October 1, 2023
Riley Winn is one of the biggest names in music after her breakup album becomes an instant hit. The world thinks the lead single from the album is about her ex-husband, but it is actually about her college flame, Max Harcourt, whom she hasn't seen in a decade. Riley decides to reclaim the narrative by asking Max if he will play in her tour band. Max loves music, but he decided to give up his dream of playing professionally to take over his family's business. While he is happy enough with his decision, he sees the opportunity to perform with Riley as a chance to prove to himself that he made the correct decision to let go of his musical aspirations, and of her. Riley and Max have to work out the awkwardness of playing together again, but as they find their rhythm, they realize that the spark is still there--along with another chance for a future together. VERDICT Fans of Taylor Swift and author Bridget Morrissey will especially enjoy this emotional second-chance romance from married writing duo Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka (Do I Know You?).--Ashli Wells
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October 15, 2023
In their third adult contemporary romance, following Never Vacation with Your Ex (2023), married writing duo Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka explore the relationship between a famous pop star and the man who inspired her greatest hit. Riley Wynn has finally attained mainstream success with her newest album and its lead single, but everyone thinks the song is about her famous ex-husband. Determined to reclaim the narrative, she asks her ex-college-boyfriend, Max Harcourt, to go public as its real inspiration. Max agrees only if he can come on tour with her band, and soon he and Riley realize there may be more than break-up songs in their future. Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka prove they are masters of the second-chance romance, getting the essentials just right--lingering chemistry, intense longing, and two people who have regrets about the past and one more chance to make it right. Max and Riley are believable as both romantic leads and fully formed characters with conflicting desires, and readers will laugh and swoon as they find their way back to each other through music.
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November 20, 2023
Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka (who last collaborated on The Roughest Draft) bring readers a sweet second-chance romance set in the music world. In college, Riley Wynn and Max Harcourt shared a whirlwind romance. Ten years later, Riley’s a pop star who channels her heartbreak into song, and her latest breakup album has propelled her to new heights. Though she’s recently split from her obnoxious husband, Wesley, it’s memories of Max that inspired her lead single, “Until You.” When Wesley uses the song to boost his follower count online by unsubtly implying he’s the subject, Riley sets out to change the narrative, reaching out to Max—who truly broke her heart—for the first time in years. Max chose saving his parent’s retirement home business over pursuing his own musical dreams. When Riley unexpectedly reenters his life asking if she can go public about their past relationship, he sees his chance to play guitar again, agreeing only if she will allow him to join her tour. On stage and on the road together, the pair’s spark reignites, but can they move on from past hurt to love again? The authors dedicate the novel “to the Swifties, and Miss Swift,” making the inspiration for Riley clear. Equally apparent is how well suited Max and Riley are. Fans will have no trouble rooting for these two.
November 15, 2023
A musician famous for her songs about breakups takes an old boyfriend on tour. After her three-month marriage to a well-known actor ends in divorce, Riley Wynn writes an album that turns her into a superstar. Each song tells the story of a past lover, and her fans and the media breathlessly try to match each song to the man who inspired it. Riley is furious when her ex-husband suggests that he was the inspiration for the album's biggest hit, Until You. The real subject of the song was Max Harcourt, Riley's college boyfriend. Max and Riley broke up after he decided to stay in Los Angeles and work at his family's retirement home rather than pursue life as a musician with her. Max loves his job despite the financial pressures that threaten to close the facility's doors. Riley approaches Max for the first time in a decade, asking for permission to reveal him as the true inspiration for the song. He agrees, but only if he can play piano on tour to see the musician's life that he's missed. Over the course of the tour, Riley and Max fall in love again but aren't sure how to write a different future for themselves. The romance arc of the novel is frustrating because most of the insurmountable problems of the past are magically fixed without discussion in the present. The authors' interest seems to be in Riley as a character: How can a woman known for heartbreak finally find love? Since Riley is a thinly veiled Taylor Swift caricature, it's an unsatisfying and even unsettling reading experience. Riley notes, "It's uncomfortable to feel like what I represent to my promoters is just the paper doll of Riley Wynn they'll pose however they want"--which is just how the authors use Swift. Taylor Swift fanfic that delivers nothing of interest to the general romance reader.
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