miss ashley you’ve done it again. made my heart break and piece it back together changed for the better. god I love this book. one of my easiest five stars of the year.
sounds like love is, at its heart, about the power of music. the power music has to shatter you, heal you, to celebrate, to mourn, and soundtrack every small moment in between.
this is a love story between and rockstar and a songwriter, but with the classic ashley poston magical realism twist that made me fall in love with her in the first place. the way she speaks about love and life is so profound, and the way she uses magical realism to explode and emphasize the all consuming power love has on us is so smart and hits every time.
ashley poston is so talented at not only developing the love story, but building out the world around the main couple as well. joni’s family and friends were some of my favorite characters in this book.
and sebastian fell *swoons.* another ashley poston book boyfriend to add to my list of men who deserve rights. and another fmc that I related to so deeply.
also, the little references to the ashley poston multiverse were so much fun to find.
this book bleeds passion and love. I cannot recommend it enough.

4.5 ⭐️

i’m still so emotional over the last 20% of this book!!!

sounds like love felt like the warmest hug and it tugged at all my heartstrings. ashley poston’s stories are just so comforting and cozy, so soft and sweet— i just fell in love with everyone in this book! it is so beautiful and so poetic and so nostalgic— it made my heart ache in the best way.

the combination of romance + magical realism + exploration of grief is undoubtedly where ashley poston thrives— she does it like no one else! you can feel how personal this story was for her to write because it’s brimmed with so much emotion!

i’m not usually into books about music industry people but i knew AP would sprinkle her magic into this story. the moment joni and sebastian’s love finally starts to bloom this book turns into swoon city! they just have a connection unlike anything i’ve ever read— it’s so sooo special.

this book definitely starts off super slow but when you get to the second half you’ll really appreciate that slow build up. you just have to savor this book because each scene is so intentional and when you find out what it’s all for it’ll bring you to tears. this story teaches us to chase our joy, to make the most of all the time we have and that our memories live on in all the things we loved so long as we share them with the people we love.

i love this book with my whole entire heart!

if "invisible string" were a book, it would be this one!!!!

ashley poston will always have a fan in me not only for her incredible magical realism plots (our fmc and mmc can hear each other's thoughts and they are drawn to each other by a melody only they can hear??!!!) but also for her writing on grief. if you've ever experienced loss of any kind, pick up one of her books and you'll learn how quickly loneliness in your grief will turn into companionship in your grief.

the last chapter had me bawling my eyes out and the author's note had me blubbering into my pillow!

i don't wanna say too much because it was so much fun to figure out the plot and the connection between our main characters as it unraveled, but trust me, it was so romantic and heartwarming and silly in the best way as only ashley poston can craft it!

thank you Berkley Romance for this e-galley! it's out everywhere on 6/17!!!

Sounds Like Love
Ashley Poston
Pub: 6/17/25
4.5☆

Thank you Berkley Romance for the free book and PRH Audio for the free audiobook.

Ok I adored this one! It’s a funny, lighthearted musical romance that’s also expertly layered with emotional depth, beautiful characters, and the most perfect subtle hint of magical realism sprinkled in. Poston hit all the marks and all the feels on this one. A definite must read.

What I loved;
🎵 Slow-Burn Romance
🎼 Grumpy/Sunshine
🎵 Magical Realism
🎼 Songwriter/Bitter Musician
🎵 Dementia Rep
🎼 ALL The Feels

As always, Ashley does an incredible job of blending magical realism, romance, and grief in the most beautiful way.

Our FMC, Joni Lark, is a songwriter who lives in LA and has lost her ability to write music after her mother is diagnosed with dementia.

Our MMC, Sebastian McKellen, used to be in a boy band and has been labeled as a bad boy over the years.

Joni and Sebastian share a spur of the moment kiss at a concert before Joni heads home to Vienna Shores, North Carolina for one last good summer with her mother before things worsen. Reunited with her parents, brother, and best friend and working back at her families music venue, but still unable to find the motivation to create music.

