I really enjoyed the time setting of this book - I feel like not enough books are set in the 60s, and it really aided in the overall feel of the book.

Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the gifted book!

It's NYC 1960 and Benny Lament learned early on that love and family only lead to trouble thanks to his father's ties to the mob, so he lives his life only focused on music. He avoids the spotlight and just writes for other people. But when his father takes him to hear Esther Mine sing one night, he is entranced by the petite powerhouse. And when he writes a hit song and performs it with her, they are thrust into the spotlight and the scrutiny it brings.

Benny can't resist Esther and the pull her and her voice have on him, but as an interracial couple they have much more to deal with than just their tumultuous pasts.

I thought this book was so engaging and unique. I was sucked into the story and the format helped propel me through. The banter between Benny and Esther is so natural and they have so much chemistry that you can't help root for them. And the secondary characters add life and color and dimension to the story.

I had heard so many great things about this book from other early reviews, however, it wasn’t a fit for me.

Thank you to Amazon for providing a review copy. All opinions are my own.

An original and evocative story by Amy Harmon, and author I have come to trust to consistently give me a compelling story that I don't feel like I read a million times over.

What a heartbreakingly beautiful love story. I loved the musical aspect, and the drama of the mob. Historical fiction is not my favorite, but I very much enjoyed The Songbook of Benny Lament.

This story touched my soul in so many ways. I loved the music inclusions and how real it felt when it came to groups of people that I personally don’t know much or interact with as much as I wish I had.
This one was a wonderful story that everyone should read.

Benny and Esther, what a couple! Beautiful story with well fleshed out characters, and realistic for the time with all the contextual issues that came their individual struggles. Despite their differences, music brought them together, they fell in love and had to fight to keep it.

I loved how Benny had ties with the mob but was doing everything he could to keep that separated from his life. Those elements wove perfectly throughout the story and helped support a beautiful story of love, sacrifice, and bravery. The side characters really carried this book too! It’s always a treat to have so get to know well secondary characters, and Harmon have us so many to be friends with!

Thank you NetGalley for this one!

I adored this book. I feel like I could hear the music.. Amy Harmon is absolutely amazing in her writing style. This book kept me on the edge of my seat.

This was a beautiful book. We read this in my book club and it brought forth wonderful discussion about race, class, and love. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Harmon doesn't shy from dealing with sensitive topics, but I wished the plot was paced better. The story got too long and was tough to immerse into.

Simply put: Fearless and timely!

"May we seek learn each other's stories so that we might love each other a little better". --Amy Harmon

I just finished this dynamic story and man, I’m speechless. It was riveting and poignant and it definitely opened my eyes a bit more.

Harlem 1960 was not an easy time and this book showed that. I couldn’t stop reading. Benny and Esther had all my attention. They were a powerhouse couple that fought for everything they they wanted.

Man, I really can’t even get my thoughts together. The long and short is that I really liked this and I hope everyone will read it.

This was a deeply atmospheric and heart-touching book. I felt myself being transported to that era and its music scene, and I was impressed with how it also deals with difficult and sensitive topics. I loved the musical descriptions, I loved the bond between Benny and Esther. Music often blurs the lines between which feelings are real, and which ones are just for the sake of the songs we sing, and being an aspiring musician myself, I could relate strongly with it all. This is perfect for fans of 'Daisy Jones and The Six'. My only complaint is that it's a little too long.

This novel is told from the perspective of Benny Lament, aka Benito Lamento, as he is interviewed on a radio show in 1969 about his music career, alternating with his perspective during 1960 when he meets up and teams up with singer Esther Mine. Benny’s dad and uncle are in the mafia, while Esther is a black woman who doesn’t know the truth about her own background. When she and Benny meet, sparks fly both musically and romantically.

I have been really into the music novels this year, and this is another great one. Loved the stuff about their fledgling music career and although Benny and Esther are fictional, love how they met various real figures in the 1960s. And this book also brought in civil rights, the mob, politics, family drama, romance, and more. This was the first book I have read by Amy Harmon but it definitely won’t be the last!

4.25 stars.

Apparently Amy Harmon is extremely popular, but as this was my first outing with her books, I don't really get it.
I didn't connect with the characters, and the pace was so slow for me. I kept having to force myself to keep reading. It might be my headspace and concentration, but when I am gripped by other books, I think this one just wasn't for me.

I don't think there's much more I can add to the glowing reviews. It was phenomenal. Amy Harmon's writing is as impressive as ever. This story takes place in a painful and transformative time in our history, and it was represented authentically and compassionately, which is even more impressive because Ms. Harmon wasn't around in those days. Just the thought of the research needed to portray this time and these characters accurately is mind-boggling. My heart always feels full and I feel like I have lived with her characters when I turn the last page of one of Ms. Harmon's works.

This was a beautiful book. When you read her words, you really thought you were back in the day with her. I loved all the time they were trying to get the record deal and dealt with various producers. The love story was done so beautifully that you thought it was a true story.

I don’t think there is an Amy Harmon book I’ve ever read that I haven’t loved. Her writing is just magical and her stories are so original. She is so unique as an author and I always look forward to her next book.

The Songbook of Benny Lament was beautifully written. I loved everything about it, the time era, the characters, the storyline. It wasn’t what I was expecting, it was so much more. I don’t want to give anything away about this book, I always think it’s best to goin blind on most books. I always want the surprise, I think the story just flows better that way.

I think this book has a little bit for everyone, romance, murder, mafia, jealousy, and music. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a great book! It will not disappoint.

I am a sucker for stories and movies that take place in the music world, especially when certain types of music were “new”, and this book takes me there via the 1960’s....

Benny Lament is a successful musician, who was able to use his talent to not be part of the mafia, like his father was. His father takes him to a club to hear a singer - Esther Mine. Benny becomes enthralled with her. She is a small but mighty woman of color- and wants Benny to write songs for her. This is also a very realistic picture of an interracial love story - not always sunshine and roses during this turbulent time period. But to me, any good love story shows the good with the bad.

This book was a bit tough for me to finish. The writing was lovely; however the characters all seemed one dimensional and the various plot lines were thinly developed. The civil rights issues and the mafia elements could have converged in a more interesting way. I found that neither was given enough detail to really pull me in. There also weren't any characters to really cheer for here. I wanted to like Ester more, but she wasn't given much to work with in the story. Benny was too "woe is me." This book was promising, but sadly didn't deliver what I wanted from it.