I’d give Lost Love on 6th Street a solid 3 stars. The first half of the book was enjoyable, with a charming setup and a well-paced mystery that grabbed my attention. I loved the descriptions of Austin, Texas—it really made me want to visit and experience the vibrant city myself. The twist in the middle was a nice surprise, though overall, I found the plot to be somewhat predictable.

Unfortunately, the book lost momentum around the middle, and the pacing slowed down. By the time the ending came around, it felt rushed and abrupt, leaving me confused and unsatisfied with how everything wrapped up. Despite that, it’s still a cute love story, and I did enjoy the journey overall.

As a native Austinite I enjoy reading books with the setting there, but ***spoiler alert*** once the male protagonist admitted he lied to stay in touch with the female protagonist I was no longer interested in the story. Don't lie & then expect anyone to respect you.

I thought this was such a cute book! I loved the scavenger hunt aspect of it as it just adds something a bit different to a romance book.

At times I did miss some depth to the characters. It felt like we never really got an explanation of the reasoning why she decided to move here and her feelings about it all.

I also didn’t love how the mystery was wrapped up. They hit a dead end quite a few times and then the way to figure it all out was a random last minute introduction? I also hated how he hid the truth from her for so long. Feeling bad about it doesn’t make it right. Just felt like such a condescending way to treat something that really matters to someone.

Overall I did enjoy it and the music and mystery elements of the book.

It was a fun read. The setting was cool, I've never read a book set in Austin. I liked the premise of solving a mystery. It was very intriguing, but I didn't love a few of the plot points surrounding it. Overall, the characters were sweet and I had a good time reading it.

I swooned so much when reading this. I love a good dual point-of-view romance and this was just that and wonderfully done!

Thank you NetGalley, Lolu Sinclair and Lost Lust for giving me an ARC of this book!

Such a fun read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was not it for me. I didn't feel any chemistry between the two lead characters, and the conflict, to me, felt very contrived.

I did not finish this book because I was not interested in the story enough to keep reading. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review early.

Lost Love on 6th Street fell a little flat for me. I did like the description of Eleanor’s discomfort with compliments and her inability to accept that men found her attractive. That part felt real. But I couldn’t really feel the attraction and romance between Luke and Eleanor. Was that because they were both uncomfortable discussing feelings? Maybe. The search for the mystery woman in the photograph didn’t feel as compelling to me as it did to the MC’s. All in all it was an ok light read set in Austin.

I was excited about a story in my hometown, Austin, but found the characters hard to relate to. Full of comedy, but bad romance, I did, overall, enjoy the story.

i LOVED this book!! So bingeable AND rereadable. The characters felt really depthy and loveable and it was just phenomenal in my opinion!!! As a musician myself, I loved the plot-line and really connected to it. I thought everything tied together SO nicely. A new comfort novel for sure. Wow, just WOW.

The ending felt very rushed. I don't like how they got together in literally the last 10 pages.. But overall I really enjoyed this story! The writing is good and I will be reading more from this author in the future.

I loved this book and really enjoyed the dual POV it was written in. The story line was ok, and the characters to me, were a bit over the top at times, but still cutesy.

I was looking forward to reading this but unfortunately it fell flat.

I didn't love the characters, the mystery was not as prevalent to the plot as implied and the MMC was actually kinda gross.

I don't think that I have anything good to say about this book.

Lost Love on 6th Street by Lolu Sinclair offers an enjoyable, if somewhat uneven, romantic escapade through Austin's lively music scene. The premise—a curious archivist uncovering the story of a mysterious 1993 musician—sounds like the perfect blend of romance, music history, and adventure. However, while there are moments of charm, the novel doesn’t fully hit all the right notes, making it a decent but ultimately underwhelming read.

The protagonist, Eleanor Hayes, is relatable in her awkwardness, and her love for history and archiving gives her a unique edge compared to more typical rom-com heroines. Her curiosity about the mysterious musician adds a fun investigative layer to the story, and her awkward encounters and clumsy charm provide some light humor. However, Eleanor’s character development feels somewhat shallow, and despite the quirky premise, her personality doesn’t quite leap off the page as much as you’d hope for a lead character.

Luke Wyatt, the charming music promoter, is introduced as Eleanor’s guide into Austin’s music world. He knows all the ins and outs of the neon-lit 6th Street, and while sparks do fly between them, his character is a bit too smooth. Luke comes across as the archetypal rom-com love interest, and though his laid-back vibe fits the Austin music scene, there’s little that makes him stand out or adds depth to his role beyond being Eleanor’s romantic interest.

The chemistry between Eleanor and Luke is hit or miss. While there are some cute moments—late-night texting and shared taco truck runs—their banter often feels forced, and their romance progresses without much emotional buildup. Eleanor’s awkwardness and Luke’s over-the-top charm are supposed to create an opposites-attract dynamic, but the connection between them doesn’t feel entirely authentic or particularly steamy, despite the book’s attempts at humor and sexual tension ("steams up Eleanor’s glasses and tightens Luke's trousers").

