Ivy Fairbanks brings us back to Galway with the perfect book two that hits all the right notes. I laughed, I cried, I pre-ordered a physical copy for my favorite books shelf. Second chance can be so tricky to pull off, but Fairbanks knows exactly the strings to pull at every moment to amp up the tension and kick emotions into overdrive. A fabulous read, with satisfying visits from book one's Cal and Lark!!

Heart Strings is a heartfelt and swoony second-chance romance that hits all the right emotional notes. Lo and Aidan’s story is packed with longing, regret, and undeniable chemistry. Set against the dreamy backdrop of an Irish castle wedding, this exes-to-lovers tale pulls at the heart with its blend of tender vulnerability and passionate tension.

Ivy Fairbanks writes with warmth and authenticity, making it easy to root for Lo—strong, guarded, and deeply human—and Aidan, the soulful musician who never stopped loving her. If you enjoy emotional reunions, music-driven love stories, and a touch of Irish charm, this book will definitely strike a chord.

Want to preface this review by stating that I have not read the first book in this series. However, I am a firm believer that if a series is labeled as interconnected stand alones, that shouldn’t *really* matter. My main issue with this book was the lack of connection I felt towards the characters. Was it because I didn’t read the first book? Maybe. But I think after reading a few hundred pages of this one, I should have felt more invested than I did.

Very (if any) slow paced character growth and lack of meaningful flashbacks of their relationship kept this book from becoming what it could have been. Sadly, not enough there for me to enjoy.

Thank you NetGalley and G.P Putnam Son’s for the ARC.

In this second chance romance, cancer-survivor and medical school student Cielo aka Lo is the maid of honor at her cousin’s wedding. She must spend the weekend at a Scottish castle with the guests who include her ex, musician Aiden, the best man.

I really liked that the book included several of the characters from the first book in the series, MORBIDLY YOURS, including bride Lark, her husband-to-be Callum, Lark’s cool coworkers, and Callum’s friends, employee Deirdre and florist Saoirse (the heroine of the next installment, who simply shone in a couple of key scenes.)

The start of Lo and Aiden’s romance was shown in MORBIDLY YOURS. It’s clear early on in HEART STRINGS that they belong together.

Lo and Aiden’s families fueled the conflict as well as provided levity, for example Aiden’s siblings pranked him and Lo’s woo woo Aunt Sharon added to the wedding shenanigans. The love scenes nicely connected to various things associated with the wedding.

Fairbanks does a phenomenal job of creating a sparkling setting and a charming cast of characters who I can’t wait to connect with again in the forthcoming installment.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to G. P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cute Romance story by the talented Ivy Fairbanks. #HeartStrings is the 2nd novel in the Love in Galway series. Do yourself a favor & read both stories in this series, because they're both pretty great!
#HeartStrings in a dual point of view narrative (my personal fave cause you get two viewpoints in a relationship that really elevates the romance.) Cielo & Aiden met a couple of years ago & had a whirlwind romance before splitting up & going their separate ways. Forward a couple years & a mutual friend's wedding, they are forced back into proximity of each other & (spoiler alert) realize they never fell out of love with each other.
Hilarious characters, a bit of drama, & some self-loathing that makes you wanna tell the character to get over themselves, but overall a super cute romance that leaves you swooning.
Thank you, #NetGalley, for allowing me to read #HeartStrings by Ivy Fairbanks. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book on #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, but if you're a romantic at heart, then you'll enjoy this sweet story.

Ivy Fairbanks did it! She made me love a Second-chance romance. Normally I think Second-chance romances seem unrealistic because normally either the characters broke up for a good reason and so them getting back together doesn't feel like its real or will work out after the book ends or the characters originally broke up for over something so dumb and minor that it doesn't have enough feeling behind it. Heartstrings however has the prefect balance the reason the characters broke up in the first place made sense for them at the time while still being something they reasonably could get through together.

Also, the main characters are likeable and easy to root for while still having their own flaws, which makes them seem all the more real.

I'm excited for the next book in the series!

The Menu:
Best Friends Brother
Plus Size Rep
One-Night Only
Forced Prox

This was adorable. Asher strikes me as a man who knows exactly what he wants and I love that for Jesse. Change of pace has all the good stuff: Mental health rep, a saint of a Best friend, a month long road trip AND an adorable cat named Gus Gus! As a plus size girl myself, it was great watching Jesse Natasha Beddingfield (Release her inhibitions, get it?) This road trip.

Great for folks who like pining cinnamon rolls, pesky best friends, and learning to love themselves.

