Mike Gayle never disappoints and this book was no exception.

A truly beautiful story of friendship, love and heartbreak. This is a story I’ll read again and again and cry each time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

I really enjoyed this book - I read it in two sessions and could not put it down. I have enjoyed previous Mike Gayle novels and this did not disappoint.

Ben ends up on Helen’s doorstep in suburban Manchester - a long way from his jet setting LA lifestyle. He has escaped and come back to his one true lifelong friend. Helen’s husband, Adam, has left her and their two teenage children for a younger model.

Both with their own issues, they support each other and learn about each other again.

Hoping for a future together, their lives are turned upside down by a random accident.

A lovely book with a very bittersweet ending.

One to be highly recommended.

This is a really fun, hooking and emotional romance. I always love reading a second chance romance/ right person wrong time and seeing how things go even if its an emotional rollercoaster along the way. Helen's story is heart-warming and light-hearted and I loved that she gets another chance later in life which id different to your typical FMC's in romance who are in their early 20's; so you get a whole new perspective. Overall this book takes you on a great journey and I would highly recommend to romance lovers.

@currentlyreading__
Book 39 of 2023

I'm not going to be too smug but I was SUPER lucky to get hold of an ARC of @mikegaylethenovelist's upcoming 'A Song of Me and You' to be published on 6th July. I have been reading Mike's books for the past twenty-five years and he is an author I immediately gravitate to and if I fancy a re-read of any books, he is one of the authors I choose.... exactly what I am going to do this summer as I revisit some of his older ones. So thank you to the author, @Netgalley and the publishers for granting me access.

Well, this one certainly didn't disappoint - it was a stunning read and on my lounger in Cyprus, I whizzed through it desperate to reach the end but also, not wanting it to, such is that confusing dichotomy of the perfect book.

Helen is our protagonist, part-time teacher (like me) and mother of two whose husband Adam has left her for a younger woman. He is the typical cliché of a man with wandering eyes and hands and his treatment of Helen is despicable. At the start, he has taken the children on their annual family holiday and has brought the new woman along for some family bonding. As Helen mourns the loss of the marriage and her children leaving to be with their dad, she is surprised with a visit from a previous boyfriend, Ben Baptiste, global superstar with band Bluelight. What is Ben doing in Manchester instead of Malibu and why is the world wondering where on earth Baptiste has gone?

After not seeing each other for over twenty years, the couple have a lot of catching up to do. But the course of true love never did run smooth so in between a Hawaiian shirt clad man, a journalist, an interfering ex and craving normality, can Helen and Ben reunite?

It was a beautiful book and one which I recommend to anyone wanting a heartfelt and moving book. It has the romance but also the depth and as always, with Gayle, I knew I'd love it. If you loved his other books, get this one on your pre-order list.


#bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworm #book #booknerd #bookstagrammer #kindle #instabook #reader #bookobsessed #mikegayle #songofmeandyou

Shamefully, this is my first Mike Gayle book! We meet Helen who is separated from her husband. She's trying to keep her life together while her cheating ex-husband takes their children and his new girlfriend away on holiday. A knock on the door however reveals Ben, Helen's first love. Ben is a superstar rock star who's hiding from the pressures of fame and fortune and just decided to visit Helen, for old times sake!

This was a wonderful read! I loved Helen's character and could really relate to her. Ben again is so likeable, and they both work really well together. I was drawn into their lives very quickly and followed their ups and downs as their relationship rekindled. Helen's children, Esme and Frankie fitted into the storyline well and even Helen's ex, Adam, despite being the villain of the family, redeemed himself by the end.

It was definitely a story with mixed emotions. It was heart-warming, uplifting and light-hearted in parts, yet desperately sad in others. The storyline flowed along well, capturing the tenderness and passion between the main characters. I thought I had guessed where their stories were heading, but was left surprised by the twist in the tale, although the ending was beautifully written. I absolutely loved this book and it had everything that I could want from a story. My first book by this author, but certainly won't be my last. Would recommend!

Helen and Ben parted as heartbroken 18-year-olds and went their very separate ways.

Twenty 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. In an old T shirt and scruffy jeans, she feels at the lowest point in her life.

And suddenly, impossibly, Ben is standing on her doorstep. Tired maybe, lonely even, but clearly still the world-famous, LA-based multi-millionaire rockstar he has become.

Can you ever go back?

For Helen and Ben, so much has happened in the years between. But just to sit in the kitchen for a while and talk - that would be nice.

