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00leah00's review
3.0
3 Stars
“Sing for My Baby” is an opposites-attract slow burn romance.
Rosie is a primary school teacher who has decided not to wait for Ms. Right to get pregnant. Amber is an admis assistant at a dentist’s office. She’s a recovering alcoholic trying to stay happy and stress free. They meet outside an AA meeting when Amber is leaving her weekly meeting and runs into Rosie, who is on her way to a choir meeting that’s being held in the same building. Amber lies and says she’s joining the choir rather than admit to being in AA.
The two hit it off straight away and decide to become friends but both are hiding things from the other. Rosie doesn’t want to tell anyone she’s pregnant so she doesn’t jinx herself and Amber can’t find the right time to tell her she’s a recovering alcoholic.
This is the slowest of the slow burns and not in a particularly good way. They start off as friends and stay that way for a while. You get the gist that they like each other but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of yearning or pining, which is what I like in a slow burn. Most of the storyline is wrapped around Rosie and her being pregnant. The romance is never really front and center, especially with both hiding important things from the other. So, while I enjoyed this overall, I didn’t love it. I like the romance to be front and center and it wasn’t here.
Rosie started out likable but I liked her less and less as the story progressed. She was difficult about being independent and was quite judgmental of others, especially when Amber’s truth was revealed. Amber, on the other hand, was very sweet and likable. She started out shy and without much confidence in herself. I liked how she grew and became more confident in herself as time went on and was able to put herself out there even when she was uncomfortable. I just hated that Rosie kind of kept Amber at arm’s length throughout the story until the very end. I did feel better about Rosie at the end but it took a while to get there.
In the end, I would recommend this to fans of slow burn, friends to lovers’ readers, especially if you like low angst with your romance. There isn’t a lot of drama, the has an even keel feel to it for the most part. I wouldn’t recommend this if you have an aversion to pregnancy. This is well written and I enjoyed Matthews style so although this wasn't the perfect fit for me, I’ll be on the lookout for others from her.
One note for the tags on YLVA’s website for this; the age gap is 5 years and toaster oven doesn’t apply here.
I received an ARC from Ylva Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
“Sing for My Baby” is an opposites-attract slow burn romance.
Rosie is a primary school teacher who has decided not to wait for Ms. Right to get pregnant. Amber is an admis assistant at a dentist’s office. She’s a recovering alcoholic trying to stay happy and stress free. They meet outside an AA meeting when Amber is leaving her weekly meeting and runs into Rosie, who is on her way to a choir meeting that’s being held in the same building. Amber lies and says she’s joining the choir rather than admit to being in AA.
The two hit it off straight away and decide to become friends but both are hiding things from the other. Rosie doesn’t want to tell anyone she’s pregnant so she doesn’t jinx herself and Amber can’t find the right time to tell her she’s a recovering alcoholic.
This is the slowest of the slow burns and not in a particularly good way. They start off as friends and stay that way for a while. You get the gist that they like each other but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of yearning or pining, which is what I like in a slow burn. Most of the storyline is wrapped around Rosie and her being pregnant. The romance is never really front and center, especially with both hiding important things from the other. So, while I enjoyed this overall, I didn’t love it. I like the romance to be front and center and it wasn’t here.
Rosie started out likable but I liked her less and less as the story progressed. She was difficult about being independent and was quite judgmental of others, especially when Amber’s truth was revealed. Amber, on the other hand, was very sweet and likable. She started out shy and without much confidence in herself. I liked how she grew and became more confident in herself as time went on and was able to put herself out there even when she was uncomfortable. I just hated that Rosie kind of kept Amber at arm’s length throughout the story until the very end. I did feel better about Rosie at the end but it took a while to get there.
In the end, I would recommend this to fans of slow burn, friends to lovers’ readers, especially if you like low angst with your romance. There isn’t a lot of drama, the has an even keel feel to it for the most part. I wouldn’t recommend this if you have an aversion to pregnancy. This is well written and I enjoyed Matthews style so although this wasn't the perfect fit for me, I’ll be on the lookout for others from her.
