Joni Lark is living her dream as a successful song writer in LA but the dream seems empty and the music has disappeared from inside of her. When she moves back home to her small seaside town for one last summer to help her sick mother and run the family music venue The Revelry she starts to hear music again but it doesn’t come alone she starts to hear voice in her head that doesn’t belong to her. Ashley Poston is one of my favourites, she takes weird plots and makes them work. There was a lot going on in this novel with all the family drama, Joni’s writers block, the romance that would have been enough but then there’s the magic song and telephathy and the wild horses and storms. Everything was chucked at this and I devoured it all happily. My only criticism was that Joni didn’t hear enough of Sasha’s inner dialogue, he seemed to talk to her in her head all the time and she hardly heard anything from him. She’s not a good listener. Oh and also there’s a cute cameo from a couple in a previous novel. Great stuff!

Honestly, the music and magic created such a cool atmosphere, and the concept of Joni and Sasha being in each other's heads added such an intriguing layer to their connection.

The characters were so engaging, and that eclectic mix really made for a rich cast. And the way the story explored loss and grief while they found their music and voices together? That was incredibly powerful and emotionally resonant. 3.5 🌟

📚Book Review 📚

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I want to thank NetGalley for approving me for an ARC of this book.

I have read most of Ashley Poston's previous books and when I learnt that this one was music related, I couldn't wait to jump in.

When Joni wakes up one day to find an unfinished song, reoccurring in her mind she starts to think she's crazy. Then she starts to hear someone else's thoughts and she knows something isn't right.

The magical realism of Ashley Poston's stories is what makes her stand out in the romance genre. She takes a typical boy meets girl and fills it with love, emotion, tension and magic.

Joni and Sacha were brilliant characters. They both had their own issues to deal with but I loved seeing them work together and their undeniable chemistry.

A fab read for the romance fans!

🌟🌟🌟🌟✨

✨ It Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston is such a gem! I absolutely adored the premise, fresh, heartfelt, and totally unique. Poston's storytelling style is charming and full of emotion, pulling me in from the very first page. It’s one of those books you want to hug after reading. I'm so glad I picked it up and I’ll definitely be recommending it to all my friends. 💛

Wow this book had me feeling all off the emotions! I loved the music theme. The magical twist was very unique however I feel like towards the end it was brushed over very quickly.

This book is something else. I felt so connected to the characters and felt like I knew them all. I absolutely loved the magical realism element which is always present in Ashley Postons books. The writing in this story is absolutely magical, I found myself constantly underlining and tabbing. It made me feel such a broad range of emotions and I’m so thankful for having read it

This was a really nice read. I enjoyed the story and I found myself wanting to keep picking it up again which is always a good sign. Recommended for romance lovers for sure.

This was an enjoyable if not predictable read - an ideal beach read that you can loose a couple of hours to.

This book felt like Ashley Poston was in my head. It’s not the first time her stories have found me when I needed them most. 🫂They’re always so deeply relatable, capturing emotions I’m going through with a comforting sense of understanding. It’s as if she puts my feelings into words more beautifully than I ever could. 🥹💓

Sounds Like Love gave me that warm, cozy feeling - like being wrapped in a favourite blanket, coming home after a long trip, seating on a beach on a warm, summer evening, watching a spectacular sunset. And the setting? A beach small town with a music venue? As someone who loves concerts and the seaside, I couldn’t have asked for more. 🫶🏻🌊🎶

This book felt incredibly personal. Like Joni, music and concerts are my happy place. There’s nothing like being in a crowd, singing my favourite songs at the top of my lungs. Music has always been there for me - the words often expressed feelings I couldn’t, the melodies would sooth me, energise me or be an outlet for me.

Ashley also explores burnout through Joni, a talented songwriter who moves to LA to chase her dreams. After years of hard work and finally finding success, she suddenly feels empty and unable to write. Layered into this is the stress and heartbreak of her mum’s dementia diagnosis.

