This was a book that, when starting, I wasn't expecting to fall in love with the way that I did.

It was a super sweet story and there were a few parts that pulled at my heartstrings. I will be looking into other books by this author as I thought the writing style was really good!

I will recommend this book to anyone who likes a sweet love story.

The cover of the book immediately grabs the reader's attention with its vibrant colors and inviting atmosphere, setting the scene for a delightful fall day and accurately reflecting the storyline. The characters are well-developed, each possessing unique traits. The interactions between the main characters, Ryan and Allie, and the rest of the cast are skillfully crafted, adding a realistic and cozy feel to the narrative. The author employs compelling comparisons throughout the book, allowing readers to connect with the characters' emotions and circumstances. For instance, the analogy of letting go of one's passion like a balloon slipping from its string beautifully illustrates how things we cherish can sometimes drift away unexpectedly. The mutual support Ryan and Allie offer each other in confronting their pasts is commendable. Ryan's endearing friendship with his roommate Anisha exudes a sense of lifelong camaraderie. A charming detail in the book includes cassette tapes labeled with Allie's cover album project songs, indicating the current timeline and hinting at what may unfold in the upcoming sections. While the romance is well-executed, there are moments of ambiguity in the characters' feelings, particularly with Ryan's evolving emotions towards Allie. Including Ryan's perspective intermittently could have provided a clearer insight into his sentiments and reduced confusion for readers. The narrative features a couple of spicy scenes that, although well-written, may elicit some cringeworthy reactions. Allie's enduring affection for her former bandmates underscores the deep bond they share, despite the band's dissolution. The author adeptly captures the essence of Brooklyn, New York, transforming it into a cozy and inviting setting reminiscent of a small, welcoming town. The writing style is engaging, vivid, and immersive, evoking a sense of watching a heartwarming Christmas movie about friendship, self-discovery, and family. While the plot encounters minor obstacles due to miscommunications, it remains captivating and well-structured. Although it took some time to fully engage with the story initially, the book eventually becomes engrossing, making it difficult to put down. The book maintains a logical timeline, plot progression, and character development, offering valuable lessons on self-discovery, pursuing passions, fostering new relationships, effective communication, and the warmth of community and family. Despite occasional uncertainties regarding Ryan's feelings for Allie and a slow start, the overall narrative, characters, and cozy small-town ambiance make for an enjoyable read. "Make Me A Mixtape" by Jennifer Whiteford is a heartwarming romance that transports readers to Mindy's Cafe, where they can immerse themselves in the lives of the characters, enjoy music, and perhaps create their own mixtape. This book is recommended for those seeking a romance enriched with strong friendships, music and pop culture references, self-discovery themes, and the courage to confront the past.

Thanks to Doubleday Canada for the ARC of this one! It was a fun little read and I truly enjoyed it! Allie is a former member of a punk rock band who has been living comfortably for the last 20 years helping her aunt run a cafe in Brooklyn. She seems content to just have a life of routine with no surprises. Her band met a father spectacular end and she has not made much room for friendship since then. While delivering coffee, she meets Ryan who works at the podcast studio nearby. They strike up a friendship that eventually develops and their love is very sweet and realistic. It was a fun journey reading about how they discover who they are as people both together and apart. I loved the writing style as well.

As a teenager, Allie was a member of a punk rock band called the Jetskis. They were on the verge of gaining more attention before abruptly breaking up. For the past ten years, Allie has been working at her aunt’s café in Brooklyn and struggling to figure out her relationship with music now as an adult. One day, she delivers coffee to a nearby building and meets Ryan. He immediately recognizes Allie because he was a fan of her band when he was younger. They slowly start to become friends despite Allie’s initial hesitations. As Ryan learns more about Allie’s struggles regarding getting back into music, he convinces her to find her long-lost band members so that she can hopefully find closure about their breakup and discover her love for creating music again.

Any book set in New York during the Fall automatically pulls me in. I felt like I was walking around the streets of Brooklyn and working in the coffee shop alongside Allie and her aunt. Allie’s overall story and love of music kept me interested in this book. I would’ve loved to see alternating chapters of flashback scenes about her time with the Jetskis. I think it could’ve added more of a connection to her current struggles with music and the plot line of finding her former bandmates. Unfortunately, I did not like Ryan’s character at all. He was initially very pushy and slightly annoying. His response to every new relationship he entered into felt immature and confusing. A simple, honest conversation between him and Allie would’ve gone a long way. About halfway through, I hoped she’d stay friends with him, and then we’d be introduced to another possible love interest. As a debut, this was just okay for me. I would be interested in reading more from the author in the future, though, as I liked the storylines involving Allie, her aunt, and her friends.

Thank you to author Jennifer Whiteford, publisher Doubleday Canada, and NetGalley for the eARC of Make Me A Mixtape in exchange for my review.

This was my first book by this author and I will gladly read more. What an enjoyable read with a fun plot and truly likable characters. Add in the “found family” aspect (which I adore) and it’s a real winner!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this title. What fun characters and storyline. Four stars.

