A story with dual timelines, about a mother and daughter. There were a lot of characters introduced at one time - hard to keep track of who was who. There were a number of plotlines and some were still unresolved at the end. Historical fiction that told a story about a time and place that most of us know little about. I preferred the first half of the book over the second half, which delved too deeply into politics.

A heartfelt story of love and doing what is expected of you. I liked going along with this story. The wrap up at the end was great ending to a journey.

This is a complex novel about a young woman looking for the truth about her mother's secret love life after her mother dies. Almost her whole family is living in Israel, having moved there in the 1950s from Yemen, and they faced racism and worse from the pale skinned Israelis, and also lived through the neverending waves of violence that have characterized Israel's history so far. Now that she is back in Israel to deal with her mom's death, her rather toxic family is doing everything they can to make her feel unwanted and out of place, perhaps out of jealousy or in retaliation for her having left to live in New York.
The cover is pretty, and the story is very timely and well crafted. An easy 5 stars.

Songs for the Brokenhearted had me at "songs." Singing grief out is something of which I know the truth. . .singing is one of the deepest ways for the spirit within the human body to express itself in all its passions. And in this book I felt Saida's heart, her hurts, and her never-ending longing for baby Rafael. It was her and Yaqub's story that moved me most, but once Zohara started feeling the pull of the music, the singers who gathered to exercise their cultural muscles, she appealed to me more and more.

Bonus: the audio book ends with Yemeni singing. . . a beautiful way to wrap up this read. These evocative stories have stayed with me. I've added her other books and I am reading my way to more of Ayelet Tsabari's words of wisdom.

*A sincere thank you to Ayelet Tsabari, Random House Publishing Group - Random House, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #SongsfortheBrokenhearted #NetGalley

Zohara and Saida’s stories make readers question how well they know someone. Their stories reveal the customs and traditions of their times and the reasons for secrets. The characters are likable and realistic. You’ll have to read the novel to see how the title connects to the story.

Special thanks to Random House Publishing/Random House and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I adored this book, gorgeously written, well fleshed out characters, taboo romance, touching on cultural aspects of Yemeni Jews. Topics range from heartbreak, being ashamed of the color of your skin, your family, This hit home a little for me, not bc of the culture bc I am Catholic, but the issues of my daughter being embarrassed of me for my appearance before I got my teeth fixed. It's a heartbreaking thing to go through and I felt all the feels and shed a few tears.

I really enjoyed this one. The writing was on point, interesting, and could very well be true. Grief, betrayal, and finding out something about your past that you weren't told, thar has affected the relationships of the family..

This book is definitely a winner.

I have to admit this book was a little out of my comfort zone and I struggled to get into it, but once I did, I was all in. Songs for the Brokenhearted is the story of Zohara and her mother Saida, told in two timelines: present, when Saida passes away and Zohara comes back to Israel for her funeral, and past in the 1950s, when Zohara's parents immigrate to Israel from Yemen. I didn't have a lot of knowledge of the culture from this part of the world, so I enjoyed learning about the Yemeni and Israeli customs, and also a lot of the Jewish traditions. It made it a bit less daunting. I really felt for Zohara in her grief by losing her mother and realizing she didn't really know her, and her quest of finding out more about her even if she is already gone. It was very heartwarming to read about Zohara's journey on learning more about her family history and how she starts feeling at home in Israel, a place she thought she would never come back to. This book is about womanhood, about embracing your heritage and keeping it alive, and the importance of community.

This is an alternating timeline historical novel - between 1950 and 1995. I enjoyed the slow paced and detailed writing style of this author. It read as a memoir rather than a fictional novel.

3 stars- this was well written and enjoyed getting a glimpse of a different culture than of my own. thanks netgalley & the pub for the arc in exchange for an honest review

Unfortunately I was unable to download this book before the archive date, so I'm not able to leave a review. I look forward to reading and reviewing books by this author in the future.

This is a well-written book that allows the reader a glimpse into the lives, turmoils, and rewards of families from another culture. A moving, solemn, yet refreshing read.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group- Random House for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Such a beautiful story about a Jewish mother and daughter. I loved the dual storylines and how we get to experience the rich family history of two beautiful women.

A masterpiece told in dual timelines that blends stories of love, loss, and resilience. The writing is lyrical and captures the essence of human emotions.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Songs For The Broken Hearted is an impressive novel that gives voice to the experiences of Yemeni Jews. Too Jewish to safely remain in Yemen and too Arab in the newly established state of Israel, they faced unexpected hardship and prejudice when they arrived as refugees in the Promised Land. While recounting the pertinent history of Israel in the 1950s and in 1995,  Ayelet Tsabari tells a dual timeline story about a mother and daughter, about grief, love, family, heritage and identity. It’s about finding oneself and belonging. And the novel is an impressive feat for both its informative and storytelling prowess.

