I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump recently, but Love Songs for Sceptics brought me back to life.

I can honestly say it was a pleasure to read, from beginning to end. I loved all the characters, especially Zoe, the main character. I love the way she cares so much about the people she works with, and how they are her main concern when the magazine they work on is threatened with closure. A magazine, incidentally I would love to read!

Zoe is brilliant – I love her. She’s a strong woman with her head screwed on right, and has great relationships with everyone around her, except for when it comes to her love life. She’s been holding a torch for childhood friend Simon for years, so when he comes back into her life, she is ecstatic. But life, and love, is complicated…
I love the use of song titles for the Chapters, and the whole book was well-structured and brilliantly executed. It would be amazing to see this transferred to the big screen one day!

I loved it!

This is the perfect warm hearted pick me up read that revolves around the world of music and songs from Christina Pishiris. When Pete, Zoe Frixos's brother asks her for help in selecting the song for the first dance at his upcoming wedding, her choice of Kiss's Love's a Slap in the Face gives your a good idea of where she stands when it comes to romance and love. Now in her thirties, Zoe has the perfect job, she is the editor of Re-Sound, a hip and cool music magazine that has given her the opportunity to meet and know the stars and celebrities of pop and rock, and singer-songwriters. It may not be the best paying job she could get, but it feeds her heart and soul, and allows her to pay the rent for her London home. When she was 13 years old, she fell for her best friend, Simon Baxter, the boy next door, who spent more time in her family home than with his warring parents who go on to divorce. She never told him how she felt at the time, and soon after he returned to the US with his mother as his parents split.

She and Simon have kept in touch through the years with their Zak Scaramouche creation that forms the basis of the postcards they send to each other, bringing back memories of just how close the pair of them used to be. Simon's marriage has fallen apart and he is coming back to London to live and work. Zoe now has the perfect opportunity to get together with him, a chance she never expected to fall into her lap. The chemistry between them is undeniable, they care for each other and slot right back into each others lives with such ease it is as if the two had never been parted. However, when it comes to romance, the two just seem to be not connecting with each other in this realm. There are obstacles in the form of Simon's old university girlfriend, the singer Jess, and a PR man, Nick Jones, wants her to promote his of the moment boy band with its unsavoury Poundland Prince Charming of a lead singer. The music magazine is under threat, and Zoe desperately needs to get an interview with famous reclusive singer, Macie Tyler, her musical idol, to save the magazine and her work team that includes Mike, Lucy, Gavin and Rob.

Then there is the big fat Greek wedding preparations with Pete's marriage, the nights out with her sister in law Alice and her friends, teaching them how to dance, hen nights and more. Zoe faces a tough up hill challenge when it comes to romance, only to find life takes her along surprising and unexpected paths. One of the greatest joys of reading this book is how Pishiris weaves music and songs throughout the story, with appropriate song titles for chapter headings, and the focus on the music business, music media and PR channels, and with singers and bands that form part of the narrative. This is a fabulously fun, lighthearted, comic and entertaining read for those in search of escapist reading fare. Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for an ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and loved the romantic element to the story.. Full review to follow on blog closer to publication