I have read all the author's other books and this one is my favourite , This book is outstanding it will make you laugh but will also make you sob and pull on your heartstrings.

Natalie has a fall out with her friend and what follows is Natalie trying to find her feet after her husband Russ dies and Natalie meets some new friends who help her on her way and she has her Sister Jodie and Jodie family and other friends to help her on way.

Will Jodie be all to find the key to heart and fix it as Russ her true love has died?

I won't ruin this review with any spoilers but I did not see the ending coming and I am so glad it happened.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc of this book in exchange for this honest review.

Lia Louis can do no wrong! Ever since I read the first page of Dear Emmie Blue I have been a fan. Her follow up Eight Perfect Hours was amazing and this book definitely follows suit. Louis's books pack a punch with so much heart, emotion, and love. & personally, I love love! The characters always feel realistic, not at all cheesy, and leave you feeling hopeful and happy by the end.

The Key to My Heart introduces us to Natalie Fincher. Natalie experiences extreme loss after her husband is in a tragic accident. She slowly begins to rebuild her life but everything is a reminder of him and she is stalled out and unable to move on. Everyone in her life is worried about her and trying their best to help but music seems to be the only outlet where she is able to find peace. Each Tuesday and Thursday Natalie plays piano at the train station as a form of therapy for herself and truly thinks nobody else is even paying attention. That is until music pages begin showing up in the piano bench. & not just any music, songs that are significant and specific to her deceased husband, Russ. Natalie sets out to find who is leaving the music sheets and why. In doing so opens herself up to the thoughts of a new life, new love, and also the possibly of heartbreak when she finds out the truth.

This story was definitely a slow burn and is not all sunshine and rainbows, but the author is able to write about tough subjects with such hope. I loved all the supporting characters, full of quick wit, sarcasm, and genuine care for Natalie.

Thank you to Orion Publishing Group & NetGalley for an ARC of The Key to My Heart in exchange for my honest review. 4.5 stars

Beautifully written, heartwarming and full of emotions - The Key to my Heart ticked all the boxes for me.

I adored this book from start to finish. Warmth exudes from every page and by the end I didn't know whether to smile or cry.

The main character Natalie tugged at my heartstrings throughout the story. I thought she was fantastic. Funny and relatable, I wanted to give her a hug and share a bottle of wine with her! The rest of the characters were absolutely golden and all played their part in making this book an absolute gem.

I adored the magical element to the storyline with the music sheets being left for Natalie, it was engaging and intriguing and I loved how it all came together at the end.

Lia's books are romcom perfection for me and this is another triumph.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 from me.

Any author who Jodi Picoult describes as an auto buy author is going to definitely be an auto it author for me!
This book was a perfect romance to read in this lovely weather. The book tore at my heartstrings in places, and turned into quite an emotional read in parts
The book does deal with grief throughout; so may be one to avoid if you’ve recently had grief. However, in my opinion; this author is one to watch!
Natalie was such a loveable character and I became very absorbed in her story
This is a highly recommended book!

Two years ago, Natalie's life fell apart when her husband Russ died, and she has not been able to move past her overwhelming grief. Living in the tiny cottage that was Russ' dream, with the renovation jobs they were going to do together still undone, Natalie is stuck in limbo and feels numb inside. She finds herself going through the motions with her friends and family just to please them, but has no idea how to move on when she has lost the love of her life.

Once a talented pianist and music teacher, Natalie's musical career is dead in the water after Russ' death, and the betrayal of her former best friend. The only musical comfort she allows herself is secretly playing the public piano at the concourse of St. Pancras station for strangers. But then something odd happens... someone starts leaving sheet music for her in the stool of the piano for songs that were special to her. Who could possibly know about these songs, other than Russ?

Natalie tries to solve the mystery with the help of the employees at the station's coffee shop to no avail, but magically, with each song she feels a little bit of herself coming back to her. She doesn't know if she will ever be ready to love again, but perhaps it is time to at least allow herself to try to feel once more...

