This was a fun sweet read. I liked the cast of characters and while I don’t normally enjoy when narration flip flops so much, I didn’t find it hard to follow here. This may be one of the few times I actually wished for an Epilogue of some kind as I feel we could’ve had a better understanding of where Margot’s music was to go; everything else felt fairly wrapped up, though.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What if your musical crush made her way to your hometown to meet you? What if a former rockstar likes a quieter life in Baltimore, of all places?

I absolutely loved this book. I loved how close Caleb and his parents were. I loved the complicated relationships between everyone. They seemed genuine. I even really enjoyed Lawson even though he was, admittedly, not a great person.

The only thing I didn’t love was the way the story was told. I may have liked POVs better. I feel like I missed out on some what’s-really-going-on-in-their-heads moments.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

. I wanted to love this book because Baltimore has a special place in my heart and…mission accomplished! This story is an unconventional romance in the best way. The characters are interesting and worth rooting for, and the city of Baltimore gets some much deserved praise. You’ll want a soft pretzel from Gustavo to enjoy while reading this delightful, rockin story.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read Charm City Rocks as an ARC. This was an interesting story set in present day Baltimore. Billy Perkins teaches music to children in his apartment above a record store- Charm City Rocks- in the Fells Point section of Baltimore. Billy has an 18 year old son Caleb. Billy and Robyn, Caleb's mother, never married but they are friends and have happily co parented over the years. Robyn is married to a man named Aaron, and the 3 of them seem to have a untraditional working family relationship. Margot Hamer was a drummer in a all female rock band, Burnt Flowers, in the early 2000's. She was married to an actor , Lawson Daniels, and had a daughter , Poppy. The band and marriage exploded one night at the MTV awards. Now Margot lives quietly in New York. Until the night that Billy and Caleb watch a documentary about rock and roll and see footage of the Burnt Flowers. Billy mentions how he had had a crush on Margot , back in the day. Later that evening, after a run in with some CBD Gummies, Caleb concocts a plan to help his dad meet his long time crush. That is the bare bones of the story. I do not want to give anything away, but a lot happens between this and the end of the book. It is funny, sad and at times a bit silly. It is also a valentine to Baltimore, from its love for crabs and Natty Boh ( National Bohemian Beer) to the Orioles and the harbor. The author lives in Baltimore and it shows.I really enjoyed this book.

Margot is a former rock star who is trying to find meaning in her life. Billy, a music teacher, is happy with his life, albeit a bit lonely. Billy's son, Caleb, gets Margot to meet his dad by pretending to be someone else. Can they overcome obstacles and take a chance on love?

This book just rocks the house. The story is absolutely hilarious, while still showing vulnerability when it counts. I rarely get chills when finishing a book, but I did with this one – I was sad that it ended maybe, but also I was so glad to have read it. Margot and Billy are in their 40s and I think that helps so much – it makes them so relatable. The characters are so three-dimensional, they jump off the page. The supporting characters are amazing as well. I would love to see a series come out of this - hint hint 😉. I just can't say enough about this book. One of my top books of the year so far, for sure. 🙂.

This book was charming and heartwarming. It is about an on again, off again romance and second chances. Billy is a super nice guy who had a crush on a rock star in his teens. He gets to see her again, will this lead to something more?
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Opposites attract all kinds. Margot and Billy are a great example of this. They give great examples of how relationships can work if effort is made.

Billy is a single dad who teaches piano lessons. He lives above a record store in Baltimore. When his seventeen-year-old son and he watch a documentary about the modern history of rock, he tells his son how he was always half in love with drummer Margot Hammer. He admired her skill and persona. His son, Caleb, just knows that if he could get them together, Margot would also love his caring musician dad, so he writes Margot's management and gets reclusive Margot to visit Baltimore. Will sparks fly between this average nice guy and the former rocker? Will their pasts get in the way of their futures?
This was an almost perfect rom com. I loved the couple and all the secondary characters. I even could look past the dumb meet cute. Baltimore played such a big part in the story, and I have never wanted to visit there until now. I was unsure about a rom com written by a man (it's a little along the lines of High Fidelity without the angst), but I really liked this interesting and not completely predictable romance set in the world of music. It is sweet without being saccharine and has just the right amount of love, friendship, parenting, and wouldn't really happen mortal/celebrity pairing.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review. Put this on your summer reading list!

