The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe had one of my favorite tropes — falling for your best friend. As a person who can relate to that in a very close perspective, I think this book did the deed perfectly. I absolutely loved this book and will recommend it to so many people!

I really liked that this book was on the "older" side of YA (Andie and Ivy are 19 and turn 20 by the end, and Dot is 17 and turns 18 by the end) because I'm about to be a college freshman and I hope I can continue reading YA for as long as possible without the characters seeming so much younger than me...
It was also nice to read about a character who's in love with someone but realizes that it's not reciprocated, as it's easy to think that "friends to lovers" easily happens in real life.
The things i didn't like were pretty much the same things I didn't like about this author's other book, "Not Otherwise Specified." First, there were TWO different bars/clubs in town that were okay with serving alcohol to high schoolers (why is this such a common thing in YA books?) Second, I really didn't understand why Andie was so obsessed with Ivy, as she wasn't even that good of a friend, and I had to listen to Andie talk about and romanticize Ivy's "troubled past" repeatedly. I just don't like characters that are idealized as perfect. And I know that the representation in this book was important and I liked that nearly everyone was queer, but can we have a story about queer teenagers/young adults that doesn't focus so much on partying and drinking all the time? Because the parts about Andie helping her parents with their strip club and Ivy's interest in fashion were so good, but they were always overshadowed by the repetitive bar/club scenes in which Andie obsessed over Ivy and her latest hookup.

I had such a hard time getting through this book. It was slow, I didn't connect with any of the characters, and I couldn't even enjoy the romance because of the way it was told. Andie is so obsessed with Ivy, which was more weird and annoying than anything else. It had potential, but it's just not enjoyable to read.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley.

Epic all Queer cast! As a lesbian I love being represented in books. Beautiful and moving!

The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe by Hannah Moskowitz was a quick but a roller coaster ride.
Literally everything happens in this book. There’s never a dull moment in this reading experience.
In the beginning I thought the setting of the book was quite unrealistic.
I mean literally a house burns down and the owner is not informed at all about it and a minor works front desk at a strip club. It doesn't sound very realistic.. or legal.

But as the story went on, either it got more realistic or I didn’t notice as much, but I really started to enjoy the book.

I loved how the characters developed, showing their multiple facets as the story went on. The characters are complex and conflicted, it made them realistic and relatable.

What starts out as your average contemporary book/romance actually deals with more serious topics as the story progresses.

I really appreciated how the book is full of queer characters but doesn’t focus on coming out or exclusively of the fact that the characters are queer. It is just a known and natural fact about the characters. It feels so refreshing to read.

Overall, I recommend this book.



Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

There are many things that Andie knows about her best friend and eternal crush Ivy Harlowe. The key thing that she knows is that Ivy, regardless of being the girl every girl wants, never sleeps with the same girl twice. Ever. She never sees a girl a second time. Until she does. Until Dot. Dot who is too stubborn to leave what always has been an always will be. With so many other things changing in Andie’s life it just feels unfair that when Ivy breaks character and starts falling for someone, it could not have been her.

Hannah Moskowitz’s The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe is something of a frustration for me. I read this book over the course of about eight hours and loved just about every moment of it. The characters were complicated and terrible in a way that I can only call real. The writing is sharp and intelligent and well plotted. And I have no idea how to talk about this book beyond that.

The characters here are all pretty brilliantly done, in a lot of ways the book feels more like a character study than a big romance story for a lot of its run. Andie’s friend group has the feel of a bunch of people who have known each other for ages and already been through years of friendship. I find myself wishing there had been more of Alyssa, the friend who mostly just visits when she has class breaks and can drive into town, and Diana and Melody, the totally married duo with the open and deeply supportive relationship. But then I also find myself acknowledging that the book was not about them, so of course they were not given as much page space as other characters. The book would not have been nearly as well written if they were. I liked Elizabeth, the more than slightly stuck up veterinary student, for the contrasts she offered to Andie’s friends and Ivy specifically.

Everyone is allowed to be complicated and not always their best self. That complication and tendency towards not always being a stellar person makes for a great character arc with Ivy. Ivy is complicated. Ivy sleeps with women and then ignores them completely afterward. Ivy is self destructive and desperate and not always willing to just talk about things. Then here comes this random girl, Dot, the girl of the evening who just refuses to stop showing up. And the more she refuses to stop showing up, the more willing Ivy is to let her be around. The through line of the relationship is a sort of slow giving of ground without really moving at all. The flip side to that is Andie’s growing awareness of the relationship and how she reacts to it.

