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melenareads's review
4.0
*4.5 stars*
This was an spectacular slow burn romance, full of character focus and unexpected down to Earth situations.
Heidi has become one of my go to authors (I might have not forgiven her yet for that time she made me obsess with tacos for over a week). She creates delicious situations and strong, relatable characters. I loved the two main (fictional) people in this book, flaws and all… and that’s a testimony of how good this book was. It will go to my forever “slow-burns-that-make-you-laugh-and-want-to-have-meetings-in-elevators” official (mental) list and I am not ashamed.
Of note: Yes, the author shared an ARC because I volunteered for it. Yes, this is my honest (written after a long day of work) review. And no, I didn’t get ARCs for most of the other books, I just liked them.
This was an spectacular slow burn romance, full of character focus and unexpected down to Earth situations.
Heidi has become one of my go to authors (I might have not forgiven her yet for that time she made me obsess with tacos for over a week). She creates delicious situations and strong, relatable characters. I loved the two main (fictional) people in this book, flaws and all… and that’s a testimony of how good this book was. It will go to my forever “slow-burns-that-make-you-laugh-and-want-to-have-meetings-in-elevators” official (mental) list and I am not ashamed.
Of note: Yes, the author shared an ARC because I volunteered for it. Yes, this is my honest (written after a long day of work) review. And no, I didn’t get ARCs for most of the other books, I just liked them.
megkstyler's review
4.0
This was my first book by this author and it won’t be my last. I’m not usually a big fan of books written in third person, I usually find myself not quite able to fully get into the characters. I know it sounds crazy but it sounds like a movie trailer in my head! I didn’t have that problem with this book. I was hooked right away, another one sit read for me. I really enjoyed Hannah and Johnny. I would call them a second chance romance. This was a real slow burner, but there was so much depth to this story that I didn’t find myself getting bored. There was no long drawn out unnecessary drama. If you are looking for descriptive Spicy times you might be a bit disappointed. Overall I really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it!!
Received a arc for a honest review.
Received a arc for a honest review.
kimlitwin's review
4.0
This review is of the audiobook so I will be giving my opinion of the writing, story, characters, and book itself, as well as the audio production and narrators.
Key Change tells the story of Hannah, who is an ex-train-wreck pop star, who leaves the limelight to live a secretive sober life being the guardian to her younger half-sister. All goes awry when Sean, a young busker, recognizes her at a train station. Even more drama ensues, when we meet Sean’s older brother and guardian, Johnny, who knew Hannah from her past life.
If I am not to be honest, this review only needs two words…QUINN SULLIVAN! Yes, Quinn and even Alex Green and Janie from the Knitting in the City series makes an appearance. And they are delightful! In addition to that little surprise, the story is wonderful. I enjoyed that the book alternates between the two main characters, Hannah and Johnny, so we get a glimpse into each of their thoughts on their situation and blossoming relationship.
I also really like the character of Hannah. She is sassy and bitchy and takes no crap from anyone, but at the same time she is responsible and caring and thoughtful. I really wanted her to be happy throughout the book. She made mistakes in her past and was by no means perfect, but she always tried to do good.
As for the book itself, it is well written and well organized. The pacing was good. As I mentioned, I listened to the audiobook version and the two narrators were on point. They did great voices for all the characters and conveyed realistic emotion in their delivery.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book, especially to anyone that is a fan of Penny Reid.
Special thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for advanced copy.
Key Change tells the story of Hannah, who is an ex-train-wreck pop star, who leaves the limelight to live a secretive sober life being the guardian to her younger half-sister. All goes awry when Sean, a young busker, recognizes her at a train station. Even more drama ensues, when we meet Sean’s older brother and guardian, Johnny, who knew Hannah from her past life.
If I am not to be honest, this review only needs two words…QUINN SULLIVAN! Yes, Quinn and even Alex Green and Janie from the Knitting in the City series makes an appearance. And they are delightful! In addition to that little surprise, the story is wonderful. I enjoyed that the book alternates between the two main characters, Hannah and Johnny, so we get a glimpse into each of their thoughts on their situation and blossoming relationship.
I also really like the character of Hannah. She is sassy and bitchy and takes no crap from anyone, but at the same time she is responsible and caring and thoughtful. I really wanted her to be happy throughout the book. She made mistakes in her past and was by no means perfect, but she always tried to do good.
