Better Than Malibu Rising. I read and reviewed Mailbu Rising as an ARC, back before it came out. In that review, I noted that while it was a good story overall, I knew of many others that were at least as good - and would likely never get anywhere *near* the hype.

Here, despite being published by an Amazon imprint and thus having a pretty solid team behind even it... we have just such a book that is *better* than Malibu Rising... and yet isn't getting anywhere near the hype, even though it absolutely should.

Even from the opening of the tale, before you even get to a word of Weinstein's own alternate history of Hey There Delilah, the fact that she/ someone on her team was able to get Tom Higgenson from the Plain White T's to write a foreword for this tale is freaking awesome.

Then, we get into the tale. And what a tale it is. I've read several of its type over the years, of coming of age, of finding yourself, of mysterious zeitgeist happenings, of journalists looking for their big break and landing on a secret they decide to try to find the truth of, of star crossed lovers and what comes of them, of famous rockers that famously either disappear or crash and burn or crash and burn and then disappear.

And yet... Weinstein manages to make this tale her own unique blend of all of the above, and a love song to the entire music industry and the songs that we all believe were written about specific people to boot. Choosing to lead into every chapter with a song referencing someone specific, then discussing so very many different artists and songs through the narrative - and even having cameos by various artists - was a great touch.

Including a condo in Miami was an interesting touch, and perhaps a nod to her own real-life tragedy as her family knew some of the victims of the 2021 Surfside Condos collapse - though this is pure speculation (about the nod) on my part. (Those who follow her on social media know she did in fact know some of those victims.)

Weinstein almost always brings her own Jewish faith into her tales as well, and this is no different - and yet, like the best Christian writers I've encountered over the years, she always does it seamlessly and without preaching, just bakes it right into the overall tale she is telling and uses it to even *enhance* the story she is telling.

The addition of a young character who barely speaks English when we first meet him is also quite relevant to where we originally encounter him - Miami, where thanks to the large Hispanic population, this is a particular character type that much more commonly gets overlooked - particularly in these types of tales.

And then there are the actual relationships here, and where the true magic and heartbreak of this story lies. The daughter who may not know as much about her parents or why they split as she thinks she does. The lover who pushes people away because she thinks she is unworthy of love. The soulmates forced into separation. The loving parent who never stopped wanting the best for their kid - even when the kid actively rejected them. So many others, and it all comes crashing together in this maniacal way that in less deft hands and with a less skilled storyteller could have been an absolute mess, but instead Weinstein pulls off masterfully in ways that will have you both breathless and bawling.

Truly an excellent work, and very much recommended.

2.75 stars

In 1996, Cecilia is a journalist for Rolling Stone magazine, looking for the big break that will get her her own column. In 1979, Sara and Eddie are experiencing a song-worthy first love. In the time between these two stories, Eddie becomes first a famous rockstar, then a recluse. No one knows where he is, or who his biggest hit, "What You Do To Me" is about, but it's wildly popular and seen as one of the greatest love songs of all time. When Cecilia stumbles on a lead pointing her to Sara, she's determined to uncover the truth behind the song and reunite Sara and Eddie, even if her preoccupation with their story puts her own life on the back burner.

The premise for this was really intriguing to me---I love "Almost Famous" and Taylor Jenkins Reid's books, and was expecting this would be something in those veins. It ended up being more of a romantic comedy/family drama heavy on the miscommunication than a story of fame and songwriting, so not what I was hoping for. The characters all infuriated me at one point or another, and while it is technically a happy ending, it felt like there was a sad flash-forward added just for the drama. If you prefer your stories bittersweet you may appreciate that, but it wasn't for me.