I received an e-ARC of Heart Strings by Ivy Fairbanks, set to publish on August 12, 2025, from Putnam on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This emotional romance follows two past flames who meet again at a mutual friend's wedding, where they rekindle their relationship and give themselves another chance at love together.

_________________________________________________________

The characters in this book were very well-written, and reading it shortly after finishing Morbidly Yours was the perfect successor to that fantastic story. This book takes place two years after we met Callum and Lark from the first book; however, this story is about Lark's cousin Cielo "Lo" Valdez and her past fling with the mandolin player Aidan O'Toole - whom we also met in the previous story- who has now become a household name for the album he wrote about his breakup with Lo two years prior. 

Coming off of Morbidly Yours, this book was everything I expected it to be from Ivy Fairbanks. The writing style and overall tone of her work complement the witty banter and seriousness of the main characters in her stories. We meet Lo and learn that she has a past battle with leukemia that left her with a whole case of trauma that she never really unpacked, and Aidan, who has a chip on his shoulder to be the provider for his parents who sacrificed so much for him and his two siblings. 

This book touches on the aftershocks of a cancer diagnosis and the way it affects their family members, as well as feeling the need always to be the one who has it all together all the time. Some of my favorite tropes in this book include forced proximity, second chance, and no third-act breakup! There is a slight miscommunication, but they talk it out like adults. 

This book is perfect for anyone who loves the first book, Morbidly Yours, but it can also be read as a standalone. It's an emotional read that will put you in your feels and heal you back up. 

This story was a 4.5/5 for me, and I will be recommending this book to everyone I know that it is available for purchase! 

Thank you again to Putnam and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I'd like to preface this by saying I haven't read the first book in this series, Morbidly Yours, so I'm sure I'm missing some characterization bits, but I don't think it was a necessary read to get a full sense of the story in Heart Strings.

That said, unfortunately this one was not for me. I'll start with the positives, in that I think the setup for this was quite interesting, and I was curious to see how a second chance between Aidan and Lo would pan out after two years apart, given their rather heated breakup. Callum and Lark were a cute couple and fun side characters, though their time on-screen was limited, of course.

The largest complaint of mine, and this permeated throughout, was that the entire book felt quite clinical in its writing, lots of telling rather than showing, and heaps of conversations/events were just skipped over. I found this to be really strange since the book is quite short (Kindle edition is 265 pages) with blindingly small chapters, so it could have easily taken the time to expand on things and given more depth to the other characters. Everything had this odd touch of distance to it, despite the story being in first-person present tense.

I couldn't connect with any character, including our protagonists. Aidan felt like he had no personality outside of loving Lo, to the point where his entire career and music was basically founded on their relationship and nothing else. Lo had more going for her, with a bunch of side plots (her situation with cancer, her job at the hospital and schooling, her rocky relationship with her parents), but none of it clicked with me, least of all the 'resolution' she had with her parents at the end... after the way her mother treated her the entire book, and she just sort of shrugged it all off, it was one of the things that bumped this down from a two to a one star for me.

Lastly, the final act conflict. Potential **spoiler warning** here. It was exhausting to read about, quite frankly. The miscommunication, the play up of insecurities, the usually calm and collected Lo spiraling over nothing... I dunno, it was really forced, after all of this build up of Lo having to regain Aidan's trust, exploring her own insecurities, etc. The bit with the actress and the photo almost made me want to put the book down at like 80%.

I think unfortunately this author's writing style just might not be for me, but I hope this story finds its audience. If you're interested in second chance romances with a unique setting and a HEA, this might be for you.

Heart Strings by Ivy Fairbanks is a heartfelt exes-to-lovers, second-chance romance that follows cancer survivor Cielo Valdez as she unexpectedly reunites with her former love, Irish musician Aidan O’Toole, at a wedding a few years after their emotional split. Old feelings resurface and long-buried wounds are reopened as they’re forced to confront the love they left behind and take a risk to determine whether it’s worth revisiting.

My thoughts: Overall, Heart Strings was a solid and satisfying read. While I enjoyed the first book in the series more, this was a nice continuation. I especially appreciated the emotional vulnerability woven into both the characters’ internal reflections and their conversations with one another as they navigated their feelings towards each other, family relationships, and problems they encountered along the way.

