The romance is not why i would recommend Sounds Like Love, it's the exploration of grief for someone who is still alive, which will hit home for those with family members living with dementia and Alzheimers. When a family members has a disease like dementia, which involves losing one's memory over time, it can be hard to know where the balance is between providing care and making the most of the time we have left with them. There are no easy answers but Poston writes with such a life-affirming touch that it feels like it'll be okay in the end. This is my favorite of hers in terms of grief exploration.

Ashely Poston always manages to surprise me. Her plots and storytelling are always so heart wrenching and utterly unique that I can always count on her for a story that will take me by surprise.

I loved the concept of our two MC’s, Joni and Sasha, being telepathically linked through music and having to figure out a way to break that bond, resulting in them bonding in a way neither of them expected. The side plot of Joni’s mother’s declining health was wonderfully written, I was crying by the end, especially as I’m experiencing grief and loss myself at the moment. So many quotes stuck with me, gutted me— “grief was a love song in reverse” has particularly been imbedded in my mind ever since I finished the book.

The only reason this isn’t a full five stars is because I felt there was something missing in regard to the romance? I’m not sure what, honestly, I really enjoyed it but I wasn’t entirely consumed by Sasha and Joni’s connection like I expected (especially compared to other Poston books I’ve read, Clem and Iwan in particular). But ultimately, I inhaled this book and loved every minute of it, even if it wasn’t perfect for me. Ashley will always be auto-buy author for me. I simply see her name and I’m ready to dive in!

Thank you for my earc of this book. I really enjoyed my time with this story and loved the magical element.
I’m not hugely into music but really liked the theme of it through this book.
The romance is lovely and I love the friendship & family elements too

This is a moving story, with the clear message of remember who you are at your core! It was sweet in places, and the writing really was beautiful. I

It was a fun easy read - I only deducted one star as I wasn't 100% sure on the telepathic connection between Seb, Joni, & Sasha. I'm not 100% sure on how that worked and I felt like it could have been explained more. It was difficult to follow where they were actually speaking out loud, and when they were speaking in their minds which was a little confusing at times.

But all in all a sweet and enjoyable read.

I need this lady to write my eulogy. Preferably before I died so I could read that as well.

There's something so beautiful about the way Ashley Poston subtly writes magical elements into her stories. I love them every time, but the thing I love the most is that she never does the same thing twice. I'm always so excited to see how she's going to do it when she brings out a new book.

Joni and Sebastien might be my favourite Poston book couple yet. Their chemistry was so great.

But what I loved more than that was Joni's relationships with the other people around her. I love when a character has conversations and things going on with their friends and family that doesn't revolve around the love interest. I loved the scenes with Joni and her mum, and Joni and Gigi. They actually had substance, which was a nice change in a romance book. I also loved the setting. Poston described Vienna Shores so well, I genuinely can imagine I've been there before.

Poston has been an automatic read for me since I read Dead Romantics and this just cemented her as one of my favourite authors.

This book, at its heart, is a book about not forgetting who you are. Joni has lost her songwriting mojo and Sebastian is at a crossroads. They become connected through their own thoughts and have to find out how to fix it… by writing the best song they can together. The secondary storyline centres around Joni and her mother Wyn who has dementia and is slowly forgetting the world around her.

For me, the more powerful storyline was Joni and Wyn’s. It felt so moving and emotional, especially as you learn what her mother and her home means to Joni. I loved Gigi as a side character but I felt she had so much going on in her own life that Joni lacked that support.

The connection (telepathically) between Sebastian / Sasha and Joni was interesting. I’ve not read a story like this before and was so intrigued about how this would work. Unfortunately I’m not really sure it’s explained all that well how or why this happens. It feels quite random and inconsistent. Can they hear the people they’re talking to? Sometimes they can and sometimes they can’t. How (or why) do they go as long as they do without knowing who the other is? Why can he infiltrate her thoughts easier than she can his? I also got confused why they would flit between speaking and thoughts in the same conversation when they’re the only two there. However, the romantic in me really loved them they could “feel” each other there and that they built this lifeline that they both rely on.

As always, Ashley’s writing is standout. The romantic and whimsical prose is beautiful and made reading this book so easy and absorbing.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read & review this book.

Ashley Poston writes beautiful love stories with wonderful magical realism elements and this was no exception. I adored this story, Joni and Sasha's romance was so addictive and I loved the tension between them both. I loved how they explored the music element of the story as well as the dementia storyline which was heartbreaking. This is the perfect summer romance read that made me want to be near the beach.

I have read all of Ashley Poston's books and this instantly goes up there as one of my favourites. It had me hooked from the start and I managed devour the whole book within several hours.

My thanks to Ashley, her publishing team and Netgalley for the chance to read this. I look forward to purchasing in the future.

