emotional, sweet, and fun romance that works really well and is really interesting. the plotting is good and the chars are fun, though at points Lo feels a little flat. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

Heart Strings by Ivy Fairbanks is a touching and well-written romance that pulls at the emotions. The characters are relatable, and the pacing is good from beginning to end. While a few plot points felt similar to other books, the heartfelt moments and strong writing earn it a solid 4 out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read an early digital copy of Heart Strings, which is out in just a couple of weeks. My review for this one is going to be short and sweet. This one ate and left no crumbs. Absolutely 5/5 stars, 100% recommend! If this is not on your tbr for August, it needs to be!

Another cute one from Ivy Fairbanks! I wouldn’t say I connected to it quite as much as Morbidly Yours, but I loved that Callum & Lark’s wedding was a big part of it. This is the second book I’ve read recently with an Irish singer/songwriter as the love interest and I have to say I’m a big fan. I also love a second chance romance but in this case I think it could have used a little more of a build up/slow burn.

Lo’s illness gave the story an extra layer of emotion and seeing how it affected her relationships with the people in her life. Aiden was super caring and supportive while also dealing with his own struggles with the pressures of fame. Overall this was a super quick & cute read and I’m looking forward to (hopefully) more books in the series.

Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A romance based in Ireland so it was a bit difficult for me to get the hang of the linguistics but overall it was a fun read which revolved around talking after the heartbreak because he is the groom's best friend and she is the bride's cousin. He is a famous singer and she is working through her residency. I loved how there was banter but also understanding towards each other.

This was cute! Thank you Netgalley for the eArc. This is the sequel to Morbidly Yours which I’ll be reading this fall.

Set in Ireland, Cielo is a Med student from Texas and had met Aidan two years prior and fell in love but he was a rising rockstar and she believed they wouldn’t withstand that.

We have second chance romance and it was very sweet. Loved that it was set in Ireland 🇮🇪

4 hearts!

In real life, I don’t support exes getting back together. Aidan and Cielo, though? They are forever! This book was such a heartwarming story about two people finding their way back to each other. Cielo was determined to take care of everything herself and prove to everyone in her life that she has it all under control (relatable). Every child that had to grow up too fast can relate to her struggles. I loved that Aidan was able to see through the walls she tried to throw back up around him.

This story was spicy and sweet with great chemistry. Not just in their intimacy but in their friendship and support. They each learned to stand up for themselves in different arenas while being each other’s biggest support. It was such a heartwarming relationship. I highly recommend reading this book!

Alright, I’ll start with all the things I liked:

Setting- Galway with a touch of wedding vibes ✔️
Character representation ✔️
Opposites attract ✔️
MMC is a musician (swoon) ✔️
Spicy ✔️

Sadly, there were things that didn’t work for me (and it’s mostly personal preference!). For starters, I’m not a huge fan of second chance romances only because I have a hard time believing them, and I didn’t fully buy into this one. Secondly, this is the 2nd book in the Love in Galway series (but can be a standalone) and I found myself comparing it to its predecessor. Morbidly Yours was such a pleasant surprise for me, that I went into Heart Strings with high expectations and it fell short. There’s also a lot of trauma in this book that the FMC needs to work through, and that wasn’t explored enough throughout the book. There was a lot of potential here, but it fell a little short for me. Still looking forward to reading the next one! Thank you #NetGalley for my ARC of #HeartStrings

In Heart Strings, author Ivy Fairbanks crafts an enchanting second-chance romance set against the picturesque backdrop of Galway, Ireland. This delightful novel follows the story of Cielo and Aidan, whose paths cross again at a wedding reunion, leading to an engaging exploration of love, timing, and second chances.

The strength of this novel lies in its well-developed characters and compelling plot structure. Fairbanks demonstrates her storytelling prowess through authentic dialogue and rich character dynamics. While this book stands as the second installment in a series (following Morbidly Yours), it can be enjoyed as a standalone, though readers may find themselves eager to explore the previous book, which was my experience!

While the romance elements are generally well-executed, some intimate scenes may not appeal to all readers. However, this minor critique doesn't significantly detract from the overall charm of the story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)

Heart Strings releases on August 12, 2025 and comes recommended for readers who enjoy contemporary romance, particularly those with an affinity for Irish settings and wedding-themed reunions.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC!!
*mild spoilers ahead*

As a HUGE fan of Morbidly Yours, I was truly so, so excited for the second book in the Love in Galway series! While I enjoyed the book overall, and loved getting to read another book from Ivy Fairbanks, this one was a bit of a disappointment for me. Before getting into it, I will say that a lot of these things are ME specific things. I think that most readers will really love this story!

First of all, this does have a trope that I don't always enjoy, which is second-chance romance, BUT I always will read books from authors I'm excited about, even if there are tropes that I don't love in them. Unfortunately, I felt like a lot of the oomph within the relationship between Lo and Aidan is rooted in their history rather than on page, which I found really disappointing as a reader. I felt that I wasn't necessarily given enough of them on the page to really root for them as a couple. If there were more flashbacks and looks into their past as a couple I think it would have helped, but overall I just feel that there wasn't enough of their story to really believe in their chemistry and really want them to work. Again, I think other readers will disagree with this and find the story really satisfying, but this is a me thing.

