In Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston, Joni “Jo” Lark has been a songwriter in LA for almost a decade and while she’s been very successful at it, she might have just hit the bottom of the well. 
Because for nearly a year she hasn’t been able to write a single song. Worried she’ll never get her mojo back, Joni heads home to the shores of North Carolina as planned for the summer. Sun, beaches, fruity cocktails, and live music at her family’s hall, the Revelry, may be just what her overworked–and overwhelmed–mind needs. But facing down her beloved mom’s new dementia diagnosis is weighing on Jo. And she wonders if maybe it could be part of the reason for her lack of musical inspiration lately.
‘There were some songs you made special–songs for first dances, songs for funerals, songs for heartbreak and forgetting. And then there were the songs that made you.’
Just before Joni heads home, she crosses paths with former boy band member Sebastian Fell. It didn’t really start off so well. But she can’t stop thinking about the unexpected kiss they shared. Joni’s thoughts shift gears quickly, though, when she begins to hear a unique melody in her head–along with the voice of a very sexy-sounding guy. Neither of them can figure out how they are linked. Or why they can hear each other’s thoughts. Jo is both relieved and panicked at the thought of Sasha showing up in North Carolina to work on the song but knows it’s their only hope of figuring it all out. But things get even more complicated when he arrives. Not only must they finish the song together, but Joni’s also determined to ignore her attraction to Sasha. Dating someone she’s working with is a surefire way for things to get messy. Although she has to wonder if that’s a bad thing after seeing just how well they work–and play–together.
‘I’d written songs for the better half of a decade, but none of them reached so far down into my soul and burrowed there. Not like this one.’
Achingly romantic, insightful, and with a wonderful thread of humor throughout, SOUNDS LIKE LOVE was another heartfelt Ashley Poston novel that was as warm and comforting as it was exciting and unique.
“Every song is a love song, Jo.”
CW: View Spoiler »
If music (and literature) is your love language, then SOUNDS LIKE LOVE will be a joy to read. Filled with song and band references, nostalgia, melodies and lyrics, Ashley Poston wove music into every part of this romance. The magical realism, though, is what made this story sing for me. While jarring for Joni and Sasha at first, their telepathic connection proved to be a healing balm for them both–as well as an intimate view into each other’s feelings, personal hang ups, and honest thoughts. It also made their slow-burn relationship a bit more challenging at times while easier in other respects.
Everything from the song titles at the beginning of each chapter to the small-town North Carolina beach setting to the quirky, lovable characters worked for me. Even how burnt-out Joni felt after years of toiling away in the music industry was described so incredibly well that her sadness and disenchantment with LA was palpable. The fact that she was missing her family back in North Carolina made sense given that Joni’s mom had a fairly recent dementia diagnosis. That part of their journey was tough, needless to say. And I’ll openly admit to shedding some tears. But the love and the terrific bond Joni and her family had was *everything*. Her parents, her brother, and her best friend all made a lasting impression on me as I’m sure they will with readers.
Sasha ended up being a great hero–and the perfect match for Joni. He’d had a lot of trauma in his life. But, like her, music was his heart and where he went when he needed to process his feelings. Their scenes together when they finally let down their guard and let each other in were tender, raw, and beautiful. The music and magical realism are what initially pulled me to this story, but it was the joy and love between Sasha and Joni that kept me glued to the pages until the sentimental ending.
QOTD: Joni believed that a good song could fix just about anything. Do you have a favorite go-to song for when you’re stressed, had a bad day, or just need some positive energy?
Book Info:
Publication: Published: June 17th, 2025 | Berkley |
A hitmaking songwriter and a bitter musician share a startling and inexplicable connection that they’ll do anything to shake, in the next sparkling, magical book from Ashley Poston.
Joni Lark is living the dream. She’s one of the most coveted songwriters in LA…and she can’t seem to write. There’s an emptiness inside her, and nothing seems to fill it.
When she returns to her hometown of Vienna Shores, North Carolina, she hopes that the sand, the surf, and the concerts at The Revelry, her family’s music venue, will spark her inspiration. But when she gets there, nothing is how she left it. Her best friend is avoiding her, her mother’s memories are fading fast, and The Revelry is closing.
How can she think about writing her next song when everything is changing without her?
Until she hears it. A melody in her head, lyric-less and half-formed, and an alluring and addictive voice to go with it—belonging, apparently, to a wry musician with hangups of his own.
Surely, he’s a figment of her overworked imagination.
But then the very real man attached to the voice shows up in Vienna Shores. He’s aggravating and gruff on the outside—nothing like the sweet, funny voice in Joni’s head—and he has a plan:
They’ll finish the song haunting them both, break their connection, and hope they don’t risk their hearts in the process.
Because that song stuck in their heads? Maybe it’s there for a reason.
bn100
no fav