Often, the Jewish stories that are told are disproportionately Ashkenazi stories. Ashkenazi Jews are those whom descend from Central and Eastern Europe. Whereas Mizrahi Jews are those whom descend from places such as Iraq, Iran and Yemen. Given the extraordinary rise in antisemitism of late, which includes accusations that Jews are white settler colonialists, it is ever important that stories such as this one, that highlight the diverse experience of Jews, are represented and read.

I am so grateful to Ayelet Tsabari for sharing this rich story and history. I learned so much from this book.

Also, Songs For The Broken Hearted is this year’s National Jewish Book Award Winner for Fiction!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for the gifted final copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Songs For The Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari tells the story of a woman named Saida and her daughter Zohara in dual timelines. In 1950, Saida is a Yemeni Jew immigrating to Israel and navigating a new life. In 1995, her daughter Zohara is living in New York City where she has built her own new life for herself far from Israel -- but that threatens to unravel when a visit to Israel after her mother's death reveals secrets about her past.

This is an emotional read with a lot of historical detail, family drama, grief, and loss. Tsabari expertly handles building the depth of her characters, making this an immersive read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Songs for the Brokenhearted is a poignant and richly textured exploration of love, identity, and the complexities of family set against the turbulent backdrop of 20th-century Israel. The story begins in 1950, with the forbidden love between Yaqub, a shy Yemeni immigrant, and Saida, a married woman with a child, unfolding amid the hardship of the Rosh Ha’ayin refugee camp. Their brief yet intense connection sets the stage for the emotional and generational drama that follows. In 1995, Zohara, Saida’s daughter, returns to Israel after her mother’s death, and what starts as a journey to mourn soon becomes an unraveling of long-buried secrets that shake her understanding of her past. Through Zohara’s eyes, the reader delves into themes of cultural alienation, family dynamics, and the impact of history on personal identity.

The novel’s strength lies in its richly drawn characters and its seamless interweaving of the past and present. Zohara’s return to her roots forces her to confront the stark differences between her life in New York and her mother’s life in Israel—differences in culture, in family expectations, and in the weight of unspoken histories. As she uncovers painful truths about her mother’s secret past, Zohara’s emotional journey becomes one of self-discovery, as she grapples with the tension between loyalty to her heritage and the dissonance she feels as an outsider. The writing is lyrical and immersive, beautifully capturing the heartache and resilience of a family caught between worlds. With its mix of historical fiction and family drama, Songs for the Brokenhearted is a powerful debut that resonates with themes of love, loss, and the complex legacies we inherit.

While I loved the writing, this one just wasn't for me. It was a one I clicked from an email before looking at the description and it's just not my usual read.

Ayelet Tsabari's Songs for the Brokenhearted is a powerful debut novel that focuses on multiple generations of Zohara's Yemeni Jewish family. The narrative spans from the 1950s through the 1990s Israel and explores themes of cultural identity, religion, family, and oral musical traditions. It's a look into a culture of which I did not have much awareness, so this was an engaging read to me.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

Ayelet Tsabari's "Songs for the Brokenhearted" follows the lives of Saida and her daughter Zohara across two intertwined timelines. Set against the backdrop of 1950s Israel and 1990s New York, the novel explores the generational impact of immigration, culture, and family history.

In the 1950s, Saida starts a new chapter in her life as a resident of a Yemeni immigrant camp in Israel. Amidst this struggle, she meets the love of her life—who is not her husband—forcing her to reconcile personal desires with cultural expectations. Fast forward to 1995, Saida's daughter, Zohara, must return to Israel from her home in New York following her mother's death. As Zohara pieces together her mother's life, she uncovers hidden truths about Saida's experiences as a Yemeni Jewish woman in mid-20th-century Israel and begins to understand how those truths shaped her own identity.

This novel is a beautifully layered exploration of what it meant to be a Yemeni Jewish woman in the 1950s and how the weight of that history reverberates through generations. Tsabari's writing is smart and compelling, and she can deliver a story filled with resilience, love, and heartbreak.

As someone who loves a well-crafted story, this was my first time reading Ayelet Tsabari, and it won't be my last. If you're looking for a story that stays with you after the final page, "Songs for the Brokenhearted" is a must-read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced reader's copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A Yemini woman returns home her mother dies and discovers secrets that had been kept from her. There was some interesting history in the book, particularly about the role that singing played in the life of Yemini woman, but I really couldn't warm up to any of the characters.