I’ve been the designated organizer of our neighborhood’s annual spring book fair for three years running, and every year, I am fully convinced it will be simple. It is never simple. This year, I made the mistake of letting Marcus suggest the book fair’s theme, and he’d just finished a robotics unit, so now it’s technically a “Sci-Fi and Beyond” book fair. Somewhere between the robot display and the alien-themed bake sale table, I escaped to a quiet corner with my ARC of Sounds Like Love—a book about unexpected connections that crossed over into something magical in exactly the way I needed.
Plot Summary
Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston is a contemporary romance with a magical twist. Joni Lark is one of LA’s most in-demand songwriters—but she’s hit a wall. Burnt out and empty, she returns to her hometown of Vienna Shores, North Carolina, hoping to reconnect with her roots, help her family’s struggling music venue The Revelry, and deal with her mother’s advancing dementia. But after a chance encounter at a concert, Joni starts hearing a man’s voice inside her head—and a melody that won’t stop playing. The mysterious voice belongs to Sebastian Fell, a former boy band star grappling with his own identity crisis. When he shows up in Vienna Shores, gruff and guarded, the two make a deal: finish the haunting song together, break their telepathic connection, and go their separate ways. Easier said than done.
Why I Love This Book
I love how Sounds Like Love weaves magic into an otherwise grounded story without ever losing its emotional core. The telepathy concept is charming and inventive, but it’s the quieter moments—Joni caring for her mother, Sebastian confronting who he is without the spotlight—that really pulled at my heart. Ashley Poston writes with warmth and sincerity. The slow-burn romance is satisfying, the found-family threads feel genuine, and the music industry backdrop gives it a texture I don’t often see in contemporary romance. I also appreciated that the book doesn’t shy away from grief; it sits with it honestly.
Who Will Like This Book
If you love contemporary romance with a touch of magical realism, grumpy/sunshine pairings, and emotional depth, you’ll adore Sounds Like Love. It’s perfect for readers who enjoy books about music, home, and identity—and who like their romance to feel earned. This one is a slow build with heartfelt payoff. It’s not dark, but it handles heavy themes like parental illness and creative burnout with real care.
⚠️ Trigger warning: parent’s illness (dementia/Alzheimer’s), grief, creative burnout, mild sexual content, family estrangement.
Tagged As
contemporary romance, magical realism, telepathy, grumpy/sunshine, musicians, slow burn, small town, family dynamics, emotional, open door, standalone, HEA, Ashley Poston
Steam Level
🌶️🌶️🌶️ Moderate
There are open-door scenes, but the focus is emotional rather than explicit. Spice is present but never the main event—the heart of the story is the connection between two people finding their way back to themselves.