I appreciated Lo's representation both as a Mexican-American and as a person in cancer remission, however I found her hyper independence to be jarring as a reader. I really would have loved for her to have some of her realizations earlier on in the story and truly would have LOVED to have seen Lo in therapy at some point working through things. I also felt like things with her parents, and her mother in particular, were wrapped up too easily and cleanly. If we are honest, Lo's mother is quite toxic and while I understand it is rooted in fear around her health, I would have loved to have seen more boundaries and discussions around Lo's mother changing her behavior and attitude towards Lo, who is a grown adult.

Another trope that was used within this book that I am not a fan of is miscommunication, and I found it pretty difficult to read. While I understand its use within the story, this is one of those books that I kept just wanting honest conversations to occur, and it felt like it was very possible within the story. This very much contributed to me not really rooting for Aidan and Lo, and as things came together at the end, it did not feel all that plausible because it's rooted in love, rather than working through a number of Lo's concerns and trauma.

Did I love Aidan? Absolutely. He's a great golden retriever of a MC, and I absolutely adored his commitment to Lo and acceptance of ALL that she is. While I found it hard to root for them, by the end I was giggling and happy that they were together, and it was enjoyable to have a book about them after getting glimpses of them in Morbidly Yours. Was this my favorite book? Not really BUT I stand by that I truly LOVE Ivy Fairbanks and her writing, and absolutely plan on continuing with the series. I think that a few factors within this book made it so that this book wasn't the best fit for me as a reader, but I do think that many people who love second chance romances will EAT this book up.

I enjoyed this second-chance romance and found it to be a solid follow-up to Morbidly Yours, but I kept wishing the emotional payoff had hit deeper. The setup had all the right ingredients, but the impact didn’t quite carry the weight I was hoping for.

This is the second book in a series, and I’d definitely recommend reading Morbidly Yours first. The plot centers around the wedding of Callum and Lark from the first book. Cielo, Lark’s cousin, and Aiden, Callum’s best friend, are maid of honor and best man. They haven’t seen each other since their emotionally devastating breakup two years earlier—Aiden has spent that time touring the world, singing songs about Cielo, while she’s gone out of her way to never listen to the album.

My biggest issue is that we don’t get much of a window into their original relationship. We know Aiden and Cielo were together for six months before he left to pursue his music career, but that part of their story is barely sketched in. It’s clear they’ve both grown in the time apart, but I wanted more of that development to actually play out on the page. The broad strokes are there, but not enough to fully invest in their reunion. At one point, I even went back to see if I’d missed something from the first book—but no, the backstory just isn’t there. It feels like a missed opportunity to build tension and emotional depth. For me, the longing that usually defines stories like this never quite landed.

Still, there’s a lot to enjoy. I liked the departure from the usual male/female power dynamic, especially in the bedroom but also outside of it. It felt refreshing to see Aiden defer to Cielo in ways you don’t often get in this kind of romance. And while Aiden’s career as a musician could’ve easily gotten cheesy, it didn’t. The lyrics felt believable, the indie folk references were spot on (love the Big Thief shoutout), and it’s clear the author really knows the world she’s writing about.

In the end, Heart Strings is a sweet, character-focused romance that doesn’t quite dig as deep as I’d hoped—but it’s still a thoughtful, well-paced follow-up with tenderness and heart.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Thank you so much to Putnam Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

This book was exactly what I was looking for after reading dark fantasy romances back to back. Don’t get me wrong, this was not a “light” read by any means. There are a couple of pretty heavy themes in here, but overall it was a beautiful story in which both of the MCs embodied second chances, fighting for your own happiness, and learning to trust again.

One thing that did trigger me quite a bit was Lo’s complicated relationship with her parents. I just wasn’t expecting that to hit me so hard, but it really added a lot to her story and helped us understand why she is the way she is.

Also, Aiden is a gorgeous tattooed musician Irishman???? *swoon* (I have a feeling the audiobook will be top tier)

I will admit that I haven’t yet read Morbidly Yours, but it truly did not make a difference. I was still able to perfectly follow this story, and it actually made me even more excited to read it and get the beginning of Callum and Lark’s story.

Overall, it was a solid and quick read that I really enjoyed. I recommend you check it out when it comes out on August 12th!

Heartstrings is a second chance romance that will just warm your heart… and make your heart race. Cielo, the FMC, is fiercely independent and has a truly authentic character arc, and Aiden, the MMC, is utterly perfect. I expected the story to follow the typical second chance romance storyline (where they get back together at the end of the book after so much angst) and was pleasantly surprised to see Ivy took it in a different direction, allowing us to fall in love with their relationship and believe just as strongly in it. I may never look at a hearse the same way… but this book is a definite read and definitely belongs on your tbr!

