Amy Harmon slayed me with Benny and Esther’s story. I couldn’t have loved The Songbook of Benny Lament more. This story was stunning and the writing was phenomenal.

Benny and Esther meet in the early 60’s when Benny’s Pops takes him to hear her sing. Her voice is completely unforgettable. Benny is a songwriter and decides he’s going to write a song for Esther Mine. One song turns into many, but there is so much more going on here aside from the music.

Esther’s story was so interesting and I loved how it tied into Bennys in unexpected ways. Benny’s family is part of the mob but he stays out of that. Until he’s not sure if he can anymore. Someone is out to get Benny and Esther and he’s not sure why. Is it because she’s black and he’s white? Or does it have something to do with her parentage? Or maybe Benny’s mob ties? Only time will tell.

I loved the way this story was told. A part in interview form and the bulk of it in the past watching Benny and Esther fall in love against all odds. I loved seeing these two fall for one another. Their banter was fantastic, but it wasn’t all fun and games. They had to fight for their love. And they did.

Not only did I love Benny and Esther so much, but there were some secondary characters that stole the show for me from time to time. My favorite was Benny’s Pops, but I also completely adored Esther’s brother, Alvin.

Amy Harmon is one of those authors that has a way with words. Not only that, but she has a way of writing profound stories that need to be told. This is a story that needs to be read by all. Truly a must read book.

This is one of the best books I’ve read this year and I have no doubt that it will be high up on my top favorites of 2021. It’s poignant, important, emotional, beautiful, and the romance will sweep you off your feet. I can’t recommend this one enough and I can’t wait until the audiobook is released next month because I’ll be doing a reread and listening to it straight away!

Oh. my. goodness. Only a brilliant author who can honestly pour out her feelings into pages, playing with our feelings like strings of guitar and create an unforgettable composition like this! Ms. Harmon, you’re the magician!

I think telling you that my emotions are all over the space is not enough how this book made me felt!

It’s sincere. It’s outstanding. It’s extremely sentimental. It’s .... definition of pure beauty! If I could 10 stars, I would ! I think it deserves more and more and more!

Benny and Ester against the world, playing soul crushing music, composing amazing songs, pouring out their fears, their anger, their rejection, their obstacles, their fight but mostly their love into those songs! Because they’re ready to fight against any struggles life throw at them! They are bold, they are resilient, they are perfect together!

This forbidden love story breaks your heart, shakes you to the core, makes you feel everything! Joy, fear, hatred, sadness at the same time!

60’s interracial true love story set against segregation, mafia and heart pumping Motown music. A love between Italian American man and African American woman which would be struggling issue at their era!

Benny just wanted to write a song for Esther because he wanted to hear heart brushing voice in his hears. He loves to hear her singing. He was devoted, focused, compassionate from the beginning. He doesn’t have any intention to let her go without a fight.

And Esther raised in a household of brothers with her parents. Her passion for music connects her with Ben. They were like magnets pushing against each other to create their music! That’s the way of their breathing! That’s the way of losing themselves and finding again in each other’s arms!

Their story is pure, realistic, genuine! The characters are so natural, deeply layered and described. You can resonate with them and understand their inner turmoils completely!

Oh boy... this is not one of the best romance reads I’ve had lately, I think this is the best Amy Harmon! And I read nearly all of them!
But this book is special. This book is precious. This book is a real gem!

For god sake! Just read it! I think I’ll but it for my entire family and bookish friends and force them give me reports to make sure they’re really reading it!

So many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

"Most people aren’t ugly right to your face. They just make life difficult when your back is turned."

Reading Amy Harmon's book are like reuniting with an old friend. They comfort me, bring me happiness, and give me faith in humanity, and after a year like 2020, this book was a welcome distraction.

“She said if you want people to change, you have to show them what it looks like.”

Common among her books is her ability to question your moral compass without coming right out and doing so. The Songbook of Benny Lament, touches on the struggles for African American's during the 1960's. She does this through the lens of a romantic relationship between an Italian American male and an African American female.

Benny Lament and Esther Mine could not be more dissimilar and yet, similar at the same time. He is an only child and was raised by his father. Benny's dad works for the head of the mob (who happens to be his late mother's brother). Esther Mine was raised in a household full of brothers by a mother and father. The two connected through their mutual love of music. Both used music to escape and both had dreams of 'getting out' leaving their struggles and life behind while pursing a music career.

During the 1960's in America, theirs wasn't a condoned relationship. But love is love and these two were meant to be and weathered many painful struggles and dangerous hurdles to be together.

“The thing is . . . when you’re close to me, everything inside me goes still. My heart stops. My breath slows. And my mind opens up, like I’m pushing open the windows and breathing in spring. Everything is so quiet that it’s . . . loud. So loud that it drowns out everything else. That’s what you do to me. And I like it.”

The way she pulls emotions from my heart is both painful and exciting. Harmon draws her readers in one word at a time until she has snared them, and then she slowly and meticulously unravels their emotions until they are no longer in control. We are puppets to her master hands.

Beautiful, emotional, heart-wrenching, and engrossing with a slow progression that sucks you in, Amy Harmon chronicles race relation struggles of the sixties through a poignant romance.

Wow! Ms. Harmon never ceases to surprise and amaze! In this touching and poignant tale of a mobster’s son and a young black singer in the 1960s era of social strife and turmoil, the author deftly weaves a stark and real-life look at the world beneath the glitz and glamour. Both main characters are a product of their upbringing but immediately find common ground in their love and humanity. Benny, as a gifted song-writer and Esther with her soul-stopping voice. The story is enlightening, heart-breaking, and ultimately inspiring as these two beautiful characters find the soul of what it truly means to be human and love. Powerful writing, enthralling reading!