I love it when a new Lia Louis book hits the shelves as she is one of my absolute favourite romance authors. True to form, this is a book stuffed to the gills with fabulous characters who simply walk off the page and lead you through a charming story about love, friendship, and new beginnings. I felt myself right at Natalie's side with every little step forward that she takes, urging her to let herself find happiness again, and loved the witty sense of humour that has staunchly stayed with her despite her sorrow - and which also allows for some fabulous banter with a certain someone who becomes her 'stand-in' date... but no spoilers here!

As in all the best stories, the supporting cast have their own trials and tribulations to work through too with lots of really clever cross-over threads around grief, betrayal, and being unable to move forward, which fills out the action nicely alongside Natalie's central tale. I laughed and cried with them all, building up to a full on sob session as the final moments of this beautiful book played out. Everyone needs a little coffee shop like Goode's, the gentle advice of a Shauna, and even the well meaning, if misguided, interference of over-sharing friends and family like Natalie's.

There's such an enchanting air of mystery about this book too, as Natalie tries to work out who could possibly be leaving the music for her at St Pancras station, with lots of red herrings as she works through the list of subjects, and a cracking double twist that melted my heart.

Lia always hits that sweet spot of elements to tick every heart-warming, humorous, and tear-jerking box on my list of rom-com desires, packing in the perfect amount of emotional depth and satisfying swoonable romance. The Key to my Heart is thoroughly gorgeous on every level, and I think this might just be my favourite Lia Louis book yet!

Oh I do love books written by Lia Louis and this book is no exception, she writes so many amazing characters, you can't help but fall in love with the stories.
This book is about finding the one after "the one". Natalie found the one in Russ but then he passes away. This leaves Natalie broken and trying to pick up the pieces, after 2 years Natalie still feels lost but her friends think its time she got over it.
She decides that she is going to play the piano at St Pancras station a couple of times a week. One day at she finds that sheet music is being left for her in the piano stool and each piece brings special memories to her, it is like Russ is telling Natalie he is still around.
Oh I've shed some tears but it really is a lovely story

I have adored all of Lia Louis' novels to date and this one is no different.

We meet Natalie 2 years after her husband has passed away. She's still grieving, even when her friends are trying to force her to move on. Natalie feels as though she should have healed by now and can't help but think what is wrong with her. Then she finds a sheet of music, music that her husband would have loved, in a piano stool at King's Cross Station, where she's secretly been playing for the last few months. And with each note she plays, she starts to realise that maybe life still has a little bit of magic left after all.

Louis has created another wonderful, heart warming tale, filled with loss and love and moving on. You can really see how Natalie is struggling right from the beginning, the scene in the cab where she bursts into tears was so moving and you really just wanted the best for her. The expectations from her friends that she should have moved on already, the expectations that she puts on herself that she's taking too long to grieve, it all weighs down her life.

Though this story was filled with weighty topics, there were still plenty of laughs along the way as Natalie properly gives herself time to heal. Through music and the characters she meets, Louis manages to build Natalie a heartwarming story that any reader is sure to love.

A lovely, easy read with a strong message and filled with lovable characters, this was another amazing story by Lia Louis. I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

Many thanks to Orion Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC.

So beautifully written and such a lovely heartwarming story of getting your mojo back through the power of music, and getting yourself back out there.

With a cast of credible, likable characters, my favourite being Natalie. I loved seeing her blossom throughout the pages.

It has emotional moments that tug at your heartstrings and some heavy topics including loss and grief.

The Key to my Heart is a gorgeous friends to lovers romance and I loved every minute of reading it.

Many thanks to Compulsive Readers for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I rated this book 3 stars. It was a really easy flowing story to read. The concept was really interesting and I enjoyed reading Nat's journey to discover who is leaving her music and moving into dating since her husband passed.

I felt like Nat's friends could have been more understanding that she was still mourning after 2 years over her husbands (Russ) death because personally no one can tell you how long to mourn for.

I loved the side character of Shauna as she's so sweet and caring and I just loved her motherly personality.

The history and memories of Russ and Nat are really cute and sweet.