Back in her hometown for one last “good summer” with her mum and family, Joni tries to navigate her burnout, the long goodbye that Dementia is often called, a melody stuck in her head, and a new voice in her head - one that belongs to Sasha, an ex-boyband member she once kissed.

I absolutely love how Ashley weaves in magical realism into her stories! I mean - a telepathic connection between a burned-out songwriter and a ex-boyband member with a reputation she has a history with? DELICIOUS! 🤭😮‍💨 Their banter, vulnerability, and spicy inner thoughts made them such a fun, tender pair! The fact that they were literally in each other’s heads made their connection even deeper. 💓

As always, I’m in awe of how Ashley ties everything together in her stories.
My jaw dropped at the reveal of the origin of the song stuck in Joni and Sasha’s heads. A song that they decide to finish together. 😭🥹💓

Ashley also handles the topic of Joni’s mum’s progressing dementia with such care. Her description of it as sun sinking below the waves of Atlantic? It was achingly beautiful. I cried so much reading it, and I’m crying now thinking about it. 😭

Ashley is true gem of the romance genre. Her whimsical, lyrical writing style scratches an itch in my brain. Even though Sounds Like Love made me ugly cry, it also filled me with warmth, nostalgia, and the comfort of feeling seen - especially when it comes to burnout and outgrowing old dreams.

Also - THE SURPRISE APPEARANCE OF MY FAVES?? I was crying happy tears!!!! 🥹

Thank you so much HQ & Netgalley for this e-arc!

Sounds Like Love was a magical, musical, and utterly hypnotic. Ashley Poston really has a beautiful way with words and with every new book I read from her I find myself utterly lost to another universe.

The one liners in this were amazing, I have so many new favourite quotes. Reading Joni and Sasha's relationship progress was lovely, they both had individual struggles but complemented each other so well when they needed it most. The plot was very unique, the magic wasn't too overwhelming which was great as it doesn't take the focus away from the main relationship.

Overall, a very light-hearted yet heart-warming read from Ashley Poston, I really enjoyed all the little touches (the song quotes at the start of every chapter were great) and Sounds Like Love has really left me with a smile on my face. I can't wait to see what comes next from Ashley Poston.

I love all things Ashley Poston and this didn't disappoint!
I loved everything about this and the magical elements in all her books are done so well.
Deeper more emotional topics explored that hits me in the feels

Ashley Poston always knows how to write nostalgic longing, magical realism, pop culture references and sweet men. It wasn’t my favourite of all of her books but I still loved it. And like all of her other books there is always a sweetness to them and I would say this is probably the saddest of all of them. But I really enjoyed my time reading/listening to it.

This was such a cute romance with a slight paranormal twist that Ashley Poston is known for! I loved the characters, the storyline and as always, the ending had me crying!

I will say the beginning felt a tad slow for me which is why I couldn't give this a full five stars. But once Sebastian and Joni were together, I couldn't read this book fast enough.

This book covers some difficult topics and the storyline with Joni's mums' dementia was handled with such care and sensitivity. It broke my heart whenever she became confused.

Overall, a fabulous book from Poston and maybe one of my favourites...

Straight from the first chapter, you could tell that this had that magic that makes Ashley Poston books so special & it did not disappoint.

I loved that they could hear each other’s thoughts & speak to each other in their heads - the scenes where they bickered were hilarious but more than anything, I loved how they got to see the others vulnerable moments. I think it allowed them to form a really solid foundation which made all the lighter more ‘surface level’ interactions hit that much harder.

The way she pulled off the magical realism was so fun!! I SCREAMED when the origins of the melody were revealed, it was the perfect build up and the scenes after >>>> I sobbed okay 😃

I felt like this book really deals with grief and preemptive grief. We saw Joni grieving more for the things she was going to lose but hasn’t lost yet. The anticipation of losing something you love & the change it’ll bring & it really pulled on my emotions. It was written in such a fantastic way.