One note for the tags on YLVA’s website for this; the age gap is 5 years and toaster oven doesn’t apply here.
I received an ARC from Ylva Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
__shaked's review
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
barbrokatrin's review
Got about 50 pages into before I gave up. There's something about the writing i didn't like. It felt to fast paced about at the same time stilted.
The plot sounded good but as I began reading the book I discovered I had no desire to finish it.
The plot sounded good but as I began reading the book I discovered I had no desire to finish it.
arthurgdean's review
4.0
Recensione presente anche su Book Lover
Rosie ha deciso di intraprendere il percorso della maternità da sola. Dopo quello che è successor col suo primo bambino, ha deciso di tenere il tutto per se e per le persone più vicine.
Amber, al contrario, ha come unico obiettivo quello di rimanere sobria e al sicuro. Non vuole ricadere nell'alcolismo e va a tutti gli incontri del suo gruppo di sostegno.
Dopo un fortuito incontro, Amber si unisce al coro di cui fa parte anche Rosie e tra loro nasce un'amicizia... Forse anche di più. Solo che entrambe hanno dei segreti enormi.
Ho trovato la storia di Rosie e Amber estremamente interessante, in quanto vengono esplorati due temi molto interessanti: la maternità e il ricovero dall'abuso di sostanze.
Da una parte abbiamo una donna che percorre una strada solitamente battuta in coppia: essere genitori è estremamente difficile; eppure, sono convinta che, anche se non è necessario essere in coppia (eterosessuale o meno) per crescere un bambino, c'è bisogno di rapporti umani stabili. L'autrice, attraverso Rosie, mostra molto bene come il supporto della famiglia e degli amici possa essere fondamentale nei momenti difficili.
Dall'altra parte abbiamo Amber, che sta combattendo una battaglia totalmente diversa: vuole riprendere in mano la sua vita, evitare l'alcohol con tutte le sue forze. Anche se tentenna, a volte, anche nel suo lato della storia possiamo vedere quanto una rete di supporto stabile sia importantissima.
Attraverso Rosie si esplora anche il tema dell'aborto, in particolare un aborto inaspettato e avvenuto molto tardi nella gravidanza: penso che l'autrice abbia fatto un ottimo lavoro nel descrivere lo stato d'animo di Rosie, il suo voler proteggere il suo secondo bambino, il darsi la colpa di quello che è successo anche se, a conti fatti, non è colpa sua.
Le due donne sono estremamente diverse ma trovano qualcosa di comune nel canto, cosa che le porta a incontrarsi sempre più spesso. L'ho trovato un plot non utilizzato spesso che mi ha colpita quanto ho letto la trama e che mi ha fatto conoscere un'ottima autrice.
Per quanto riguarda Rosie e Amber, come ho detto sono due personaggi molto diversi. Eppure, ho trovato la ritrosia di Amber più giustificata di quella di Rosie rispetto ai loro segreti.
Amber non è sicura di sentirsi pronta ad una relazione con una persona che avrà un figlio, non è sicura di riuscire a prendersi cura del bambino. Paura più che giustificata.
Rosie invece giudica solo il fatto che Amber fosse un ex-alcolizzata. Non tiene conto del fatto che è sobria, che è sulla strada giusta. Rosie finisce per risultare, ai miei occhi, solo come una stronza. E anche gli altri presonaggi glielo fanno notare, per fortuna... Però è una cosa che davvero non mi è piaciuta e che le ha tolto molti punti.
Abbiamo anche un cast di supporto: da un parte la famiglia di Rosie, in particolare la sorella Charlie e la figlia di questa Chelsea, e dall'altra gli amici di Amber, Jill, Fiona, Matthew e Harry. Quelli che veniamo a conoscere meglio sono proprio gli ultimi due. Da entambe le parti amici e famiglia sono fondamentali per portare Amber e Rosie più vicine.
