*** I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. ***

This is an intricately woven story about seemingly unconnected characters, loosely coming together through the power of song.

In the beginning of the novel we met classical pianist Diana Clare and her fiancee of many years, Arie Johnson. On the eve of embarking on a world tour, Diana pens a song that takes on a life of its own, long past Diana's own existence. This story follows the song's journey, mainly through the eyes of Arie and Evie, although other important people of note make cameos here and there.

The bits where other people become intertwined with the song are what made this book a bit murky for me. In the end I understood the significance of their presence, but I had a hard time keeping some of the standalone chapters (and their characters) straight.

What I did like about the book was how it emphasized the power of song. I've been down the road before of trying to find the name of a good song that haunts me. Years ago it was easier said than done to find songs you heard by chance, but when it happened, it was a remarkable feeling. The Lost Love Song manages to capture that feeling, as well as the powerful emotions that one might not be able to express, but that a song can do for them.

Musical lovers, and those who are drawn to stories about second chance love, might want to give this one a spin.

The Lost Love Song is a fantastic romance above love and loss. There are so many facets of this book that I won’t say much because I’m afraid of ruining something.

The Lost Love Song is about a song that finds its way to different couples. There is the main story and then a few side character stories. The connection between the stories is the song. The love stories are great and different parts about music make it better.

The Lost Love Song is about difficult love, whether it’s because of the people themselves or their situation.

The Lost Love Song was my first book by Minnie Darke but definitely will not be my last. I just added Star-Crossed to my TBR.

I highly recommend The Lost Love Song for fans of Jojo Moyes, Josie Silver, and Jill Santopolo.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books/Random House Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available October 13

This book reminds me of Love Actually, one of my favorite movies., because the book contains different love stories that are all connected by a love song. The book begins when Arie meets Diana, a well known pianist. Diana creates a beautiful love song that spreads across the world in an unconventional way, from England to Canada to Australia. Many times the author describes the song from different points of view and it made me want to really hear the song. One of my favorite stories is of young Beatrix meeting her first love Felix at a music camp.

I cannot even begin to explain how much I loved this story. This story all revolves around a love song, and how it connects the characters even when they don't know each other.
You will meet Arie, Diana, and Evie, the 3 main characters besides the love song. Along the way there are side characters with their own chapters that will play in together.
I can't even describe this nearly as well as I should. Just go read it.

A nice tale of music and relationships and how small the world is.
Two things hit home:
1. When Arie contemplated booking a flight for his sister’s wedding - it’s not that he is afraid to fly, It was everything to do with air travel - the advertising, etc... that set off his own personal movie reel of Diana’s life. I can relate to that.
2. We’re wired up to feel something special when we hear music that reminds us of something. How true!

Kind of wanted a little bit more about the teens at the end of the book....

As Diana stated, music is the last part of memory loss and the love song certainly permeated the memory of all.the characters it touched. The song first composed by Diana and modified thereafter is a reminder that love is malleable. I enjoyed the intertwining of stories whether it be Arie, Evie, Felix and Tom and then how the song came to.fruition by the band at the end. This book was captivating.

A beautifully and lyrically written story of concert pianist, Diana’s, love song to her fiancé, that she never gets to let him hear completely finished. In a tragic accident, she dies, but her now finished love song continues on throughout the world, enchanting other lives along the way.

Arie (fiancé) is grief stricken and trying to learn how to live again, Evie is a poet who has settled for relationships that are nothing special. The Lost Love Song is their journey toward finding each other.

I loved the way that the song entwined characters together to help them find love, and to heal. I can’t say enough about how enjoyable this book was. By the end I was smiling foolishly, and crying happy tears.

It was my first book by this author, but I’ve got her first on my TBR list now.

Thank you to netgalley for giving me this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

Red rimmed, running nose, blotchy face: side effects of reading something directly addresses to your soul, emotional, heartfelt.

Wow! What a beautiful, poetic, genuine, bittersweet story about the exhilarating journey of love song which saves people’s souls and gives them a real reason to move on and see the magical beauty of the life.

This moving, soul crushing journey starts from a Singapore Hotel and moves on from Edinburgh, London to New York and Australia.
A talented pianist Diana finally plans to marry with Arie after completing her world tour, composing a special love song for him. But you know the famous Michael Charon quote: “ Man makes plans, God laughs.”

As this beautiful love song starts its own journey around the world, we move to Scotland to be introduced with Evie Greenlees who left Australia for a few years ago for chasing her dream to because a poet. Now she’s drifting, living a meaningless life without an achieving career plan and proper relationship. Maybe it’s the right time for her to turn back to her roots.

And her path crosses with broken hearted Arie. And then... let’s stop right here. No more spoilers!