For me, Sounds like love hit every spot. I was grinning, giggling, squealing & tabbing away but my heart was also constricting and aching and I was definitely sobbing towards the end. It made me feels everything I wanted to when I read a romance and I can’t wait to revisit them!!

ALSO THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP CAMEOS- the crash outs I had were insaneeeee. I love lemon & iwan UGH

I absolutely love the magical realism and whimsy that Ashley weaves through these books! I loved the connection that Joni and Sebastian shared the entire way through this book and I also really enjoyed the cast of supporting characters too.

The latest in Ashley Poston’s magicial realism romances is equally as charming as her earlier books. Joni is a songwriter who suddenly has a voice in her head - and it’s not hers, the voice belongs to Sasha and together they need to write the perfect song to clear their heads.

The premise sounded a bit silly to me at first and it did take some getting used to but once you put realisticness aside, this is such a cute romance book.

I absolutely loved Joni and Sasha’s romance but the side plot that featured Joni’s mother’s early dementia diagnosis really was a stand out for me, so sensitively written and heartbreaking to read. Another brilliant book by Poston, I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Sounds Like Love is a magical romance book like no other, and it has fast become my favourite romance of the year (I know we’re only in June, but it was just THAT good).

Joni, a songwriter returning home from LA for summer, and Sebastian, a musician seeking a comeback, find themselves in each other’s heads after their first meeting, and eventually realise that they are being haunted by a song that they need to finish in order to end their connection.

I absolutely loved Joni and Sebastian and their growth throughout the book. Joni struggles with burnout, her mother’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and the imminent loss of her favourite place on earth, her parent’s music venue. Sebastian resents his famous father for not caring about him or his late mother. I couldn’t help rooting for them both and celebrating when they faced their fears head on.

I love magical realism in books and Joni and Sebastian’s connection added an extra layer of depth to their relationship, as well as to the story as a whole.

Sounds Like Love had me feeling giddy one moment and bawling my eyes out the next, and I loved every moment.

This is so Ashley Poston to its core. Her books have such a cosy magical feel to them, and it’s so familiar and lovely. I love how this book centered around music, and it was so invisible string coded.

Tropes:
- Muscian x Songwriter
- Magical Realism
- Small Town Romance

I have been eager to read from Ashley Poston, but have never had the chance to, so I was delighted to receive this arc!

Sounds Like Love is swoony and heart-throbbing and fun, but it still carries within it a heavy undercurrent story of family and grief that gave a really well developed main character in Joni. The magic and the mundane were paralleled here beautifully, Joni's desperation to get more information and closure from her parents paralleled with her and Sebastian's unfiltered access to each other.

I loved the writing style and the relationship between the mmc and fmc was very fun to follow, the magic telepathy was very fun with their dynamic. It's definitely quite a slow burn, both in romance and in plot. I was surprised that the 'reveal' of who each other was didn't happen until about 35% of the way into the story, and because of this, most of the romance didn't get going until about half way through. Slow burns aren't my favourite trope, but I still greatly enjoyed this one. It was a delight and a breeze to read, and I will definitely be going through Ashley Poston's backlog to get some more of her lovely magical stories.

This was very cute and I really enjoyed it!

I loved the tension between Joni and Sasha. I liked that their love story wasn’t easy, but earned. Having them in each other's head was such an interesting narrative device and I really loved how it worked well for both their characters.

A large part of this book is sad, there’s a lot of loss and grief and regret. It doesn’t romanticise the hardships in life. It doesn’t sugarcoat them. But it does show there’s a way out and a way forward. So while it’s sad, there’s also hope. Joni’s story in particular with her mother really got to me, particularly having lost someone recently myself. The circumstances are in no way the same, but I felt a kinship with Joni in her grief — that fear and longing for a conversation that will one day never be, because the person is gone.

This was just a really lovely book, that was equal parts lovely, devastating and comforting. I really liked it.