A musical romance with soul. World-renowned pianist Diana composes a love song for her beloved Arie in a tatty black manuscript book. Although, tragically, she only gets to play it for him once, the song lives on as the book and the song within travel round the world with an assortment of musicians. A beautifully-written, thoughtful story of music bringing love to many people. For fans of JoJo Moyes, Marian Keyes and romantics everywhere.

Brilliant from the start. A love song is written and it follows different paths until it eventually gets back to where it was created. To it's intended recipient.
Such a sad, romantic and uplifting book.
I always know it's a good book when I'm sad that it's ended.

How do Arie Johnson, Bene Romero, his daughter Beatrix, her first love Felix Carter, traveller and hopeful poet Evie Greenless connect? Through a long lost love song sung by Lucie Dorian which came to her via a very circuitous route. Though none of them knew it the melody was composed by music prodigy Diana Clare to show her love for Arie before tragedy struck.

I absolutely love the first two thirds of the book. There are some sections that are so well described that you feel as if you are there. There is one part which is gripping and you hold your breath. The book includes several themes such as stultifying grief which makes it hard to move on with life and this is well conveyed. There’s deep love and first love - the latter between Felix and Beatrix is beautiful. There are some excellent relationships portrayed such as the bond between Arie and Belinda Clare (Diana’s mother) and the strength of friendship and understanding shown by Arie’s friends Richard and Lenka. The music elements are very enjoyable and I like the coincidence (or is it fate?) of the song bouncing its way around the world until it’s recorded.

However, I think it’s a bit overlong and it loses some early magic as a consequence, it gets a bit convoluted and maybe contrived and there are a lot of characters to get your head around.

Overall though, despite my reservations I did enjoy it. I really like the premise which is original, it’s well written and the characters are extremely likeable.

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for the ARC.

I don’t know what I can say about this book that won’t spoil it, just know that it is A beautiful novel about loss, grief and the strength to keep living despite the heartbreak.

The publisher contacted me to ask if I'd like to review this book and because of the description, I jumped at the chance. I enjoyed this title from start to finish. I loved the intricate way the author weaved in the characters and linked them with such subtly you could tell that each of them must have really spoken to her.
They certainly spoke to me. 'Each was beautifully painted, real and compelling. The plots linking them to each other were tastefully crafted and so well thought out.
Darke has a magical touch to her writing style and her sense of timing and pace are incredible.
I am always moved by a book that can transport me out of my world and into its world and this novel certainly takes you around the world. I loved how knowing of her themes and settings that Darke appeared to be.
She made me care about every story line, every character and every conversation.
Loved this book and would highly recommend it if you want to read fiction with a touch of class.

This book is uplifting and heartbreaking is equal measures. It is a beautiful book and an absolute joy to read.

This story was heartbreaking tale of loss and grief and how to carry on living and moving forward while still holding onto the memories. Its about music and how it brings people together. people who never thought they'd meet or stay together. This song traveled throughout the world and returned to the one it was made for. I loved all the characters and how everything comes together in the end. I do think there were lots of little wisps of story-lines that were hinted at, but never fully shown. the reader can interpret it however they choose to.

Wow , wow , wow this is one of the best books I have read in a long time ! It is absolutely magical , insightful and so clever. As each part of the story entwined and unfolded I just kept wondering how an author could be so talented to tie it all together so well..

I don’t want to write too much of a synopsis of the book because the surprise turns in the story were part of what I loved but I cannot recommend this book highly enough . Thankyou to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review ! I just loved it !

I loved the start of this; the incident with the plane was haunting and I haven't stopped imagining it since; the description was so powerful and low-key at the same time. I did find that the detailed introduction of new characters was sometimes overdone - for instance the adult brother of the Canadian kid who falls in love with Beatrix - did we need so much intro to a man who then vanished and was never heard from again?
I can see this playing well as a movie in the vein of One Day - there are quite a few moments that would be visually arresting and would definitely give me a lump in my throat.
All in all, I enjoyed this a lot - interesting change of setting and I liked the ideas and the people.

I loved this book, the perfect respite to lockdown!

I'm a sucker for interlinked stories, especially romances. I'm a music fan and loved the importance of it to these tales.

Arie and Evie are the main protagonists and they're delightful characters - realistic, believable and genuine.

Really recommend this book - I read it really quickly and was quickly absorbed in the story and histories of all of the characters!

