One of the things that made me want to read 'Mix Tape' was how music was at the forefront of this romance and I was intrigued to see how it was woven into the plot lines. Despite not being an audio kind of person myself, I think music's a powerful thing and so I gave it a read!

This book started off quite slow. It took a while to settle into but once you get there, it's a nice little read. On first glances, this book can also seem very cliché. I don't think it's so much of a spoiler if I say what you expect to happen isn't far from what actually happens. I mean it's obvious. But what's different about this book, besides the music, is that it delves a lot deeper into the implications. It touches upon how things affect not just our two protagonists but those around them and that's what I liked about it. The book doesn't make it out like there's a whirlwind of emotions and then it's a happy ending. It's a lot more attentive in bring everyone into the bigger story and underlining that there is a huge struggle and difficult decisions have to be made. I liked the use of music in bringing Dan and Alison together. Albeit I haven't listened to the songs mentioned yet but like I said, music's a powerful tool and I liked how that was highlighted in the book.

Overall, it was a nice little read. It takes a while to pick up but when it does, it's good.

I loved the idea of the book as I'm a huge music lover. The story follows Dan and Alison who dated when they were 17 but ended up parting ways and growing up living completely different lives. They reconnect through twitter and their love of music that they shared when they were together. The story line was really great I enjoyed the flash backs so we learn how things ended up the way they did. I just found they whole thing so slow! Although it's a great story line it didn't keep me gripped and engaged

This is a story of love and loss and the passion of time. Music is what brings everyone together through links to songs shared across the miles. It’s a nice, light story.

What a fantastic book by Jane Sanderson. Mix Tape follows Dan and Alison, two relatable characters who fall in love as teenagers in Sheffield, before Alison unexpectedly disappears. Today, Alison lives in Adelaide with her family, while Dan is living in Edinburgh. They reconnect through Twitter and don't send written messages to each other, only songs. The book flashes between the past (where you discover why Alison ran away) and the present. It is also told from both perspectives. I couldn't put this book down because I needed to know how it was going to end - living on other sides of the world, how could they plausibly reconnect? But Sanderson gives them the happy ending they deserve.

I received an ARC through NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

I loved this book, I loved the subject, I loved the reminiscing! It will be the perfect gift for so many of my friends!

Not much more to say, but everyone of a certain age would enjoy this book. It's like a warm, soft blanket on a cold day.

I liked this his book - I’m of a similar age to the characters so the songs really spoke to me. Was not sure how it was going to all pan out for a long part of the book.

I found this book very slow. The idea was great and the emotions very real but I’m afraid I just could not really engage with the characters

Mix Tape by Jane Sanderson. This was a clever use of music tracks as a hook to weave a thread connecting past and present. It’s a sad story of broken hearts and hurt relationships yet is equally uplifting in the unbreakable constancy of the connection between Alison and Dan, Alison and Peter, and Alison and Bill.
Although this is Dan and Alison’s love story, I think maybe the most poignant connection was the one between Alison and Bill. Two sensitive souls with the healing power of silence and peace to help them be as whole and functional as they could be in the midst of being overwhelmed by life, noise and trauma.
I did love the overall story and it was well written with good character development so that I felt I knew the folk in Oz and on the houseboats. The bad language isn’t my favourite thing but other than that it was relatively easy and gripping reading. This is another one I would recommend without hesitation

Struggled top get into this story & adhere to the characters, but persevered & eventually fell in love with them & thoroughly enjoyed their journey

Mixed review for Mix Tape. I really liked the story and characters but, ironically, I didn't like how music-oriented the book was. I'm probably in the target age for this book, yet I didn't really know the bands or songs referenced. This shouldn't have been an issue - I don't know anything about pigeons either and I found the racing pigeon scenes very beautiful and moving - but it felt like, with the songs, the author was using them as shorthand for character emotion. There's a long stretch where the main characters send songs back and forth as a substitute for feelings. I kept having to go and look up the songs so I could understand how the characters felt. It was irritating and pulled me out of the book. It reminded of me of the mistake some historical authors make of putting waaaay too much of their research into the book.

Loved this book! At times it's reminiscent of Nick Hornby in the music geekery, with very sympathetic central characters and an engrossing story. A thoroughly good read.

