this was your typical romance that was light and fluffy. it did have some dimension as well as likable characters. I wasn't in love with the plot but it kept me interested.

Slow burn, closed door, enemies to lovers. This book was so good.
Hannah gave up her life when she acknowledged that she was not a nice person. Addiction, public outbursts, and annihilating people for fun make her recovery difficult. She is raising her sister and has the most boring job even in the world. She lives in a secure building and has security that keeps an eye on the I trendy to make sure no one knows where she is. No music ever again.
Johnny is also raising his sibling. He was badly hurt by Hannah a long time ago and wishes to never see her again. His brother, an aspiring musician, finds her and gives her a demo tape, their worlds collide.

Hannah is trying so hard to live a different life. Watching her struggle and persevere was so satisfying. It’s not easy but she keeps going forward.
Johnny has to forgive. He would rather just kick her out if his studio.
The book is so well written. All of the characters are well developed. I don’t usually read closed door romance but this was really good.

The story of a super pop star's life after the breakdown of that life might not sound like an interesting story, but Hutchinson crafts a tale that pulls you in and keeps surprising the reader from one page to the next.
Hannah is an incredibly complex character that I loved for how well she knows herself and her faults. She recognizes that she did bad and horrible things to people when she was not completely in control and she's willing to do pretty much anything to set things right as long as it doesn't put her little sister in danger. The lengths she's willing to go through for her are amazing.
Then we have Johnny, who's on the verge of making his dreams come true while also trying to reign in his little brother's ambitions of being a music superstar. He's had his dreams trampled before and he's not willing to open up once more, but fate keeps pushing him and Hannah together and good things keep happening because of it.
It's a story of second chances while recognizing the mistakes of the past and it makes for some incredibly compelling reading. I also love how Hutchinson wove some very serious topics into the story and made them an integral part of the story without getting in too deep and ruining the fun of the romance. It's a hard balance to achieve, but Key Change manages it expertly.
Don't worry about this being marked as book 3. It's a total standalone that stands completely on its own.
I loved the narration by Samantha Brentmoor and Wayne Mitchell. It kept my interest even in the few slow parts and added so much life to every scene. The POV changes flowed beautifully because their voices make such a great complement to each other.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the immensely engaging listen!

Super cute story that had a swoon worthy romance. I really didn’t like the heroine in the beginning but I suppose that was the point. I love to see people redeem their lives and start over doing the right thing. It had chemistry and a adorable, kind and sexy hero. I really enjoyed this fun story and recommend it if you love romance. I was able to listen to this book on audio, the Samantha Brentmoor and Wayne Mitchell did a great job. Definitely would recommend either the physical or audiobook to rom-com lovers.

This story was a very reflective and sweet story about redemption, second chances, and love.

Hannah is living a normal life and raising her teenage sister in Chicago while doing her best to keep her bad girl pop star reputation from ruining the delicate balance she’s created with her sister. She is constantly looking back at her pas and atoning for those sins with self-flagellation.

Johnny is also raising his younger brother but he is good. He is a beautiful wholesome person who has put his family ahead of his own happiness.

On paper they don’t make sense but in practice they were in perfect harmony... The author talks about anxiety, panic attacks, therapy, tragedy, and owing your own mistakes. She also created an incredibly hopeful and sweet story where Hannah and johnny find that they can trust each other.

I found myself smiling as I read this book and also pausing to think about it. There was so much to unpack and love in this story.

A fun second-chance contemporary, just not for me. First, I hate the male narrator. He has a deep gruff voice, which is nice for the male characters but just awful when he does squeaky female characters. Second, I found this book just irritating in terms of the tension. We have a pop star working in a call center (she can't find another job? Like song lyricist?) and she disappeared from her old life because of a threat that's hidden from the reader for a while. We are told she's a former mean girl, trying to be better, but still a mean girl? Also I hate that there's a weird sort of black mail thing happening. I love the story of an unlikely heroine trying to redeem herself, but it seems like she's forced to do too much for other people.

My second attempt at listening to this audio and it is a #fail

I can't *review* the book itself because I haven't finished the story, which I'm pretty sure will be great, but I cannot *listen* anymore.