Ashley Poston writes the most beautiful romances I have the pleasure of reading. Sounds Like Love is an enchantingly gorgeous love story, while touching on serious life experiences. All themes are handled with gentle care. Ashley excels in magical realism while taking readers along for the ride.
I loved Joni and Sebastian - two wonderfully complex, talented individuals who find themselves unexpectedly thrown together. Their journey to find themselves, make great life changes and end up in a happy place, was a pleasure to read. I loved seeing Iwan and Clementine again, that was such a nice touch!

I really loved this. I accidentally ended up reading two books in a row where the main character has a mother with dementia, and this one handled it so much better. It struck a really nice balance between emotional depth and lightheartedness without feeling too heavy. The setting of Vienna Shoreswas vivid, and the magical realism element—telepathy between the main characters—worked really well. I also loved the music aspect and the connection that developed between the two leads. The writing was beautiful and moving without ever tipping into being overly earnest. I think Ashley Poston recaptured the magic of The Seven Year Slip, and I loved the little cameo from that novel too.

Some small nitpicks: I felt Mitchell could have been a bit more fleshed out as a character, and I wasn’t a fan of the nickname “Bird.” I also thought there was an unresolved thread around Joni’s mum’s animosity toward Sebastian’s dad that didn’t quite get the closure it needed.

The story centers on two individuals navigating both emotional and professional struggles, each with a strong bond to their mothers. Out of nowhere, they find themselves psychically linked—hearing the same unfinished song echoing in their minds. The catch? They need to complete the song together to break free from the loop. How brilliant is that idea? I was instantly hooked.

Enter Joni Lark. She left her hometown of Vienna Shores, North Carolina, chasing her dream of becoming a music artist—and made a name for herself as a successful songwriter. But when her mother is diagnosed with dementia, her world crumbles. Her creativity vanishes, and she feels totally adrift. While visiting home from L.A., she’s still shaken by a spontaneous kiss she shared with former boy band heartthrob Sebastian McKellen on a theater balcony—an impulsive moment that left her more unsettled than inspired.

Back in Vienna Shores, Joni reconnects with her loved ones and is met with devastating news. That’s when things take a strange turn: she starts hearing a mysterious melody—and a man’s voice. No, she’s not imagining it. The voice belongs to a stranger named Sasha, and somehow, they’re both hearing the same haunting tune. The solution? Write the song together.

When Sasha comes to her town, Joni must face not only their eerie musical bond, but also her own fears, regrets, and the idea that fate might have brought them together for a greater reason. Maybe this isn’t just about finishing a song. Maybe it’s about healing, accepting the unknown, and discovering what she’s really meant for.

I was completely charmed by this story—two souls, seemingly unconnected, brought together by a magical twist of fate. Watching Joni slowly open her heart was deeply satisfying, and Sasha? Total swoon material. I mean, who wouldn’t fall for a guy who tells the woman he loves, “You’re poetry in motion”?

Another sky-high rating from me! This novel is dreamy, heartfelt, emotionally rich, and full of tender, otherworldly charm. I was swept away from beginning to end.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing me with a digital copy of this moving, romantic tale in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you so much HQ stories & netgalley for the arc of one of my most anticipated reads of this year 🥰 I have just absolutely devoured it in one sitting.

This is for sure my favourite Ashley Poston book so far. I loved it so so much.

This is perfect for any music lovers especially 🎶 it was such a unique and brilliant concept and it was perfectly delivered. The writing (as always) was so, so stunning, I annotated so much.

I loved all of the characters and I was so invested in the story.

As always, I did shed a tear. Ashley’s writing just really tugs on my heartstrings. I loved this so much 💕

This book is quintessential Ashley Poston! Magical Realism woven into a woman’s story dealing with grief and then also having a little romance. I think, definitely as is with her other works, this is a women’s fiction story first with a side plot of romance but the romance was so delicious and Sasha was just the perfect man for Joni. The writing was (as always) perfection, but I really think Ashley Poston has just grown as a writer especially since The Dead Romantics back in 2022. The word choices and sentence structures really worked together to punch you in the gut with how beautifully morose this book is, but alternatively this book has such perfect summer vibe; set in a coastal town with constant beach trips, ice cream dates and bar trips on a boat — “I was a child of beaches and sticky ice cream summers and messy windswept hair.”

I love the talk of grief and how it’s just a “love song in reverse”; the way you could feel the melancholy drip off the words in relation to Joni’s mother and her dementia was just heartbreaking. Also so appreciated the conversations around following your dreams and the kind of person you would be if you didn’t walk certain paths stemming from Joni just feeling so homesick and also heavily burnt out (which is so relatable). Lastly, the music was also so so fun as someone who’s least favourite thing is actually music and songs in books — Ashley Poston did it so well here that it didn’t bother me at all and in fact made me fall in love with it. Can’t wait to see what she does next!