The quote "Don't let me down, Benny Lament" maintains a constant refrain throughout this extraordinary book. It lays the foundation and helps build a beautiful, ugly, complicated, and wonderful love story between Esther Mine and Benny Lament. My imagination provokes an exchange where I said "Don't let me down, Amy Harmon" when I sat down to start this and much like Benny Lament she didn't response but gave a shy little smirk that told me everything I needed to know and that she indeed would not let anyone down with this story. And she most definitely did not.

Intriguing and engaging story structure, witty and fun banter, and excellent writing all tangle together showcasing and once again proving Amy Harmon's beautiful gift of story telling. These two characters and the complex yet romantic story surrounding them in the 1960's caught me from the very beginning and didn't let go. Benny Lament and Esther Mine are quite a match and the development of their characters and relationship simultaneously was so courageous and hopeful even while literally everything is working against them. That dichotomy was written with such honesty and heartfelt emotion it was almost reverent even when it was tumultuous. The secondary characters, every one of them, provide even more grit and emotion to the story making it truly wonderful.

Amy Harmon writes standalone fiction with honesty and integrity that elevates her making her gift to readers that much more special. This book is one that will stick with me forever, I truly loved every word. I can't wait to put a hard copy with this awesome cover on my book shelf. I can't wait to read it again. And I can't wait for another Amy Harmon release. Don't miss out on this great love story.

Benny. Esther. This story. It's everything. I don't know how to express how much I loved it. It's the bomb! Beautiful, heartbreaking and real. Emotional, funny and utterly unforgettable! I want to make my kids read it so I can talk to them about it! It's more than I expected and everything I needed. It definitely touches on the 60's and how the courage of a few helped set the stage for change that was a long time coming. It's a love story at heart, well maybe more than one! The music, the banter, the love and commitment! I'm just blown away and I want more, so much more! The way it's written, it's so perfect! The author poured it all onto the pages and I could not reconsider this more. An absolute favorite of 2021!

Amy Harmon is a master storyteller! Fans of Daisy Jones and The Six will enjoy this captivating historical fiction. Engaging from start to finish. A riveting story of love and fame.

This is a special story. I was hooked from the very beginning and never wanted it to end.
It tells us the tale of Benny and Esther, Interracial lovers from the 60s. It’s a raw look at their struggles and the unjustness of the time. I cried in this one and I also raged. It’s a truly beautiful book about difficult love and the sacrifices we make. I definitely recommend.

The Songbook of Benny Lament is absolutely outstanding! I was completely captivated by Amy Harmon’s excellent storytelling and read this book in nearly one sitting. Harmon’s ability to weave a fictional story within historical events is truly remarkable and every single detail jumped off the pages. I especially appreciate Amy’s author notes at the end of her books but this one was made even more poignant knowing that the history she wrote about is still, so sadly, current affairs. This book hits not only in the past but the present and the messages ring true to this day. One of my favorite lines from the book “you want people to change, you have to show them what it looks like” is so very profound and I’ll keep it with me always! This book was truly magnificent and is right up there with Making Faces for me!

Wow! This was an absolute belter of a book!

I felt that the topic is fairly unique and quite unlike most of the books that I have read.

Amy has done an amazing job describing the characters of Benny Lament and Esther Mine.
They were so well drawn you felt as though you actually knew them and could hear them, along with the band.

The difference of the treatment between black and white in those times was almost soul-destroying. I do wonder though if it's dramatically different all these years later. I suspect not, in lots of places.

The music of those times was beautifully drawn, and anyone who is of an age to remember will celebrate this unique time in our music history.

I would recommend this book to, well, everyone really. I can't imagine there would be many people who would not love it.

Once again, Amy Harmon has written a book that pulls at all your heart strings. Loved reading this and could not put it down. As always, the love story was written perfectly and I loved the way Benny took care of Esther. The heroes in her stories always make me swoon with the way they take care of the heroine in the book. She also tackled a difficult subject such as racism and shined a light on what it was like to be black in the 1960's. I love books that take me back into a time period and help me to see it through someone else's eyes.
This is a must read, as are all of Amy Harmon's books!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I loved every word of it. Even the words I hated reading, I loved. The story was so good and the emotions it called in me so raw and vivid that I was sucked in right away.
It is so well written it blurs the lines between fiction and reality. Each scene is so clearly painted in my mind I felt as if I was living them.