The mystery surrounding the 1993 musician is the most intriguing aspect of the novel, but it often feels like a subplot rather than the driving force of the story. Sinclair spends a lot of time describing Austin’s music scene, with its dive bars, record shops, and legendary venues, but the actual mystery feels underdeveloped. Readers expecting a more substantial musical history or detective-style narrative may be disappointed, as the clues and discoveries around the mysterious musician feel secondary to the romance.

On the plus side, Sinclair paints a vivid picture of Austin, capturing the city’s vibrant and eclectic energy. The descriptions of 6th Street’s music scene, with its dive bars and vintage shops, bring the setting to life. If you love Austin, the setting will be a nostalgic delight, even if the plot doesn’t fully capitalize on it.

Final Thoughts:
Lost Love on 6th Street is a light, breezy read that’s perfect for fans of music-infused rom-coms, but it falls short in both its romance and its mystery. The chemistry between Eleanor and Luke lacks the depth needed to truly invest in their relationship, and the potentially captivating mystery of the musician from 1993 doesn’t get the attention it deserves. While the Austin setting adds a fun backdrop, the novel overall feels like it misses out on its full potential. A 2.5-star read—enjoyable enough but not particularly memorable.

Cute storyline! I enjoyed the premise of the book, but the characters were a little cringy.

Luke and Eleanor literally run into each other on 6th street and it is love at first site for Luke. I think Eleanor needed a little convincing from her bff/boss. Eleanor is working as a music archivist and is searching for information on a mystery woman she found in a picture. Luke knows more than he lets on but continues to lie so he can hang out with Eleanor. In the end the picture leads to Luke uncovering some of his family secrets.

I would probably give this a 3.5 star rating. It was a good read but will not go in my reread list.

Thank you Netgalley and Lolu Sinclair for the ARC read.

3🌟: This book was honestly not super memorable :/ Let’s start with the positives though: The writing was good and very refreshingly simple as well and with its cute premise it was great! I actually liked the love interests together after everything was resolved and I thought their ending was sweet, I love it when epilogues aren’t rushed and don’t have a huge time jump but also give a cute glimpse into the couple’s future. Also I loved exploring Austin in this book through the mysterious scavenger hunt storyline - it was very much giving small town vibes even though Austin is a huge city lol.

But I’m afraid the cons outweighs the pros: despite how I thought Eleanor and Luke were cute together, the fact that he was lying to her from the start really threw me off their love story and he would think some really icky, not-like-other-girls things that I did not appreciate. Also one of the tropes here is insta-love which I’m not sure many people enjoy either so there’s that. And the start of this book felt very young, it took me a long time to believe that these main characters were in there 30s?! I could not take Luke’s flirting seriously for te first 20% because of this too 😭 Eleanor, wow, I was shocked by how little we learnt about her, by the end of the book she still felt like a stranger to me :/

BUT thank you so much to Lolu Sinclair, NetGalley and Lost Lust for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion :)

Eleanor Hayes expected her temp job at Austin’s music library to be all about sorting dusty files, but everything changed when she stumbled across an old photo of a mysterious musician from 1993. Eleanor was drawn in by her curiosity, the mystery, so she dove headfirst into Austin’s lively music scene, where she quickly crossed paths with Luke Wyatt, a charming music promoter who seemed to know every cool spot in town. As they followed clues from dive bars to record shops, sparks flew, and suddenly the search wasn’t the only thing heating up between them

I ended up loving this book way more than I expected! For a debut, it really impressed me—it was engaging and entertaining from start to finish. Eleanor handled being new to Austin with such heart, and Luke, who was smitten right from the start, was impossible to resist. Their ups and downs felt real, but their connection stayed strong throughout.

The mystery added such a fun layer to the story, keeping me hooked right to the very end!

Thanks to NetGalley and Lost Lust!

The narrative centers around Eleanor Hayes, an archivist employed at a music library. As she sifts through vintage photographs, she discovers a picture of an enigmatic young musician from 1993, sparking her resolve to delve into the woman's life. She encounters Luke Wyatt, a charismatic music promoter possessing extensive knowledge of the city's past and its concealed treasures. Together, they embark on a quest to decipher the identity of the musician. While the storyline is captivating with its unexpected turns, I found the characters to be somewhat unrelatable.
They are both in their thirties but exhibit behavior more akin to that of teenagers. It would have been preferable if they acted more maturely.
Some of the supporting characters could have been given more depth and development. thanks netgalley!

Cute found family book

Eleanor moved to Austin and was captivated by a photo. She bumped into Luke and he was enamored by her. He weaseled his way into helping her located who was in the photo and their history.

Found family
3rd act break
Music
Dogs
Loss of a loved one

Thank you NetGalley for the arc