I love hearing about the playlists authors listened to when writing specific books, etc, and what I didn't realize when picking it up was that Sara and Eddie's story is a fictionalized version of what could have inspired the song "Hey There Deliliah" and the forward of the book was written by Tom Higgenson of the Plain White T's. If you're a fan then you'll be excited to hear that the pivotal song that the book is named after and that Cecilia is writing about, is "Hey There Delilah". Alas, I am not a fan and already knew the real story behind the song, so it was a little bizarre to read scenes where the lyrics were being used to profess undying love. I still think the concept of writing a book so inspired by a song is a neat premise, but this was not the one for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, & the author for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

You know those catchy songs that get stuck in your head on repeat? “Hey There Delilah” is one of those songs and inspired this story. ⁣
⁣
Cecilia works for 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 and is hoping to wow her boss by uncovering the mystery of who was the inspiration behind the hit song “What You Do To Me”. The songwriter Eddie Vee has been in hiding since a tragedy happened at one of their concerts while performing this very song. Cecilia is the only journalist who has ever managed to track him down and get an interview. As her own love life has fallen apart, she’s hopeful that she can reconnect Eddie with the love of his life- the one that got away. ⁣
⁣
I absolutely adored this book and the love story between Eddie and Sara. This is the second book I’ve picked up from Rochelle Weinstein and I can’t wait to read more. Thank you Netgalley for this advance reading copy.

I received this book as an ARC from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley and this review is based on my own opinion.

Journalist Cecilia James always had a soft spot for music and lyrics. When she's in Miami for work, she finds a clue about the muse for a song written by one of the greatest; Eddie Vee.
She is determined to find out the truth, even if her own relationship is falling apart.

The book was sooo good!
It's a fiction story based on the song Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's.
After the first chapters I thought it was gonna be a bit like Daisy Jones, which wasn't really my thing, but the story is in some kind of dual pov.
One pov is about Sara's life when she was younger and the other pov is from Cecilia in the present, trying to find out who Eddies muse was. I was rooting so hard for Cecilia to find Sara and write that perfecr article because the story of Eddie and Sara was so interesting.

What You Do To Me by Rochelle B. Weinstein is a beautifully written, poignant and compelling story.
I absolutely thought the storytelling to be brilliant with amazing casts of characters.
I could relate with the characters here in this story and I loved how realistic they felt, it's a very enjoyable experience to know about their life!
I was sucked in to the story from the first two chapters and did not want this to end at all.
It was real, authentic, gripping, complex, tender, shattering, hopeful, and brilliant.
Rochelle is a master storyteller, and she write another brilliant story!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

Being a big music fan, I was excited to read this book. The two other books I have read by this author I have really enjoyed.

This is a dual timeline, two stories in one contemporary romance. It’s Cecelia’s story that starts in 1996 as an up and coming Rolling Stone journalist and the story she is researching.

While leaving an assignment, Cecelia is hurrying to the cruise ships where she and her boyfriend Pete will be taking a vacation. She gets the time wrong and misses it. Pete is angry and breaks it off with her. While there, Cecelia believes to have found the muse for the very popular “What You Do to Me” song. She is determined to bring Eddie Vee (the singer) and Sara back together while trying to navigate her own relationship with Pete and with her father.

The only thing negative that I would have to say is that I didn’t care for the very ending for Cecilia. Seemed unnecessary to me. Other than that, I enjoyed both storylines.

Thank you to Booksparks for a #gifted copy of this book as part of the #FRC2023 campaign and to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for a digital arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Have you ever wondered who inspired a song you love? Rochelle B. Weinstein did and 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗗𝗢 𝗧𝗢 𝗠𝗘 is the result. Intrigued by the backstory to the Plain White T's 2006 hit "Hey There Delilah" (sorry for getting it stuck in your head!), she wrote this book about how a fictional famous love song called "What You Do To Me" (also a lyric from "Hey There Delilah") came to be.

I really enjoyed being immersed in the worlds of Sara, the inspiration behind the hit, and Cecilia, a music-loving, up-and-coming reporter who's determined to uncover Sara's connection to the song. Cecilia is working at Rolling Stone in 1996, which is the same year I started working at MTV and the artists and music she covers brings back a lot of memories for me. (Fun fact: Plain White T's performed "Hey There Delilah" for an episode of "My Super Sweet 16" I produced.) I also loved reading about Sara and her large Jewish family in the 1970s and 1980s, and their need to preserve their culture is especially poignant in light of current events. Music brings people together in this book in so many different ways, and with each chapter named after a famous song, you're sure to be touched by it as well.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing for the copy to review.