I did really like the idea with song exchange and how it ties into the story, however the whole picture wasn't quite as great.. it was a very slow start to me, but then it picked up and I did enjoy it. Although ending really ruined it for me. Book felt very unfinished and lacking closure on so many levels.. I think it would make a great film, but as a novel it felt incomplete to me.

This isn't your usual chick lit romance. The story of Daniel and Alison shows real hard emotions from when they were kids in love in the late seventies for them finding each other in the present. Music flows through the book and the choices are brilliant. So much so I'm currently trying to make my own playlist of them. You feel their emotions through the music and the story with the brutality of some scenes is spattered with scenes of peaceful serenity usually in the form of a pigeon loft. I have never felt so heartbroken for a character as Peter, and never disliked a character as much as I did Michael. I loved both Alison and Daniel and find myself rooting for them until then end. This has pain and betrayal, an amazing adorable little dog, and the unyielding The story was a brilliant read and I enjoyed the more emotional writing that sets this apart from other books of this genre.

Mix tapes were a HUGE thing for me as a child of the 80s so I was really looking forward to this book. It was very slow to get into and I thought of not continuing but I’m glad I did because the development of the characters was great and I actually really enjoyed the story. In the end I was sad it finished - persevere through the first part!

I can not recommend this book enough.I was a magical musical journey through time which was threaded through a very thought provoking storyline .
I could not read this book quickly enough and the author clearly put a great deal of time and effort into creating an emotional rollercoaster .Highly recommended.

This is a story that starts with Alison and Dan in the 70's when they are teenagers and both experience their first proper relationship. We learn Alison has a really hard home life which she completely hides from Dan. Alison experiences two significant traumas - one after another - and takes off leaving Dan heart broken. 30 years later they reconnect via Instagram and find that it's not always possible to simply leave the past behind.

I struggled to get into this. The start was slow and I wasn't really interested in Alison or Dan. I left it for a while before coming back to it and then read it pretty quickly. Alison's story is sad and I felt really sorry for her... but the whole thing about reconnecting via social media after 30 long years when lives and families are established just makes for a bit of an uncomfortable read. The author does a brilliant job in explaining the connection between the two of them - I get it, but I don't know if 30 years is just too long to have such a reunion as we get here. I'm 40 (ish!) and the music references were lost on me as I'm a bit too young to appreciate them so didn't get the full impact of the music theme that runs through the story.

This is a well written book with some very likeable, down to earth characters. I liked them all apart from the ones the reader isn't supposed to like and I disliked them thoroughly! There are some major themes in here that can make for difficult reading - alcoholism, homosexuality, rape, illness and death... but they are sensitively managed and draw out the real complexities about our relationships, the difficult choices involved in parenting and what truly makes us connect with other people.

I think this this us a personal issue for me - I don't like the main premise of reconnecting via social media after 30 years when so many others are involved. I get it, I understand it but I don't like it... but I'm sure plenty of others will love it. It is really well written and emotionally evocative and tackles some massive issues. This is also a bit of a slow burner... the start is slow but it picks up pace.

If I could, I'd give this three and a half stars but would say my main reason for this about personal feeling about the subject matter and it's not a reflection of the quality of the writing.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I started to read this book and was quite hopeful but found myself unable to get into it. I liked the music references but didn’t find myself picking up my kindle to finish it.

This is the story of young love between Daniel and Alison, which is set in Sheffield. The story goes between the past when they were young and modern day when they find each other again.
The music references were a real blast from the past and brought back memories of my own childhood and my love of mix tapes.

I gave this book 3 stars as I just didn’t grip me as I hoped it would

Thank you to Netgalley... the author and publisher for allowing me to read.

I really enjoyed this book. It follows the lives of Dan and Alison who were teenage sweethearts in Sheffield back in the 70's. Now 30 years later Dan is in England & Alison is in Australia, both with partners and leading very different lives. They reconnect over the exchange of songs. The love of music has always been a special bond between them. The book goes between the past and the present. We learn more about why Alison left Dan and how she ended up in Australia, the effect this had on Dan and how he never quite got over it. As they continue exchanging songs and memories resurface you wonder how this is all going to end!

This is a well written, easy to read book. I particularly liked the use of musical references to connect with people - the songs took me right back to my youth! It is amazing how music can take you back to places, people and events in your life.

A highly enjoyable read with very likeable characters. Thank you to Random House, the author and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliant tale of music love and breaking the rules, which has a real beauty to it. A narrative a younger version of ourselves could connect to.