Narrator: Stacy Gonzalez
Brilliance Audio
ISBN: 9781662508271
Publisher: Lake Union
Publication Date: 10/17/2023
Format: Other
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
From the bestselling author of This Is Not How It Ends comes a moving novel of two unfinished love stories and the music and lyrics that bring them together.
Journalist Cecilia James is a sucker for a love song. So when she stumbles across a clue to the identity of the muse for one of rock’s greatest, she devotes herself to uncovering the truth, even as her own relationship is falling apart.
While writing an article for Rolling Stone, Cecilia works to reveal the mystery that has intrigued fans and discovers a classic tale of two soulmates separated by fate and circumstance. Rock star Eddie Vee once sang with his soul, dedicating love songs to Sara Friedman, his inspiration and first love. Now, Eddie takes refuge in anonymity, closed off to the past. Sara, too, has distanced herself from their love, moving thousands of miles away to live the life she once railed against. As Eddie and Sara tentatively open up to Cecilia about broken dreams, she struggles to give them a happy ending. In the process, she learns that broken hearts can be healed—even her own.
What You Do To Me is the story of a love song and of the triumph of the heart over the greatest of odds. Even for those who have written off love forever.
My Review
Master storyteller (favorite) Rochelle B. Weinstein returns following When We Let Go with her seventh novel, WHAT YOU DO TO ME —a captivating, nostalgic, clever tale exploring the story behind the song—the reimagining of two unfinished love stories and the music and lyrics that bring them together.
Fun, Illuminating, and endearing! A romantic story of star-crossed lovers— Eddie, a musician, and Sara, his muse, and Cecelia, the journalist who is trying to rewrite their ending
Meet Rolling Stone reporter Cecilia James. She has become emotionally invested in her story as she dives deep into the truth behind a hit love song. All the while, she tries to detangle her messy love story and family of secrets.
Cecilia overhears a conversation about the famous Eddie Vee, a famous singer who went into hiding after a tragic event at a concert. She is obsessed with finding the woman and learning her identity.
As the worlds connect past and present, secrets are revealed while relationships are tested. Can the power of music heal all that's been broken?
The author follows Eddie and Sara's love story with short, fun chapters, including the song's name, year, and city. We travel from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, to 2023 past/present. We learn about all the hit songs and their reimagined inspiration. We visit LA, Miami, New York, and others. My absolute favorite is Bisbee, Arizona, a unique, memorable place.
Like Delilah, the song title at the beginning of each chapter includes a name. As the author references, she has always believed that the songwriter was inspired by someone, real or imaginary, illuminating the music. Those chapter titles remind those who impacted a life enough to write about it.
The author writes poignant heartfelt stories of people, places, and experiences. She has a rare gift for getting into the hearts and souls of her characters and vivid settings that jump off the page.
Songwriters write music about the same, from love, friendship, loss, and pain. Storytellers use these experiences to share their feelings about the work. Musicians, songwriters, and authors are all part of what brings joy to readers/listeners.
Spectacular! Music lovers will devour WHAT YOU DO TO ME, rewinding the past with songs that bring us joy! If anyone could tell this story, it would be Rochelle B. Weinstein! Well done! #CoverCrush. If you loved Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & the Six, this is for you! (However, I liked WHAT YOU DO TO ME better). From love, mystery, song, and second chances —it has it all!
A massive fan of the author, I have read all her books and highly recommend them!
Thanks to Lake Union and NetGalley for a gifted early reading copy for an honest opinion.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE: BISBEE, AZ
As a hotel consultant, investors would send me to these areas where I would spend weeks or months learning about the community, the competition, other hotels, restaurants, historical research, sites, etc., and real estate. I would write the business financial plans and city reviews; and choose the name for the new hotel, inns, rooms, suites, software, and interior design while designing their website and marketing plans.
This was so much fun! Bisbee is full of writers and artists and is often a place where creatives hide, write, create, and inspire. I agree; it is peaceful, cozy, and in a world of its own. I loved visiting all the places and seeing the projects come to life. So many fabulous art galleries!
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Oct 17, 2023
Praise
“Good music vibes and compelling characters make this good for public libraries.” —Booklist
“Bestselling author Rochelle B. Weinstein had me at ‘mix tape.’ Her nostalgic new page-turner, What You Do To Me hits all the high notes: a strong, determined female protagonist, a dreamy love interest (ahh, the lead singer in a band), forbidden love, family drama, journalistic pursuits, suspense, and second chances. Rolling Stone reporter Cecilia James has committed the cardinal sin: She has become emotionally involved in her story, as she deep dives into finding the truth behind a hit love song while trying to detangle her own messy love life and family secrets. I sang, I wept, I laughed, and I applauded―holding my lighter high for an encore performance. Weinstein’s latest must-read gem doesn’t miss a beat.”
―Lisa Barr, New York Times bestselling author of Woman on Fire
“Weinstein had me at music. Throw in a retro timeline that brings back all the 90s feels and I’m a forever fan. What You Do To Me has everything I love in a story: romance, mystery, and suspense, the trifecta of an unputdownable read. Weinstein savvily crafts not one, but two love stories, each with a heart tugging emotional end, wraps them both in some of my favorite tunes from the best decades (IMHO), plus some new ones, and adds in a mystery detailed so visually I could easily picture this on screen. Fans of Daisy Jones & the Six and novels with music themes and persistent protagonists both flawed and edgy will obviously love this book, but I think Weinstein’s novel packs an extra punch for us romantics who grew up falling for a rock star or two, even if he was only a poster on the wall above our bed.”
―Kerry Lonsdale, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Side Trip
“Long a master of the family saga, Rochelle Weinstein now turns her formidable talent to a passionate and playful love story. What You Do To Me is the story of star-crossed lovers Eddie, a musician, and Sara, his muse, and Cecelia, the journalist who is trying to rewrite their ending―and her own. Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & the Six will flock to this sweet and soulful book about first love and second chances, and will be moved and inspired to revisit the playlist of their own lives.”
―Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of Code Name Sapphire
“With a deft hand, Rochelle Weinstein has crafted a fascinating, multi-layered tale expertly weaving between then and now. She introduces not one, but several intriguing elements from the past and how they shaped the present, and I desperately needed to know how everything would end. And all I can say is, what a wild and wonderful ride.”
―Tracey Garvis Graves, New York Times bestselling author of Heard It in a Love Song
“Sometimes a book gets everything exactly right―the ultimate love story and a heart-pumping mystery all wrapped up in a Daisy Jones & the Six vibe. What You Do To Me is storytelling perfection.”
―Annabel Monaghan, author of Nora Goes Off Script
“I love everything Rochelle Weinstein writes, and I am still swooning over What You Do To Me, a story brimming with suspense, rock music, forbidden love, and a heroine who is determined to uncover a decades-long secret. Sexy, sweet, and ultimately so satisfying―you need to read this one!”
―Maddie Dawson, bestselling author of Matchmaking for Beginners
About the Author
Rochelle B. Weinstein is the USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of seven women’s fiction novels, including When We Let Go, This Is Not How It Ends, and Somebody’s Daughter. A former entertainment industry executive, she splits her time between sunny South Florida and the mountains of North Carolina. As Miami’s NBC 6 in the Mix monthly book contributor, Rochelle is on the hunt for the next great read while she teaches publishing workshops at Nova Southeastern University. She loves hiking, beach walks, her two dogs, and finding the world’s best nachos. She is currently working on her eighth novel. Please visit her at www.rochelleweinstein.com.
