turn the last pages.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review, (although I also listened to the audio and recommend the narration!)

I started this and wasn't too sure if I was going to enjoy it but boy did it catch me hard! A great story, with sub themes running through that work so well!

I adored this sweet and moving book. It is a collection of love stories, each exploring different types of love, but all cleverly blending in the love song of the title. I couldn't put the book down, even though it made me cry at times - I would definitely recommend this unusual and beautiful story.

I love reading books that mention, or take me back to, places I have visited. I also love books that mention things that mean something to me. Minnie Drake has taken me on a tour of many of my favourite places in the northern hemisphere and mentioned several of my favourite pieces of music. The story of Arie is emotional and sad but the oerarching feeling in this book, for me, is joyful. I enjoyed the writing style and the way the story progresses beyonf the now. Huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an e-ARC of this book.

Diana and Arie are happily living together. She is a concert pianist, he is a computer geek. She starts to write a love song to him but before she completes it she is killed in a plane crash. The song, written down in a notebook, takes on a life of its own, travelling round the world and touching the lives of many people.

This is such a lovely story. It's about love and loss, hope and despair and is beautifully written. The characters are real and sympathetically depicted especially Arie whose journey through grief is a hard one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I am not at all musical, I don't listen to much music and never go to concerts or gigs of any sort, but I really loved this! It contains several stories, all woven around the main one of the love story of Arie and Diana. It is very romantic, has characters that you care about and hope that they find each other and have a happy ending. The song that links them all together travels around the world spreading joy, as does this book!

I can’t find anything to criticise in this book - I loved it. I won’t outline the story because you can see that in other reviews and in the book description.
It is beautifully written, the characters all unknowingly connected by a love song, and all so well described that you almost feel that you know them. It is a story of love, grief, hope, heartbreak, it has humour, pathos, and is set in Britain, Canada and Tasmania, again, beautifully described.
I absolutely recommend this book, it is not mawkish or ‘soppy’, it is strong and vibrant, and one of those books that you don’t want to end, but can’t help reading at every possible free moment.

Dual narrative contemporary romance following the lives of Arie and Evie and their connection to the posthumous discovery of a final verse of a song composed by world-renowned concert pianist and Arie's partner, Diana, The night before she is tragically killed in a plane crash, Diana composes a final verse for Arie which is then left on a piano in a hotel lounge. The story follows not only Arie's journey through his grief and aspiring poet Evie's journey to find meaning in her itinerant lifestyle, but also the trajectory of the song itself as it is discovered, played and interpreted by various people.. As it finds its way out into the world and is heard by people, the song it takes on a life of its own revealing its the power to bring people together, heal and inspire. I absolutely loved this book, it's a thoughtfully crafted moving story and I felt a connection with the characters, and was absorbed by the underlying message of the transcendental, emotive and healing power of music to raise individuals beyond their circumstances. Thank you Netgalley for the advance review copy.

I haven't finished this book yet but I had to leave a review now to say what a beautiful story this is. I recently discovered starcrossed, Minnie's first book and absolutely loved it. I enjoyed it so much that I found it difficult to get into any other book after and then I found the lost love song. I love the style if writing and how in Minnie's books there are lots of intertwining stories. This is definitely an other I will continue to watch out for and look forward to more books to come.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book.
It was so well written and definitely unpredictable. Sadly, it was also realistic with how lives can be lost in an instant. Throughout the story, while many characters are finding love, there is an undeniable tone of sadness, most likely due to the presence of the song.
It was sad that Arie never found out Diana's answer, but it was lovely that he was able to hear the song fully. I found that his journey was realistic and paced fairly well, and it was wonderful to be a part of it.
4.5 stars