I found myself very much wanting Andie not to get the girl in this one, not because of any fault in her as a character or because I thought there was someone better for her in the book, but because I wanted her and Ivy to end the book as friends rather than a couple. Also Andie’s whole reaction to the Ivy and Dot relationship made it feel like Ivy and Andie would have imploded horrifically pretty quickly. It goes back to that thing about the characters being allowed to be complicated. And then it folds that into the rest of Andie’s life falling apart. The strip club that her grandparents started is in a bad situation and needs saving. She does not know her best friend as well as she feels like she should. Her life does not feel like it is going anywhere. And here is this change out of left field that throws her off balance, Dot again.

I have so many words about The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe and so many of them either involve outright spoilers or would wind up with me rambling on about it in comparison to other books I have read recently in ways that do not feel entirely fair. Moskowitz’s writing is sharp and well paced, she trusts her readers to keep up with the story and enjoy the complicated bits to the characters. The ending is delightful and ended on just the right note of maybe. This is all to say, I want more of Moskowitz’s writing. After The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe I will happily keep an eye out for whatever she does next. It earns its five out of five. This one is definitely worth giving a read.

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Side note, there were some trigger warnings before the story started. Those are definitely something to read, they may wind up being spoilers on their own but there is an event in the back half of the book that hit uncomfortably hard and it could easily mess with some readers.

This was definitely not what I expected. It was definitely better. I absolutely adored this book. Honestly, I might be at a loss for words for this one.
Following the MC through days after days of being in love with their best friend only to have that best friend not interested was...harsh. I felt so incredibly bad for Andie and yet couldn't hold anything against Ivy and frankly, I was simply in MY FEELS all through this book.

It was an emotional rollercoaster ride, that I am super happy I went on despite having a distinct feeling of melancholy every time I read a bit of this book. Nevertheless - or maybe even because of that - I am already extremely excited to see what Hannah Moskowitz does next!

3.5 stars- I had a hard time with finishing this book, despite liking it. There were bits and pieces I absolutely loved, but unfortunately the story did not come together for me personally. I thought the two main characters had a very interesting dynamic and it was a unique perspective of watching a relationship develop from the outside.

Copy provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was well written and if you look at it from the perspective of Ivy and Dot, it’s a cute romance. But smack in the middle of everything is the MC, Andie who is in love with Ivy. It’s hard to watch her struggle as Ivy continues to live her life unbothered. The development of Ivy is interesting and satisfying. Andie, not so much. Andie does exhibit growth, I just wish we saw more of it. I wish it wasn’t only just the beginning for her. I wish she realized sooner that she was stuck in the background watching everyone around her and besides her live.

The Good

A highlight of this story was the dialogue. A lot of people try to make characters sound young and end up with awkward conversations that are totally unbelievable. This was smooth sounding dialogue with characters that actually sound like they are comfortable and have been friends for years. The story flowed well too, it was just having Andie as the narrator messed with the story and sometimes created situations that felt like she was overstepping boundaries and sort of creepy. Still, I liked the book and would recommend it to others as a good read.

4.5/5 stars.

I genuinely adored this book and I know it will be one I come back to time and time again – it got me out of a reading slump, and, weeks later, I'm still thinking about it. I'm struggling to write this review because honestly, the experience of reading this novel was one I can't quite articulate. I loved the characters. The explorations of relationships. The way it made me want to laugh and want to cry and feel so many other things inbetween. It was truly the perfect coming of age story. I'll admit, there were some aspects of the novel that weren't incredible, but I don't think every book out there has to be incredible, and I did really find myself caring about this one.

I received a free e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

This book f*cked with my head.

Even now, I can't bring myself to write a lot about this because I think about this and all the mindf*ckery is coming back to me. God, where do I even start.

It's not that I didn't enjoy this book, but I was very, very confused for a very, very large part of this book. Like, seriously confused. Hence, the mindf*ckery.

Let us start with the fact that I literally thought this was a romance?!! And like a childhood-friends-to-lovers thing?!?! But it was not?!?! (I'm trying to figure out how much I can say in this review without spoiling it for other people)

Okay, so I saw the other reviews and apparently it's not that much of a spoiler if I tell you that our POV wasn't any of the MCs. She's literally a side character. So we're like supposed to see a whole romance form an outsider's POV. Which is an amazing way of writing (I've dreamt of doing something like this), but it does get old if your reader literally doesn't know it's going to happen.

I went into this book fully prepared to ship Andie and Ivy, and around halfway through I'm shipping both with other characters. Which was not okay with me because I really like to know who I'll be shipping upfront, rather than figuring it out. The latter does work for me in some cases, but then I don't like them being advertised to me? If that makes sense?