I love the notion of “ugly beautiful” (as Esther says) or of “dissonance” (as Benny says). At first I was just curious but the more I saw the interaction between Benny and Esther, the more I understood the notion, the more I fell in love with it. I fell for them, rooted for them and it also reminded me of the ugly beautiful of real love. All the little attentions, all the energy it takes to build trust. Throughout most of the story, Esther keeps saying “don’t let me down, Benny Lament” and it just shows her fragility under her mask of red rouge, power shoes and powerful angry voice. The “Little bitty lady, great big voice” that is Esther knows what she wants, and Benny will do whatever he can to give it to her and her brothers , no matter what warnings, threats or harm are thrown his way.

I loved their banter on scene. Through Amy Harmon’s words, I could picture them, see the feeling between them. I really wish I could hear Esther and Benny perform in real life all their songs. I wish I could hear them sing “Dark Heart” for everything it embodies, the socially conscious story as well as the love story”.

The writing of the book itself falls in this “ugly-beautiful” category in my opinion. It gripped me from the beginning to the end and all I could think of is how loud Esther’s absence sounded. It’s all I could not unhear. Just then and there I fell for Amy as a writer and a human being. Using the discordant notes to create such a beautiful story is the perfect example of “connection” I look forward to in my life.

I wrote a lot more over there on my IG ( @ rosethebookgriot).

I’m not sure I could love this book more! The Songbook of Benny Lament is perfection- powerful and fascinating all at once.

Set in the 1960s, this book tells the story of Benny and Ester- two talented musicians who make magical music together. Their collaboration thrusts the duo onto the national stage and sits up bunch of old uses and new scrutiny that the mob and Benny would rather avoid.

This is a interracial love story set during the time of segregation, mafia bosses, and crazy good Motown music. Their characters were well developed, the history is well researched, and I couldn’t get enough of Benny and Ester!

I highly recommend this one to fans of Daisy Jones and the Six.

Five stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for sharing this ARC with me in exchange my honest opinions. It publishes on March 16, 2021.

Love, love, LOVE this book. What a treasure. I always look forward to Amy Harmon's new releases because she never fails to deliver a story that will grip you from the very first page and not let go until long after it's over.

The Songbook of Benny Lament is no different. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, being that this book is about interracial romance in the 1960s but it is apparent that a lot of research was done and Amy delivered a remarkable and enthralling story. I especially loved the format of the radio interview as an intro to each chapter. Would definitely recommend this!

Benny Lament, musician, songwriter, son and nephew of Sicilian mobsters who fervently rejects that way of life. Happy to write songs for other people and have no responsibilities.
Esther Mine, petit, powerhouse singer, and feisty daughter of a white socialite and a black boxer. Denied the chance of a singing career because of the colour of her skin.

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

In early 1960's New York, Benny and Esther's very different worlds collide. The world is changing. Music is changing. Catalysts for social change are emerging. But not everyone wants change. As Benny and Esther find themselves falling in love, their past, and their present, become constant companions. Prejudice is everywhere. Will their love, and their music, overcome?

This book... OMG - amazing. I don't know where to start!! It is fabulously written, pulling you in from the very first page, you are there with Benny, Esther and the band every step of the way. I cared so much about these characters, I was that caught up in the story. This is a love story, but it is also so much MORE than a love story. It is a story about history, civil rights, struggles, segregation, family ties and, of course, the music.

If you liked Daisy Jones and the Six, you will LOVE this. A fabulous, book hangover inducing 5 stars. Loved it.

My heart! Wow. Amy Harmon always has a way of making you feel so deeply.
The Songbook of Benny Lament is filled with meaning, truths, hardships, lessons, love, and moments that steal your breath away. Set in the 60’s, it delves into segregation, organized crime, politics, Civil Rights, and Motown. It had such an impact on me, I finished with tears streaming down my face.

This story is heartfelt, full of emotion, and written with passion. You feel every emotion of each of these characters. I could see Alvin’s smile, feel Money’s hardness and protection and vulnerability, feel Sal’s fierceness, and the love that Benny and Esther share fills your heart so full.

