I was immediately gripped by this book. It is well-written, and the characters are so well-drawn. I have known people like Claire, the lovely Bill, and the immature Daniel. It was a great nostalgia-fest too, taking me back to the days of my youth. Unfortunately I started to lose interest when the "follow your heart" nonsense took over. I thought the ending was too trite, although I was glad we found out what happened to Peter. I would like to read more by Jane Sanderson, with less of the hippy stuff next time.

Such a brilliant concept for a book, well written and easy to read. I read the whole thing in a day.
I found Alison hard to like at times, her tendency to bolt at everything really frustrated me.
But that’s ok. It’s still a good book, with a satisfying ending.

I enjoyed this story very much. I was brought up in Sheffield so the setting was spot on for me. I did think the music mentions were too much and got in the way of the story, because I couldn't remember all of the tracks I didn't always appreciate the references. I recently read a book in a similar vein where films were the link and found this overdone also. It would make a good film where you could actually hear the music. The author made me believe in this love story.

‘Mix Tape’ spans thirty years of Daniel and Alison’s very different lives. The reader first meets them as teenagers in Sheffield where they bond over their love of popular music. When he hopes to impress her with a mix tape, she tells him that she prefers to listen to whole albums. His ‘The Best Last Two’ gift is a nod to this and a collection that the reader becomes familiar with as the author moves us back and forth between the couple’s teen years and their adult life.
Daniel and Alison seem a perfect match but her dysfunctional family life puts pay to her staying in Sheffield to follow the expected route of A levels and university. Her disappearance influences whom they both become – happy enough but with unacknowledged and unresolved feelings. When they find each other online as successful adults – she is a novelist, he a music journalist – and begin sending each other tracks from the past, the music provokes more than nostalgia.
Those who enjoy David Nicholls’ and Nick Hornby’s novels will, no doubt, find this story engrossing. Anyone who grew up in the 70s and 80s is bound to enjoy the music choices, in themselves an important narrative, and the author also writes convincingly of domestic life in the different continents that this novel spans. The depressing squalor of Alison’s childhood terraced house is just as effectively created as adult Daniel’s desirable Stockbridge home and the bohemian outback cabin in Australia that Alison’s friend, Sheila, shares with her partner.
Jane Sanderson ensures that we are rooting for Daniel and Alison throughout by creating two reasonable, kind and considerate people whilst giving them partners who are less in tune with their needs and desires. Towards the end of the novel, however, the pace flags and the introspective ruminations don’t really suit the tone of this story whilst the predictability of the plot may weaken the overall effect for some readers. This would be a perfect beach read – what a shame that it will be published in January. Still, that’s summertime in Australia!
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

I loved this book - from the description I knew I would but it was even better I had hoped.

I loved the Sheffield setting.

The book could have so easily turned into a standard rom-com type type but think it explored the complicated nature of adult relationships really well. Will recommend this book wholeheartedly!

4.5*

I could not put this book down. I found myself taking every opportunity to read it. I loved the way as a reader we got to see Alison and Dan’s lives in the present, how their relationships were. We got to know them today and with the flashbacks we get to know who they were. Their connection was strong and Alison had a very difficult upbringing and some horrible experiences but Dan was her safe place and then she disappeared on him.

Loved Dan - he was so strong and new what he wanted. Alison was strong in a different way and I was glad she got brave and went to Dan.

Loved the Britishness of this book and references to some great songs.

This is a book about what ifs and what happens when you reconnect with someone that was meant to be your one. I have docked half a star as I really wanted an epilogue. I wanted to see how they were in the future. I had no doubt they were together but I wanted to see it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was excellent. I laughed, I cried, I listened to the music. I wanted to know the characters in real life and I definitely want to make a playlist of the tunes mentioned in the book for future listening joy. Would 100% recommend this.

I absolutely loved this one.

It's a second chance story at its heart, but not an easy path. I got the feels but it was challenging too.

Ali and Dan met as teenagers in late 1970s Sheffield then lose touch. Thirty years later they reconnect through their shared love of music. As times have changed, twitter and spotify have replaced the function of the custom mix tape, but its purpose still holds true.

It started a little slow, but it gradually grew into a beautifully poignant story. What I loved though was that while I wallowed in the romance and the feels, their story felt authentic and their issues hit home. I was engrossed in this and found it difficult to let go of the characters and the story when I wasn't reading it.

The style reminded me of a Nick Hornby, especially the evocative music and cultural references that were so completely apt in this.

Standalone, complete story. Highly recommended, quality, thought provoking read.

