(Actual: 3.25⭐) Ahhh.... as someone who's read and enjoyed a lot of Levithan's previous works (both in the YA and Adult genres), I wish I liked this book more than I did. I didn't hate or even dislike it or anything, I just felt like.... for such an interesting premise, the execution could've been a lot better/stronger, especially in light of Levithan's past works (like, I know he is fully capable of it!). I think the parts I enjoyed most about this story and the message I know it was working hard to convey just unfortunately got buried & lost under the minutiae of everything else. Would still recommend out to others because, again, I've enjoyed Levithan's work in the past, still look forward to whatever he comes out with in the future, and know this will still find and enrapture its core audience!

cool premise, nice, well written book. the vibes are genuinely interesting and the feelings are definitely intriguing. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

This book had some really profound ideas and funny lines but it felt like it was buried and you had to search for those nuggets. It was okay overall; the overall idea and songs were great but the slow death of J and V's romance got a bit exhausting.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book but I just couldn’t. Tried twice to read it. Wasn’t able to finish either time. I think the premise is a good one and it might be a great read for some. Just not me.

Any fan of Jens Lekman will adore this book. It's hard to know how someone unfamiliar with the Swedish singer-songwriter will enjoy it though, as its so specific to his twee, melancholic persona. Some might find it repetitive and grating, others will love it for the same reasons.

“Songs for Other People’s Weddings” is David Levithan’s latest love story, this time in collaboration with Jens Lekman. This book tells the story of J and V, a Swedish couple navigating growth & change within and outside a partnership, with the added pressure of distance. J is a songwriter and wedding singer and he specializes in crafting custom love songs for couples that he sings at their wedding celebration. The novel follows J over the course of a year, composing songs for 10 different weddings and discovering universal truths about love in the process.

Levithan has always been very skilled at distilling the universal through the very specific experiences of human connection. This book is no exception—he highlights a wide variety of love stories, through each of the ten weddings that J is invited to sing and write for. What I most enjoyed about this book was how quickly the authors are able to have the reader rooting for these couples who have chosen to commit to each other for a wide array of reasons and whose stories look very different from one another. Each of these vignettes offers the reader a new insight into why we love, how love works, the complexities of love, and the maddening simplicities of love, all at the same time.

Where this story didn’t land as well with me was with the central love story of J and V, who we follow throughout the book. Their story certainly feels very real and their dynamics are familiar. What is difficult is that we mostly see their relationship from J’s vantage point and when we hear from V’s perspective, it’s hard to understand why V has loved J until now. This is actually what makes it hard to root for them as the central couple in the story, because we are asked to see the heartbreak from J’s perspective so extensively that it’s hard not to judge V harshly.

Not every love story needs to have a happily ever after—something that anyone familiar with Levithan’s work will recognize easily—and I appreciate the honesty and hope this story leaves the reader with, even as it ends the story with unanswered questions.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, albeit sometimes a meandering story that left this reader not always sure where the narrative was going next; my main critique about having a hard time rooting for V and J doesn’t detract from the overall quality of the writing or the reading experience. There were many lines I highlighted and underlined several times for how resonant they were and how powerfully they conveyed big ideas about what it means to be human—this is what makes this book worth reading: those beautiful insights that are unearthed at unexpected moments.

While I wouldn’t rank this as highly as The Lover’s Dictionary (one of my all-time favorite David Levithan books), this was a well-written exploration of the drawn-out moments in relationships where things change and we can’t quite put our finger on what’s changing and why.

This is such a charming and witty story and you will find yourself deeply connected to the characters. This was the first book to read by this author but I cannot wait to read more. Highly recommend!

The two main characters are only referred to as J and V. J is a pop singer who will also write and perform a song at your weddings. V is his girlfriend whose job takes her away to a new independent life. This book was weirdly compelling to read although not a lot happens and I never felt like I got to know J and V. I did enjoy all the weird weddings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams for this DRC.
#SongsforOtherPeoplesWeddings #NetGalley

Songs for Other People’s Weddings follows J, a wedding singer who writes original songs for couples while struggling with his own relationship. As his girlfriend’s life grows busier without him, J faces the challenge of finding the right words for love, both for others and himself. A tender exploration of love, loss, and the power of music.