Amy Harmon’s gift of writing and making you feel and see is impactful. The events of history that unfold within this story hurt and bring insight. The love story stunning and the writing sincere and beautiful. A powerful, heartfelt story that will touch you deeply and stay with you long after being read.

“Together now, together tomorrow, together forever.”

4.25 Moving Stars!

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

So this is my second Historical Fiction read from Amy Harmon, and let me just say, I hope this author continues to write in this genre. My first was From Sand and Ash and it was easily my top read of 2020. It is hugely apparent that the author took meticulous care in researching the era, the backdrop of New York City in the 1960's, and the dawn of Motown meets mafia. The imagery in the words was so strong that I felt like I was whisked away and was living inside the story. I could SEE each scene in my mind.

Truth be told though, up front, it took me a couple of days actually to get into this book. I felt like the first 20% was quite info "dumpy," and many of the scenes failed to actually move the story forward. In the first 19% or so of the book, there is only one scene with our two main characters were on the page together. I feared that I wasn't going to love the story as much as I wanted to, but I kept reading. And sure enough, once the story took off, I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!!

Esther was a fierce and strong female character with a gorgeous voice. Benny was steadfast, reliable, and such a huge talent with his songwriting skills and musical talent. Their chemistry together was insane, and had a delicious layer of forbidden romance to it. I loved the push and pull of their controversial love story and the delicacy with which the author executed it.

There's also a huge suspense component to this story that kept me turning the pages with fear quite frankly! We know that Benny's family has huge mafia ties that Benny has fought long and hard to stay away from, but are inevitably catching up to him.

This is an important story, especially in today's society, a thought provoking one, and a beautiful one. I highly recommend it and cannot wait until the audio comes out so I can experience it all over again.

“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.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my ARC which I received in exchange for an honest review.

Powerful, poignant, romantic, and suspenseful.

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

The Songbook of Benny Lament is an amalgamation of the Mob, Motown, Segregation, and Civil Rights movements. Though this is a historical fiction romance with Benny and Esther being entirely fictional characters, their story is one that will stay with me for a long time to come.

You can see the compassion and respect that Amy Harmon has taken in the writing of this book; taking the time to research and understand the mood and mentality of the times and places of which she is writing. She also includes real people and events in her narrative which brings another level of connectivity to the story.

Amy Harmon is a favorite of mine. With every book of hers I read she continues to blow me away with her writing prowess. From historical fiction, romance, fantasy, and paranormal; she truly masters so many genres that you can find a book of hers that will suit your needs at any given time.

This is such a great story, I was totally engrossed in this forbidden love romance which is set in 1960's America. It is so well written and researched, just what I would expect from an Amy Harmon book. It is an emotional romance; dramatic, riveting and a book I found hard to put down.

With an incredible cast of players, this story centres on Benny Lament, a songwriter and Ester Mine a singer, The characters came to life on the pages and sucked me into their lives. Ester, despite her tiny size, is a force to be reckoned with and I loved her determination in the face of such ignorance and hatred. Benny is just amazing a fantastic songwriter, singer and musician. He is kind, thoughtful and despite his mobster family, very much his own man. Their banter is brilliant and it makes them a special pair. I loved this pair and wanted them to succeed in their careers and relationships.

The other members of the Mine family are great and they definitely add to the drama, I especially liked Alvin, who was always so calm. There are definite baddies and goodies in this tale and they all help to paint a rich picture of the times; race riots, discrimination and violent crime.

One of the things I love about Amy Harmon's books is that their storylines are always so unique and this one is no exception, she has written yet another fantastic story and I am sure it is going to make my top 10 of 2021, I am sure. I highly recommend reading this story as soon as you can.

A well done love story between two people and between those people and music. Set in the 1960s, it embraces the issues of racism and corruption. It's narrated by Benny, with snippets of a radio interview in between the chapters. Benny and Esther didn't expect to fall for one another but they did. They come from different worlds in more way than one and that means that others aren't happy about their relationship. Both of them have challenging relationships with their families (she's in a band with her brothers and his family is in the mob). Harmon is a good storyteller and this one will pull you in. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A page turner.

Before I started reading I glanced at a few reviews. They are glowing, of course, and deservedly so. One stuck out - the reviewer commented they wanted to be Amy Harmon when they grew up. If I had any sort of writing talent or desire I would absolutely agree. Ms. Harmon’s talents are phenomenal. There is a subtlety to her writing that speaks volumes. I hear what she is saying. I can enjoy the story and the undertones without losing the connection. It’s emotional and inspiring.