Per il resto, credo che il libro si legga molto bene e che Jenn Matthews abbia fatto un ottimo lavoro. C'è equilibro tra le due protagoniste e vediamo entambi i lati della medaglia. Penso che leggerò altro di quest'autrice!
Rosie ha deciso di intraprendere il percorso della maternità da sola. Dopo quello che è successor col suo primo bambino, ha deciso di tenere il tutto per se e per le persone più vicine.
Amber, al contrario, ha come unico obiettivo quello di rimanere sobria e al sicuro. Non vuole ricadere nell'alcolismo e va a tutti gli incontri del suo gruppo di sostegno.
Dopo un fortuito incontro, Amber si unisce al coro di cui fa parte anche Rosie e tra loro nasce un'amicizia... Forse anche di più. Solo che entrambe hanno dei segreti enormi.
Ho trovato la storia di Rosie e Amber estremamente interessante, in quanto vengono esplorati due temi molto interessanti: la maternità e il ricovero dall'abuso di sostanze.
Da una parte abbiamo una donna che percorre una strada solitamente battuta in coppia: essere genitori è estremamente difficile; eppure, sono convinta che, anche se non è necessario essere in coppia (eterosessuale o meno) per crescere un bambino, c'è bisogno di rapporti umani stabili. L'autrice, attraverso Rosie, mostra molto bene come il supporto della famiglia e degli amici possa essere fondamentale nei momenti difficili.
Dall'altra parte abbiamo Amber, che sta combattendo una battaglia totalmente diversa: vuole riprendere in mano la sua vita, evitare l'alcohol con tutte le sue forze. Anche se tentenna, a volte, anche nel suo lato della storia possiamo vedere quanto una rete di supporto stabile sia importantissima.
Attraverso Rosie si esplora anche il tema dell'aborto, in particolare un aborto inaspettato e avvenuto molto tardi nella gravidanza: penso che l'autrice abbia fatto un ottimo lavoro nel descrivere lo stato d'animo di Rosie, il suo voler proteggere il suo secondo bambino, il darsi la colpa di quello che è successo anche se, a conti fatti, non è colpa sua.
Le due donne sono estremamente diverse ma trovano qualcosa di comune nel canto, cosa che le porta a incontrarsi sempre più spesso. L'ho trovato un plot non utilizzato spesso che mi ha colpita quanto ho letto la trama e che mi ha fatto conoscere un'ottima autrice.
Per quanto riguarda Rosie e Amber, come ho detto sono due personaggi molto diversi. Eppure, ho trovato la ritrosia di Amber più giustificata di quella di Rosie rispetto ai loro segreti.
Amber non è sicura di sentirsi pronta ad una relazione con una persona che avrà un figlio, non è sicura di riuscire a prendersi cura del bambino. Paura più che giustificata.
Rosie invece giudica solo il fatto che Amber fosse un ex-alcolizzata. Non tiene conto del fatto che è sobria, che è sulla strada giusta. Rosie finisce per risultare, ai miei occhi, solo come una stronza. E anche gli altri presonaggi glielo fanno notare, per fortuna... Però è una cosa che davvero non mi è piaciuta e che le ha tolto molti punti.
Abbiamo anche un cast di supporto: da un parte la famiglia di Rosie, in particolare la sorella Charlie e la figlia di questa Chelsea, e dall'altra gli amici di Amber, Jill, Fiona, Matthew e Harry. Quelli che veniamo a conoscere meglio sono proprio gli ultimi due. Da entambe le parti amici e famiglia sono fondamentali per portare Amber e Rosie più vicine.