I've read several David Levithan books over the years and I particularly enjoy his YA work. I thought the premise of Songs for Other People's Weddings was interesting - singer, songwriter J stumbles into a career writing custom songs for the weddings of (near) strangers. His girlfriend, V, works for a start-up that needs all of her attention, leaving their relationship in limbo as they try to navigate his weddings, her travel and the complexities of love.

This is a slow read where not a lot happens. As we join J through 10 different weddings, the chapters, the weddings, and J's & V's relationship tend to blur together. I could practically hear my grandmother saying, "if you've seen one wedding, you've seen them all" because it became hard not just to differentiate the weddings, but to care about any of them. Sure, some of the individual characters at the weddings were interesting, but at the end of the chapter, I didn't bother to remember them because their wedding was over, they've served their plot device purpose. Truly, after reading about a couple of weddings, you know exactly where this book is going.

Levithan has a lot of interesting things to say about love and relationships, but ultimately there is just a lot of naval gazing in this story. I didn't care whether or not J & V were able to salvage their relationship. J, in particular, was insufferably whiny and I found V's patience with him to be unrealistic. Maybe that reflects my own impatience rather than hers, but either way the effect was the same - I often rolled my eyes at their conversations, particularly since it felt like they had the same conversation over and over again.

I'm going to assume this is a one-off for my reading relationship with Levithan. It happens. Sadly though, this book wasn't for me.

Thanks to Abrams Press and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. Songs for Other People's Weddings will be published on August 5, 2025.

This felt like reading an indie dramedy. A bit sad, a bit funny, a lot of angst. I didn’t always like the characters’ personalities but they felt very real and flawed and relatable.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, in exchange for an unbiased review.

I've enjoyed some of Levitan's previous novels ("Take Me With You When You Go," and the astonishingly original "Every Day") but wow, Levitan misses the mark here on an almost impressive scale.

This book is a ponderous, navel-gazing exposition into one man's experience of 1) creating songs for weddings, and 2) getting dumped by his girlfriend. This plot is repeated over and over for all 10 chapters (Weddings 1 through 10). The "plot" is repetitive and boring, and frankly all characters are insufferable. And not in a good, fun way; in a "I have no desire to read about these people" way.

When I started this, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I had a bit of trouble getting into the story at first, but by the end I enjoyed it. The book tells the story of J, a singer/songwriter who also is dabbles as a wedding singer. Most of the plot circles around J and his complex relationship with V, his girlfriend of 2 years. We are given an inside view of the complexities of their relationship and the inner thoughts of the characters. At times I felt frustrated with both J and V; however, I think the author does a nice of job of giving an honest recount of the life of a relationship. I used to listen to Jens Lekman back when I was in college, so it was really nice to revisit his music as I read the book, and I enjoyed the songs scattered throughout the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Abrams for this ARC!

I liked the concept of this novel and was looking forward to reading it, but I had a really hard time getting into it and feeling connected to the main characters. I did like the unique songs and the themes of the weddings that the wedding singer sang at.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher, for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This story follows J, a wedding singer who writes each couple whose wedding he sings at their own unique song, as his romance with his girlfriend V goes through a major shift and they are left in limbo.

I liked this book a lot! It was a very realistic look at the complexities of relationships as it explored if being in love is really enough. I would classify it as general fiction and romance but not really in the way people typically think of romance novels. When I first started it I thought I’d be annoyed by the use of J and V but the writing was strong and I quickly got over it. I did find that there wasn’t really a strong story outside of their relationship itself. Which contributed to the feeling of being invited into someone’s relationship but didn’t make for a book where I just couldn’t set it down. Still an enjoyable read though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams for the ARC!

J is a wedding singer based in Sweden with a most unique mission: he writes custom songs for couples when he performs at their weddings. He learns about the couple--how they met, their little idiosyncrasies, what they love most about each other--and creates a musical memory that will last them a lifetime. Even with all of his experience, he has never been less sure of his knowledge of love. His girlfriend, V, accepts a job in New York City, and requests space from J as her life begins to blossom. As J tries to navigate his own tricky relationship, how will he manage to give couples their romantic happy ending?