I was recommended to read this book having read ‘Mix Tape’ by Jane Sanderson which is excellent, and this book is just as good.

The story takes you on a journey around the world where coincidences are realistic and has you routing for each character to fulfil their dreams. All based around an elusive love song that wasn’t finished by the original composer or even given directly to the intended person, but which has you imagining the tune in your mind. Each and every character has real substance making this easy and a pleasure to read.

Brilliantly written this is a story about love lost and love found that will keep you second guessing on the conclusions within which is just a joy to read. Highly recommended and I thank NetGalley for a free copy in return for an honest review.

I was delighted to be invited to read this book. I was delighted when I read the book - I absolutely loved it.

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot (there are plenty of other reviews out there if that's what you are looking for!)

This is a beautifully written bittersweet story, weaving together the lives of a disparate set of characters from around the world (including Canada, the UK, and Australia). The strands follow the "lost love song" as it touches the lives of the cast of characters in a series of coincidences, evolving as it does so, and culminating in .....

Well, dear Reader, you'll just have to read it for yourself and find out!

This has been my favourite (and most uplifting) book of the 40 I've read so far this year. Looking forward to reading more by Minnie Darke.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

What a beautiful story. Like the movement of a song, this story speeds up, slows down, and gently flows through people's lives, touching them and leaving them with a lasting memory.
This is no ordinary love story, and I wish I could of heard that piece of music.

This was an amazing book. Once I started to read I couldn't put it down. When I had finished it I was upset. It is extremely cleverly written and was very witty and sobbingly sad. You cannot help but feel you are there with the characters as they go through there tragic downs and to see them rise again. I have never read any Minnie Drake books before but I am certainly hooked now. The main story is intertwined with interlude chapters which link up.. Arie gets tragic news. His grief is so well written, I felt I had gone through the experience with him. If you like a book that makes you lose yourself in it then this is the book for you. Congratulations Minnie Drake on a superb uplifting read.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really enjoyed this 2 part read, it is well written, great characters and would recommend to others.

I absolutely loved reading The Lost Love Song. It's a beautifully written novel featuring several interwoven stories, which all serendipitously connect to each other in the end. In the beginning, we meet classical pianist Diana and her fiance Arie in Melbourne. Diana embarks on a world tour and composes a love song for Arie while sitting at a piano in a random Singapore hotel. From there, this lost love song travels around the world. It begins in London and then heads to Edinburgh, where it's overheard by Evie - an Australian poet who's been aimlessly wandering around the world for six years. That's all I'm going to say, as I don't want to spoil the story. But the final thing I loved about the interwoven stories is that Darke perfectly encapsulates some of my favourite cities. I could see myself in Edinburgh and listening to buskers at Granville Island Market in Vancouver. Perfect for fans of Josie Silver and Beth O'Leary, I highly recommend The Lost Love Song to anyone who loves a good romance novel.

I really enjoyed this. Well written and great characters. The love song intertwines it’s way throughout in a really clever, beautiful way. Definitely recommended.

I'm not sure where to start.
But suffice to say this story blew me away. Read in a day.
Some say that with books that have too many characters, it is hard to feel connected or emotional about them, but this one did that and more.
The story surrounding Diana and Arie's love story is an emotive beginning, and the twists and turns at the beginning left me in tears. Then the way Belinda, Evie, Bene, Felix, Beatrix, and others, were brought into this tale of love was so clever.
I just loved it!
I really don't want to write too much about the story, for fear of giving something away. Suffice to say, I think you should definitely read it!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this in a day. A day of curling up on the sofa, lost to the real world, ignoring everything but the lives of the characters.
Such a perfect read. Including the bit that had me sobbing big fat tears. You'll know the bit when you've read it.
It's a story of love, not a love story. A story of love between lots of people and of different types. It's also a story of what we all feel and how music, poetry or any kind of art can help us connect with our feelings and understand others.
It was exactly what I needed to read right now.

I enjoyed Star Crossed so I was intrigued to read Minnie Darke’s new book despite the blurb in honesty not totally encouraging me. I’m so glad I gave it a chance as this is a hidden gem and for me much better than Star Crossed. The whole tone of this book is enchanting despite the incredibly written tragic death of Diana and Arie’s grief. I love the way the story travels with the different characters in the interlude and indeed with Evie, and the emotions one song inspires. This is so original and so well written with attention to detail. This is all kinds of emotion but above all heartwarming, it was a pleasure to read.