I loved morbidly yours and I’m so glad I got to read Heart Strings as an eARC! The cover of this book is absolutely stunning and matches the characters very well.

I’m a sucker for a musician romance and for women in stem (I have a biology degree) so I was excited about our mmc and fmc immediately.

Heart Strings didn’t hit as much as Morbidly Yours did, but I still really enjoyed it. I love that we get to see Lark and Callum get hitched. Aiden’s commitment to helping support his family made me love him. I think Lo needs to work through a lot of inner turmoil through therapy. The chemistry between them was THERE I just wish we got to see more conflict resolution.

thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you to Ivy Fairbanks and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book. Following characters we originally met in Morbidly Yours, Cielo "Lo" is preparing for Callum and Lark's upcoming wedding while balancing her life as a physician resident living in Ireland. Enter Aiden, her flame 2 years past who is eager to see Lo again for the wedding. The two have to work together to have the wedding come together for their friends. Will their chemistry come back bubbling to the surface? Ivy has a talent for writing down emotions that I can almost hear in the music and lyrics expressed by Aiden. Lo is rightly conflicted with restarting her flame with Aiden. I enjoyed the banter between their characters and their use of ribbons (IYKYK). Ivy's sophomore novel is a success and I am excited to see what she writes next.

Ivy Fairbanks was a surprise for me last year when I requested an ARC of Morbidly Yours and loved it, so I was very excited for Heart Strings this year. And it was good, but it didn't quite hit for me, and that's 100% because of the tropes. I'm not a fan of miscommunication, and our FMC was the queen of miscommunication, so that didn't work well for me. But that's a me issue!

I also had trouble buying into the romance, but that's usually the case for me when it comes to second-chance because what I like about romance books is seeing two people fall in love and yearn for each other. That's why insta-love doesn't work for me either, because I like to see the process and the story unfolding. With second-chance, they usually already have history that's told instead of shown and they already love each other, so they just have to figure their shit out to get back together again. In that case, the conflict has to be compelling to me, and the tension needs to be so good it hurts, and that wasn't achieved here, at least not in my opinion.

As a whole, this was mid to me due to my preferences and my lack of connection to these characters and the conflict, but I think people who do vibe with second-chance romance and miscommunication will love this. It reads super quickly too, so it's a good option if you're in a slump. And if you read Morbidly Yours and love Callum and Lark, you'll be happy to see glimpses of them here. I sure was.

I read Morbidly Yours and had a good time. Heart Strings was even more my jam (no pun intended)! I adore a well-executed second chance story. The author has to make the initial break up happen for understandable and forgivable reasons, and the thing that brings them back together has to work as well. All of that happened here, and Lo and Aidan's story was all the sweeter for it.💖
4.25🌟

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this eARC.

I really loved this second chance romance from Ivy Fairbanks. This was exactly what I wanted from my second chances. I instantly felt transported back to Galway and into Cielo and Aiden's love story. I really felt the yearning and lust from each character- I loved the dual POV and how they were both still so wrapped up in each other.
My only complaint would be that we didn't get to see the original romance between the 2 MCs. I would have loved a couple of flashbacks to 2 years prior to see how things went down between them. I loved the cameos of Lark and Callum- while this is an interconnected stand alone, you can definitely read this story without reading "Morbidly Yours."
I love the micro trope of wedding going sideways and the 2 MCs need to work together to pull it off. The hearse scene is 'chef's kiss'. Ivy Fairbanks is becoming a must read author for me and I can't wait for the next book.

I really loathe to give an ARC a less than positive review but I am sorry to say that I did not enjoy this book. This is clearly evidenced by the fact that it took me an entire week to read when I usually average a book every 3 days. I just did not want to pick it up and would have DNF'd if this was not an ARC. To be honest, the first half was not bad, just a bit boring. I didn't really feel transported to Galway and I felt like we didn't get enough background about these characters initial relationship to really understand why they would want to get back together. We just get the tiniest of flashbacks to their original relationship, which was not enough to establish this couple. Additionally, Lo and Aidan both say that they missed the other constantly for 2 years but we see none of this. Show me, don't just tell. Then they jump together basically instantly upon seeing each other again. We need yearning, pining, something!!

The second half was, sadly, worse. I grew to actively hate Lo. I am sure there are readers who will feel seen by her, her situation and her behavior but I just saw her as her own worst enemy. She is unwilling to be emotionally vulnerable with the people around but also unable to stand up for herself and her needs. I understand that this stemmed from childhood trauma it was still extremely frustrating. Additionally, I feel like she completely betrays Aidan in the end and I appreciate that he moves past that instantly but it makes me annoyed with her for treating him the way she did. Also, the spicy scenes (of which there were many) gave me the ick but that is more of a personal preference.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

All in all, Heart Strings was a cute, heartfelt, and steamy second-chance romance. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a quick, enjoyable read that made me feel right at home in this world again.