If you are looking for a fast moving book with likeable characters you will want to cheer for, pick up Charm City Rocks. Billy Perkins is a middle-aged independent music teacher who lives above a record store in Baltimore where he takes piano requests from his neighbors and maintains his Champagne Supernova, a 40 year old Mercedes. One evening, Billy's 17 year son, Caleb, accidentally eats pot gummy bears and emails his dad one-time music crush, Margot Hammer. Margot Hammer is the founding member and drummer of the break-out female band, the Burnt Flowers, that was tremendously successful until Margot melts down on live TV, the band falls apart, and Margot becomes a recluse best known as the ex-wife of famous celebrity, Lawson Daniels. Margot's eager publicist, Rebecca tries to push Margot to come out of her box and restart her career.

As a more mature reader, I appreciate this is not a normal romance story where a twenty something returns to his/her hometown after failed career or relationship. This book also has colorful and interesting secondary characters that I enjoyed. 4 stars!

I received this book in an exchange for an honest review thanks to Net Galley and Ballantine. I will post this review on Goodreads, Bookbub and Amazon.

This was a fun rom-commy read. Billy, a sweet, good looking (but not too handsome) piano playing, music loving dad of a high school senior gets to meet his musical crush, Margot Hammer. and love ensues It almost had a little Sleepless in Seattle – the son thinks the single dad is lonely so he reaches out to the pretty woman who can make my dad happy - thing going there. Margot Hammer is an ex-rock star who comes to Baltimore thinking she is reaching out to a young girl band ( to inspire and make a come back), but really it’s Billy’s son who pretended to be a tween girl to get her to Charm City Rocks (a record store) so she could meet his dad. Once the ickiness of that catfishing is out of the way (the book does it with humor) she is “charmed” by Billy and they fall in love.

It's just a sweet story with some nicely written twists and turns. I enjoyed all of the ancillary characters you get to know along the way including Margot’s daughter, Billy's son and his ex wife (not really ever married) and the Baltimore locals as well.

It’s really just a light fun read when you are looking for that (and we all are at some point).

Thank you to NetGalley Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the chance to review

Charm City Rocks is a winsome, uplifting, and (yes, there’s truth in advertising) charming Gen X love story. 

When we meet Billy Perkins, he’s a single dad and piano teacher living in Baltimore. His life is quiet, routine, and not quite what he expected as life creeps toward middle age. Margot Hammer, drummer and the object of Billy’s celebrity crush in his youth, is also staring down middle age. Her daughter is out of the house, her famous ex-husband’s face taunts from billboards, and she’s living a hermetic lifestyle in her New York loft. Thanks to a snafu involving some enhanced gummy bears, Margo is pulled to Baltimore and into the life of Billy, his friends, and family. 

Collaborations are common in the music industry. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it’s weird. (Judgement Night Soundtrack anyone?) Writer collabs are much rarer bird. Charm City Rocks is not a collaboration. Yet I thought of other books and writers on the personal favorite shelf: Nick Hornby’s wrapping of love and music together in High Fidelity. Kate Clayborn’s sense of place as an extension of self in Love Lettering. Matt Haig inside the mind of an ordinary man put into extraordinary circumstances or Emily Henry’s whip-smart heroines who get a little lost along the way to a happily ever after. 

That’s not to say Norman’s work is derivative. More that the writer hits some emotional sweet spots with his own unique spin. The result is both a page-turner and eminently worthy of a second read.

“He even loves Baltimore, because there’s something thrilling about living in a city that the rest of the country assumes is on the verge of collapse.”

It’s easy to picture Baltimore as the crumbling crimescape of The Wire. But Billy Perkin’s Baltimore isn’t a statistic, it’s his home. Through the city, we see Billy isn’t afraid to love places or people the rest of the world deems too complicated. And when Margot arrives, misunderstood, judged harshly, and discarded, Billy is there to remind her that the outside world’s opinions need not define her. He sees her clearly and allows her to see him too—a sweet, kind-hearted man who is too often left behind.  

From this acceptance of Margot as she is (or wants to be) their love story begins. Charm City Rocks is a contemporary romance, even by the strictest definition of the genre. The way their relationship moves forward, despite the obstacles in their path, is both familiar to readers of this genre and feels fresh. 