Master storyteller (favorite) Rochelle B. Weinstein returns following When We Let Go with her seventh novel, WHAT YOU DO TO ME —a captivating, nostalgic, clever tale exploring the story behind the song—the reimagining of two unfinished love stories and the music and lyrics that bring them together.

Fun, Illuminating, and endearing! A romantic story of star-crossed lovers— Eddie, a musician, and Sara, his muse, and Cecelia, the journalist who is trying to rewrite their ending

Meet Rolling Stone reporter Cecilia James. She has become emotionally invested in her story as she dives deep into the truth behind a hit love song. All the while, she tries to detangle her messy love story and family of secrets.

Cecilia overhears a conversation about the famous Eddie Vee, a famous singer who went into hiding after a tragic event at a concert. She is obsessed with finding the woman and learning her identity.

As the worlds connect past and present, secrets are revealed while relationships are tested. Can the power of music heal all that's been broken?

The author follows Eddie and Sara's love story with short, fun chapters, including the song's name, year, and city. We travel from the 70s, 80s, and 90s to 2023 past/present. We learn about all the hit songs and their reimagined inspiration. We visit LA, Miami, New York, and others. My absolute favorite is Bisbee, Arizona, a unique, memorable place.

Like Delilah, the song title at the beginning of each chapter includes a name. As the author references, she has always believed that the songwriter was inspired by someone, real or imaginary, illuminating the music. Those chapter titles remind those who impacted a life enough to write about it.

The author writes poignant books about people, places, and experiences. She has a rare gift for getting into the hearts and souls of her characters and vivid settings that jump off the page.

Songwriters write music about the same, from love, friendship, loss, and pain. Storytellers use these experiences to share their feelings about the work. Musicians, songwriters, and authors are all part of what brings joy to readers/listeners.

Spectacular! Music lovers will devour WHAT YOU DO TO ME, rewinding the past with songs that bring us joy! If anyone could tell this story, it would be Rochelle B. Weinstein! Well done! #CoverCrush. If you loved Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & the Six, this is for you! (However, I liked WHAT YOU DO TO ME better). From love, mystery, song, and second chances —it has it all!

A massive fan of the author, I have read all her books and highly recommend them!

Thanks to Lake Union and NetGalley for a gifted early reading copy for an honest opinion.

On a personal note, BISBEE, AZ:
As a hotel consultant, investors would send me to these areas where I would spend weeks or months learning about the community, the competition, other hotels, restaurants, historical research, sites, and real estate. I would write the business financial plans and city reviews and choose the name for the new hotel, inns, rooms, suites, software, and interior design while designing their website and marketing plans. This was so much fun! Bisbee is full of writers, songwriters, and artists and is often where creatives hide, write, create, and inspire. I agree; it is peaceful, cozy, and in a world of its own. I loved visiting all the places and seeing the projects come to life. So many fabulous art galleries!

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Oct 17, 2023
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Such a beautifully crafted novel. In this dual timeline tale, we follow the journey of Cecilia in 1996 who is a budding music journalist. Alongside that we also get to experience the the story she is looking to uncover that begins with Sara in 1979 Miami. Woven within this captivating tale are themes of grief, forgiveness, family and love. There is also mystery and betrayal and tragedy. I felt many emotions as I read. Most importantly this book is a tribute to music and the way it shapes our lives, how simple lyrics paired with melody have the power to express love and to help us heal.
Highly recommended to anyone who is deeply moved by music or just enjoys a good love story.

I so wanted to read a story with layers and deep stories of human interactions. But I got a Taylor Jenkins Reid knock off without an understanding of the true people behind the stories. It just seemed shallow and unfinished. It may be my fault for coming in with the expectations I did. It was OK if I take out a bunch of the middle. The name dropping was meant to evoke our musical heroes, but came off as forced.

