The Songs of You and Me by Mylissa Demeyere {Blog Tour Review and Giveaway}

Blog Tour July 30th to August 10th

The Songs of You and Me by Mylissa Demeyere

Jane Hartford fell head over heels for Jackson at the tender age of fifteen. She spent most of high school pining for him, until she realized he wasn’t going to see her as anything more than his baby sister’s best friend. Now she finds herself single with a daughter, a broken heart, and songs that remind her of a long lost love.

Jackson Wright is a man living with regret. His biggest one, never acting on his feelings for Jane. When he returns to Bellebrook, the town they grew up in, he literally runs into her and his world gets tossed upside down and sideways.

This time, Jackson isn’t willing to give up. With a meddling sister eager to push both of them together, he believes things might actually work out. That is, if they can overcome the heavy baggage they both carry. Follow Jackson and Jane as they revisit their past, figuring out what went wrong so long ago.

Will they learn they have the power to make things right in the present?

My Review: 4.5 Stars

A debut author can be hit or miss for me and let me just say, I didn't want to put this one down--I couldn't read it fast enough. I loved the way the story gradually unfolded for the reader. The book jumps back and forth between Jackson's and Jane's points-of-view and I loved getting a glimpse into their heads and see their thoughts and feelings from back then and from now, as each chapter alternates between past and present. The flashbacks filled in the story in a very satisfying way that helped me know the characters and the reasons for their behaviors on a deeper level. I also loved the way the songs that titled each chapter fit so well with what was happening.

Jackson and Jane are such likable characters and their story is warm, sweet, swoony, and slightly angsty, but definitely one that resonated with me, causing me to think about it long after I finished. There is so much tangible emotion involved in this story. It takes talent to engage a reader, give the characters a second chance, and talk about hard subjects without the book being a downer. I'm already looking forward to Book 2!

Content: mild+ swoony romance; mild language

*I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own and were voluntarily given.*

Order on AMAZON

Also available on Kindle Unlimited

Add to your Goodreads Shelf

Book Trailer

What Readers are saying:

A tender debut novel that will leave you remembering the sweet angst of first love. The Songs of You and Me is a charmer. - Taylor Dean, author of I’m With You and Chasing Fireflies.

In this romantic debut about first love, second chances, Ms. DeMeyere weaves the past and present together in a way that brings the characters' hearts to life as they heal from tragedies and struggle to move on in life. Sweet and heartwarming. – Charissa Stastny, author of Between Hope and the Highway and the Rules out Romances Series.

A fun and enticing love story that combines the bitter with the sweet and keeps you laughing amidst the tears. You won't want to miss this touching story that explores true love in all its depth and beauty. – Aubrey, Amazon Reviewer

The Songs of You and Me pulled me in from page one. The characters came to life and I felt as if I was part of their story. I stayed up night after night fascinated with their personal and individual challenges. Their obstacles were relatable and tugged at my heart. I couldn’t wait to finish and yet I didn’t want it to end. As I read the last page, I was ecstatic to see what would come next from Mylissa Demeyere. – Jamie, Amazon Reviewer

EXCERPT:

Read the Prologue & First 2 Chapters

Playlist

The whole idea for this book started out as a scene after listening to a song. Then I would listen to that song over and over and see more of the pieces fall into place.
Soon, I had an entire playlist, with scenes mapped out, and a whole story ready to write. This book tells the story of Jane and Jackson, the songs of them.
Included in the book is a unique playlist. Here is the list, but in the back of the book, I give you a full breakdown of how I saw each scene and how I felt that song was best fitted for the chapter. Enjoy!

Prologue: Tears in Heaven – Eric Clapton
C1: Lay Me Down – Sam Smith
C2 : It’s a Beautiful Day – U2
C3: Hello – Martin Solveig
C4: Hanging by a Moment – Lifehouse
C5: This Girl – Kungs
C6: Disappointment – The Cranberries
C7: Everybody Hurts – R.E.M
C8: My Father’s Eyes – Eric Clapton
C9: It’s Time – Imagine Dragons
C10: Could this be love? – The Wanted
C11: Hold Back the River – James Bay
C12: September Song – J.B. Cooper
C13: Count on Me – Bruno Mars
C14: The Other – Stripped / Lauv
C15: Breathing – Oscar and the Wolf
C16: Love Love – Amy MacDonald
C17: Push the Button – Sugababes
C18: Animal – Neon Trees
C19: Perfect – Ed Sheeren
C20: Someday – Sugar Ray
C21: What Lovers Do (feat. SZA) – Maroon 5, SZA
C22: Gotta Get Thru This – Daniel Bedingfield
C23: It’s Gotta Be You – Isaiah
C24: Welcome to New York – Taylor Swift
C25: Best Day of My Life – American Authors
C26: Over My Head – The Fray
C27: Water under the Bridge – Adele
C28: The Middle – Jimmy Eat World
C29: Silence – Marshmellow ft Khalid
C30: Demons – Imagine Dragons
C31: Walking The Wire – Imagine Dragons
C32: Home – Dotan
C33: No Sound But The Wind – Editors
C34: WhoKnew – Pink
C35: Stargazing – Kygo
C36: Love – Jana Kramer
C37: Quicksand – Tom Chaplin
Epilogue: False Alarm – Matoma , Becky Hill