Joni begins to hear a melody repeating in her head. Then to make things even more strange, she begins to hear a voice in her head. A mans voice. Talking to her. Somehow, Joni and Sebastian have become linked telepathically. And guess what? Sebastian can hear the same melody.

Sebastian ends up traveling to Vienna Shores and they begin trying to finish the melody in their heads in an attempt to break the connection. This sets them off on a journey of self healing and discovery and they might just find they are linked in more ways than the obvious.

Sounds Like Love follows Joni Lark, a songwriter, as she navigates writers block, grief, a sprinkle of magic, & an unexpected connection. And while this book may not have been my favorite from Ashley Poston, I cannot deny her ability to write an overall beautiful story with intriguing magical realism.

Joni is a deeply relatable character who I think a lot of readers will resonate with. Her struggles with finding her true passion & motivation, feeling like she lost the ability to do something she loved. Her journey with grieving a living person & the uncomfortable, difficult emotions that come along with it. She was well-written, intriguing to learn more about, & a very well-rounded character! Sebastian (Sasha) was relatable in his own right. On the surface he's a little arrogant, charming, and flirtatious, but I really enjoyed getting to see his depth. His struggles with his father, the heartache for his mother, the worry of being useless or his presence not being needed.

The romance in this was sweet, charming, & a love story that just makes you want to smile. The connection between Joni and Sasha has a bit of an "invisible string" vibe to it & I adored getting to see that develop! These two had chemistry from the very beginning that appeared in a softer way. I loved getting to see them tear through each others walls & watch them feel safe and comfortable with one another! They're just so sweet & cute!!

I enjoyed the magical realism element in this the most & was so intrigued by it from the start. Ashley's creativity when it comes to this aspect of her books is always so great, & truly makes for such a special, emotional story.

Overall, this is a beautiful story. The emotional aspect between Joni & her mothers diagnosis, the entire connection her family has. The message of following your heart, following your passion. The main reason this book isn't rated higher for me is simply because I wasn't truly invested or enticed until the latter half of the book. The first half has its shining moments, but the 50% mark and on is what truly drew me into the story! That being said, this is a book I totally recommend picking up & trying out for yourself! I can fully understand why some people loved this book so deeply, it just unfortunately didn't play out that way for me!

And like clockwork, Ashley Poston makes me cry yet again.
While I love a fluffy romance book, I also love the tough ones, the ones that lean into the pain of life and find the happiness within it, and Poston is very good at the latter.
What a wonderful story about love, finding your home, chasing your dreams, and letting go. I think if you're a fan of Ashley Poston's past work you'll love this one.

Ash Poston has magical realism-contemporary romance down pat. I love every single one of her stories and her characters are always so well-developed.

The premise was so intriguing and think it was executed perfectly. Joni and Sasha’s chemistry was incredible- music on its own is incredible romantic but I felt their relationship really captured the essence of it.

Ash never misses!

Thank you SO much to Berkley Romance for the free copy of the book & ARC!

This book will be out on June 17th.

And I am back on the Ashley Poston train! I am open about my struggling with connecting to A Novel Love Story (check out the reviews - there are fabulous ones!) but I became a forever fan with Seven Year Slip so I wasn't going to let one sour read turn me away. I am so happy to say that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS ONE! I had heard from other reader friends to make sure I do the audio because it was fabulous and I did pair my text with the audio and Patti Murin as always knocked it out of the park! But what really sold it was how she incorporated some singing. Heck we even got a song that the whole book was working towards at the end.

I knew from the first chapter that this was a Stephanie book. Pretty much if there is celebrity/music/boyband anything in that realm in a book - I am going to love it. I even had texted my friend who already had read an advance copy and told her I was going to love it from the first chapter. The way that Poston crafted the start of the story just grabbed my attention right away.

"I can weather storms, bird - I want to weather them. With you. Beside you. So we don't have to do it alone."

She is known for having magical realism sprinkled into her romances and in this one it is just crafted so perfectly! She positioned these two characters who are total opposites but exist in the same world - Joni being a songwriter and Sebastian being a former boy bander/son of a rock star. By pure circumstance during a performance by Willa Grey the two are in a heated kiss but a man being a man opened his mouth and ruined it for them. But that kiss sparked a lot of magic ahead!