Just like a good song, this had all the feels- love, despair, longing, loss. I was absolutely wrapped up in this story, told by music journalist Cecelia as she tries to break the story of who the song What You Do to Me (yep, you know it by another name) is really about, and Sara, a Jewish teen in the throes of first love. Their stories weave together, and I definitely felt the emotional pull throughout this story. Sara is trying to find her way through the expectations of her family that she find love and marry within her faith, and Cecelia is struggling to find a balance of career and personal life. I really loved and connected with this story, and I think a lot of other readers will too.

DID NOT ENJOY THIS AND DNF AT 30%. WHY WOULD I READ A BOOK ABOUT A WOMAN OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW TO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES OVER AND OVER.

What You Do To Me explores what happens when one chance encounter has the potential to solve a mystery, launch a career and reunite lost loves.

If you love music and music trivia you'll get a kick out of this book, especially as it's inspired by the song "Hey there Delilah" and has an introduction from the singer who wrote that track. Every chapter begins with a well known song and famous musicians are mentioned throughout.
If you like dual narratives and timelines and the parallels between both, you'll enjoy this book. It's one for the romance readers too.

Personally, though I enjoyed the mystery of the song, how it came to be and what happened afterwards, the couples didn't really get under my skin, and I found the main character really unlikeable. I didn't feel the impact of the events in the plot, or get invested as much as I might have done, if I was rooting for the couples. It was an easy read but perhaps not a memorable one.

Thank you to the authors, publishers and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book, in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Five stars! I read this one in one sitting. I loved every single word. Rolling Stones journalist, Cecilia James loves to find out the backstory of a song. She speaks in lyrics and music is a huge part of her identity. She becomes invested in finding the real story behind a huge hit. The story weaves her own relationship, her family history in with the story behind the song. Inspired by “Hey There Delilah” with a “Daisy Jones and the Six” vibe….this is one of my favorites of 2023. I just reviewed What You Do To Me by Rochelle B. Weinstein. #WhatYouDoToMe #NetGalley

I thought this was going to be one thing and it was completely another -- it actually reminded me a lot of Jackie Collins or Judith Krantz, but missed the mark a bit. It was sort of like an 80s epic a la those authors (maybe fitting since part of it is set in/around 1979) but I didn't love it. I found a lot of it to be trite, almost sickly sweet, and told in a lot of sweeping prose. The story felt so farfetched to me not in that it couldn't happen but that these characters were living in some fantasy that wasn't romantic, just pathetic. Hope you have better luck!

What You Do To Me comes out next week on October 17, 2023 and you can purchase HERE.

This inquisitiveness, the inherent need to understand every song, every story, has made Cecilia Rolling Stone's darling. Decades ago, at twenty-six, she discovered a career gold mine when a chance encounter sent her on a quest to find the woman who inspired "What You Do to Me," the hugely popular love song by the band High Tide. The song topped music charts and broke records, but it was also personal for Cecilia. Desperate to unearth the truth and prove herself, Cecilia broke the story behind the hypnotic track, resulting in one of the magazine's most popular columns, the Backstory. And tonight, she is being honored with an award. Not the Lifetime Achievement, something less "your career is nearly over" and more "we're ready for even greater things from you."

I'm always happy when Rochelle Weinstein has a new book out!

What You Do To Me is the story of Cecilia, Sara and Eddie. Sara comes from a large, and very successful, Jewish family who lives on Long Island but spends the holidays and summers in Florida. Eddie immigrated from Argentina after the death of his parents and lives with his grandfather, the super of the apartment building in Florida where Sara's family vacations. Cecilia's a California girl who's upbringing was infused with music and now, at age 26, has the opportunity to make her name in the world of rock and roll journalism at Rolling Stone Magazine.
While their lives intersect at different points, Sara's and Eddie's is the most poignant. They meet on a beach in Florida when she's 11 and their relationship continues over the years. Even then, Eddie is a budding musician and this storyline continues to develop and be one of the key ones in the book.
Their stories flip back and forth between Sara and Cecilia and the timeline in the 1970's and 1996. I loved the contrast between Sara's family as she grew up and that of Cecilia. Cecilia grew up in a very different environment, but one that was infused with music. Her relationship with her father and stepmother were also interesting and added additional depth to the story.
There are lots of musical elements in the book, including the author's inspiration from the song, Hey There Delilah, by Tom Higgenson from the Plain White T's. Another feature for the music lover is that each chapter is named for a memorable hit song.
What You Do To Me features well developed characters and family stories and the author included story lines I didn't anticipate! Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read What You Do To Me in exchange for an honest review.