Per il resto, credo che il libro si legga molto bene e che Jenn Matthews abbia fatto un ottimo lavoro. C'è equilibro tra le due protagoniste e vediamo entambi i lati della medaglia. Penso che leggerò altro di quest'autrice!
wickedregal's review
3.0
**ARC copy given to me by YLVA for an honest review**
You have two characters on really quite different paths. Amber is on a path to sustained sobriety, attending AA meetings. These meetings happen to be held at the same place where our other main character, Rosie, comes for choir rehearsals. Rosie has her own past she is trying to push through, and craving to be a mother, even if she is single.
When the two collide, you could call it wrong place, right time kind of scenario, and a friendship soon blossoms.
While the overall book was good, I just couldn't connect with either character and that kind of bums me out with a book, which affects how or if I am drawn to a book. It's a slow burn/build romance. There were times toward the beginning of book I felt the characters were a bit hard to pin down as a reader as far as mood/manner. I sometimes felt they jumped around not knowing even who they were themselves. But that could also just be me again, trying to find someway to connect to the characters.
Again it was well written and should be given a chance, just wasn't perhaps my cup of tea. :)
It is a slow building romance and sometimes for me, it was to slow, but both characters are very good written and believable.
You have two characters on really quite different paths. Amber is on a path to sustained sobriety, attending AA meetings. These meetings happen to be held at the same place where our other main character, Rosie, comes for choir rehearsals. Rosie has her own past she is trying to push through, and craving to be a mother, even if she is single.
When the two collide, you could call it wrong place, right time kind of scenario, and a friendship soon blossoms.
While the overall book was good, I just couldn't connect with either character and that kind of bums me out with a book, which affects how or if I am drawn to a book. It's a slow burn/build romance. There were times toward the beginning of book I felt the characters were a bit hard to pin down as a reader as far as mood/manner. I sometimes felt they jumped around not knowing even who they were themselves. But that could also just be me again, trying to find someway to connect to the characters.
Again it was well written and should be given a chance, just wasn't perhaps my cup of tea. :)
It is a slow building romance and sometimes for me, it was to slow, but both characters are very good written and believable.
mjsam's review
3.0
ARC received via YLVA in exchange for an honest review
I haven’t read Matthews before, but her earlier books had good reviews so I thought I’d give this a go. Unfortunately I wasn’t blown away.
This is a slow burn romance featuring Rosie, who is having a baby using a donor after suffering a loss a few years prior and Amber, a recovering alcoholic who runs into Rosie on the way out of a meeting and ends up joining a choir.
Amber is a great character, she’s sweet and supportive, even though she’s had a crap life, and I found her story and the progression of her recovery really interesting. Rosie is not a great character, she’s judgemental, self-involved and boring and I couldn’t warm to her.
The two strike up a friendship when Amber ‘accidentally’ joins Rosie’s choir and has to get singing lessons. Their friendship progresses, but is hampered by neither of them confessing their big secrets. The problem was the reactions to these secrets. Amber is hurt but understanding about Rosie’s reveal, but Rosie is a straight up bitch about Amber’s. So much so that I also DNF’d the book at that point.
I also found the pregnancy details a little too much. I swear there was more of a focus on the pregnancy than the relationship. Overall, I found the slow burn too slow, especially since I didn’t think they were suited to each other, so wasn’t invested in the HEA. 3 stars.
I haven’t read Matthews before, but her earlier books had good reviews so I thought I’d give this a go. Unfortunately I wasn’t blown away.
This is a slow burn romance featuring Rosie, who is having a baby using a donor after suffering a loss a few years prior and Amber, a recovering alcoholic who runs into Rosie on the way out of a meeting and ends up joining a choir.
Amber is a great character, she’s sweet and supportive, even though she’s had a crap life, and I found her story and the progression of her recovery really interesting. Rosie is not a great character, she’s judgemental, self-involved and boring and I couldn’t warm to her.
The two strike up a friendship when Amber ‘accidentally’ joins Rosie’s choir and has to get singing lessons. Their friendship progresses, but is hampered by neither of them confessing their big secrets. The problem was the reactions to these secrets. Amber is hurt but understanding about Rosie’s reveal, but Rosie is a straight up bitch about Amber’s. So much so that I also DNF’d the book at that point.
