This was cute, enjoyable, but not incredibly memorable.

The slang. I was out. I didn't get it. Too many trips to Urban Dictionary and it just felt unnecessary?

I was clearly not the right demographic for this one, I guess?

2 ⭐

I did not love this book. Mostly, I did not love the male love interest. I found him annoying and whiny and the overuse of slang was too much for me. I am Generation Z and even I didn't understand the "young" slang they were using. Additionally, I found that when the protagonist was singing or writing that it was awkwardly written.

Gave it two stars because I love a full circle romance and I love that its set in the music industry.

I enjoyed this book and found it very relatable, however, it was a bit slow for my taste. I love when I can relate to characters and in this case, I related to her uncertainty in her future. While the book was enjoyable I would have liked to see her struggle a bit more and also see the plot move a bit faster.

The plot was great, and the characters were adorable! I would definitely recommend this book to a friend!

Good Morning, Love is a story of finding your place in the world. Carli is living in New York, pursuing her dream of being a songwriter but stuck working at a big media company to pay the bills. When Carli is introduced to R&B star Tau Anderson, she has to decide between her job and giving in to the attraction she feels for him.
Disclaimer: This book is different from what I normally read. I honestly felt like I wasn't "hip" enough to fully get it. A lot of the slang and lingo was unfamiliar to this 30 something country girl. That being said, while I didn't completely enjoy the book, I feel like there are plenty who will. The story was a perfect blend of romance and self-discovery. Even though it's a story of regular girl meets pop star, it all happened in a very believable way. Tau and Carli had great chemistry and a very naturally developing relationship. Supporting characters like Red, Dylan, and even Ryan had their own stories going on behind the scenes of the main story. They could easily be featured in novels themselves (similarly to how Emily Giffin writes stories of former supporting characters).
One major negative I see to this book is its potentially limited audience. Good Morning, Love seems to be targeted at 20-somethings who live in the city, regularly hit the clubs, and eat at all the hole-in-the-wall places. As a 30-something who lives in a Southern suburb, I just couldn't connect to the scene set by this book. However, if the city life is more your scene, I think you will thoroughly enjoy this sweet story.

What I wanted from this book was a big blow up. I wanted Carli to struggle a little bit more. There are a lot of opportunities for things to go wrong, but they instead go pretty swimmingly for her. Which is great; I really liked Carli. But this is a book and when I'm reading books I like conflict to keep me entertained.

Love the music industry aspect and want more books about it but again, I wanted Carli to struggle. I wanted to see her really work for it.

This is an insider's look at the music industry and a rom-com. The story fell short for me but it was a generational thing. I would not hesitate to recommend this for young adults. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Carlisa "Carli" Henton is an aspiring songwriter who works at Garter Media, a creative agency. Although Carli is efficient and great at her job, it's only supposed to serve as her financial backing as she tries to make it in the music industry. The problem is that, because she's so good at her job, she continues to get drawn into important projects, which puts her up for promotions that make it hard to leave the agency UNTIL she meets Tau Anderson at his concert (she got backstage access because her boss, Dawn, wants to get him to work with them).

There are some things that worked well and others that fell flat for me. The plot itself was interesting and kept me interested long enough to finish reading the book. Tau's character development felt more fleshed out than Carli's, which felt odd since I assume that it was Carli's story. Similarly, the romantic relationship between Carli and Tau felt odd because it felt like Tau was just a creep who didn't understand the meaning of "no thanks". I understand where Coleman was going, though, and I liked the way the book ended on a semi-cliffhanger.

Overall, the book was ok. I wouldn't say I wouldn't recommend it, but it wouldn't be the first book I would think to recommend. Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC!

Fabulous read! Loved the story line, the characters, and the flow of the book. Can not wait for more by author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this fantastic book.

This book had all the elements that I should love. As a former musician and talent manager, the musical backdrop to the story should be right up my alley. The book references things I know. It’s a Black love story. Unfortunately, much of the story didn’t connect with me.

I enjoyed Carli’s relationship with everyone else around her. I enjoyed reading about her struggles balancing her passion against what pays the bills. Those parts felt relatable. I appreciated that the intimidate portions weren’t explicit. Ashley M. Coleman’s writing style was clear and easy to follow. But overall, I didn’t really enjoy the book.

Our protagonist, Carli Henton, is a professional in the entertainment industry with dreams of being a songwriter. Tau, the superstar love-interest, immediately rubbed me the wrong way as those advances came at Carli’s expense. His pursuit of Carli was not admirable, and I felt it mirrored what many real-world women struggle to articulate as problematic. Narratives like this suggest that it’s okay for men not to accept no for an answer because it will work out for them. It was hard to find the rest of the romance cute. And since that’s the main point of a romance novel…I struggled through the rest of the book.

The love triangle also felt a bit forced. While we were introduced to the spec one love interest and knew of his friendship with Carli. I didn’t know enough about him to care.

Also, while I am the target audience for the book, I found the constant references a bit overwhelming. They date the book tremendously and not in a classic way. While I can appreciate the desire to connect with your target audience, it wasn’t for me and often felt gratuitous.

The ending felt a little rushed or incomplete. I didn’t leave the book feeling inspired or encouraged and would have loved to see something a bit more independent from the main character.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy.

What a smart, well-written fantastic story by Ashley M. Coleman! Good Morning, Love was a book that appealed to me because of the topic of the music industry and a woman protagonist where many women would relate.. Carli is a modern woman and carving a path for her against so many obstacles and distractions The self-discovery and digging deep so she doesn't get in the way of herself succeeding but in the meantime, a romance intertwined within this richly dug story of incredible depth. I adored it. Especially how Ashley Coleman tackled a complex story with the richness of place, subject, and purpose Carli is a creative soul, a songwriter who is so responsible and driven but feeling the pull of something that could distract her from her ambition, her dream and her passion of her music is captivating. I want to go back and read this rich story full of nuances, place, and dialogue. There was a lot to take in and like a lot of good stories you want not to miss a thing.