The magical realism in this was that Joni and Sebastian were able to be in each other thoughts. Except they didn't know that it was each other in their thoughts until Sebastian aka Sasha flies out to North Carolina to see Joni. I found the banter between their thoughts really funny especially because we are only in Joni's point of view and how she navigates having this voice in her head and her responding to it out in the wild.

Joni and Sebastian - sigh. They were so fun to read!! They bonded truly with being in each other thoughts. I love the protectiveness that Sebastian had over Joni even if it was done in the subtle way. You could tell that he did care about her. She did not want to have a relationship with him because of their work buttttt of course that never is the case in romance books. Even though they had gotten off on the wrong foot, Joni did come around to Sebastian and wanted to be in his company. "I think - I think I want something messy and complicated with you, Sasha. I think I want that very much."I was a little confused on when things were going well for them and a little thing called a hurricane was approaching, why she would suddenly push him away. It just didn't fit well in what was happening leading up to it. Probably my only hiccup when it came to them but not enough for me to change my feeling on the book.

"We were all made of up memories, anyway. Of ourselves, of other people. We were built on the songs sang to us and the songs we sang to ourselves, the songs we listened to with broke hearts and the ones we danced to at weddings."

This is a very music focus book this book also has a heavy dose of grief throughout it. The grief in this is for the loss of time and actively losing someone. Joni's mother has early onset dementia and she tries to stay up to date with what is happening in her mother's life but living in California has kept her away from really being around the reality of what her dad and brother go through. There was a beautiful chapter between Joni and her mother where her mother was very open and honest and told her stories that Joni had been wanting to her. And Joni was able to talk about her fears and regrets. It was just so beautiful and heartwarming.

If you couldn't tell I just love this book from start to finish and I was taking my time reading it because I just didn't want it to end.

PS - I love how the chapter titles are song/lyrics!

Ashley Poston has yet to fail on delivering romance reads that are so much more.

The magical realism element in this one really played well into the eventual resolution of the story. The relationship lacked a liiiiittle bit of chemistry for my liking around the middle, but it ended up building really nicely toward the end.

CW: Parental loss, dementia,

This didn't live up to The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip for me, but I did like it better than A Novel Love Story. It was also the first Ashley Poston book I eyeball read, having listened to her previous works, so I'm not sure if my drifting attention was due to writing style or topic. Stories involving the music industry rarely hold my attention, so a love story between a songwriter and a former boyband star was probably never going to be a 5 star favorite for me. Adding in the magical realism element helped, when Joni and Sebastian become telepathically connected after sharing a kiss for the kiss cam at a concert. I loved the parts where they were getting to know each other in their heads, but didn't love them as much when they were together in person. Hearing the same mysterious melody in each other's minds, they decide to try to write the song together, and along the way discover the real reason for their connection. As quickly as the magical realism came into play, it abruptly ended, and I felt like that part of the story was rushed and unresolved. There is also a heavy theme of parental illness (dementia), but it was OK until it wasn't, meaning, it was kept mostly surface level. Overall, this was fine, but didn't really hold my interest.

Ashley Poston, never stop writing about ghosts, magical apartments, adorable fictional towns, and telepathic artists. Please and thank you.

I love this book so much! It hooked me from the first chapter. Her books usually start a bit slow for me and tend to pick up once the events from the synopsis kick in. Don’t get me wrong, it was still a slow start, but I actually liked the slow burn in this one. I just love Joni and Sasha’s relationship. I really appreciate that they built a friendship first, getting to know each other before all the love stuff.

I adore Joni’s parents, especially her mom’s relationship with her friend. Their story genuinely made me tear up.

I do have some questions about how the telepathy works in this book, like how Sasha is able to hear almost all of Joni’s thoughts and musings, but we barely get a glimpse of his. Or how Joni is speaking aloud, yet Sasha can hear it in his head? But I guess that’s just the nature of magical realism, you don’t always get clear explanations.