Margot and Billy are not naive twenty-somethings. They’ve lived lives filled with triumph and heartbreak. So when hi jinx ensues, the feelings, fears, and frustrations feel familiar to a seasoned reader.  

Charm City Rocks works for readers of both literary fiction and contemporary romance. 

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Tropes: celebrity, rock stars/musicians, community, single-parents, characters 35+, divorcees, strong heroine, cinnamon roll/good guy hero
Spice Level: closed-door, fade-to-black

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date June 6th, 2023.

What a CHARMing read! I love a good second-chance story, and this one had so many variations on that theme, both romantic and real. It’s funny, thoughtful, and made even my non-musically-talented-self long for some creative juices.

*I was honored to read an ARC of this book via NetGalley and the author/publisher. All opinions are my own.*

A fan ends up falling in love - FOR REAL - with his former rock-star crush.

This is a sweet, charming little story and I wish I could read it again.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

This book was so charming, pun intended. This was one of those books that just make you smile. Billy is a happy go lucky guy, happy to have a great kid, an amicable relationship with his ex, and the freedom to set his hours to work with young musicians making the music he wants to make. Billy’s son Caleb worries about his dad though, he worries that when he goes off to college, his dads life will fall apart and he’ll be lonely. So one night Caleb cooks up a scheme to try to get his dads celebrity crush Margot Hammer, a former rock n roll star to meet his dad so they can be together. And what follows after is a disaster. Margot Hammer is a former rockstar, current recluse hiding from the world after her life very publicly crashed and burned years ago. When Margot is brought out of hiding due to Caleb’s interference, she starts to question if hiding out is working for her anymore. Billy and Margot were such likable characters that I was rooting for the whole story. I loved the storyline, all the music, and the side characters were equally lovable. This was a very sweet feel good story for all the music lovers out there. I’d love a follow up story featuring Caleb as the main character! I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

What happens when you're a barely eeking out a living music teacher and your teenage son gets high and sends an email, pretending to be a tween girl drummer, to your all-time celebrity rockstar crush and invites said rockstar to come to Baltimore see this nonexistent tween band? Add in your son's mother and her husband and the rockstar's movie star ex-husband and what you get is just a fun, quick, escapist, perfect for summer reading book.
NOTE: Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I greatly enjoyed Charm City Rocks because of the ways that Matthew Norman uses characters and common rom-com tropes in a way that never feels corny, forced or fake. I felt the entire time I was reading that the story was funny, sweet and made you care about this budding relationship and felt like a less cynical High Fidelity and while I love Nick Hornby that is a big feat to meet in my eyes.

So much fun! I loved all the characters, the set up, and could have read more! We need more books about feminist men raising feminist sons.

So heartwarming, clever and laugh out loud funny - I had a huge smile reading this. Ridiculously charming, someone please make this a limited series.

This is a closed door, celeb-normie romance between 40-something year olds, set in Baltimore.

The book was great. I found the characters interesting and the plot/trope kept me wanting to keep picking up the book.

Billy grew up having a crush on Margot Hammer, the drummer of girl rock band Burnt Flowers. And when his son Caleb learns this he cooks up a plan to introduce the two of them, now that Margot is no longer in the limelight. Caleb is convinced the two of them might just be happy together and that’s all he wants - for his dad to be happy. But Margot and Billy, they come with a lot of baggage between the two of them - past loves and careers to name just a couple. Can they make it all work anyway?

I don’t know that I’ve ever read a romance written by a man so this was a pleasant surprise. Having been to Baltimore a few times, I felt like the essence of the city was captured so beautifully and it made me want to go back. The city was as much of a character in this novel as all of the rest. I appreciated so much that the celebrity in this novel was a badass FEMALE drummer since I think most romance novels with celebrities go the other way - a famous man and a nonfamous woman. The love story itself was sweet, if a little too easy and convenient. But I enjoyed the Billy and Margot together nonetheless.

The only thing I’m wondering is because so much of today’s language/slang is used, if this book will feel dated in a few years time. This book felt very of the moment right now but a few years from now, will that still be the case?

Either way, a fun quick read with likable characters and a sweet story at the center.

This book will be featured on an upcoming episode of Reading Through Life podcast.