This book was adorable. Overall, I loved the characters in this book, even the side characters, and the whole thing being about music was what initially drew me in, and I was not disappointed. The romance was very sweet and felt like a natural addition to the book rather than the focus. For full effect, read this book the day after attending a punk rock concert! (It was mostly unplanned.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you so much for letting me read Make Me A Mixtape, it was simply a beautiful story.
You can always find your family even if they aren't related to you. Was simply divine

This was a fantastic read! Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to read it. I flew through this book, loved the writing style, and the characters. This is a story about a former punk singer in an up-and-coming band that split after two albums. It takes place 10 years after the split. This novel combines some of my favorite things, friendship, romance, and music. I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes modern romance novels.

There were moments of this I liked. There were characters in this that I loved. But something still felt clunky that didn't allow me to fully get into this book. I never fully believe Allie's punk past and I want to like Ryan so much, but the way they meet was a bit of a rough start for me as he doesn't read the room in realizing Allie isn't Allie Jetski anymore...

I'd give it more like 3 1/2 stars.

It’s tough to leave a review on a book I didn’t love but here goes and spoiler warning:

It lost me when the MMC went on a date in the middle of the book. It never pulled me back. I wanted to like it, I really did.

Mixtapes have a special place in my heart . I really had hoped that there would be more of a direction connection between the story to songs on a mixtape. Usually they are each chosen for a reason and made with a lot of care. Having spent hundreds of hours of my teens making them for friends I know how much thought and emotion goes into finding that perfect song and the next song and the next. I think I was really hoping for that connection and special feeling- based on the title. I dont think I really got that. The book was ok - not a WOW for me. I wasnt a huge fan of Ryan. There was just something missing in his character although I cant pin down what it was. Having said that there were some really great themes - like that of family being who you make it to be and not necessarily what you are born into. I give the book two stars.

Received as an ARC, thank you NetGalley for the chance to read. I really enjoyed all the musical references and the layout of the book. The story wrapped up nicely and the B plot should have been obvious but I completely missed it so good job for that. 3.75 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

I really liked the premise of this story…a former girl-punk band member turned barista meets a friendly sound tech guy who wants to help her reconnect with her music and people from her past. The small cafe in Brooklyn felt cozy and I liked that there were regular customers like George. Allie has been living the same life for 10 years since the band broke up, and I was hopeful that as a character in her early 30s she would have a little more emotional maturity. Same goes for Ryan, I felt like he was intended to by the “golden retriever” boyfriend trope, but he just fell flat for me and didn’t come off as mature enough to be in his 30s either. These characters may have felt more believable if they were younger, although that wouldn’t have flowed with the plot. The side characters also felt one-dimensional. On the surface they seemed interesting, I liked Ren- the non-binary cafe employee/friend of Allie, and Anissa- the eclectic “platonic life partner” of Ryan, but neither of them had any real depth. The initial friend chemistry between Ryan and Allie was pretty good, but as they began to enter the romantic aspects of their relationship I found them to be awkward and a little cringey at times. I think this story may have actually been better suited to a “closed door” intimacy style (and I have no issue with open door, just my opinion with these particular characters in mind).

I predicted several things throughout the plot of this story, which isn’t unexpected for a contemporary romance style story, but I can’t deny that I enjoyed the little unexpected surprise that was revealed towards the end. Ultimately, the story was ok, but I think it’s missing the mark of its potential.

Make me a mixed tape
By: Jennifer Whiteford

This book made my 80’s heart so happy!
I absolutely loved every character in this book both the main characters and their friends and family. Each had their own story that made this book better.
This was a great friend’s to lovers romance. In this book you meet Allie and Ryan. Allie had a band when she was younger after a fight she walks away and loses all her friends. She retreats to her aunts coffee shop to work. Years later on a coffee delivery she meets Ryan, after awhile he convinces her that to move on musically she needs to confront her past. Along the way of finding her band mates she also has to decide to take a chance on taking the next step with Ryan or potentially losing another friend if it does not work out.
Every friend, band mate, person that you meet in this story adds to the story. There is nothing that is there that is just added for fluff. I love that. And the mixtapes just make this book more amazing.
I would 100% recommend this book to anybody. It is a great read that made me smile so many times.

This was a very mixed (get it?) bag for me. I loved the characters, I loved their friendships and the way they interacted with each other and the little life they all had built for themselves. I loved Ren and honestly could've done with the book being from their perspective because they seemed to be the only ones with their head on straight.
I loved our main characters and their friends to romance story! What I did not love is the middle school ass way they interacted with each other. I get not wanting to ruin a friendship, I absolutely do! But at the end of the day these two would. not. talk. to. each. other. By the end when they both grand gestured their way out of a conversation I was drained. (That last second mixtape plot twist brought me back though, no doubt).

Overall I really enjoyed this and the way it looked at guilt and love and loss and growing! Having a side character so rich they can solve everyone's problems in the blink of an eye doesn't hurt either.

This book was so cute! First of all the cover is absolutely beautiful! And the writing style in this book was just what I wanted.