My total discomfort with this audio rest very heavily on the male narrator. There are a quite a few different voices for him to narrate and he is not versatile enough for this kind of endeavor, in my opinion. Honestly, he is cringe-worthy at best. I made it as far as 15% and I just cannot go a minute further.

I will be purchasing the ebook and *reading* this story soon, but the audio is a no-go for me.

My rating reflects ONLY on my listening experience and NOT on the story itself.

Key Change by Heidi Hutchinson was a super cute audio book. It’s set in the Seduction in the City World, Penny Reid Universe. And, it is actually book three in the Common Thread series. I was a little apprehensive about this book because I’ve never read any book in those series. I’m such a big fan of a good audio book and went for it.

Narrated by Samantha Brentmoor and Wayne Mitchell, this was a light, sweet romance that was a great escape to listen to and has me interested in digging more into this world. Lucky me, it looks there are tons of books I can add to my list!

What’s it about?

To most people, Hannah looks like a (somewhat) hardworking customer service representative raising her sister. But she’s really Ashton James, international superstar singer and paparazzi favorite. Hannah enjoyed a party girl life for many years, she pissed off a lot of folks, broke many hearts and then went into hiding to keep her sister safe from the public eye and gossip rags. Enter Johnny…or at least Johnny’s little brother, who has figured out that Hannah is Ashton and he’s committed to impressing her with his musical skillz. Plot twist- Johnny is actually an old lover of Hannah’s. Not that she immediately remembers him at all! Her old drug and alcohol fueled days are a bit of a blur.

This isn’t a steamy book, it IS a feel good romance that shows how people change and embrace second chances at finding their true love. I enjoyed Hannah’s character, her integrity and brutal honesty and acceptance of her previous life choices. My only small peeve was at times the male narrator didn’t do it for me. Voices are so subjective, but something didn’t meld with the character.

Hannah is a pop star in hiding. The last time people knew of her whereabouts, she was rumored to have stripped down and mauled a man backstage at a show. She has since cleaned up her act and is now caring for her younger sister. When she meets Johnny, she doesn't remember that they have met before. They have a history that he would never forget and he knows he should stay away from her. But there is something different about her now and even though everything is telling him to run the other way, he can't resist wanting to be around her.

This was a cute second chance romance. Both Hannah and Johnny are caring for their younger siblings, which I thought was an interesting coincidence. She has a past that she wants to forget and his family history is something he wants to separate from. They realize that they have more in common than at first glance and they bond over music and their siblings. Once they get over the hurdle of forgiveness for what she did to him in the past, their relationship is easy and natural. They had great chemistry and I couldn't wait for them to finally get together.

I listened to this book and the narrators did an excellent job with the narration.

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥
⚠️: substance abuse

I didn’t enjoy this book at all which I find surprising because all the reviews I read were absolutely glowing.

I love the smartypants world so much. And this one didn’t disappoint! This was my first time reading anything by Heidi and I’ll definitely be picking up another book by her in the future!

I listened to the audiobook. I really enjoyed it. I loved the music aspect of the book. Also how Hannah and Johnny were caring for their siblings. How Hannah knew she had many issues in her previous life, how she knew she needed therapy. How Johnny forgave Hannah. I loved the journey to the hea. Loved how both characters made sure their siblings were a priority.

First off, thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review. I really liked listening to this on my commute and while cooking. It was a nice story! I liked the voice of both the characters and appreciated how it switched POVs. I feel like there was great character development for both Johnny and Hannah. The ending was a little rushed in my opinion -- I wish there had been more about their relationship together than it going off page.

This book was fantastic. The narrators were superb. The story was both beautiful and very heartfelt. I enjoyed it immensely. I can't recommend it enough.

This is a cute second chance, enemies to lovers, romance with a touch of angst, and an interesting spin. Hannah used to be known as Ashton when she was a huge pop star. But now raising her kid sister she is looking for anonymity and safety. Then she runs into Johnny, and old flame she barely remembers and treated terribly, who is also raising his sibling, and she’s worried her secret will be out.