As for the book itself, it is well written and well organized. The pacing was good. As I mentioned, I listened to the audiobook version and the two narrators were on point. They did great voices for all the characters and conveyed realistic emotion in their delivery.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book, especially to anyone that is a fan of Penny Reid.
Special thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for advanced copy.
diandra_s's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Just an FYI: this is a closed door romance. The build up is wonderful, but if you’re hoping for intimate details, there are none.
lisaluvsliterature's review
5.0
Wow, I was really blown away by this book! I was so hooked from the very beginning and I hated every time I had to put it down to go back to work from a lunch break, or to bed so I could get up the next morning and go to work. This was kind of a reverse rock star romance in a way. So often the rock star is a man, of course, but in this case we had our former pop star, used to be Ashton James, now she was Hannah Lee. And boy was Hannah really out there, doing all the bad stuff, being a super-b-word, totally making all the tabloid headlines. Her life had been a total spiral. But when she decided or had to stop and make changes, boy did she completely turn it around. Of course she had to go incognito, anonymous, and really try to protect her younger sister when she came into her life.
And then there is Johnny. Not just an ex-fling, but someone that she kind of screwed over in her race to the top, her have to have it all. And he has very good reason to be unfriendly and not want her influence in his own younger brother’s life. Not to mention that what she did to him in the past, and what he’d thought he’d felt with her.
The romance worked perfectly. There was physical attraction from the start, perfectly reasonable. Neither wanted to fall in love, and both had very good reasons to fight it. It wasn’t only selfish reasons, at least in Hannah’s case. Johnny’s family was so wonderful as well. And there was so much more to this story than just what was going on with Johnny and Hannah. There were things going on at Shawn, Johnny’s younger brother and Piper, Hannah’s younger sister’s school. Things that really made the story have so much more depth for me.
While I kept expecting something more to happen towards the end, something dramatic that wouldn’t affect the romance, but would cause some stress for Hannah, that never happened. And I’m okay with that. I was just dreading that kind of thing happening when all the puzzle pieces seemed to be fitting perfectly into place, making this a picture perfect happily ever after ending.
I can’t wait to read more by this author in the future!
And then there is Johnny. Not just an ex-fling, but someone that she kind of screwed over in her race to the top, her have to have it all. And he has very good reason to be unfriendly and not want her influence in his own younger brother’s life. Not to mention that what she did to him in the past, and what he’d thought he’d felt with her.
The romance worked perfectly. There was physical attraction from the start, perfectly reasonable. Neither wanted to fall in love, and both had very good reasons to fight it. It wasn’t only selfish reasons, at least in Hannah’s case. Johnny’s family was so wonderful as well. And there was so much more to this story than just what was going on with Johnny and Hannah. There were things going on at Shawn, Johnny’s younger brother and Piper, Hannah’s younger sister’s school. Things that really made the story have so much more depth for me.
While I kept expecting something more to happen towards the end, something dramatic that wouldn’t affect the romance, but would cause some stress for Hannah, that never happened. And I’m okay with that. I was just dreading that kind of thing happening when all the puzzle pieces seemed to be fitting perfectly into place, making this a picture perfect happily ever after ending.
I can’t wait to read more by this author in the future!
lianareadsblog's review
4.0
Key Change is a beautiful romance story full of heart and emotions. It’s so much more than I expected and I feel in love so bad with both Hannah and Johnny. Two different personalities but together they just fit perfectly and complement each other just like a missing piece of a puzzle.
My heart broke for Hannah so many times but I’ve cheered her up along the way and the fact that she was working on herself so much, really made my day.
Beautiful story and romance.
4.5 stars
Arc from Smartypants romance
My heart broke for Hannah so many times but I’ve cheered her up along the way and the fact that she was working on herself so much, really made my day.
Beautiful story and romance.
4.5 stars
Arc from Smartypants romance
a_ab's review
4.0
3 5*. What I appreciated the most about this story is that it was all about growth and choosing to make the right decision every single time.
There was a little too much pile on of various drama, but when we meet the characters they are already past the most tempestuous period in their lives and on the path to becoming decent likable people.
There was a little too much pile on of various drama, but when we meet the characters they are already past the most tempestuous period in their lives and on the path to becoming decent likable people.
baskinkrobbins's review
2.0
2.5 stars.
