From first love to second chances.

Single parent Helen is trying her hardest to get her life back on track after her husband left her for another woman, trying to hold down her job as a teacher whilst dealing with teenage children is far from easy. Things get a lot more confusing when an international rock star knocks on her door who just happens to be her very first love too.

I devoured this book and didn’t want it to end. I liked the characters and felt all of Helens emotions. Thanks to @netgallley for the opportunity to read and I have no doubt people will enjoy this as much as I did.

Publication Date - 06/07/2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#ASongofMeandYou
#MikeGayle

Mike Gayle is a fab author & this book did not disappoint! Really enjoyed it & will be recommending it to others.

Oh, this story nearly made my heart burst, the sheer loveliness of the words and the beautifully written characters coming together in a wonderful, loving story that was so filled with love

Aaahh Mike Gayle you know how to break a girl don't you? ADORED this. Absolutely devoured it. There's something about Mike Gayle's writing style that is so bloody moreish! From the start, we're pulled into Helen's world. She's so likeable and you want a happy ending for her after the absolute horror of an ex-husband she has. Then enters Ben. And he's just lush. You feel the pain of his predicament from the word go and before long found myself rooting for both of them. They have a beautiful friendship that's picked up with ease after 20 years. You can tell that for both of them, but particularly Ben, they're each other's 'one that got away'. But in their 40s, is it too late to re-kindle a romance? Well, leave that to you to find out. Loved this, 5*s, do read it whether you're a devout Gayle fan, or a first timer when it comes out next month!

I love Mike Gayles stories and the way he tells them!
This latest does not disappoint and beautifully balances the romance gone by with the reality of the present and the way the main characters feel about their lives.
I loved Ben and Helen rediscovering each other and Helen being lifted to an emotional place where she felt more like herself and less like "just mum" than ever and able to kick the awful husband to the kerb.
I can't say much about the ending without ruining it- suffice to say it is incredibly emotional and for me totally unexpected.
Read it...in fact read the full back catalogue!

Loved this book! All of the Mike Gayle's books I've read have been very readable and "A Song of me and you" was no exception.

Helen has recently separated from her husband and is struggling a bit with it all and one day she answers a knock at her door to find Ben standing there. They went out when they were 18 and he also happens to be a world famous singer songwriter now from one of the world's best known bands and appears to be on the run.

This was such a beautiful story which made left me with all the emotions and an ending i couldn't have predicted

I’ve read a few of Mike Gayle’s books and always loved them so I felt very lucky to have secured this arc. I enjoyed the storyline and I think the author did a great job or putting an ordinary person in an extraordinary situation - it made for compelling reading. However, the reason I gave it 4 instead of five stars, is the characterization. Helen felt a bit forced and somehow Adam went from being an idiot to being supportive overnight - it didn’t feel realistic. Overall, a good read though and ideal for romance genre lovers.

As a long time reader and huge fan of Mike’s books - since My Legendary Girlfriend no less - I was delighted to be approved to read this new one, especially as I am also a part time teacher, full time mum and in my 40s.

Helen has recently split from her husband after he has an affair, leaving her with her two teenaged children and a part time teaching job that won’t pay her mortgage. On the day when her ex arrives to collect the kids for their first Helen free holiday, there’s a knock at her door….. Helen’s first boyfriend Ben has been a famous singer songwriter for many years, well known across the world and now he’s at her house, missing from his band and making headlines as everyone wants to know where he is. Can Helen and Ben rekindle their friendship? Or will life and love get in the way?

I really struggle to predict what will happen in Mike’s books and this one in particular left me speechless. I’m not sure I can say more than that…..

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.

Well I don't know what to say, what a beautiful story, wonderful warm charecters, I loved every page and I'm sitting here thinking I don't want to read anything else just yet, I'll think about this one a bit longer

As a huge fan of Mike Gayle, needless to say that I was VERY excited to receive an advanced readers copy of his new title, I have literally been counting down to this book since I finished reading The Museum of Ordinary People last year!