Before the world comes crashing in.

From the start it was clear this was my kind of book. The storyline had me hooked and there were some great characters as well as some pretty infuriating ones. It had what all good books have, an almighty twist or two that I wasn’t expecting at all! It was a great and emotional read that I would highly recommend.

4.5 rounded up

Can first Love ever be rekindled? Helen and Ben, part at 18, both heartbroken. He becomes a world renowned rockstar in the band, Blue Light and lives a life of glamour and excitement. Maybe. Helen, on the other hand, is a part-time teacher, a mother of two teens, and currently reeling from the betrayal of her husband. She feels as if she looks shocking, her clothes are a mess and her morale isn’t exactly sky high, and there he is, Ben, her first love, standing on her Manchester doorstep after 20 years apart. Why is he here? What’s the story behind his sudden reappearance? Helen and Ben tell their story

Well, Mr Gayle, you’ve done it again. I’m mush. He has the unerring capacity to get you right in your heart. Every. Single, Book! This is yet another wonderfully told story, it’s heartwarming, reflective, thoughtful (I’d expect nothing less!), empathetic, there are light touches of well-placed humour*, it’s moving and very poignant, especially at the end. *There is one part of the novel at the beginning where it resembles a French farce and this is such fun! The tone changes later but then you are so glad of these moments of levity.

The author always creates really lovely characters although Helen ex is a •••• They feel so authentic and I fall in love with the personalities of Helen and Ben. The dialogue between them feels so real they could be standing right in front of you. The lifestyle is such a contrast to each other and yet…… It makes you think. The portrayal of Helen‘s marriage, break up, her actions and reactions to it and the impact especially on her children is done extremely well. Teens Esme and Frankie‘s portrayal is spot-on too and they are also very likeable.

Overall, this is another lovely book which I can highly recommend. If you’ve not read a Mike Gayle book before it well worth checking out his back catalogue.

PS The cover is lovely.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

A Song Of Me And You had me absolutely gripped by the story of the Helen and Ben, who parted at the age of 18, and have not seen each other for more than 20 years. Their lives have progressed in very different ways, and yet they find themselves reunited at a time when both need a friend. It is fair to say I absolutely loved this book and vicissitudes of emotions experienced whilst reading were quite something.
Mike is a brilliant author, he writes so well and creates the best, most memorable characters, from Will in his first book (how on earth was My Legendary Girlfriend released 25 years ago?!) to more recent characters, such as Kerry and Noah, and everyone’s favourite Hubert. Definitely Helen and Ben now make the list of unforgettable Mike Gayle characters who will stay with me, probably for the next 25 years and beyond!
Highly recommended this book, along with the rest of Mike’s books.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a wonderful read about two childhood sweethearts unexpectedly reuniting however one is now a recently separated mum of two and the other a global musician who’s burnt out and hiding from the world. Both characters are believable and although the situation is unlikely the rapport between them works so well is carries the story brilliantly. This is a bittersweet read as no one can hide forever but the impact they had on each other was great and the representation of a family dealing with separation was very well written too. 9/10

Outstanding book. Absolutely loved it and devoured every page. Beautifully written with believable characters that engage you straight away this is a 5 star read.

Helen is a mid forties woman whose husband has left her for a colleague half his age. Her children are teenagers looking to fly the nest and she is wondering what happened to her life. Her door knocks and her boyfriend from college is there, looking less like the pop star he is now and more like the sad teenager she hasn’t t seen for twenty years.

The story of their friendship and rekindled love is a beautiful one and the lives of those surrounding them is told with a passion and empathy that draw the reader in. Unexpected ending but very poignant.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve always been a fan of Mikes books BUT this one is my absolute favourite. I loved everything about this book even the sad parts because he wrote it with so much dignity and love that it deserved. It’s about an affair and a pending divorce, there are children involved but they 18 and 14 regardless of age marriage break ups are still tuff on children. I like how she tries to protect them against any hostility from the parents and pretend everything is “okay” when really she’s breaking inside. She doesn’t use the children as weapons against the father even though he did wrong etc she really tries even though she didn’t want too. As someone who’s recently went through a divorce I really felt for the main character and It was so well written and I was really rooting for her. I loved everything about this book I will certainly be recommending it to everyone and can’t wait to buy it for my bookcase
Thank you for the ARC

My emotions are in absolute tatters, but what a read. Another brilliant book from Mike Gayle. Highly (highly) recommend