I was given a free Audiobook version from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Things I loved:
- male POC as the love interest
- characters who are musicians
- alternative family structures with older siblings acting as legal guardians
- sassy kids
- peace by taylor swift is the unofficial soundtrack for this book
Things I did not love:
- heroine with cringe-worthy internalized racist ideologies who assumed latino love interest was from Mexico (being an ignorant white person is not cute and quirky!)
- heroine who still crosses the line into overly physically and verbally aggressive territory despite trying very hard to prove that her overly physical and verbal aggressive past is behind her
- lack of believability in the plot line of people not recognizing heroine as the major pop sensation she is. if taylor swift walked into my grocery store with sweatpants, glasses, and no makeup, I'd still recognize her as taylor swift.
- the damaging Aladdin-Jasmine complex. The heroine's fame, fortune, and privilege is not an equivalent struggle to that of an immigrant who grew up in an impoverished country with literal public executions happening in their neighborhood, had to flee under the cover of darkness to a foreign country, and had to learn English as their second language. Raising a pre-teen as a millionaire with access to adoption lawyers is not the same as raising a 5 year old as a poor non-citizen forced to work odd construction jobs to make ends meet. This trope is infuriating.
I was given a free Audiobook version from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Things I loved:
- male POC as the love interest
- characters who are musicians
- alternative family structures with older siblings acting as legal guardians
- sassy kids
- peace by taylor swift is the unofficial soundtrack for this book
Things I did not love:
- heroine with cringe-worthy internalized racist ideologies who assumed latino love interest was from Mexico (being an ignorant white person is not cute and quirky!)
- heroine who still crosses the line into overly physically and verbally aggressive territory despite trying very hard to prove that her overly physical and verbal aggressive past is behind her
- lack of believability in the plot line of people not recognizing heroine as the major pop sensation she is. if taylor swift walked into my grocery store with sweatpants, glasses, and no makeup, I'd still recognize her as taylor swift.
- the damaging Aladdin-Jasmine complex. The heroine's fame, fortune, and privilege is not an equivalent struggle to that of an immigrant who grew up in an impoverished country with literal public executions happening in their neighborhood, had to flee under the cover of darkness to a foreign country, and had to learn English as their second language. Raising a pre-teen as a millionaire with access to adoption lawyers is not the same as raising a 5 year old as a poor non-citizen forced to work odd construction jobs to make ends meet. This trope is infuriating.
katieewart's review
4.0
Key Change follows Hannah, an ex-pop-star in hiding who left the limelight and changed roles to become a caretaker to her half-sister. We follow her through her “normal” mundane life where her secret seems safe until she meets Johnny and his younger brother. Johnny works in the biz and we learn that he and Hannah share a past (that she can’t remember).
Heidi Hutchinson successfully wrote a hilarious romance that leaves the reader laughing out loud. I also loved the light suspense/mystery sprinkled throughout that left the reader wanting to read more. I highly recommend this story to anyone interested in romance, fame or music production.
Thank you to Heidi Hutchinson, SmartyPants Romance and NetGalley for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my review.
Heidi Hutchinson successfully wrote a hilarious romance that leaves the reader laughing out loud. I also loved the light suspense/mystery sprinkled throughout that left the reader wanting to read more. I highly recommend this story to anyone interested in romance, fame or music production.
Thank you to Heidi Hutchinson, SmartyPants Romance and NetGalley for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my review.
amandablocho's review
3.0
This is a bit of surprising one. I did like it, but I think I had a chance to love it if it had been maybe 50 pages shorter. It is a second chance romance about an ex pop star living in hiding and a small recording studio owner who played on her first record. It also has some enemy to lover vibes too, because they did not part ways in good terms.
I liked the characters and character voice, and I also liked the music aspect woven in. What I did not like is there were some loose ends and mentions of people that didn’t get tied up, so still have some questions. There’s also some spoilery parts that were not developed as much as I think it needed to be. But at the same time there was parts that dragged and should have been edited in my option.
Obviously I had a fun enough time because I listened to this in 2 days, so a pretty solid 3 stars.
I liked the characters and character voice, and I also liked the music aspect woven in. What I did not like is there were some loose ends and mentions of people that didn’t get tied up, so still have some questions. There’s also some spoilery parts that were not developed as much as I think it needed to be. But at the same time there was parts that dragged and should have been edited in my option.
Obviously I had a fun enough time because I listened to this in 2 days, so a pretty solid 3 stars.