Away from the romance, the characters themselves were amazing to read about, with a few exceptions. I didn't like how entitled Andie feels in regards to Ivy, and I didn't like how judgemental Ivy was at times. But then I feel that both those flaws made them the realistic characters they are. (are you seeing what I mean about the mindf*ckery?!)

Dot was really my favourite character, I think. I loved her, even though I, like Andie, felt like she was being too much in the beginning, she slowly grew on me like she did on Andie and the others as well. I legit thought she might die, for a lot of time there, though.

I also really loved the rep here, there was so much rep! Ivy is lesbian (I think), so are Andie and Alyssa, and two side characters are together and polyamourous, Dot is bisexual, and if I remember right, there were some non-binary people as well? (It's been a few days, forgive me)

On the whole, an amazing book, but I don't know if I would say an amazing romance. The romance by itself was amazing, but I don't know if the book as a romance was as good as I expected it to be. The whiplash was a bit too much for me. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys the whole third person POV(I have no idea what to call this), queer friend groups, an amazing romance, diverse rep, and stories about finding yourself.

Andie's best friend, Ivy, has it all. She's everything a girl could want, and want Andie does. She's in love with her best friend. The only problem? Ivy doesn't fall in love. Ivy doesn't do relationships. Can Andie stick by her enough to show her that relationships - or, at least, one with her - can actually work?

"It's not that I'm the secondary character in my own story. It's just that this one was never my story."

I thought this was going to be a predictable YA/NA story. Boy, was I completely wrong. It was filled with characters in unhealthy relationships and unhealthy situations and it took a turn that I never saw coming. I found the character Dot, who endlessly annoyed Andie, to be incredibly endearing. I didn't like Ivy much of the book, and I still don't fully understand her motives, but she grew on me, especially in the second half of the book. The concept of open relationships was prevalent here & that's something I just can't wrap my head around, but it doesn't affect my life, so to each his own. I absolutely enjoyed this book & am adding all of this author's past & present books to my TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-arc or this book. I honestly have mixed feelings about this book so let’s get into it. The book is mostly about Andie as she watches her best friend fall in love.

I think there were some cute moments throughout the book that really showed how much Andie cared about Ivy. But other parts just came off as weird and creepy such as Andie eavesdropping so many times on Ivy and Dot’s private conversations and Andie not being able to comprehend that Ivy would be able to fall in love with someone else. The rest of the book was pretty good though and I did enjoy it! There’s a nice cast of queer characters and a nice representation of polyamory for two couples in the book!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPs25zYLqu-/

Goodness gracious. This book was so many things all at once. It was unexpected, beautiful, it was real. Hannah Moskowitz truly has a way of writing characters that are so different from each other, but still have relationships that seem true.

I absolutely loved how even though there was petty girl drama, it was resolved and, in the end we know that even if a girl steals your long-lusted-after-crush, that doesn't make her a bad person. On the topic of that, I found the themes and lessons in this book really necessary for todays teenagers. About how finding love works, about how its not always a necessity, about how you don't need to make yourself smaller to be loved. It was all just so beautifully written.

I have one main issue, and it's not really on the author, but the marketing team. From what I've seen on goodreads and other sites, this book has always been displayed as a YA novel. It is certainly not. There are no explicit sex scenes, but the talk of it is near constant and there is lots (and I mean lots) of drug usage.

But aside from the shock of that at first, I loved this book. I did! It's a five star and I will definitely be recommending it to any lesbian who will listen.

The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlow is a love story but not the kind that makes you weak in the knees, it’s a true look at a realistic love when something unexpected happens and you have to navigate a whole new way of life, but it also a story of unrequited love.
It is told from the point of view of Andie who is so desperately in love with Ivy she has pretty much put her life on hold waiting for her life long best friend to realize she is in love with her. If I am being honest Andie is super whiney and just expects that things are going to turn out the way she wants. Her world is wreaking when Ivy who never falls in love and sleeps with everything that moves, falls in love with Dot. The entire story is based off Andie’s telling of how the events played out. Eventually she comes to realize that this is not a love story from her novels and that Ivy never has been in love with her.
Although this story was not something that I normally read, I did find it intriguing and enjoyed the story line. It shows you that love does not always turn out the way we planned and that in fact it can’t really be planned at all.
Special thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked this book! Like some of the other reviews, I was expecting a lighter read, but it didn't impact on my enjoyment - it was just heavier and more angsty than I had anticipated. Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings after reading this book.

What I like about this book is the author's writing style. I can say that it was well-written. However, personally I can't seem to connect with the characters. It's not that they are difficult to like, but it felt like most of them were one-dimensional. Though, as teenagers, I admire how they deal with the conflict between what they really want to do in the future and what is practical. Another thing is that I haven't been able to grasp Andie's personality without Ivy because it appears as if her personality revolves solely around liking Ivy.