This is the story of the love between Daniel Lawrence and Alison Connor who meet in Sheffield in 1978 aged 18 and 16 respectively and their later lives with their partners from 2012. They are united when they first get together by a love of music, in fact Dan goes on to be a music journalist. Alison leaves Sheffield suddenly a few months after meeting Dan, meets Michael in Spain and marries him, setting with him in Australia. She becomes a successful novelist. Dan meets Katelin in South America and they settle in Edinburgh.

Initially this story did not grab me as I found the switches of time from 1978 to 2012 did not flow well in the first part of the book, it felt a bit ‘clunky’. However, this story is a bit of a slow burner and I feel it got better and better as it went along. I really like the music references- Elvis Costello, Blondie, Buzzcocks and Human League, a Sheffield band. Dan makes a mix tape of music for Alison, hence the title! I like the depiction of the ‘70’s period the good and the bad, this is much prejudice as one of the unpleasant characters Martin clearly demonstrates. One of the sections I like the most is when Alison and Dan go to Hillsborough to watch Sheffield Wednesday play Arsenal which is famous for the fans throwing snowballs at Pat Jennings (Arsenal goalie- huge hands- one of very few goalies who score a goal!). This is a very vivid scene and well described. I think the ‘70’s scenes work better than the later ones but that could partly be due to my dislike of Michael, Ali’s husband. His character is well portrayed but he is very arrogant, partrician, snobbish and domineering and around him Ali is almost obedient and certainly concedes to most of his wishes.

The settings are really good too. I joined Dan walking through glorious Edinburgh and wished I was in the Cessna with Ali and her daughter as they flew over a stunningly beautiful Australia. The houseboats in Little Venice is a nice setting too.

There are some lovely characters and a special mention should go to Beatriz, Sheila and Dora in Australia who are so kind to Ali and Stella - Ali’s daughter. Alison’s brother Pete is also a really nice character who always put Alison first, party because their mother is an alcoholic. Dans father is a delightful character too who develops a lovely bond with Alison who shows interest in his passion for racing pigeons. In London, Lisa and Frank the two aging hippies who are so kind to Dan are especially likeable.

Overall, a really good read. The love and bond between Dan /Alison and Alison/Pete is heart warming. There is a lump in the throat scene where Pete and Alison meet up again after many years apart. I like the theme as music does so much that is positive and can transport you to a different time, place and a younger you! It evokes moments, memories and unites people in a shared love of a genre or group.

I haven’t read anything written by Jane Sanderson before reading Mix Tape - what have I been missing??
This is a book which grips you and holds you all the way through.
The Story begins in Sheffield with two teenagers, who both love their music and soon, each other and The girl, Alison has an horrendous home life with only her beloved older brother Peter to love her and look after her. Their father left years before and their mother is an alcoholic who will sleep with anyone for the price of a drink.
The boy she falls in love with - Daniel - has a loving home and Alison loves to be there with his family, especially his father who who realises how damaged Alison is and becomes someone she can just sit with and be peaceful
Daniel makes Alison her first mix tape of songs that mean something to them both
This is how the story starts, but a dreadful event in Alison’s life has her fleeing the country with her brother’s help.
Thirty years later, in Adelaide Australia where she now lives, Alison’s phone pings and one of their songs pops up, sent by Daniel, she sends one back and so starts a conversation made of music but no words to each other.
What follows will have you wanting to keep reading and ignore everything else. The characters are so realistic, the emotions so real and I can’t recommend this book more highly.

As soon as I read the synopsis for this book I knew it was for me and was happy to be accepted to read it. I truly loved this book. It took me right back to my teenage years where life was simple and music made things seem better.

Set in the past in Sheffield and the present in Scotland and Australia the book flows between the time periods seamlessly. From making a mix tape to using modern day technology and sending music via the Internet. To me this book was about the emotion, memories and bonds that come from music. The bonds that last over the years, over time and distance.

I found myself wanting to listen to the old songs mentioned and to make my own mix tape/playlist. I really didn’t want this book to end. It was beautiful and is up there among my favourites. It’s a book I’ll return to again and again and will most definitely recommend it to others.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion. And thank you to Jane Sanderson for taking me back to the music of my childhood.

A gentle flowing book that made me smile. As a lover of music myself I loved the fact that songs meant so much to the main characters and that’s how they conversed when apart. Well written and loved the differences between Sheffield and Adelaide the author researched well. A happy ending too

It was well written and it was a good story. But I have to say that I found the main characters irritating. And slightly unbelievable. I find it hard to believe that a couple - who had a brief relationship as children - would really throw everything else away to be together later in life. I find it hard to believe that such a deep love could really form in such a short time. I found the man to be particularly annoying - he was actually happy with his wife and with his life. They had a good life together. So for him to abandon everything at the first glimpse of his first love, just made me mad to be honest! But that's not to say that some people will find it a lovely romantic story!