There were a couple of things I didn't enjoy about the book such as Nat's grudge against Edie as I can see both sides and personally I don't agree with Nat's thinking. Joe was a sweet but boring character. I didn't feel like they had chemistry and the author was trying to force something that wasn't there. I didn't like the fact at the end it seems to be in your face that Nat is acting selfishly which doesn't match with the first part of the book, also her character growth was really quick to get to the end.

Overall good read, some issues I didn't like about the book but would recommend.

How have I not read this author before? We have Natalie who is still trying to pick up the pieces of her young husband’s death. While she is grateful for the people in her life, she is trying to appease them as they try and help her move on. While such a deep subject the author does a great of bringing a laugh to the heartwarming story. Music is such an important part of many lives and Natalie finds a way to connect to the past, present and future through playing a piano.

Every character plays a part in Natalie’s journey. I usually meander through my non-thriller reads, but I could not put this book down. I highly recommend you give this one a read.

Lia Louis has created a beautiful, heart touching tale of loss, grief and moving on. We meet Natalie two years after the loss of her husband and life is proving difficult and she feels the weight of expectation from those around her to move on with her life. The focus of the story centres on a piano in a busy station and the characters that she meets there. The story really made me feel for Natalie and I loved her natural relationship with Tom and the genuine connection that they built. It would be a lovely story to start on a journey.

A great read, emotional at times.
Natalie is struggling since losing her husband. One thing that helps is playing the piano in the railway station, where she now has friends in the cafe. Everyone is trying to help her move on, but will she be able to when it seems like the past is reappearing again?

Why have I not read this author before? (Quickly goes to the zon to fill up my basket with her back catalogue while grinning like a moron). Discovering a new author you love is like gold at the end of a rainbow, magical.

Talking of magical that is exactly how I felt about this book. You might think a book about a young widow and her grief would be sad, possibly depressing and you would be surprised to find it was instead funny, hopeful, heartwarming and have I mentioned funny? I really need to emphasise that as the humour in this was just so very much me. Natalie’s banter is so close to my sarcasm/wit that if she was real I would want to be her friend so I could find out what she felt about me. The way she speaks about the people in her life, you can feel the love even though it is hidden behind the jokey facade.

Two years after the death of Russ, her friends Lucy, Roxanne and Priya are on a night out and they are up to their usual matchmaking tricks. Uninterested but going along with it Natalie makes her way to the bar and chats with Tom who turns out to not only be a good sport but apparently has a laugh that can make a vagina explode.

Then there is that little piano stool, that nobody except Natalie knows opens, under the piano she plays inside St Pancras station. The appearance of sheet music inside, that could only be meant for her, gives special meaning and an air of mystery. Plus there is also the enigma of ex friend Edie and what happened there.

Every single character here is important to piecing Natalie and her story together like some cosmic jigsaw. Fate? A happy accident? Some things are just meant to be and this book getting into my hands felt exactly the same.

Lia Louis is fast becoming an auto-read for me. Her writing is both comforting and sassy, funny and heart-breaking. The Key to my Heart encapsulates all of this in a gorgeous friends-to-lovers story, which Louis always does so brilliantly, and which has you absolutely desperate for the MCs to declare their hearts.

Love love loved this book, and loved Natalie too. Such a lovely and heartwarming read, full of life and heartbreak and joy all in one. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one, it was a delight, and I’d happily read it again. Perfect for those fans of feel good romances!

I've just finished The Key To My Heart, and it is fantastic,one if my favourites so far this year!
It deals with some heavy topics (grief predominantly) but actually is a very uplifting and cheery read with a great voice. There's humour and witty exchanges with some really great characters that you feel you get to know like family as well as a very accurate portrayal of modern dating & friendships. I truly felt a connection with Natalie and the inner swirl of emotions she was feeling. Another fabulous novel by Lia!