Although this book is written from Andie's point of view, I'm also curious how it would turn out if it was written from Ivy or Dot's point of view. Nevertheless, it was a quick and good read.

The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe is a powerful story about finding your own path and letting go of expectations, whether your own or others’. Full of messy characters, angst and growth, this novel explores the feeling of being a side character in your own life and the power it takes to shift the narrative.

I wasn’t too sure what to expect going into this novel or if I’d like it but wanted to give it a try and thank God I did. I flew through The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe in nearly one sitting and loved it. So many moments of Andie’s journey hit home with me and I just adored reading about these unapologetically messy characters all trying to get by as young adults. This book is also so incredibly lesbian and it made my little lesbian heart so happy!!

I really enjoyed reading about the different relationships in this book, primarily that of Andie and Ivy. I felt that Moskowitz did a really great job of conveying the intensity and even dependency that existed between them, as well as the clear love the girls had for each other. This relationship definitely became toxic at times and this was dealt with effectively and naturally in the text and overall felt like a really authentic presentation of a friendship and what unrequited romantic feelings can do. I also really enjoyed the scenes featuring their other friends and Dot, especially as the novel progressed and we got to learn more about her and watch her relationship with Andie develop. She’s such a lovely sunshiney character and perfectly balanced out some of the heavier moments and angst.

A quick glance at some other reviews showed a lot of other readers questioning the decision to have Andie narrate this novel and wanting to spend more time with Dot and Ivy’s relationship. I entirely disagree. This is not a romance novel; it is a coming of age story, a tale of finding yourself and your place and what you want out of life. Andie’s story is the one that too often goes untold but many readers will find themselves relating to. I found myself really relating to Andie, despite the vast differences in our lives because of the way she felt like a side character in her own story. She is full of self doubt and all of these expectations she has of herself and her life and where she should be and it was really comforting to read these same thoughts I’ve had and know I’m not alone.

The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe is not a love story in the traditional sense, but one of learning to love yourself and give yourself time to figure things out and grow into who you're meant to be. Andie's journey felt very authentic and is one I'm sure will resonate with other young adults wondering where their happily ever after is. If you’ve been looking for a new adult coming of age novel featuring messy lesbians that will make you feel some feelings then I can’t recommend this one enough!

Thanks to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a honest review!

I kind of went into this book blind, expecting a light rom-com sort of a read, however, this was not that. Please make sure to check the trigger warnings because this book was heavy and dealt with a lot of thing like drugs, emotional abuse, panic attacks, etc.

To be honest, the most off-putting thing was the narrator. I was not a fan of Andie, she annoyed me at times, and I wish we either got to explore other characters' narratives or just had a third person POV. It was also very weird to read a book from a POV of someone who is not in the relationship... it bothered me and definitely was the first time for me, but I guess you read something new everyday, right? But I guess, Andie's annoyance was a realistic portrayal of a character as well, and I can appreciate that.

This was very angsty, unrequited, and heavy. I wish the characters were fleshed out more, especially Andie as it seemed her entire personality revolved around Ivy, and I wish there was overall a more in depth focus on other characters. I loved the rep in this book! There was so much positive rep around sex, lesbianism, mental health, and disability. I adored the realistic way in which these were portrayed.

2.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️✨
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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This book is a bit different from what I expected. It’s very much about Andie’s internal struggle, but I don’t feel like she expressed her development that much. There was clearly growth, and I think Andie’s story is wonderful, but I wish there was a different kind of exposition than what was written. It read more like “these are the things happening to Andie and she might make a quip about it or pine over it” than anything else. It was also a bit frustrating to see how her relationship with Ivy worked, and her perception. It somewhat reminds me of the “manic pixie dream girl” trope, but make it lesbians and sex-oriented. Not a huge fan of it...
In terms of characters, I enjoyed a select few. Maybe it was my reading pace, but I felt like some of the side characters melded into each other and it was difficult to keep track of who had which personality. I thought Andie was just pining and not doing anything until around the 70% mark, which felt a bit too slow for me personally. Ivy and Dot were super cute, but I did get annoyed at Ivy a ton because of the aforementioned manic pixie dream girl thing. It just got a bit old after a while.
The plot itself started out very slow because of the exposition, pining, and general conversations going on to build up the relationships. Some of the subplots, like the strip club and the lawyer/Columbia thing, felt either underdeveloped or thrown in, and it didn’t work super well.
I genuinely don’t know how to feel about this book.. I didn’t dislike it so much that it deserves 2 stars, but I didn’t like it enough to be 3 stars. I just didn’t vibe with it enough: 2.5 stars.