I discovered Ashley Poston this year, and I can't wait to read her next book, whenever that is!

A huge thank you to the team at Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review! Having loved Ashley Poston’s The Dead Romantics, I was so excited to get the chance to review this one!

Sounds Like Love was a fantastical take on magic realism, with our two musical main characters connected by the thoughts in their head. Of course, it starts off with them having no clue who the other is, but once they find out, boy oh boy does it take off.
I absolutely loved the musical aspect to this book. Not only are each of the chapters titled as some pretty well known tunes, but throughout the book there is so many little Easter eggs and fun facts about the musical industry which just added a whole other level to the story.
Joni and Sebastian had my heart from the beginning, even when they didn’t know what was going on. I mean, tortured lonely musician finding a connection with a burnout songwriter? It doesn’t get any better there.
I also loved the little side story we got with Gigi and Mitch although I will say Gigi and Joni’s friendship was questionable to me. Both of them keeping some pretty big secrets from each other and when they finally come out…definitely some out of pocket reactions. But even with that, this book was such a phenomenal read that it was a minuscule damper on the vibes.
I want to mention too that the dementia story line with Joni’s mom was handled so well. As someone who has lost a grandparent recently to this devastating disease, this one really hit home. The frustration, the spur of the moment decisions, the coming to terms. So beautifully written.

Overall, I teared up a few times. Just kidding, I bawled. I laughed out loud and even cranked some familiar tunes. Can’t wait to get my hands on the physical copy to pull out some of my favourite quotes. One of my top five books of the year by far!

A romantic and heartwarming story with an underlying soundtrack. Joni Lark grew up in a musical family, playing piano at age four with her legs not even touching the floor. Her North Carolina childhood was spent with her family at the Revelry, their music venue. But now she is a famous songwriter experiencing some writer's block. When she returns home, parts of a melody start entering her brain, as well as the voice of someone else, with whom she shares a musical psychic connection. Hearing the same song, they start writing it into a full song.

Sebastian is somewhat of a has-been, a former boy bander 15 years later. His father is a famous artist that he no longer has a relationship with.

Ashley Poston is one of the best writers of magical realism that is also romantic. While Sounds Like Love fits in with the rest of her works, this one is less paranormal and more about the connection that Sebastian and Joni share. There are plenty of references to songs from all the last 50 years, and guaranteed to get several of them stuck in your head. Symbolically, I know the feeling of wanting that special person to be with you when you wake up in the morning and the person you tell everything to.

The book is sweet, and I hope it is memorable. The author's note at the end moved me to tears. I especially enjoyed several of the quotes and references to High School musical, the Bearnaked Ladies, and WOW- Five For Fighting. Now that was a blast from the past. Thematically, several conversations and references definitely activated something in my brain. So sharing a psychic connection with someone really doesn't seem like a stretch.

This was one of my most anticipated books for 2025- while it lacked the magical narrative and surprising plot elements I loved in Novel Love Story and Seven Year Slip, it definitely is charming and just as romantic and touching.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley romance for the ARC. Book to be published June 17, 2025.

I am an Ashley Poston fan and this one did not disappoint. Ironically magical realism isn't my thing, but it is when Ashley writes! I loved how the relationship between the two main characters developed. It kept me reading and I didn't want this book to end. Joni's care and pain for her mother was felt through the pages. I will definitely recommend this to anyone who asks me for a recommendation. The chapter titles were fun as well.

Thank you to the publisher for the free eARC!

Rating: 4/5 stars

Joni is a songwriter struggling with writer’s block when she unexpectedly ends up with a melody—and the thoughts of a “bad boy” musician stuck in her head.

I loved the concept of this one, which, in true Ashley Poston fashion, was so fun and unique. This is a sweet book with a poignant core that tackled tough topics well, and a lot of it resonated really strongly with me: particularly the conversations about burnout and when to chase (and NOT chase) your dreams.

Ashley is one of my favorite authors, and this one did not click for me QUITE as much as some of her past books have, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and think it will be a big hit (music pun intended). The descriptions of the setting were also great, and really made me want to visit the OBX area!