<b><i>”Music wasn’t what had failed her.”</i></b>


⭑⭑’s

⤷ Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! I really appreciate it. Everything below is my own, unbiased opinions.

⤷ I’m finally free omg… Though there were good aspects of this book, the bads heavily outweigh them. Once I hit the fiftyish percent mark, I was DYING to finish just so I could be done with it. This book follows Allie, a woman who was in a band in her high school years and now, ten years after the band broke up, is working in her Aunt’s cafe. While making a delivery, she meets Ryan, a guy who used to be a huge fan of her band, and instantly develops a crush on him (why? I still don’t know). After pestering her a little, Ryan convinces her to start a search for Jessi, her former bandmate and best friend, which takes them on many adventures which result in them getting closer… Though the overall vibes of this book were good, the characters and the romance were so purely awful it pained me to read.


⤷<u> The writing style: </u>
I swear, some people need to discover what editors are. First off, if I took a shot for every time a character “got tears in his/her eyes”, “giggled”, or “locked eyes” with another character, I’d be dead from alcohol poisoning. There’s this thing, it’s called a THESAURUS. Second, literally all the characters in this book were either conflicting, one-dimensional, or just straight up annoying. Is it really that difficult for people to write tolerable characters?

⤷<u> The atmosphere/worldbuilding: </u>
For better or worse, this was the best part of the book. The main setting of Make Me a Mixtape was a Brooklyn cafe in the fall and wintertime, which just set such a cute, cozy setting. I also loved the musical aspect of the book. Pretty much all of the songs mentioned in this book were songs my parents love, so I’ve listened to them plenty of times, and this enhanced my reading experience. However, unfortunately, by the middle part of the book, much of the musical aspect was swept under a rug, becoming more of a side plot to the (less than mediocre) romance.

⤷<u> The Characters: </u>
❥<i> Allie: </i> This woman. This FREAKING WOMAN. She was supposed to be in her early thirties in the book… SHE ACTED LIKE A TWELVE YEAR OLD??? I would have been able to look past it if it was just some of the time to progress the plot, but it was evident in every little thing that she did that she lacked maturity, and that made her absolutely intolerable. She also had a heavily conflicting personality. She was supposed to be this prickly introvert, but as soon as Ryan shows up, she’s all bubbly and social? What? On top of that, it mentioned MULTIPLE times in the beginning of the book that she hardly ever cried, and then throughout the story she proceeded to cry at least ten times. (Can you picture me banging my head against a wall right now?)
❥<i> Ryan: </i> I’d like to start out by saying that it took me about half of the book to actually remember this guy’s name, because not only was he immature too, he also just wasn’t memorable. He was a failure of a “golden retriever with a dark past” boyfriend. The author would try to make him all sweet and sad, but really it just made for a really cringy MMC. While I’m on the topic of Ryan, I’d also like to add that I believe his whole “family backstory” was a load of crap, and honestly offensive to me as a Christian. He was all sad because his “Christian” family cut him off because he doesn’t believe in God. I would say that maybe five percent of Christian families would actually do that to their kids, but the author makes it seem like it’s a common and normal thing for Christian families to do. This honestly just pisses me off that this false stereotyping exists.
❥<i> Anisha and Ren: </i> Hear me out. They both had the potential to be really good characters. But. BUT. The author gave them NO DEVELOPMENT. It seemed that they were just there to push a LGBTQ agenda, because all I can remember about Ren is that they’re a nonbinary heartbreaker with a shaved head, and Anisha is a queer lady who likes fashion. Oh, and they’re both horny and like to hook up in public places. Yay! :D I have no problem with LGBTQ characters, but when it feels like that’s all they’re there for and have no other personality, it drives me crazy.

⤷<u> The Romance: </u>
This was by far the cringiest insta-crush I’ve ever read. Allie got butterflies the first time she met Ryan, but the whole time was like “now is not the time for me to be getting a crush on someone”. LITERALLY WHY? THERE WAS NOTHING MAJOR GOING ON IN HER LIFE BUT YET IT’S “not the right time” LIKE GIRL PLEASE. Had she just matured and told the guy she liked him sooner, I wouldn’t have had to waste so much time reading this garbage book. Adding onto the romance criticism, again, both mc’s act like twelve year olds, so when the sex parts came, I skipped over them, because no one wants to read about twelve year olds having sex :)

⤷<u> Overall: </u>
Don’t waste your time on this. Please spare yourselves.



⤷<u> This book contains: </u>
✔️Friends to lovers
✔️Third person single POV
✔️Lots of music references
✔️Cozy cafe vibes

Allie is a scorned ex punk rocker searching for direction on where her future will take her. Enter an old fanboy in Ryan. His enthusiasm and charm show her that the future can be bright even if you're unsure of your direction. This story is packed full of musical moments, quirky and lovable found family and sweet romance. I can't wait to go make my own mixtape on my feelings about it!

I enjoyed the family and relationship themes throughout this book. I think Whiteford crafted interesting characters and I especially love stories that involve coffee shops and such. Give this one a shot. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.