“A guarded punk-rocker-turned-barista meets a big-hearted sound tech who charms his way into her life and helps her revisit her musical past in this truly charming, cozy fall romance.”

If you love cozy fall vibes and a wealth of nostalgia, Make Me a Mixtape is definitely right up your alley. All I need is a trip to Brooklyn and a coffee in my hand and I would be good to go.

I love nostalgia in books, and that’s what led me to this one. I loved a good mixtape (still do) and this book had all the nostalgia feels which make for a great fall book. This book is all about the vibes for sure.

A special thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

A cozy fall romance full of music and destiny and adventure. It’s perfect for this season and just get lost and relax.
Yes, I judged this book by its cover and I’m sure glad I did! These characters were fun and the setting on NYC in the fall was perfect for fans of classic romcoms.
The writing was good and the tone stayed consistent with all the characters and small town vibes!
I love books set in NY, add holidays to that, it’s just perfect !

Happy Pub Day! I really enjoyed Make Me a Mixtape and I was not sure after reading the reviews. It is a quick read but, I really loved the characters and their story! I remember making mixed tapes fondly and this novel brought it all back! I will definitely read other Jennifer Whiteford books!

Thank you Net Galley, Jennifer Whiteford and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to preview this book. The opinions shared are my own.

This novel is now available so pick it up and put it on your TBR.

This book had all the sweet cozy vibes. I enjoyed the plot. Unfortunately though, the characters fell a bit flat for me, I couldn't connect to them.

wow wow wow, this book hit me in all the feels and just wrapped me up in this world. the little found family that Allie created was so special to me. I loved that while romance was a big part of this story there were so many other types of loved showcased! Anisha and Ryan being platonic life partners is everything and I am a huge advocate of that being more normalized!! Loved Ren so so much as well, they brought such realness to this story, adored the scene when they showed Allie how to have healthy conflict (so important and such a real lesson for everyone to learn)!

This story felt like a little slice of life and I honestly didn’t want to leave this world. The growth seen in all the characters was super realistic and the slow burn was SO satisfying. The descriptions in the book were top tier I could visualize everything so clearly and was very much getting the warm and fuzzies from it. I’m very much feeling nostalgic for a place that doesn’t exist right now!! Brb while I go listen to my parents cassettes and sob about how much I loved Allie and Ryan and this whole crew!

This Reviewer Received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House.


Make Me a Mixtape was an adorable and entertaining novel. A little bit of Nick and Norah, a little bit of Music and Lyrics and a lot of fun. The author does a fantastic job of taking the modernized approach to the changing times and embraces everything that is to love about it. Every character from the main ones to the minor are so well written and lovable. Ryan and Allie are great characters. Both have come from such complex family backgrounds and are learning how to love despite it. The musical references are impactful and important. It was a very cute book.

Very fast, easy read for the perfect cozy weekend autmn read. Gave me slight gilmore girls vibes but a different setting.

This book was not 100% my speed but is a great read for someone who loves found family. A reader who loves some nostalgia- it’s about a no longer famous singer in her new life and navigating her love for music still. A reader who loves a cozy read with great communication exemplified. We have a plot that flows so well- our FMC is looking for closure with one of her old band mates before she can continue on her journey with life but also her love of music. Such a good cozy read that could be great for either a fall or winter read (the story spans both)

i thought that Make Me a Mixtape was a quick, fun fall time read. The fall vibes of the book were so fun and the cast of characters reminded me a little bit of Gilmore Girls and gave me a small town feel while the book was set in a big city. I loved the friendship that were made between the characters and enjoyed reading about Allie’s journey with music and her band. the music references throughout the book were fun touches. my main issue with the book was the miscommunication between Allie and Ryan. the romance was a lot of back and forth where you could tell they liked each other but neither of them wanted to be the one to say it or would find reasons for why the other party didn’t feel the same way. they had such a sweet relationship though and it was cute to see their friendship form first, i just wished they had communicated a little better. Overall, the book was an easy contemporary read and a fun one to pick up for the fall!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a cute fall read that was both heartwarming and funny. I loved the characters of Allie and Ryan, and their banter was hilarious. The story was also very relatable and relatable, which made it easy to get invested in. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and enjoyable read.

The book was… okay. I wanted to love this book based off of its description + cover, but it just missed the mark for me. The characters seemed immature for their age range and I found myself getting irritated at them a lot, honestly.

Some scenes felt .. clunky?
I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book.

Music geeks & Brooklyn lovers, unite! ✨ This is a very cute, quick & easy read filled with lots of nostalgia. The male main character is adorable with an abundance of southern charm and that golden retriever boyfriend energy. The female main character is all NYC sass to the max (which ofc, he loves 👀💃).