“A Song Of Me & You” tells us the story of Helen and Ben, a couple who were parted at 18 and went on to lead very different lives. Helen became a teacher and twenty years later she is trying to rebuild her life after the break-up of her marriage. The last thing she expects is for Ben, who is now the lead singer of a world-famous band and a multi-millionaire to go with it, to turn up on her doorstep one day, completely out of the blue. Two completely different lifestyles but underneath they are the same two people from all those years ago who enjoy their friendship so why not enjoy it before the world has other ideas?

First thing you need to know, Mike Gayle has done it again! Honestly, I don’t know how he does it, each book just gets better and better! As always the character connection is instant and you’re rooting for Ben and Helen to reconnect from the minute he turns up on the doorstep. The way their character background stories are intertwined throughout is seamless, allowing you to understand every aspect of their relationship and how life may have taken them in different directions but that the love between them has never vanished.

There are moments that make you laugh, moments that make you smile, moments that make you angry and then a painful moment when my heart was literally in my mouth to stop the tears, but EVERY moment adds to the emotion that Mike Gayle brings to everything he writes.

The only thing I didn’t like about this book? The fact that I finished it and I now have to wait another year for his next book! Seriously, go and buy this book, if you’ve read any of this authors books before or if this will be your first, you won’t be disappointed.

A light, easy, sweet and heartwarming read. This is only my second dive into Mike Gayle’s work, but I definitely need to read more of his books! I really enjoyed this! Thank you NetGalley!

There’s something rather special about reading a Mike Gayle book and I’ve read a few. Each and every one has taken me to a special place. One where within a few chapters I most certainly feel as if I'm amongst friends and willing and wanting the best things to happen for them. It's strange isn't it how fiction can make us feel? A sense of camaraderie and almost belonging. Books that I long to keep reading whilst all the time not wanting them to end. Mike is a truly gifted author and if you are looking for a comfort read, a pick-me-up perhaps, they could be just the tonic- each one stands alone (not a series).
In this one, Helen has split from her husband when she found out about his affair and his subsequent moving in elsewhere. He and his girlfriend have taken over what should have been their family holiday- the last one before their eldest goes off to university. There’s a knock at the door as Helen recovers herself from being parted from her two children and the general upset of it all.. She is surprised to say the very least to find a man she hasn't seen for decades- Ben- someone she used to go out with in her teens. Ben is now a huge success as a rock star but there’s something about him that tells her things aren’t quite as they seem. It appears that they both have secrets. What on earth is he doing in Manchester when he lives in the states after all these years and why come to her?
A treasure, a pleasure and an honour to read this. I was moved beyond words and I'm smiling as I write this. A life affirming read that there is good in the world and sometimes to reach out a hand can mean so much to someone in need. A rare gem of a book.

For more reviews please follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog

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I have been reading Mike Gayle books for over 20 years and he never disappoints! This book featured Helen and Ben teenage sweethearts and then reunited in unusual circumstances…. This book had a surprising, unexpected ending ( no spoilers) which made me gasp! Another very easy, page turner

A Song Of Me And You by Mike Gayle
I give this book 4.5 stars

Helen and Ben parted at 18 and went their very separate ways.
Years later mother-of-two-teenagers Helen is still in Manchester, a part-time primary teacher, stunned by the behaviour of her love-rat husband.
And suddenly, impossibly, Ben is standing on her doorstep. A world-famous, LA-based multi-millionaire rockstar.
Can you ever go back?

I really love Mike Gayles style of writing it flows really well and the character development of Helen and Ben makes you genuinely empathise for them. A touching story of what life can throw at you encompassing love, heartbreak and 2nd chances.l found this an accomplished and moving read. Whether you’re familiar with this author or not I urge you to pick this one up
With thanks to Netgalley,Mike Gayle and Hodder & Stoughton for my chance to read and review this book

Middle aged Helen is trying to settle into her new life due to her husband recently leaving her for a younger model. When her first boyfriend, Ben turns up on her doorstep, her life changes, as he is the lead singer of a major pop band and he is on the run from his manager, who refuses to believe he wants to leave the group. Agreeing he can hide in her house, gradually the number of people who know where he is grows until their secret is out.
This is a perfect beach book, light and fluffy and an easy read.

