Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

The writing style was unfortunately not for me. It felt like I was being forced to have a connection/feel for characters that I had only just met and have no connection with which unfortunately had the opposite effect on me. It was also a little difficult figuring out what timeline and POV I was in throughout the book but I'm not sure if that was because it was read on a kindle or not.

Personally, I did not enjoy how the female body was written about in this book and did not feel the connection that the FMC and MMC had with each other. However, I did like reading about the music world as a former music student and brought back memories of it for me.

Beautiful cover and premise. Such a serious almost depressing half of the book. Great inward look into grappling with grief and purpose and the trials of love in all its facets. Loved the short chapters and inside looks into the main character, Adam's, little moments in life and how they affect the larger decisions he makes.

4.25⭐️

[a copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher from netgalley. thank you!]

a beautiful book about music, love & loss. well-written prose, realistically crafted characters & an emotional & heartfelt narrative. highly recommend, a joy to read

Music permeates the pages of this beautifully crafted novel about grief, love, and loss. With well-drawn characters and thoughtful explorations of both artistry and ambition, Duet For One is a story that resonates long after the final page. I highly recommend this book!

Using the background of the iconic Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia which she calls Caldwell, Martha Anne Toll spins a love story between two musicians who are full of personal angst and internal conflicts as they discover their strengths and weaknesses while navigating their career choices and family differences.

Adam is the violinist son of the famous Philadelphia piano duo Victor and Adele Pearl, a couple completely devoted to their craft. Dara Kingsley is an English professor at Penn from Paoli, who met Adam as an adolescent while trying to distinguish herself in the competitive world of music as a violist.

The conflict arises when her music teacher, Phillip Hissle, assures Dara that her talent is limited, and Dara feels like she would never be the gifted musician needed to complete Adam’s family circle. She breaks off the romance.

Adele’s death from cancer and the events that follow cause Adam and Dara to re-examine their feelings for each other twenty years later as they negotiate the path to true love.

The author posits the idea that love is redeemable and renewable if a couple is willing to make the effort. The message is hopeful.

Worth reading.

Thanks goes to NetGalley and Regal House Publishing for the ARC of this book.