David Levithan's writing style has always resonated deeply with me. He has a way of taking grandiose, abstract concepts like life and love, and putting feelings into words that I could never explain myself. J and V both felt so, so real as they each tried to understand their own feelings surrounding their relationship. Their story reminded me of Tom and Summer in 500 Days of Summer. There has been so much discourse about that movie--"Summer treated Tom so badly and he deserved better!---No, Tom is the villain and he did this to himself!"--when really, I always thought the story was about two young people just trying to figure themselves out. That's what I saw in J and V, too. Neither is right or wrong, and neither is the villain; they want and need different things, and their journey is one of learning and healing.

This is a beautiful character-driven tale of reflection and growth, told with depth and sensitivity unique to David Levithan's style. I also really enjoyed the song lyrics, which were written by Swedish musician Jens Lekman. I wasn't familiar with him before reading this book, but I sped to Spotify immediately afterward to hear his music.

Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams Books for a galley! Songs For Other People's Weddings publishes on August 5, 2025.

Love the premise and the premise of the book! the chapters being split into weddings and the fact that the two main characters that make up the very complicated couple are the only ones without full names, only initials- is both intriguing and genius. I'm not sure i liked how it ended but the rest of the book was funa dn quick read. every personalized song was intimate and sweet.

Songs for Other People's Weddings was incredible. It was hands down one of the most romantic and genuine feeling romance books i've read in a long time. This book was so unique and well written. I would highly reccommend it to romance lovers.

***1/2

J, a Swedish singer/songwriter does side gigs creating an original song for a couple and debuting it at their wedding, told over the course of ten weddings. The first wedding, a crazy, fun, song-themed affair where the guests come as a favorite song to celebrate their friends marriage, is full of funny characters and scenarios, pop culture allusions and documentary-style pace and cinematographic visuals. He tries to pick up the cute, mysterious girl at the bar after singing his hit about hoping the next woman he meets at a wedding will be the one, but someone else seems to have caught her attention.

The story devolves as J mopes over the suspension of his own romantic relationship. Together for two years, he and V survived all of his traveling and touring, but when the virtual reality/social media startup created by a genius 19-year old goes viral and public, she wants to ride out the opportunity to be part of the something bigger. She abruptly moves to New York, where her time is filled with work, and enjoying her solitude. She neither wants to pull the plug on the relationship, or to see J. when he comes to visit, and the limbo takes it's toll on his mental state, his clients, his work, and the relationship. He doesn't begrudge her this time, but misses her in a way he doesn't he's the one away for business. It's telling that neither, when faced with her indefinite, out-of-town work, suggests the J move with her.

This book has an excellent title, an eye-catching cover, and a wonderfully unique premise, but it did not hold my attention, maybe simply because I wasn't in the mood for a heartbreak tale. I didn't realize the setting was Sweden until a good way through the book; it didn't have a sense of time or setting for me, perhaps echoing J's own limbo. Less a love story than a meditation on love, this is a slow-paced thoughtful book. The writing is never as good as the first 50 pages or so, but both Levithan's emotional narrative and Lekman's lyrics are poignant, clever and well-written. Recommended for those who prefer fiction with romantic elements over true romance.

I received a free, advance reader's review copy of #SongsForOtherPeoplesWeddings via #NetGalley courtesy of #Abrams in exchange for a fair and honest review. A review will post to HLBB 8/5/2025

"There will be an original song, correct? Tommy told me you write a song for all your weddings. It's a darling conceit."

As is this novel. Songs for Other People's Weddings is a beautifully told story about J, a successful wedding singer, who writes and performs one-of -a-kind songs for his brides and grooms. What is so charming about this book is how his connections to one wedding leads to the next. Each wedding holds significance to the development of J's complicated relationship with V, who is across the world, starting her own life that he is no longer apart of.

This book and the characters felt so real. This easily could have been someone's memoir or biography. I really rooted for both J and V independently. While this book is not funny, there are funny moments. The unironic way they refer to V's boss as "Thor" was quite hilarious to me and added so much to his character.

Where it fell a little flat for me was the lack of plot. A lot of the book was J pining after V and how to save their relationship. There was little to no conflict, and no overall goal. I applaud both V and J for their communication - two characters who can articulate their feelings in a non-combative way? We love a healthy communication trope. But I almost would have liked a 3rd party love interest to intervene, but maybe that would have changed the whole story.

This truly is a one-of-a-kind novel that doesn't fake emotion, or feeling.

Thank you to the authors, NetGalley and Adams Press for the e-ARC of this book. I am sure this will succeed upon publication.