The Key to my Heart is fabulous. She knows how to bring her characters to life and I always want to give them a big hug 🤗 This book is a gorgeous romantic story about grief, loss and finding love again. Her writing is so witty and also pulls on my heartstrings. Natalie, a widowed musician was a relatable and strong character, and how Lia wrote about her grief at losing the love of her life Russ was so raw and honest. How do you really ever get over that?! 😫 Natalie’s only real comfort is secretly playing the piano at St Pancras station. She discovers sheets of music that only Russ knew left inside the piano stool. Dun dun duuuunnnn! 😱

I’m a big old romantic so obviously got swept up the love story here about whether Natalie could fine love again after losing “the one”. I’m also a big fan of banter and this books is full of loveable and funny dialogue between characters. I loved how music was woven into the story…basically I loved it all. I laughed, I cried and had a massive smile on my face. All the feels! 🥰 I don’t want to give any spoilers 🤫

Lia is a must buy author for me

This was nice and sweet. Lia Louis writes such amazing and full characters, with so much depth and dimension. I loved seeing the growth and development of not just the MC's but also the side characters. Overall, this was a great read, and I'm looking forward to reading more by Lia Louis.

I would recommend this to fans of Mhairi McFarlane and Beth O'Leary.

Thank you to the publisher for kindly providing me with an ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I was so pleased when this book landed on my kindle! I love Lia Louis' books. She writes a gorgeous romance each time. She crafts heartfelt and emotional storylines and alongside this she has a cracking sense of humour! I tend to go from feeling my heart bursting and or breaking one minute to laughing out loud the next! 'The key to my heart' is another beauty from Lia. Her characters are always so well written and there are some great leading characters in this one. Including two swoony men!
I loved that the sheets of music brought something to look forward to for Natalie , and I too wanted to know who may be leaving them in the station piano.
As well as the laughs and the romance this book deals well with grief and how everyone copes with things differently.

Another highly anticipated book for me this year and one I'd recommend as a must read!

I absolutely loved Lia Louis’ first three books and have enjoyed The Key To My Heart just as much. It is such a beautiful and moving story with characters I deeply cared about and was invested in right from the outset!

This story is told in the first person from the perspective of Natalie who is still trying to piece her heart back together two years after the death of her husband Russ. Taking each day one at a time, music has become a solace for Natalie and she has been secretly playing at the public piano in St Pancras Station. One day, unexpectedly, she finds a sheet of music left for her in the piano stool; for Russ’ favourite song! As other pieces of music mysteriously appear, each with a personal connection for her and Russ, for the first time in a long time Natalie realises that maybe life does still hold a little magic after all...

I loved every moment I got to spend with Natalie whilst reading this book. She was the most wonderful main character and this story is full of all the warmth, emotion, humour and chemistry that I loved in Lia Louis’ previous books! I could really feel all of Natalie’s emotions as she tries to truly process the unimaginable and never-ending grief following Russ’ death two years previously and to find her place and purpose in the world again.

I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding who was leaving the music in the piano stool at St Pancras and thought it was so clever when this was revealed towards the end of the book. I definitely wasn’t correct with my guesses! It was so nice to be reminded of a song and band I used to listen to lots as a teenager too (Staring at the Sun by a band called Rooster). They were such an underrated band that no wonder it took Natalie by surprise seeing the sheet music that day, as it was Russ’ favourite song and barely anyone knows it!

I really enjoyed seeing the friendships Natalie developed as this story progressed and the wonderful chemistry too (I’m naming no names here so you have a surprise when reading as this isn’t detailed in the synopsis)! I really couldn’t decide what outcome I hoped for at times but my instinct of what I thought would happen (and deep down hoped for) was correct. I absolutely loved the penultimate chapter in this regard; so romantic!

Natalie’s friendship with Shauna was so wonderful too and I always looked forward to their interactions. I could really picture Shauna’s coffee shop and the piano that Natalie played given how many times I have visited St Pancras train station myself over the years! I loved the different places Natalie visited in London and am intrigued to one day visit the hidden gem that is Camley Street Natural Park.

I enjoyed this book so much and didn’t want it to have to come to an end, even though the final chapter was so perfect; I always love seeing what the characters are doing several months later!