This love story is not sunshine and rainbows. Set in the 1960’s, it definitely wasn’t a favorable time for black people, and especially interracial love. Amy brought us a love so pure, fierce and brutally honest. I am so in love with Benny Lament, that I really can’t fault Esther for falling in love with my man (lol). He was so protective over her, and loved her with his whole self. Benny didn’t care what anyone thought, and just knew that he had to “write a song for her”, and that’s just what he did.

Amy didn’t shy away from the hard areas in this book. She writes with such realness and transparency that is refreshing. It’s gritty and painful, but oh the silver lining of hope that she paints with broad strokes in Benny & Esther love. It’s truly incredible!

I love Benny’s voice, and this story being in his pov. He’s so real and honest in his fears, and also his intense love for Esther. He is definitely in my top 5 book husbands list.

I love the Motown feel of the music, and the nod Amy gives to some of the greats that paved the way in the soul music genre. I loved the mobster feel to this story, and that we got to experience Benny’s Italian heritage from the Bronx.

This love story “strummed my pain with its fingers”, but if I had one take away it would be this: It’s a quote Esther said that will stay with me forever.

“If you want people to change, you have to show them what it looks like.”

Benny and Esther do this and more. Thank you Amy for continuing to give us the treasure of your words. They are truly a balm to the aching soul.

❓How to write a review that captures the sublime essence of this novel? I know you've all heard me drone on and on about Amy Harmon's talent, but let me just say that this incredible author knows no boundaries, and is an absolute master of words and emotion.

🔥In this latest novel, Ms. Harmon transports us to New York in the 1960s, to the center of life in the Italian mafia. Benny Lament wants little to do with his "famiglia" and their ties to the mob, and would much rather focus solely on his one true love, music. That is, until another distraction enters his orbit, Esther Mine. Suddenly the two begin a journey full of musical rapture, harsh realities, raw emotion, and surprising revelations.

🎶This novel is a joy for music fans and is perfect for those who enjoy historical fiction with a little romance and a touch of mystery. I was so immersed in this musical rendezvous where I could hear the rhythm and feel the beat.

❤As always, I am in awe of Amy's ability to captivate her audience; it is so evident that she adores her characters. This allows the reader to follow suit and embrace each magnificent individual readily. Benny's soft and strong demeanor paired with Esther's sassy courage is something I will remember long after the last page was turned. Harmon always does unparalleled research on her subjects and time periods and weaves a story full of both resolve and compassion. This novel is absolutely perfect for our time and place, tackling tough topics such as racism and stereotypes.

🗓So, please mark your calendars for this treasure due out March 16th! I guarantee you won't be disappointed!

🙏A million thanks to Amy Harmon and Lake Union Publishing for gifting me with this advanced reader's copy in exchange for a very honest review.

5/5👶👶👶👶👶 (of course!)

With all the glitz and glam of the New York music scene in the 1960s- Amy Harmon brings us a vibrant backdoor view to the mobs, the money, the politics, and the segregated lines that dictated who would rise and sing, and who would be defeated on the stage, in the ring, and on the streets.

With a brilliantly orchestrated timeline, and charming, era-accurate characters the story flows along with the music and the love story that draws you in until the last page. With sensitivity to the racial obstacles of the time, her characters embody the heart, soul, and dreams of Motown Music. This story and characters will stay with you long after the last page!

This story was powerful. Lots of powerful subjects. I don’t even have words. Amy knows how build up the intensity. You know something is going to go down, but you never know what, how or when, but you can just feel it. And this book definitely makes you feel, not just that, but everything. It takes you back in time and has you live and see things differently, through different eyes of different people. There is no story telling like Amy Harmon’s. She blew me away with this one.

Benny and Esther's story is one of the most beautiful stories I've read all year. Amy Harmon took two characters from situations that could have left them broken and hard, and made them into these glorious human beings you were rooting for each step of the way. The tug and pull of their banter was absolutely delightful. The blend of 60's social and political issues, music, and mob bosses was engaging and yet also, sadly, relevant. On top of this backdrop, she layered all the different ways family could break you, make you, and find you. Benny and Esther have embedded themselves in a corner of my heart with the family they made for themselves.

"If you want people to change, you have to show them what it looks like."

May we all be as strong, resilient, and brave as Esther and Benny.

As always the research the author put into her books is astonishing, and palpable. The story flows, engages, and is utterly spellbinding. And the way the Italian mob and the music of the 60s intertwined in this book was nothing short of masterful.

Benny and Esther’s story was epic, enthralling, and one of a kind. An interracial romance that was brimming with chemistry. I mean, the banter between them was just fabulous! And the way they made up lyrics – my most favorite part of the book – was just admirable. They effortlessly bounced ideas off each other, one moment they were squabbling, two minutes later the start of a new song was born. Just like that!

Each chapter was introduced by a segment of a radio interview, between Benny and the radio host on New Year’s Day of 1969. It was suSo good, and I can only imagine how well the audiobook will sound.

The book was unputdownable – PERIOD! Thanks to a fascinating background and characters which were based on facts, the book delivered a punch. One that was felt deeply. Especially in a year like 2020.

Also the Romeo and Juliet kind of vibe, the forbidden attraction between Benny and Esther pulled my heartstrings in more way than one.

The love-story, the era, the music – it was all exceptionally well done!

I have to admit that I was pretty intimidated going into this book. I know that Amy and her family are very musical and I was afraid too many things would just go over my head. But it did not! This is such an incredible story about love. Love of music, love of family, and of course knock you on your butt kind of love. Its set in the early 60's and tell the story of a semi Italian mobster and a beautiful black singer. Can the famous Benny Lament keep his promise to make Esther Mine a star? He sure does everything possible to make sure the world can hear her sing. If you love love, you will love this book.