You’ll Enjoy Heart Strings If You Love:
❤️ Second-chance romance with real emotional stakes
🎶 A musician MMC who wears his heart on his sleeve and expresses his love in lyrics
🔥 Slow-burn chemistry with lingering unresolved tension
📖 Themes of healing, forgiveness, and rediscovered love
💬 Introspective characters and meaningful, heartfelt dialogue

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for granting me a complimentary advanced reader copy of the ebook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and based off of this draft; the final publication may be different. Expected publication date is Aug 12, 2025.

I loved Morbidly Yours so I was very excited to receive the ARC for Heart Strings. I was surprised to see this was a second chance romance because Lo and Aiden didn’t interact much in the first book. I felt like we were missing so many details of their first relationship and that made it very hard to root for them. There was no connection without those past details and I ended up only feeling the lust between these two.

Overall it was an okay read but there was too much angst and missing information for me to really love it.

Whilst this book was still an enjoyable read, it had a lot to live up to coming from 'Morbidly Yours'. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it didn't quite stack up to the first book.

As mentioned, whilst it was still an enjoyable read, I felt the main characters (Lo and Aidan) lacked the depth of Callum and Lark and I was at times frustrated by Lo's inability to stand up to her mother, but I feel like this is more a reflection on me and what I enjoy reading in my characters.

Readers of Morbidly Yours will still enjoy, but perhaps not as much.

It was lovely to head back into the world of Morbidly Yours, where two exes (Lo and Aidan) get wrapped into the wedding shenanigans of the the previous book’s leads, two years after their own break up.

The beginning felt slow, but once it fell into a groove the story caught up with itself. The themes of grief and long-term illness were really beautiful, and I loved the journey that the FMC went on as a result. Most importantly, I deeply appreciate that the author had three separate sensitivity readers when portraying a Mexican-American. It was a lovely romance to fall into, and I look forward to recommending it!

Love love this second chance tale. Lo & Adian are a sweet relatable couple and I desperately want to drink a Guinness at the pub with them.

Ugh, I wanted to love this book so bad after Morbidly Yours but it just fell flat for me. I wasn’t as into the characters and felt like it didn’t really flow as well. BUT feels like we are setting up for a book three about Saoirse which I WILL be reading.

I have a total soft spot for second chance romances, and Heart Strings did not disappoint. Lo and Aidan's story was spicy and sweet, with fantastic banter!

I loved Morbidly Yours, so was looking forward to Cielo's story when it was hinted at. So the story starts two years after Cielo and Aidan had broken up after he moved to London to pursue his music career. They reunite for Lark and Callum's wedding and must spend time together again. They decide to spend one night together but clearly there are some unresolved feelings and they keep getting together. I think that's what might have put me off a bit from connecting to their story, they jumped back together quickly despite not having even talk for two years. I will say there were some sweet moments in the story, Aidan getting her the skittles, writing all the songs inspired by her and basically going back to Galway's. Most of the things we get told about their relationship were things from the past that happened during their six month relationship so I didn't feel that really falling in love moment, maybe I'm just not that into second chance as I thought. Overall it was a sweet story that also dealt with grieve, parental relationships and having live through and illness, so if that sound like something you might enjoy definitely give it a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putman for this ARC, all opinions are my own.

This one really pulled at my heart strings. (Sorry pun intended) I always love going back into a fictional place I've been before and this sequel was no different. The tension of everything going on between Lo and Aidan past and present makes for a great story. I enjoyed seeing their certainly bumpy ride but coming together in the end melts my heart.

Then you to Putnam group for the advanced E-ARC of this book.
I am in love with this crew of misfits that Ivy has created. Load me up in a hearse and take me to Ireland. Please!!!
For fans of her breakout novel, Morbidly Yours, this book has a healthy dose of Callum and Lark. Remember the double date with Lark in that novel? Well, she was setup with none other than the MMC of this novel, Aidan! I loved that callback!

Ivy Fairbanks writing is stronger in this second novel but maintains the fun and quick-witted banter of the previous novel. She also steps ups the spice.
Callum and Larks wedding brings ex flames Aidan and Lo back together after a difficult breakup 2 years ago. Each is holding steady in their own life, Lo on track to becoming a doctor, and Aidan a rising musical sensation. Lo has had a past cancer diagnosis that impacts her every decision. The diagnosis and anxiety surrounding it was handled with care and dignity and made the story feel very real.

The author finds the perfect balance of heavy and soft, sweet and sassy. This series is an auto buy for me, and I can't wait for more.

loved being back in galway. loved this 2nd chance for Aiden and clo. loved seeing the her friend and knowing that the next book with be with Sophie. loved the songs and friendship and that both are learning to trust again. Love this series. thanks netgalley.