This is extremely poignant, lyrically written love, grief, friendship, second chances, power of great music, art, poems, romance novel. The characters are easy to resonate and empathize with. The pacing is well balanced. Just keep napkins, any kind of absorbing paper products with you and get used to cry out like a baby.

I haven’t read any works of this author before and I’m so happy, this arc put her on my radar. I cannot wait to read more books of her sooner.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/ Ballantine Books for sharing this poetic ARC with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

This was a lovely story, poignant and life-affirming.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is very character driven and holy moly there are a lot of characters to keep track of. For the length of this book I felt the main characters backgrounds should have been developed a bit more so I really knew who they were. That said, it was an enjoyable read and had a sweet ending.

I loved this book!!
Thank you so much to the publisher (Ballantine Books ) and the author (Minnie Drake) for my advanced copy of this beautiful novel.

What I Loved-

✨ The Different POVs - I love novels with multiple view points. There were quite a few characters and I had no trouble keeping up with the story at all.

✨ Location- this book takes place all over the globe. From Australia to The UK to the US and Canada. I loved seeing the song featured in this book travel and touch so many lives. Music does that. It connects us and it speaks to us on different levels. That message shines through in this novel.

✨ The Characters

•Arie- he’s just such a good guy and you want the best for him. You want him to find love and happiness. I adored how he took care of his would be ex- mother in law. She was like family to him and he was there when she needed him.

•Evie- I loved her free spirit! I thought she was so brave to live life the way she did and I loved traveling with her! I hardly ever quote books and technically I’m not supposed to prior to their publication but she said something that really stuck with me-

“... Do you know what’s going to happen to me next in my life? I’ll tell you. I’m going to meet somebody. Somebody nice. Somebody really nice. And they’re going to want me. Really, properly want me, not just kind-of. And it’s going to be as simple as that.”

I was like yasssssss girl 👏🏼. That’s exactly how I feel and I want that for you too!

•Beatrix- She is so young and full of promise. Such a great musical talent with her whole life ahead of her. I loved catching a glimpse of her falling in love.

•Diana- although we only get to spend a small amount of time with this character we get to know who she is in that short time. I love how fleshed out and well written she was.

I was totally invested in all the characters. Loved them. Enjoyed seeing their stories enter twined and the characters cross paths. It was beautiful.

✨ The Emotions- this is my first and certainly not my last novel by Minnie Drake. She really made me feel a rollercoaster of emotion. In the beginning she tugged on my heart with sadness and loss. Throughout the book I felt hope and love and joy right alongside her characters.

I can’t recommend this book enough. Absolutely brilliant. I cannot wait to see what Minnie Drake writes next.

I just finished reading an ARC of The Lost Love Song and I am blown away! I love the way the author writes, the emotional story line, the characters & the way they’re connected, and the amazing ending. I predict this book being on top seller lists; it’s that good!!

Grab this book, put your favorite music on in the background and prepare to follow the labyrinth that takes us from the beginnings of Diana’s love song to the resolution of all the disparate characters in The Lost Love Song. Sometimes uplifting, sometimes sad, though never maudlin, Minnie Darke has captured the pathos of Arie who grieves for Diana, the yearning of Evie to be loved and all the emotions of the characters who hear Love Song and take it to their hearts. Besides being just a good story, The Lost Love Song celebrates that music not only moves us but becomes part of us. If we let it.

Before she died in a plane crash, concert pianist Diane composed a love song for her long time fiancee Arie. He never heard the final version. Her leather notebook where the song composition is in was accidentally left on top of a piano she was playing on. The person who finds the notebook intends to mail it to her. He forgets to and the notebook is placed on his bookshelf and forgotten. His daughter remembers the composition and gives it to her boyfriend.
Arie dwells on the loss he has suffered. It is hard to move forward. Diane is remembered for her Birthday, the day the plane went down. He can't get past his incredible loss. It doesn't help that Diane's mother is dependent on Arie.
Follow the incredible saga of a lost song that is picked up. Played with different players and different instruments and different types of genres of music. But it is still a love song. Lives are touched and changed.

3.5 stars.

This book, which traces a song from person to person, reminds me of the movie, The Red Violin, a bit. In both the movie and book, something—here, a love song by a brilliant pianist to her fiancée—is passed from person to person as each creates and derives new meaning from it. The book is meant to show us how people are connected.

There is a lot to like in the book. The descriptions of grief are powerful . The main characters make each other better people, and deserve each other by the end. Loose ends are tied up. I liked this book. But I didn’t love it. It never transcended its structure; with every new character’s introduction, I focused more on the how the structure would be furthered and was unable to let myself go into the feeling of the book.

**was provided with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.