CW: Dementia; death of parent; grief

Magical realism is not my go-to UNLESS its written by Poston - she always knocks it out of the park! This was another fun, lighthearted and adorable romance. The dynamic between Joni and Sasha was fantastic and they complemented each other so well. I loved the small town feels and all of the side characters (a necessary factor for a good romcom.) The grief Joni experienced throughout dealing with her mother’s dementia was handled with care and felt so real as someone who is currently living through it.

4/5 stars

Thank you Berkley Books for the advanced reading copy!

Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot! I love Ashley Poston's writing; there's a poetic quality to it that really enhances the romantic story she's telling. Magical realism romances have become some of my favorite books to read, and this one proved to be just as joyful and fun as the rest. I love the magic that this format creates, though in this case it felt a little random (especially because I don't normally read the premise before starting a book, so I didn't know what to expect).

While the premise did take me by surprise, I great to like it and the connection it created between our main characters. The start of this book was great, and had me hooked right off the bat. While the middle felt slightly rushed to me, I love LOVED the way that things ended. Every prediction or question I had was tied with a bow and wrapped up so nicely. I couldn't have asked for a better ending!

I wish some of the side characters -- like Gigi -- would have had more to do with the overall story, and more of a chance to shine. However, the parts with Jo's Mom were so sweet and heartfelt, and I'm glad that more of those were showcased.

This was honestly just a really pleasant book to read overall. I teared up and I laughed, and I enjoyed every second of it. Plus, Patti Murin's narration always puts me at ease. Another solid book from Ashley Poston!

I am having such a book hangover. I am a fan of Ashley Poston. The characters... I may need a novella with Hank and Wyn! Music has its own character in this lovely story. Joni and Sasha are just so beautiful. Okay I just loved it all.

Hmm. Where to begin? I actually think I feel decidedly split down the middle about this book—I enjoyed a lot about it and also there was enough that I didn’t love which leaves me solidly in the middle, with a ranking of 3 stars.

What I loved: The FMC’s wonderfully quirky parents, and the group of lovely, unique characters that surround her. The setting was so vividly real, and scenes about and in the Revelry felt like the strongest writing. Also, the rock stars of it all—the history of the mothers made me think of Almost Famous (the chaos of touring and the desperate need to find Place). The depiction of dementia and the honest, complex emotions associated with a loved one suffering from it. I enjoyed that the MMC surprised me—I expected not to enjoy him when we first meet him but he quickly proved me wrong. Plus he was down bad pretty much from the start and I love when a man is down bad. And of course the classic magic of an Ashley Poston novel, where an inexplicable force brings two people together.


What I didn’t love: There was one too many pop culture references, which, sure a book about music and musicians…I probably could’ve expected as much but pop culture references or references to the real world often distract me from a good story. There was also too much going on regarding the subplots of other characters—a lot of history is packed into this story which made some things suffer, namely the romance plot. I think we could’ve gotten more between the MMC and FMC. My biggest frustration, though, was that I couldn’t figure out the laws of their ability to mind read. And yeah, I’m probably thinking too hard about this because the two leads didn’t even know how it works, but like…sometimes the FMC would speak out loud and the MMC could hear her when we only ever saw her hear his thoughts and not his spoken words??? So I don’t know how that’s mind reading when he’s able to be in a completely different location and hear her talking to herself. And at one point he was able to tell when someone else touched her, which, like, how did he know that happened? How is he this all seeing, all hearing, all knowing character and she can only read his mind???


One last thing: This is where people might think I’m insane but I didn’t love the music of it all, which is quite literally the running thread throughout this story. I’m not necessarily taking off points from the book because it centers around music—I knew the plot going into it—but I’m also not a music person so I think this story ultimately fell flat because I don’t connect to music the way the characters in this book did. I do think, however, the concept of both leads being so connected to and having immense respect and love for their mothers in part because of their shared love of music is a beautiful concept. The emotional heart of the book comes from the relationship between FMC and her mother.

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Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley for providing and eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.