Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this amazing ARC!

I want to start this review off by saying I am not a fan of second chance romances, but this one DID IT FOR ME! Let me hold your hand when I tell you this, the emotional tension, the SEXUAL TENSION, out of this world!
The couple was able to grow together again and accept each other.
A time when the second very much out did the first in a series!
4.75⭐️

I loved morbidly yours and was so excited to dive into this. I couldn’t connect with the characters as easily, but this was still an enjoyable read. Thank you NetGalley and penguin publishers for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my gosh I thought I would never finish this book. I loved Morbidly Yours, so I was excited for the sequel—but it really fell flat. The FMC is supposed to be reeling from her ex, now a famous artist singing breakup songs about her, but there’s zero real tension or payoff. They reunite almost instantly with no real conversation, and the reason for their breakup just lingers unresolved. There’s hardly any backstory or chemistry. I wanted to love this, I really did, but unfortunately it wasn’t for me.

Thanks Putnam for the advanced copy through NetGalley! Opinions are my own.

Heart Strings
3.75/5
Pub Date: August 12, 2025

I really enjoyed reading Callum and Lark's story in Morbidly Yours, so I was excited to read Heart Strings to learn more about Cielo and Aidan in their second-chance romance. Overall, I had a good time. It had some funny moments and I loved getting to see little bits of Callum and Lark again sprinkled throughout this book.

I do wish we had gotten more showing and less telling about how their relationship was the first time around though. It would have been really great to have some flashback scenes to really show us how they were together prior to breaking up and then coming back to the present-day story.

I also felt like there were a few things that didn't fully get wrapped up by the end of the book. I would have loved for the conflict at the end to be more around her relationships with her parents and to wrap up that story a bit more. As for the actual conflict, it wasn't my favorite route to go. I don't want to dive into it too much to avoid any spoilers, but please do check trigger warnings.

I think most folks are going to like this book. It was pretty decently paced and had some excellent dialogue between the main characters. For me though, I think I was just expecting a tiny bit more.

I was so excited to read this story after loving Morbidly Yours. While this story follows Cielo (lo) and Aiden, I do feel it didn't quiet hit the mark like the first book.
I did find myself giggle and kicking my feet in the air over them.

Thank you NetGalley & Penguin for the eARC!

Having not read “Morbidly Yours”, the first book in this series, I didn’t have a point of reference for Fairbanks’ writing style. I have to say I was not disappointed! This book was fun and cute, took a bit of reading to get into, but once I got to a certain point I was excited to pick the book up again. I love yearning — and Aiden yearns! Thank you king! I would certainly try something else by this author to see if those characters were more dynamic. Overall, I would recommend if you like second-chance romance and a bit of banter.

3.5 ⭐️

I loved Callum and Lark's story, and couldn't wait to read about their friends.

Cielo has been dealt a very rough hand of cards for life. She makes the best of it though and continues to go after what she wants.

Aidan had an opportunity ity for his music career to take off and he took it. He wasn't prepared for hiw much he would miss Cielo. He gets his chance to see Cielo again a little over 2 years later and is his chance to get her back...

I enjoyed Cielo and Aidan's realtionship. I'm a little shocked at how quickly Cielo decided to try with Aidan again after her "take no prisoners" attitude. I giggled at a few of the situations they found themselves in.

I liked the way Cielo's medical was wrapped up. Aidan really stepped up and found what truly mattered to him in the process.

Cielo's realtionship with her parents was beyond annoying. She had this strong personality but then kinda let her mom rule her world and had unresolved anger with her dad. Cielo would jump to conclusions and this would keep her relationship with Aidan in a limbo. Aidan was a real good guy.

**Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advance copy**

Although Heart Strings was cute and sweet and spicy... it didnt do it for me the same as Ivy Fairbank's first book, Morbidly Yours. I liked both Lo and Aidan and totally wanted them to get together but I think I wasnt fully understanding how Lo could hate Aidan so much after their break up? I felt like no one did anything wrong, it was just a case of bad timing..... In the end once I just accepted that and focused on the current situation between them I w as able to get more into the story. They did lose me a bit with the hearse scene about 50% of the way in the book though LOL that was a little much for me. Overall, it wasn't my favorite but it might be someone else's!

Heart Strings is book #2 in the Love in Galaway series but I didn't need to read the first book to understand the two MCs in this book. I started off liking Lo and realizing that she was misunderstood because of her complicated life experiences. She's ambitious and a take charge type of person because of her life experiences. Aidan was giving golden retriever vibes because of the songs he was writing about their romance. The insta-love was off-putting but tolerable for awhile, but at some point it did become overkill. I found myself rolling my eyes a few times because the "I love you" statements were happening so quickly and frequently, which made it all feel too unrealistic. Early on instead knew there were be a second act breakup and that they'd resolve everything as is customary in second chance romances. However, it is a good book overall.

This book is so cute and fun! Heart Strings had me kicking my feet and giddy the whole book. The MMC is to die for!😍 He is the sweetest ever.

If you are into second chance romances, you definitely need to read this book!! There is a lot of back and forth banter between the FMC and MMC. I laughed out loud so many times.

I don’t want to give too much away in my review so not to spoil it for others but I will definitely be talking about this book more once it comes out! 🖤

Heart Strings is a Second Chance Romance between and up and coming songwriter and overworked med student. A mutual friends wedding in rural Ireland leads to re-sparking their feelings for one another. I loved this premise but unfortunately the story fell a bit flat for me. The writing is good and the plot was solid but I didn't feel connection with the characters and their type of romance (the whole fem-dom aspect) just didn't connect for me. Now this is no means a bad book it just wasn't the book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! My review is my own.