I also found the pregnancy details a little too much. I swear there was more of a focus on the pregnancy than the relationship. Overall, I found the slow burn too slow, especially since I didn’t think they were suited to each other, so wasn’t invested in the HEA. 3 stars.
rogue_lurker's review
I'm still debating on a rating for this one.
Sing for My Baby is well written and Ms Matthews tackles some serious issues quite well. Despite that, I had a hard time becoming invested in the two characters and their relationship so it felt like it dragged a bit.
This is a slow burn romance - perhaps a bit too slow for me. When Amber and Rosie meet, their friendship starts, haltingly, with Rosie encouraging Amber to join the local choir and building from there. Both women harboured secrets that aren't necessarily easy to figure out how to tell a new acquaintance or friend, and by the time that they were ready to talk about things, it was so far down the road that it was inevitable that there'd be some feeling that the other didn't trust them.
Having received her one year chip for sobriety, Amber is coming into her own but her confidence is still not there as she's too embarrassed to admit that she was just leaving an AA meeting when she bumps into Rosie. Rosie mistakes her for a new volunteer for the choir and when she realizes Amber is mouthing the words, she takes it on herself to teach Amber. Despite getting found out on her lie about singing, Amber is still hesitant to tell Rosie the truth as their singing lessons evolve into friendship. At the same time, Rosie is newly pregnant and after a late term miscarriage is hesitant to tell anyone until the pregnancy's is more advanced. It's actually kind of cute where the two of them go out for drinks and are both having juice - both grateful that the other isn't drinking or asking why they aren't.
From a character perspective, Ms Matthews addresses these issues in a realistic manner and gives the internal struggle both women are dealing with some depth. As much as I appreciated that, the characters weren't as easy to connect to - especially Rosie, who was so very focused on the pregnancy and motherhood. I really liked Amber, and at times wished that she got a bit more attention from Rosie. At times there was a bit too much detail and minutiae that made the book seem longer than it was.
For me, this one was a miss, but if you are a fan of the slow burn friends to lovers with a looooong build up of that friendship, this may be a good fit for your library.
Sing for My Baby is well written and Ms Matthews tackles some serious issues quite well. Despite that, I had a hard time becoming invested in the two characters and their relationship so it felt like it dragged a bit.
This is a slow burn romance - perhaps a bit too slow for me. When Amber and Rosie meet, their friendship starts, haltingly, with Rosie encouraging Amber to join the local choir and building from there. Both women harboured secrets that aren't necessarily easy to figure out how to tell a new acquaintance or friend, and by the time that they were ready to talk about things, it was so far down the road that it was inevitable that there'd be some feeling that the other didn't trust them.
Having received her one year chip for sobriety, Amber is coming into her own but her confidence is still not there as she's too embarrassed to admit that she was just leaving an AA meeting when she bumps into Rosie. Rosie mistakes her for a new volunteer for the choir and when she realizes Amber is mouthing the words, she takes it on herself to teach Amber. Despite getting found out on her lie about singing, Amber is still hesitant to tell Rosie the truth as their singing lessons evolve into friendship. At the same time, Rosie is newly pregnant and after a late term miscarriage is hesitant to tell anyone until the pregnancy's is more advanced. It's actually kind of cute where the two of them go out for drinks and are both having juice - both grateful that the other isn't drinking or asking why they aren't.
From a character perspective, Ms Matthews addresses these issues in a realistic manner and gives the internal struggle both women are dealing with some depth. As much as I appreciated that, the characters weren't as easy to connect to - especially Rosie, who was so very focused on the pregnancy and motherhood. I really liked Amber, and at times wished that she got a bit more attention from Rosie. At times there was a bit too much detail and minutiae that made the book seem longer than it was.
For me, this one was a miss, but if you are a fan of the slow burn friends to lovers with a looooong build up of that friendship, this may be a good fit for your library.
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