Name: Sounds Like Love
Rating: 3.961538461538462 (13 reviews)

Ashley Poston

Sounds Like Love

A hitmaking songwriter and a bitter musician share a startling and inexplicable connection that they’ll do anything to shake, in the next sparkling, magical book from the New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Year Slip and A Novel Love Story. Named a Most Anticipated book of Summer 2025 by The New York Times ∙ People ∙ USA Today ∙ Marie Claire ∙ E! News ∙ Brit + Co ∙ Yahoo! Life ∙ She Reads ∙ and more! Joni Lark has a secret. She’s one of the most coveted songwriters in LA, and yet she can’t write. There’s an emptiness inside her, and nothing seems to fill it. When she returns to her hometown of Vienna Shores, North Carolina, she hopes that the sand, the surf, and the concerts at The Revelry, her family’s music venue, will spark inspiration. But when Joni gets there, nothing is how she left it. Her best friend is hiding something, her mother’s memories are fading fast, and The Revelry is closing. How can Joni write when her world is leaving her behind? Until she hears it. A melody in her head, lyric-less and half-formed, and an alluring and addictive voice to go with it—belonging, apparently, to a wry musician with an emptiness of his own. Surely, he’s a figment of Joni’s overworked imagination. Then a very real man shows up in Vienna Shores. He’s arrogant and guarded—nothing like the sweet, funny voice in Joni’s head—and he has a plan for breaking their inconvenient telepathic connection: finish the song haunting them both and hope they don’t risk their hearts—or their secrets—in the process. Because that melody, the one drawing them together . . . what if it’s there for a reason?

Steph

There are love stories, and then there are stories about love, and in Sounds Like Love, Ashley Poston delivers a beautiful blend of both. We follow Joni Lark, a burned-out songwriter who’s lost her creative spark, until she meets a washed-up musician, Sebastian, who is haunted by his past. They’re connected by a strange melody only the two of them can hear, and even more bizarrely, they can hear each other’s thoughts, when they’re too loud. As with Poston's other works, there’s a touch of magical realism here, and I love how it’s used to explore intimacy. Our thoughts are often the most private parts of ourselves, and letting someone in is an act of vulnerability. Both characters are plagued by their inner voices: hers with overthinking, his with emptiness. Through this connection, they slowly begin to understand and heal each other. What made this story even more special for me was Joni’s relationship with her family. Her eccentric, loving parents reminded me of the ones from Easy A—the kind of cool, supportive parents that let their kids be themselves while always being there when it counts. That close-knit bond made the final chapters all the more devastating to read. At its core, Sounds Like Love is a story about grief and about finding your way back to the things you love. Both Joni and Sebastian are lost in their own ways: she’s battling writer’s block and burnout, while he’s trying to revive a music career. But as they begin writing songs together and forming a quiet, unexpected connection, something begins to change. They don’t just fall for each other, they start to fall back in love with their craft. And this time, they’re not doing it to prove anything to anyone. They’re doing it for themselves. And whatever you do, don’t skip the author’s note after finishing the book. It will break you in the best possible way.

A hitmaking songwriter and a bitter musician share a startling and inexplicable connection that they’ll do anything to shake, in the next sparkling, magical book from the New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Year Slip and A Novel Love Story. Named a Most Anticipated book of Summer 2025 by People ∙ Marie Claire ∙ Brit + Co ∙ Yahoo! Life ∙ She Reads ∙ and more! Joni Lark has a secret. She’s one of the most coveted songwriters in LA, and yet she can’t write. There’s an emptiness inside her, and nothing seems to fill it. When she returns to her hometown of Vienna Shores, North Carolina, she hopes that the sand, the surf, and the concerts at The Revelry, her family’s music venue, will spark inspiration. But when Joni gets there, nothing is how she left it. Her best friend is hiding something, her mother’s memories are fading fast, and The Revelry is closing. How can Joni write when her world is leaving her behind? Until she hears it. A melody in her head, lyric-less and half-formed, and an alluring and addictive voice to go with it—belonging, apparently, to a wry musician with an emptiness of his own. Surely, he’s a figment of Joni’s overworked imagination. Then a very real man shows up in Vienna Shores. He’s arrogant and guarded—nothing like the sweet, funny voice in Joni’s head—and he has a plan for breaking their inconvenient telepathic connection: finish the song haunting them both and hope they don’t risk their hearts—or their secrets—in the process. Because that melody, the one drawing them together . . . what if it’s there for a reason?

Mandie

i'm just sitting here sobbing because anything involving a mom and daughter makes me cry even though i still have my mom, i can't imagine life without her.

fully knocked off a star because the audiobook narrator singing was a jumpscare 

cee 

Now, I wanted to go into this hoping I would enjoy it as much as the Seven Year Slip, but it didn't do that for me. The concept was interesting, don't get me wrong, but I think it was the writing I didn't love. There were so many basic actions that felt so repetitive, and I noticed it even while listening to the book. It actually felt more obvious as I was listening. Those little things, if I notice them, do bother me, and I think about them way too much for the rest of the book. The ending also felt so jumpy for me, and I know it was trying to just time jump so that we could see it end as cohesively as it could, but I just didn't love it. I have also decided that I loathe any singing that ever needs to happen in an audiobook. The second-hand embarrassment was horrible, and I hate every second of it, and that isn't just this book; it has been nearly every single book that has a musician in the book, and they write a song that is sung. 

Now, there are a lot of people who do love this book, and a book with magical realism elements isn't my first choice, so don't take my review as what makes you decide to read the book or not. If you love Ashley Poston, there is a chance you will like this book. If you like magical realism elements, then you may like this book. Don't just take my thoughts on the book to decide what you should do.

Priscilla Stanfield

3.75⭐️ • 1🌶️

Now, I wanted to go into this hoping I would enjoy it as much as the Seven Year Slip, but it didn't do that for me. The concept was interesting, don't get me wrong, but I think it was the writing I didn't love. There were so many basic actions that felt so repetitive, and I noticed it even while listening to the book. It actually felt more obvious as I was listening. Those little things, if I notice them, do bother me, and I think about them way too much for the rest of the book. The ending also felt so jumpy for me, and I know it was trying to just time jump so that we could see it end as cohesively as it could, but I just didn't love it. I have also decided that I loathe any singing that ever needs to happen in an audiobook. The second-hand embarrassment was horrible, and I hate every second of it, and that isn't just this book; it has been nearly every single book that has a musician in the book, and they write a song that is sung. 

Now, there are a lot of people who do love this book, and a book with magical realism elements isn't my first choice, so don't take my review as what makes you decide to read the book or not. If you love Ashley Poston, there is a chance you will like this book. If you like magical realism elements, then you may like this book. Don't just take my thoughts on the book to decide what you should do.

Annabella

Ashley Poston continues to be a 5 star author for me! I love her storylines and the magical aspects that she puts in each one. Joni and Sebastian have my heart!

Sam Sibilia

“You feel like home, Bird”

Ashley Poston continues to be a 5 star author for me! I love her storylines and the magical aspects that she puts in each one. Joni and Sebastian have my heart!

Sounds Like Love

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