I really enjoyed Morbidly Yours, so I was excited to get Heart Strings.
However, after 7 chapters, I elected not to finish it.
The books is moving towards a second-chance, celebrity themed romance, but the pace is too slow, and I haven't gotten invested enough in the characters to wait it out.

Cielo and Aidan had a whirlwind romance that ended when Aidan moved to London to chase his dream of becoming a musician. Years later, fate brings them back together for Callum and Lark’s wedding, forcing them to face the heartbreak that still lingers. Time and distance didn’t erase their feelings—it only made them stronger.

Both Lo and Aidan had their reasons for walking away, but now they must decide if love is worth the risk one more time.

Lo was incredibly relatable—a fiercely independent woman who avoids relying on others, convinced she can handle everything on her own. She’s built walls around her heart, but underneath it all, she’s fragile. Watching her step out of her comfort zone and embrace life, despite the fear of the unknown, was so rewarding. Her strength and resilience made her journey especially moving.

Aidan, on the other hand, is determined to break down those walls and fight for the woman he never stopped loving. Seeing these two grow, change, and learn from their past mistakes made their love story so satisfying.

It was effortless to root for Lo and Aidan. Their romance unfolds like a bittersweet melody—one that I’ll return to again and again.

My only critique is that the story leaned more into telling rather than showing, and I think more flashbacks of their past relationship would’ve deepened the emotional connection. I also wished for a stronger resolution between Lo and her dad.

I loved Aidan’s devotion to supporting his family and thought it was so heartwarming. His kindness and loyalty made him such an admirable love interest.

If you haven’t picked up Ivy’s debut, *Morbidly Yours*, it’s a must-read. She has a gift for handling tough topics with grace, and *Heart Strings* is no exception. Both books deserve high praise!

Heart Strings by Ivy Fairbanks follows characters briefly introduced in the first Love in Galway book. It follows, Lo, a med student with a fiercely independent attitude and her ex boyfriend Aiden who is a songwriter and musician meeting again at the wedding of Callum and Lark— their prospective best friends.

Morbidly Yours instantly captured me with its charm and depth as a story. I found that Heart Strings was a bit slow at time. Aiden was a sweetheart. The story was simple and easy to read, but overall I enjoyed the first more. I would give it 3.5-4 stars. It is a cute read that focuses on the fact that we need others and we need to trust them and lean on them, specifically those we love. Fairbanks writing style is easy to read and enjoyable, and I will certainly continue reading for the next in the series!

Thank you to Ivy Fairbanks, NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and Putnam’s Sons Romance for this free Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review. 📚

sometimes you gotta just keep chipping away at the independent woman that’s always done it on her own. I appreciate Aiden for committing to the challenge! Loved getting to read about Callum and Lark’s wedding too, it was perfect!

Heart Strings is a second chance romance that follows our FMC Cielo, a med student who moved to Galway to work in her clinicals closer to her best friend/cousin Lark. Our MMC is Aidan, best friend of Callum and an up and coming singer songwriter who cannot get Cielo out of his head two years later.

Aiden and Cielo are stuck in a forced proximity setting for Lark and Callum’s wedding because they are the Maid of Honor and Best Man. Seeing each other again brings up old feelings that never really went away and things start to heat up.

I want to preface this by saying that I do not like second chance romances at all. They are typically not my bread and butter and I was so excited to read another Ivy Fairbanks book that I failed to note that when I requested this ARC. I still read and finished this book in its entirety and worked very hard to write an honest review on the writing itself instead of focusing on the storyline. With that being said I did not hate the writing. I think Ivy did a really great job bringing the story together. I do feel like the ending of this was a tad rushed but overall it was a solid read.

I would still recommend this book to anyone that loves second chance romances. There was a lot of push and pull from the characters and Ivy writes really strong FMCs which I love. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

I want to thank NetGalley and Ivy Fairbanks for the chance to read this eARC. I really appreciate the opportunity.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really enjoyed this return to Galway. We first met Cielo and Aidan in Morbidly Yours and it really was a treat to read their story. We meet them after they have broken up with Aidan now in London pursuing his music career and Cielo doing her residency. I really enjoyed this characters. Cielo is complex, strong, fiercely independent and a lot of her choices make sense given what she went through in her youth. Aidan was sweet and caring. The reason for their break up (this is not spoiler since it’s a second chance romance) is understandable and their reasons are understandable, like these two felt like real people. The stress and anxiety of illness and learning to lean on others is so real and I really felt for Cielo. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait for Saoirse’s story. Thank you Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read a copy of this book in advance. I was excited to read this because I recently read the first book, “Morbidly Yours.” For whatever reason, I had a hard time getting through this book.
It was nice to have crossover in the character stories from the first book. This is a second chance love story. It is fairly spicy so something to keep in mind, depending if that’s your thing or not. For some reason, I found Lo, the main character, a bit annoying.
I would give this author a try again, since I did like the first book, but this just didn’t strike a chord with the me. I’m giving a 3 star ranking, I do think some readers will love this, and there were some fun shenanigans that happen during the wedding. I like bringing The Cure into the story, especially since I’ve been on a kick lately of listening to them.

This is the second book in the Love in Galway series and it’s a five star read. Cielo and Aiden are former lovers with a complicated past. This is a second chance romance that takes place around Lark and Callum’s wedding. I loved getting to read about their wedding, Ivy did a great job brining the reader into the wedding without losing focus on Cielo and Aiden.

⭐️ 2/5

Thank you to Penguin for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved Morbidly Yours and was so excited to get this ARC on NetGalley. I just couldn’t get into Lo and Aidan’s story. I didn’t feel the chemistry; I felt like I missed so much between MY and HS, so I couldn’t buy the tension because I hadn’t experienced their love story. I also just didn’t like Lo nearly as much as Lark (and Callum).