The Music Shop From the bestselling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Started as a solid three finished as a four, to say why would be too spoilery. Very much enjoyed the parts where music is discussed.

On a bit of a roll of hitching myself to one author - but enjoying the way she gets into the mind of a time and place and type of person. Loved the idea of a “music whisperer” and the way there is never an easy resolution

The Music Shop was exactly the type of book I needed after slogging through some challenging reads in January. It was light and quirky with the perfect dose of romantic comedy. I particularly enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the characters (Frank and his fringe, Isla in her green coat) and the shops and spaces they occupied. Joyce uses music in a really brilliant way to connect characters, heal, and enhance the story (bonus to Penguin Books for creating a playlist on Spotify!). I found myself stopping mid-chapter to listen to the referenced pieces and hearing some familiar music in a new way. Downsides include portions that felt predictable and a message that your life is not complete without a romantic partner. But in the final pages of this book, I found myself rooting for these characters and their happiness (even if it meant some romance. . . ).

This book! This book, this book, this book! I have been waiting for ages to find a book that I can just rave about, and I finally found it! The characters are loveable and endearing, the plot is amazing--it's such a simple tale in many ways, but the care and humor with which Joyce assembles every scene is what makes it sublime. I am for sure a Kit-level enthusiast for this book!! I kept losing track of time as I was reading, and I tore through the last 100 pages. I cried. Several times. I haven't cried like that over a book since I don't know when. They were hot, unflattering tears; my throat was tight from the pain of the emotions. I had to mop the tears off my neck with my sleeve, and my eyes were red. God, this book. Every time I thought I had the plot figured out, something unexpected would happen, and I would be sucked right back into the thick of the drama. I will love Frank and Ilse and Maud and Kit and all the others for years. This is a book I will remember. And one that I will recommend to anyone who will listen. The music! The romance! (The suspense!) And the discussions about music! I've always enjoyed music, but the way Frank talks about the story of a song brought my love to another level. In the author's note at the end of the book, there is a link to The Music Shop playlist (bit.ly/TheMusicShopPlaylist), and I'm listening to it now. It's amazing. Some of these songs I've never heard of and I love them immediately, like Miles Davis's "So What." Others I've heard many times, like "Stairway to Heaven," but lying here in the dark with headphones in, just listening to the song, experiencing every instrument and really hearing them, it's like I'm hearing the song for the first time. And I have Rachel Joyce to thank for that. Hallelujah for this book!

Sooo I decided to make a criteria for my ratings/reviews and I'm going to start with this particular book! (All the categories are rated out of 5) Feels - 4.0 I teared up a bit at the end! I liked how the book made me curious and it was really thrilling to witness the ups and downs of all the characters. Characters - 5.0 All the characters in this book were really endearing in their own way. They all had diverse personalities that came together so well that I can't bring myself to think of any of them apart from the other. It was beautiful how they made their own little family among one another really. Plot- 4.5 Honestly, I was so busy trying to guess what was going to happen next or what the big revelation would be that I was stunned with what actually happened. Of course, I expected a more shocking climax or a more heartbreaking ending, but surprisingly the plot generally worked out even if there was no Big Thing, or if the Big Thing was not as big as one would have expected. The story was actually refreshing in a way that I've never read something with this type of concept and string of events before, so it was really not hard to like. Writing - 4.5 The writing was really, really beautiful, especially when the author talked about music. I absolutely loved that there was a brief mention of the leitmotif!!! All the stories about the classical music that we still hear today really drew me to the story even more because I personally love digging deeper into a musical piece and taking note of all its aspects and what the musician is trying to convey. I learned a lot of things too, and discovered more classical music that I would have overlooked. Overall, it was a great way to calm your mind a bit and just let the words take over. It's the type of book I'd love to read when I'm outside and the wind is whistling a melancholic song and the sky is threatening to let its tears fall.