I can't think of one thing I would change as a reader. This was a true gift for me to read and I thank the publisher Simon & Schuster for the opportunity and for the gift of writing from its author Ashley M. Coleman. Even the first sentence I related and the book touched me and had me in it from that sentence on. Thank you.

This is a hit-or-miss novel for me. Some portions were enjoyable, while others were tedious. Even though it isn't, it felt like a slow-paced novel. Carli had the impression that she was all over the place. In fact, everyone felt all over the place. Tau is the type of person that will not accept no for an answer, and it shows. Carli, on the other hand, had no idea what she wanted from him. Tau had a special place in her heart, but with Dylan, she suspects there's something there, but he's quickly dismissed. For me, music industry romances are hit or miss, and this one felt a lot more like someone who works in the industry than a 50/50 mix of both.

Thank you NG for the advance copy. This is the first time reading anything by Ashley Coleman. For me it was hard to get into. It started slow and half way through I just couldn't get into the characters. It wasn't a romance book, which is what I thought it was. It did have alot of self reflection, and lessons on life.

"I wanted to write songs the whole world would sing." // Ashley M. Coleman

Carli and Tau meet through work - he's a rising R&B star and she's a media company account manager with aspirations to be a songwriter someday instead. But dating clients is against the rules. Insert romcom magic and big life choices. Def read this one if you love:

- Music and songwriting, especially R&B
- Main characters who love their moms
- Women supporting women

The ending felt rushed to me, but ultimately it was a fun and charming ride with lots of cute moments and chances taken on life and love. Definitely check it out when it comes out this June!

And thanks to @simonbooks and @netgalley for this early copy of Good Morning, Love!

Carli Henton is a musician to her core. With lifetime roots in the business, she spends her days as a junior account manager for a major media company and her evenings helping others make their music dreams a reality. Until she catches the eye of one of music's biggest names, suddenly she finds herself juggling love, her career, and elusive fame. Author Ashley M. Coleman has created a believable cast of characters and a fresh look at the New York music industry. A good read and worth picking up for those interested in the music industry.

Enjoyed the book and the plot but felt rushed at the end! Could have read 100 more pages to wrap things up!

I definitely don’t think this was a bad book but it just wasn’t for me. I personally wasn’t Tau’s biggest fan and because of that, I couldn’t get invested in the relationship (or the book). I also felt like the ending was a little too sudden. She got home and seemed super conflicted about what to do about LA and then I turned the page and she was there. I wasn’t expecting her decision to be made that soon and it kinda caught me off guard.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the arc!!

I wanted to like this book so bad but I was so bored. A lot of the scenes needed to be described a bit more and there was an entire plotline I hated. The whole Dylan thing was unnecessary, why did they kiss? And then she had some type of feelings for him after that which were never fully talked about which made things confusing. Also the romance between was Tau and Carli was just underdeveloped in general.

I received an arc through netgalley

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Carlis hopes to make it big in the music industry like her father. She works for a company that is ok. She meets an up an comer singer at a concert when they start a casual relationship. This book stalled ina few places but I would recommend reading it.

The music biz seems like a life of glitz and glamour, but what happens behind the scenes? In Good Morning Love, we meet Carli, a junior account manager at a huge entertainment firm working her behind off to pay the bills so she can do what she really loves: write music. One of her assigned artists, Tau Anderson, slowly draws her away from her cushy job and closer to her dream. The tension between choosing hopes and security grows as Carli makes her choices and faces the consequences.

This story starts off focusing on Carli, a young adult tired of her job, and trying to figure out how to balance work and live. It begins a bit slowly, building up Carli’s world and the music industry. We read as Carli shuffles between work, church, and squeezing in time at the studio. Coleman paints a great picture of Carli’s life, one that many people (especially other twenty-somethings) will relate to.

The book picks up the pace when Tau comes into the picture. Both Carli and the reader are thrust into Tau’s orbit. The book starts to read a little like a modern-day fairy tale. Carli starts to have her full potential realized and we’re all rooting for her. The events that transpire seem realistic, but not like real life. Things seem to fall in line perfectly, exactly when they needed to.

While Carli seems to be a pretty well developed, Tau is a little…interesting. We’re first introduced to a playboy rapper who seems like a flirt. As he and Carli become better acquainted, he opens up and we get to see a more dynamic Tau. Still, I kept getting caught up on Tau’s speech. I understand that he’s a rapper in the music industry and going to use slang and talk differently (which I like!), but it seemed inconsistent, so when he did throw in certain words, they were a bit jarring.

Good Morning Love definitely gained traction as the story moved on. We’re met with a mini love triangle, a family secret, celebrity meet and greets and so much more. While some of these events serve to move along the plot, a couple of the B stories seem unnecessary, and even weaken the story to an extent. Instead of fleshing out a particular event, the conflicts rise and fall within a couple of chapters. I gained interest in the story as it moved along, but the parts that I would’ve really wanted to dive into all stacked up near the end. Because of that, it felt like the story ended a little abruptly.

Although the title is Good Morning Love, I don’t really consider this to be the romance novel I thought it was going into the story. That expectation skewed my initial perception of the story. After realizing what it for what it was, more of a day in the life, contemporary fiction novel, I could enjoy it more. I liked seeing Carli get to grow and chase her talents. This story will resonate with music lovers, twenty somethings figuring out life, and the people who dare to dream big.

3.5 rounded to 4