 

Author Mylissa Demeyere

Mylissa Demeyere was born in Belgium, and resides in the beautiful city of Ghent. She lives in a somewhat organized home with her four beautiful children and the love of her life. If she isn’t working, she’s writing, running, reading, or enjoying time with her kids, who are growing up way too fast.
The Songs of You and Me is her debut novel, with a sequel already in the works.

Connect with Mylissa

Website * Twitter * Facebook

Instagram * Pinterest * Amazon Author Page

Blog Tour Schedule

July 30th
I Am A Reader - Spotlight
Clean Wholesome Romance - Spotlight
Cover Lover Book Review - Spotlight
Cuzinlogic - Spotlight
Laurisa White Reyes, Author - Spotlight

July 31st
Mythical Books - Review
I'm All About Books - Spotlight
T's Stuff - Spotlight

August 1st
Heidi Reads... - Review
Stacking My Book Shelves! - Spotlight
My Life, Loves and Passion - Spotlight

August 2nd
Room With Books - Spotlight
Paulette's Papers - Spotlight
The Avid Reader - Spotlight

August 3rd
Why Not? Because I Said So! - Review
FLY HIGH! - Spotlight
A Writer's Life - Spotlight

August 6th
Remembrancy - Review
Bargnhtress - Spotlight
Wishful Endings - Spotlight

August 7th
Our Book Confessions - Spotlight
Deliciously Savvy - Spotlight
Diana's Book Reviews - Spotlight

August 8th
Periodical Gazette - Spotlight
Books Direct - Spotlight
The Eco Lifestyle - Spotlight

August 9th
Getting Your Read On - Review
My Life. One Story at a Time. - Spotlight
Kimber's Life - Spotlight

August 10th
Katie’s Clean Book Collection - Review
Bookish Reviews - Spotlight
BookHounds - Spotlight

Blog Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Code or $25 in Paypal Cash

Ends 8/19/18

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Right Next to Me by Rachel Ward {Blog Tour Review}

 

Tour Schedule

Right Next to Me by Rachel Ward

Paperback

Published August 8th 2017 by Bonneville

After high school Sydney's friends scattered to different colleges across the country. Over Thanksgiving break they are reunited, and much to Sydney's surprise, she discovers that her best friend has kept quiet flame for her for years. Sydney is faced with making an impossible decision: stay with the perfect boyfriend or go for the best friend who's always loved her?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

My Review: 4.5 Stars

I think almost everyone has had at least one experience where everyone else can see the obvious, but you are blinded to the truth, for whatever reason. Through a series of flashbacks, mingled with the present time, the story of Sydney's life unfolds. She's had to grow up and mature before her time due to some unfortunate circumstances, and the reader is fed bits and pieces at a time, but that doesn't stop her from becoming very close to her group of friends and securing herself the perfect boyfriend. Back to my first sentence--it's very plain to see that her best friend has feelings for her, but she has absolutely no clue.

This is a great coming-of-age story that really shows the nitty gritty good and bad times of transitioning from a high school student to an adult and college student. The flashbacks also show a pivotal growth time in Sydney's life and how she starts to become who she's truly meant to be. 

I couldn't stop reading because I really wanted to see how the characters would handle the situations they each found themselves in and I loved the tight friendships these five characters had with one another. I enjoyed the flashbacks and thought they really added to the story, as they each had a shovelful of information to fill in some of the backstory. There are some hard situations to tackle and there's no skimping on the emotion. Oh, and there are some really cringy moments that left me wanting to hide my face in embarrassment.

I found myself really getting into the flow of the story at times and then suddenly felt that some details were skimmed over or skipped all together, leaving me wanting more. Chunks of time were missing, but I guess that's because I couldn't have every minute detail of Sydney's life or the book would be 1000 pages. So I guess that's a good thing.

Overall, this is a fun and wholesomely entertaining story and one that I'm glad I read.

Content: mild romance

*I received a copy from the publisher, which did not affect my opinion in any way. All thoughts are my own.*

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Buy Links: