For my fellow friends who loved Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist as a teen, this is the grown-up evolution by the same author! J is a wedding singer and comes up with custom songs for every couple he performs for. Over the years, he continues to perform and learn about other relationships for song inspiration, while struggling to maintain his own, adding in complications to keep the love songs going.
I’ve loved David’s novels since I was a teen but often found myself struggling to get through this one. I did enjoy the custom songs for each couple which added some magic to this novel!
Thank you to Harry N. Abrams for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

SONGS FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S WEDDINGS by David Levithan and Jens Lekman received a starred review from Library Journal ("a charming, unique, and unconventional exploration of relationships"). I agree that it is unique and unconventional: the opening scene has the grooms becoming one by wearing a single tux (think three-legged race?) and then trying to urinate. However, I am not sure how anyone would find that "charming." I expected this new title to mirror Levithan's other collaborations (like Dash and Lily with Rachel Cohn), but instead of being a fun and happy take on other people's weddings, this is a sad and rather depressing (Booklist calls it "bittersweet") look at a floundering relationship between two self-absorbed characters, the DJ and a wedding guest

This one was quirky but enjoyable. It was not as light-hearted as I hoped and the love story between J and V was tragic.

Positives:
I enjoyed how the book was broken up into the individual weddings and the songs he wrote for each. I enjoyed the lyrics and the stories behind them.
There were funny parts and interesting writing with some profound passages.
The unique weddings were a bonus
I enjoyed some of the minor characters (the couples getting married)-especially Detroit and Skye.

Negatives:
I did not like the story of J and V when she moves away overseas for her job and the heartbreak that is caused. I understand the premise and how it tied in with the weddings, but it was a drag to read about their failing relationship.

I liked the concept of this book, and in the past, I have really loved every book that I have read by David Levithan, but for some reason, I could not connect with the main character. It took me a really long time to get through this book. Every time I put it down, I really struggled to want to pick it up again. I don't know if it just wasn't the right book for me at this time, or what my problem was. Sadly, I just couldn't get into it. I finished it, but it's not really one I would recommend.

I'm so thankful to John Green for introducing me to David Levithan because the 2010s would absolutely not have been the same without his writing. Songs for Other People's Weddings is exactly what I would expect from Levithan in an adult novel. A story that plays with format, Songs for Other People's Weddings is about J, a wedding singer, who has little luck in his own love life. Told with the signature Leviathan honesty and wit, this is a book for those who don't mind digging into the complicated ways life plays out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams press for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Songs for Other People’s Weddings follows the journey of a singer/songwriter who gets his claim to fame by writing unique songs for the couples whose weddings he performs at. We follow as our protagonist navigates his own relationship struggles while surrounded by different kinds of love.

This story wasn’t one of my favorites. I found that the relationship struggles felt very repetitive and the main characters continued to put themselves through constant pain that just be honest that they weren’t meeting each other’s needs. I also found it jarring that the author would switch between our MMC and FMC within the same pages, often separated only by a change in paragraph. I enjoyed the first wedding and our introduction to the author, I thought it really showed our MMC’s characterization well and I enjoyed the idea of him meeting different couples and seeing how different people have different ideas of love. But I found myself in a significantly negative headspace after reading this. I wish the execution had been different.

Thanks to NetGalley and Abrams for this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. David Levithan is a favorite author of mine and I was so excited to see this unique concept for his new novel! Our main character, J, is a singer/songwriter who writes new material for each wedding he plays at, for the particular couple in mind, despite the fact that things don’t seem to be working out in his own love life.

This novel concept was so intriguing and engaging! I found the connections with the couples at hand, which we get through the songs and commentary of the characters, to be just as enjoyable as J’s story with V. This book was quirky, beautiful, and conveyed sentiments that ring true to me about the messy, unfiltered nature of love. I would definitely recommend this to someone looking for a thoughtful story about love and life, a good book to engage slowly with and sink into!

I didn't care for the characters that much but this was a super cool idea for a novel! It felt fresh and like nothing I'd read before but it did get a bit tiring as the book went along.

A little bit painful and a little funny and a whole lot of quirky, "Songs for Other People's Weddings" Follows the story of J, a wedding singer who writes thoughtful songs for others, but can't seem to get it right in his own love life.
David Levithan and Jens Lekman take a fun and creative approach to the writing process by including lots of songs, and creating an album to bring them to life. The story itself is, while not necessarily a feel-good romance, a depiction of what feels like a more realistic take on life and love. The main character, J, is not the most loveable protagonist, which I believe makes the story take on a more realistic feeling. Many romances that I have read are more of an escapist, perfect-world setting, whereas this story takes on the nitty-gritty of what relationships can really be like.
I enjoyed this book and the creativity behind it. The author does a great job with representation of many different kinds of people, and tells a story that I can almost imagine would be someone's real life.

In Songs for Other People's Weddings, we follow J, who has found himself a wedding singer. The thing that sets him apart, though, is that he writes an original song for each wedding after getting to know the couple. As we follow him through the 10 couples and 10 weddings at which he performs, his own relationship begins to unravel. His partner V's work takes off, and in turn takes her halfway around the world. As they grow apart, both physically and emotionally, J's experience writing these wedding songs brings up more questions about what he wants, what's real and what's comfortable, and what his future looks like.

While neither of the main characters was exceptionally likable, I really enjoyed this book. It was less of a romance and more of a look at romance, and how we all show up for those we love most.

Big thanks to NetGalley for the early copy!

I'm a Jens Lekman superfan, so I would like basically anything with his name attached. My attachment to his music entirely clouds my judgment in the best way. The story is about J and V, J is a troubadour who picks up wedding gigs to supplement his income. These performances go well or nearly sidewise, depending often on the couple's proclivities. I loved the stories relating to the wedding couples more than I liked the relationship parts between J and V. Each bride and groom are truly unique and they steal the show from the main couple storyline.

This was a different type of read for me, but I liked the interwoven songs with the wedding scenes. I cannot wait to listen to the album when it comes out!

Special thanks to Abrams and NetGalley for this ARC.

'Songs for Other People's Weddings' is an introspective, musically infused meditation on heartbreak, art, and the stories we tell ourselves - and others - about love. In this tender collaboration between author David Levithan and musician Jens Lekman, we follow J, a Swedish songwriter who's found himself in a new gig: interviewing engaged couples and crafting bespoke wedding songs to perform at their ceremonies.

Over the course of a year and ten weddings, J tries to hold together his long-distance relationship with V, who's moved to New York for a high-stakes startup job. But as their connection frays - through texts, missed calls, and increasingly desperate emails - J pours his creative energy into writing for other people's love stories, even as his own begins to unravel.

Each wedding J attends functions as a short vignette, rich with detail and emotional nuance. A couple obsessed with personal branding, a quietly mismatched pair who make it work, a joyous celebration that veers into chaos - Levithan captures the awkwardness and intimacy of these moments with warmth and wit. Some stories are funny, others quietly devastating. All are punctuated by Lekman's original lyrics, which are scattered throughout, adding another layer of emotional texture.

What makes this novel stand out is its form: it's not a typical love story. It's about the slow, sometimes invisible unraveling of connection. J's pain isn't explosive - it's ambient. He fixates on small details, second-guesses everything, and even stages a bizarre fake wedding just to be near V again. There's something deeply human in the way he tries to process loss through other people's joy, creating songs not just for their weddings, but for the version of himself he's trying to hold onto.

While the structure occasionally leans into repetition, and V remains more of an idea than a fully fleshed-out character, the emotional core of the novel is solid. It's a story about distance - in geography, in relationships, in the gap between what we feel and what we can say.

In “Songs for Other Peoples Weddings” we follow Swedish singer and song composer J as he navigates his job, singing at peoples weddings, while also trying to navigate the changes of his relationship with V.

I read “The Lover’s Dictionary” back in 2012 and I loved the way he portrayed love back then, when I was a teenager, and I can appreciate this book now in my adult life even more. Because love can sometimes drive us crazy and make us feel like we’re desperate and take actions that we might never even consider until the moment arises. It will have us questioning our own existence and if everything about the relationship was ever real or not. And seeing J struggle in his relationship with V, to see their love ebb and flow felt too real at times.

This is a story about love, real love.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in return of an honest review.

You might enjoy this more if you focus on the stories of the 10 couples J writes songs for and not on the relationship between J and V. J, a wedding singer, is in love with V who he met at a wedding but their relationship is fraught. Their story, meant to be the central plot is less well fleshed out than the stories of the other couples, who feel very real. It's an interesting concept for a novel and I'd very much like to see the songs. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.

I wanted to love this book because I love most of Levithan's young adult books. But this book, written for adults about a Swedish singer who writes personalized songs for weddings, was just okay. I liked some of the wedding couples and wedding descriptions. The main relationship in the book was probably the thing I liked the least.

As a long time Jens Leckman fan, this was an immediate yes for me. Such an interesting concept for a book and it's executed to perfection.

Music lovers, bring your headphones. Part novella, part playlist, this touching story of a singer who writes original songs for people’s weddings has an original companion album for a truly immersive experience. It’ is a unique collaboration between YA author David Levithan and indie pop songwriter Jens Lekman.

Hugely disappointed in this book, which is easily my least favorite David Levithan novel (and I've read almost all of them).

There is absolutely zero spark here, aside from the central conceit of a singer writing new songs for all the weddings he attends... which runs completely thin by the midway point, when we still haven't gotten to the chapter where he does a half-dozen weddings in one day.

On top of that, the protagonists are each insufferable in their own ways, leaving us no one to root for and nothing to hope for. Levithan's usual observations on love and human nature are here and pleasant, but they are surrounded by TOO MUCH angst and annoyance.

I'm of two minds about this book.

J is a wedding singer, but one that specializes in coming up with an original song for each couple.

On the one hand, the first chapter had so much promise. I love the format of each chapter being a different wedding, and how each one was wildly different from all the others. And the songs! The lyrics were great. Each one was absolutely perfect to the specific couple and it was so easy to visualize J singing them.

On the other hand, after the first chapter, the book started going in a direction I didn't expect. This is labeled as a romance and I absolutely wouldn't call it that. The relationship between J and V plays an important part in the story, but just a couple of chapters in, you can see the issues immediately and how wrong they actually are for each other. I wasn't rooting for them to be together at all, and actively couldn't wait for them to break up. J in particular was holding on so tight to the point where my thought was "please just stop calling this woman". It wasn't even that J was unlikable, I just didn't care about him at all, which isn't what you want in your main protagonist.

Skye was easily my favorite character with their very limited scenes, I wish we spent more time with them instead of J and V having the exact same conversation 10 different times.

Overall, a really interesting concept but not a great execution.

Thank you to Net Galley and Abrams Publishing for an early copy of Songs for Other People's Weddings by David Levithan and Jens Lekman

Let's hear it for love in all its messy and complicated forms. Levithan and Lekman have together created a chronicle of lyrics intertwined into an uplifting story that reflect couples of all kinds as they navigate wedding plans and hire wedding singer "J" who creates an individual song for each couple. This J meets up with a friend, Tom, who brings along his date, "V", and V & J develop an intimate relationship which struggles to thrive. V has a new job which demands all her energies, and while J remains completely faithful to the relationship, V cannot find the strength to split her energies between the job and J.

The chapters of Songs for Other People's Weddings each focus on a particular wedding and each demonstrates the intricacies of relationships and what a bride and groom bring to the rite. Each scenario is fresh and lively and emphasizes how different people can be.

Songs for Other People's Weddings is a sure-fire, energetic hit that readers will be contemplating when their next wedding invitation arrives.