It took a while before we started to feel the chemistry between Hannah and Johnny. A very very slow burn with really no spice so don’t go into it expecting a steamy romance. It had an interesting premise and promising returns but it took way too long before I became invested in them as a couple. Not looking for insta love but a little more heat between them would have been nice. They felt more like they stumbled into their romance rather than being an unrequited first love couple.

Hannah is a former "it girl". She's cleaned up her act and is focused on controlling her wilder impulses and taking care of her sister.
Soon she meets session musician turned producer/studio owner Jonny. They're dynamic is instant chemistry. Jonny knows who she is... and can't figure out why she is calling herself Hannah. He doesnt trust her at all.
But when the two end up working together on an album, the past comes out and the cold reality of past mistakes has to be faced by them both.

Hannah isn't an entirely likable character, but I love that about her (it was interesting to read). She's lived most of her life as a mess, and now she's got some semblance of structure and order to her life, she's still not 100%. She's closed off, outspoken and afraid of losing ground on the work she's put into self improvement. I admire her.

Jonny is one of my favorite types of guys. Grumpy and laid back, loyal and sweet. He's a great big brother to Shawn and you can tell he is loved dearly by those close to him.

This book offers fascinating insight into addiction, getting sober and redemption. Hannah does not shy away from the sins of her past and does not expect people to forgive her.

Second chance romances are not my go to trope. But this one I loved. I thought it was fascinating seeing how much time had changed these two characters.

I'm used to some spice from Penny Reid and was so sad this had behind door sex. I felt like these two had so much chemistry and I wanted it to explore off the page!
The ending also felt a little abrupt for me.

Thank you Netgalley, publisher, and the author from the ARC of this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Not too steamy which is perfect!! Loved it!!

Good read. Great writing and good story. I would give it 3.5 stars. I enjoyed how the author got right into the story. There was not too much fluff in-between which was nice. The story was focused and moved along well. I liked that things between the main characters Hannah and Johnny felt like they came together fast. I mean there was the usual denial of liking each other, but it worked with the story and their past together. For some reason though, I couldn't believe they had a "meant-to-be-forever" attraction.

I liked that there was a separate male and female narrator for Hannah and Johnny. Made it so easy to listen. Samantha Brentmoor was great. I feel like she sounded like the book was written (if that makes sense). She had a good tone. Wasn't a fan of Wayne Mitchell. His voice didn't feel like it belonged, and when he did female voices it was cringey.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Loved Hannah and Johnny's romance! Wow - this was a great story. The plot was interesting, engaging and fast paced. The characters of Hannah and Johnny, as well as the "kids" they were raising, were well developed, and I loved the twist that both of the main characters were parental figures to other family members.

Hannah really had to learn that she could push her boundaries a little bit without falling down that slippery slope of addiction and bad habits, and that she could still have joy in her life. Experiencing that journey along with her was really such a treat.

Narration by Samantha Brentmoor and Wayne MItchell was really excellent. They both did a great job, and really enhanced the story with their voice acting.

2.5 stars

Things I loved:
- male POC as the love interest
- characters who are musicians
- alternative family structures with older siblings acting as legal guardians
- sassy kids
- peace by taylor swift is the unofficial soundtrack for this book

Things I did not love:
- heroine with cringe-worthy internalized racist ideologies who assumed latino love interest was from Mexico (being an ignorant white person is not cute and quirky!)
- heroine who still crosses the line into overly physically and verbally aggressive territory despite trying very hard to prove that her overly physical and verbal aggressive past is behind her
- lack of believability in the plot line of people not recognizing heroine as the major pop sensation she is. if taylor swift walked into my grocery store with sweatpants, glasses, and no makeup, I'd still recognize her as taylor swift.
- the damaging Aladdin-Jasmine complex. The heroine's fame, fortune, and privilege is not an equivalent struggle to that of an immigrant who grew up in an impoverished country with literal public executions happening in their neighborhood, had to flee under the cover of darkness to a foreign country, and had to learn English as their second language. Raising a pre-teen as a millionaire with access to adoption lawyers is not the same as raising a 5 year old as a poor non-citizen forced to work odd construction jobs to make ends meet. This trope is infuriating.