These characters seemed very compatible until we got to the intimacy and then things felt a little forced/clunky. The interaction gave off a vibe like they both just wanted to be friends & didn’t know how to back out of the situation, even though we were being told otherwise. There was too much hesitation & almost too much consent/permission asking (I know, crazy - not something you usually hear). But honestly, even after the awkwardness, I was still rooting for them.

While it did momentarily take me out of the story, I wouldn’t say that one aspect being slightly off was a deal breaker in terms of enjoyment. This book had a lot of other things working for it… the cozy Brooklyn cafe vibes, a fun plot & amazing side characters, plus lots of great music references (you best believe I made a Spotify playlist with all of them).

This was an all around fun read! Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC 💛

Unfortunately, I was not a fan of this book. Allie was pretty bland and her only character trait was being a musician. Ryan was basically a golden retriever, but not a good one. He was pretty annoying throughout the whole book, and during their first meeting, he called Allie by a name she didn't like, and when she told him not to, he went ahead and called her that a few more times, and she was pretty rude to him, and somehow they still became friends and then more?

The main couple was disappointing, but the side characters/couple weren't any better either. Ren and Anisha were also bland. Anisha asks Allie about Ren, to where Allie tells her that Ren is not the settling-down type and doesn't do relationships, and not to go for them, but Anisha does it anyway and somehow that ends with Ren telling Allie that Anisha is the one for them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing the ARc.

I had a very hard time with this book, mostly due to the main characters and their individual personalities. Ryan is overly effusive and already a huge fan of Allie and her former band. He comes off as very strong and in your face, most of which was a huge distraction for me.

I was also very bored. The writing and the relationship are dry and there was nothing that could have fixed this terrible dynamic. Instead this book drags you through the issues to the other side. It very very confusing who people were and making sure I didn't call any of them over.

Everyone did an amazing job with this episode.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

I wanted to like this book, based on the premise, but neither of the characters were compelling or interesting enough to want to follow through to see how they end up together.

☕️Slow Burn with Missed Sparks☕️
⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️

Make Me A Mixtape by Jennifer Whiteford had such potential with its punk rock vibes, coffee shop charm, and a dash of nostalgia, but it struggled to hit the right notes for me. Allie, former lead singer of the now defunct punk rock band The Jetskis, is now recording covers in her Brooklyn apartment while working in her aunt’s coffee shop. When Ryan, a longtime fan of her band recognizes Allie when she delivers his coffee & cookie order, I was ready for some fun chemistry.

But halfway through, I was left waiting for something—really kind of anything—to happen. Allie and Ryan keep tiptoeing around each other for what felt like forever. There were some sweet moments, like Allie opening up about her family and them bonding while hanging with mutual friends, but the pacing was all over the place. The first kiss at 65%? I’m all for a slow burn, but this one didn’t have the tension to pull it off.

Ryan, despite his connection to Allie’s past, felt like a bit of a mystery the whole time. And while the last quarter of the book finally brought the emotions and heart I’d been waiting for, it was too little too late. The sweet twist at the very end saved it from being a total miss, but overall, it felt like a mixtape that just needed a few more hits.

2024 is truly the year of exception debuts and this latest from a new Canadian author is no exception. Set in a Brooklyn suburb and featuring Allie Andrews, a former hit band member of The Jetskis, who now works as a barista and is wanting to reconnect with her old bandmates. She becomes friends with Ryan, who helps her track down Jessie, the one who Allie has the most regrets about fighting with. This is also a love letter to 90s music, mixtapes and friends to lovers romance. Great on audio and a perfect fall to holiday season read. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Read this contemporary romance if you like:
✨New York City setting
✨reverse grumpy x sunshine
✨musicians
✨friends to lovers
✨found family
✨happy ever after

Thank you Net Galley and Penguin Random House for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

My thoughts 💭

👍🏼
I loved the nostalgic vibes this book gave off! The old music, the cassette tapes, the punk rock clubs: it felt like going back to a simpler time!


👎🏼
The use of the miscommunication trope in this one made the romance feel very YA and amateur, despite these characters being in their 30's.

3 ⭐️ ARC review - Make Me A Mixtape - Jennifer Whiteford

This was a super cozy and quick read! I loved the nostalgic vibes I was getting from the punk music scene to the songs that were mentioned throughout the book. Allie was a little frustrating at times because it seemed like she was still stuck in her teenage years and wasn’t sure how to handle relationships/friendships, but she grew on me. Overall I thought it was a cute read!

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the ARC!

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!