For years, the muse behind the hit song What You Do To Me was a mystery, one that was made even more intense by the disappearance of the band's lead. Now, Rolling Stone writer, Cecelia is on the hunt for both while also coming to terms with her broken relationship with her father and trying to win back her long-term boyfriend.

This book had such promise for me. I loved the fact that this was based upon an actual popular song! The narrative runs back and forth in time with two different storylines going on. You get a lot about Eddie and his love who he wrote the song about and Cecelia navigating her life in the present.

Overall, there was a bit of a miss for me. I'm sure this will find its audience and some will really love it, but I found it to be too disjointed at times. I also didn't connect with Cecelia and wanted her to come to some realizations earlier.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted copy. My reviews are always honest.

I heard great things about this one, so I was so thankful to receive an early copy!

In the spirit of books focusing on music, a la Daisy Jones, Mary Jane, and Groupies, What You Do to Me focuses on an actual song - Plain White T’s Hey There Delilah, and gives it a unique spin.

Cecilia James is working at Rolling Stone and desperately wants her own column. She sees the opportunity to solve a mystery that’s intrigued the music world for years: who was the famously loved song “What You Do to Me” written for? And where is its reclusive author and singer, Eddie Vee?

Told in dual timelines with multiple POVs, WYDTM is about overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds, and the necessity of being vulnerable to fall in love.

I enjoyed this one, especially Cecilia’s story with reference to her past. The middle did drag a bit for me, and I found myself frustrated with some of the character’s terrible choices (and extreme naivety at times), but by the last bit I was flipping quickly through the pages, anxious to see how/if everything would be resolved.

I am a massive fan of Plain White T’s Hey There Delilah, so I was intrigued when I had the opportunity to read this book. This book had a compelling premise, and I enjoyed reading about Eddie and Sara's story. I loved all of the music references, including the song titles as chapter titles and the idea of forming a fan-fiction tale about a popular song. Creating a world where you can see the inspiration behind a piece is fascinating and something most people seek out about their favorite songs.

This story switches between the present and the past. At present, Cecilia is a journalist for The Rolling Stones. She is determined to discover who inspired a popular rock song by The High Tides. The past reflects on two star-crossed lovers whose lives were impacted by music and their fate as their family forbade them to see each other. I enjoyed reading about Eddie and Sara's story, and I loved their ending. I had mixed thoughts about Cecilia's story. I loved the narrative about her investigating the meaning behind the song, but some of her decisions about her personal life were questionable. I also loved that Tom Higgenson from the Plain White T’s wrote a foreword supporting the book. I recommend this book to anyone who has researched the inspiration behind a song.

Thank you to NetGallery and Lake Union Publishing for giving me a copy of the book.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
Cecelia James is a young staff on the Rolling Stone magazine in the 1990’s. When she’s sent to Miami to do an interview the day before she’s meant to leave on a cruise with her boyfriend. When the arrangements go haywire, she meets a woman by a memorial near the Orange Bowl stadium, and finds a missing piece of songwriting history. On her chase to find the missing songwriter, her own life becomes contorted but she finds truths about herself.

𝗠𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
This beautiful story contains two love stories where the connections are hard to break despite all the challenges facing the lovers. I remembered reading Daisy Jones, and had similar urges to research the characters, the writing felt so real. This is a totally different timeline, different events, but it was l equally hard to put down. There is deep emotion, sadness and joy, all interspersed with song references that talk to the story. It you listen to the lyrics of the “Hey There Delilah” sort by the Plain White T’s, this fictional reimagining fits like a puzzle piece. A gorgeous read ❤️

My rating 4.5/5 - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