Well, what can I say, another emotional roller coaster of a read from Mike Gayle.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

Middle-aged Mum Helen is struggling to come to terms with her recent separation when there is an unexpected knock at the door. Stood on her doorstep is her boyfriend from over twenty years ago. The ex-boyfriend just happens to be the lead singer of one of the worlds biggest bands and he's run away from everything.

Mike Gayle has written a wonderful story in A Song Of Me And You. I've been a fan of the author since his first novel, My Legendary Girlfriend, and I reckon this is his best yet.

This is a story full of character, with people who come across as genuine. I was fully invested in the story, wondering how things would develop and willing the old romance to be rekindled.

Helen is still reeling from the fact that her husband of over twenty years has left her. Helen has lost her way in life. She has always seen herself as a wife and mother, but with the separation and her eldest child about to leave home for university she feels a lack of purpose, of identity. This will really resonate with lots of women.

The ex-boyfriend, Ben, turns up in Helen's life at just the right time. Having left home, and Helen, at the age of 18, Ben and his band have become one of the greatest rock acts in the world. A music career spanning 20 years shows no sign of waning. The constant cycle of producing new music and touring has taken it's toll and Ben wants to give it all up and disappear so he can live a quiet life, however Ben's manager has other ideas.

Initially Ben sees Helen's home as somewhere to hide. Helen has always kept her relationship with Ben private so almost no-one would think of her home as a possible place he is hiding at. As they share memories their romance is rekindled. By this point I was wishing and praying that everything in the univesre would magically align and allow the couple a lifetime of happiness and contentment.

And that is where this review is going to stop. To say anything more would be a huge spoiler, I really don't want to give anything away to the reader. I had guesses about what was going to happen, and some wishful thinking, but I was very wrong. Mike Gayle has written a story that brings out every emotion possible, I really didn't want this fabulous book to end.

Very, very readable...I enjoyed that it was a romance story with people in their 40's, and I found Helen's character very real and likeable. I was pulled into the story, and carried along for the ride, completely caught up in what was happening with Ben, and the whirlwind that Helen and their children find themselves in. I so wanted things to work out well. I was really rooting for Helen. I did occasionally feel a little bit like Adam was being made too much the villain, because why on earth did she ever marry him if this is who he was? But of course he is that way because that allows for some redemption at the end, so I guess we'll have to allow it!
But it's because of the end that I almost knocked this down to a 3 star review, and probably it's a 3 1/2. I don't want to write why exactly, because of it being a big, fat, spoiler. Let's just say something happens, and that made me pretty cross (and sad) and then the twee tie-up at the finish also left me raging. I don't know, maybe I just wasn't ready for it being a bit more rollercoaster and I was all-in for the happy ending. And it is happy. But not the happy I'd written out in my head already!
But anyway, I did enjoy reading it after all that!

"He owed her an explanation before her left, that much was certain. He couldn't just turn and go without at least trying to throw some light in the events that had brought him to to this moment, but at the same time he couldn't just tell her the unvarnished truth either; even after all these years her respect still meant something to him."

Helen and Ben were each other's first loves as teenagers. Twenty years later Helen is a primary school teacher and mother of two, with an unfaithful husband, in their hometown of Manchester and Ben is the lead singer of world famous band, 'Bluelight'. As the two are unexpectedly brought together, will they find their way back to one another?

A different take on romance, because this is a return to first loves, with middle-aged protagonists. It's easy to feel for Helen, left by cheating husband, Adam for a younger woman, trying to focus on her teenage children. Ben's situation, the life of a celebrity making him ill, is also understandable (due to his family context and background), if perhaps less relatable (due to his fame) for most readers.

This is an emotional and escapist read about childhood sweethearts, with great (if sometimes infuriating) characters. Heartwarming and reflective, with a bittersweet ending, it's well-crafted and classic Mike Gayle, so will no doubt be enjoyed by all his fans.

A heartwarming story with appealing, well drawn, believable main characters, Helen and Ben. Helen’s teenage children are well written too and her cheating husband is suitably vile. This is my second Mike Gayle book and reading this one has encouraged me to read more of his work.