Review: THE LOST LOVE SONG

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Minnie Darke’s new novel The Lost Love Song is one of the most unique love stories I’ve read in a long time.  Rather than a character, the star of this story is actually a love song and the powerful yet subtle way it serves as a catalyst to bring people together all around the world.  The unnamed love song was composed in a hotel in Singapore by a piano prodigy named Diana Clare, who wrote it for her fiancé, Arie Johnson. Diana desperately wanted Arie to feel all the love for him that she had in her heart, and while she was never very good with words, her exquisite music has always perfectly conveyed what she’s feeling.

When Diana returns home from her concert tour, she plans to share her song with Arie and tell him that she’s finally ready to get married.  When she checks out of her hotel, however, she accidentally leaves the notebook behind. When tragedy strikes soon after, it appears that the beautiful song is lost.  Or is it? When the notebook finds its way into the hands of another musician, he falls in love with the song as soon as he plays it and thus begins the song’s journey as it captivates everyone who hears it.

We get to see the song work its magic on several couples throughout the story and I really loved how the song felt like it was actually a character in the story with the way it spoke to people and brought them together.  That was probably my favorite thing about the story honestly.  I was also quite captivated by Arie and Diana’s story, which is both romantic and tragic, and by Arie’s connection to a young woman named Evie who is staying in the apartment next to his.   This was a double-edged sword for me though because although I loved that I was so drawn to these three characters, I didn’t find any other characters nearly as compelling.  This made for a slightly uneven read as I found myself skimming through their parts so that I could get back to Arie, Diana, and Evie where I would then devour their chapters.

Even with that issue though, I still really enjoyed The Lost Love Song overall.  It’s a beautiful story that is full of grief and heartache, but also with love, hope, and second chances.  If you’re a romantic at heart, I think you’ll love this one.