I loved and thoroughly enjoyed the format of the story. Told partly by interview and the majority reliving the past, I fell in love with Benny Lament and Esther Mine as they fell in love with each other. Their banter was perfect with just the right mix of fun and fight. It was not always an easy road. This was a true romance and the background and setting of the turbulent 60s only added to the their beautiful and fulfilling story.

From beginning to end The Song Book of Benny Lament is phenomenal. I’m blown away. There’s nothing more I can say than that.

If there is one book that I could recommend you buy, it’s The Songbook of Benny Lament.


This story is set in the early sixties, a time when America was in the throes of growing pains. The vietnam War was front and center. Mafia gangs ruled the big cities, and Black segregation was all too real.

Told from the unique perspective of a radio interview, we learn about the talented songwriter Benny Lament, who just happens to have close family ties with one of the biggest crime syndicates in New York. Benny doesn’t want anything to do with his famous uncle’s business, his only interest is music. But with a father as a mob enforcer, it’s almost impossible to keep himself separated from the danger lurking.

Esther Mine has worked hard for everything she’s got— which isn’t much. When she sees Benny Lament sitting in the crowd at one of her music performances, Esther sees a way out of the trenches.

Benny is immediately smitten with the diminutive Esther and her powerful voice, but when she approaches him to become the band’s manager, he balks knowing instinctively she’ll change his life.

Esther doesn’t give up easily, and soon has Benny creating songs that are catchy and draw attention to the diversified group. Fans are flamed when unexpected facts come to light and Benny is forced into an alliance he doesn’t want in order to protect the woman he loves.

Racism is ugly and back in the early 60’s it was the norm. Amy Harmon sheds an insightful look into discrimination and how it affects those involved- on both sides of the equation.

Along the way we learn about the roots of Motown and the many famous groups signed under that label.

This is a story I won’t soon forget. The Songbook of Benny Lament is definitely on my all-time best reads list!

"You wanna change the world, you gotta show 'em what it looks like"

I am... well, I'm floored? I am brand new to Amy Harmon and if this is what it's like to get into her books, I understand now that I'll be back for more, but my heart and my mind are going to have to be prepared.

The Songbook of Benny Lament follows a Black singer, a powerhouse if you will, named Esther Mine, and a producer and songwriter, yep, you guessed it, Benny Lament. Their love story takes place in the 1960s in New York. And as many people know, segregation, the Civil Rights movement, and Black entertainers were all incredibly prevalent then.
I don't know that I'd necessarily call this a romance, per say? It absolutely does have an HEA, a hard fought one, between a white Italian American, and a young Black woman. I'm struggling to find the right words because I don't want what I'm about to say, come off as dismissive to the romance genre, because it's my favorite and I'm a staunch defender... but rarely do I read a romance that has so many thought provoking, heart wrenching moments, with little physical romance written in. Don't get me wrong, Benny & Esther fall in love before our eyes on the page, it just seems like there was so much more happening here.
My friend Korrie was a beta & sensitivity reader for this, as the author is white, and Korrie is a Black woman, and I am thankful for authors like Amy who take the time to make sure they tell the stories in the best possible way.

All in all, this was a gorgeous, heartbreaking, historical book, and I would absolutely recommend it. And I look forward to reading more from Amy Harmon

It is unbelievable but yet again Amy Harmon manages to deliver a sweeping story with characters that jump from the pages and start occupying your dreams in a historical setting that is completely different from any of her other works. Kudos!

The Songbook of Benny Lament is a story about love. Love for music, love for family, and a growing love across boundaries. But make no mistake, The Songbook of Benny Lament is not an easy story to read. At times it is not even pleasant to read, simply because it feels so real and, unfortunately, so contemporary. Set against a background of mob violence, the birth of Motown and racial segregation, we get to know a wide variety of different characters, some more likable than others, but all with their own stories, intentions and role to play. Nothing in this book felt superfluous or not well thought out. Everything had its place.

If you have an interest in (contemporary) historical fiction, a love for writing music, composing music or anything music, if you want to learn more about New York in the sixties, this book is an absolute must read.