This is definitely a book that's hard to put down. You have the small town where everyone knows everything. Ivy has come back to her hometown trying to reinvent her music career the sore spot is facing her first love Blake after their big breakup five years ago. Now they must work together for the town fundraiser amongst the reporters and enemies. What these two didn't except was the the sparks they thought petered out come back full force. I really enjoyed the journey of these two getting their second chance at love. I loved their first meeting after seeing each other after five years hooked me right into the book. I did however want to smack Lydia several times.

Fun premise, but a little too much sex for me.

First in the Rosewood romance series with the couple focus on Ivy Hudson and Blake Chamberlain. Based in Rosewood, Alabama, and six years later.

This ARC was provided by NetGalley, Pocket Star, and Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.

My Take
Laurence has really twisted the revenge-of-the-woman-wronged trope. It'll make you laugh even as you start off feeling bad for the guy. Of course, once you hear his side of things, you're likely to think he got what was coming! He made his bed, and now he's lyin' in it. I don't feel sorry for him a'tall anymore especially with some of the dimwitted moves he makes It did surprise me how well his grandmother knew him. Lucky thing for these two!

This is mostly a fluffy feel-good romance, except that Laurence has some nice switch-ups — besides the twist I mentioned above. And Laurence keeps you wondering just what that song does refer to, 'cause I know what I was thinking, ahem. When you do finally learn what Ivy/Laurence is really referring to, well, it just makes sense and is so well done, you can't help but laugh while you shake your head.

It's rather tacky of Ivy to date guys just to use 'em as she does. And I think Malcolm hit the nail on the head as to why this emotion is the only one she can write about. Ivy is missing out too, as it sure doesn't lead to a happy life. She ticks me off with her feeling of entitlement; that scene where she locks her keys and phone in the cabin comes to mind. She sure is accident-prone, probably 'cause she hasn't got her head on straight. Nor can she take what she likes to dish out.

I do like the sound of Ivy's family; it sounds as though the three of them have always been there for each other. As for Blake's family, if you discount his dad, the rest of them sound terrific as well.

Ivy must have had a really easy time of building her career as thin-skinned as she is. She does a nice job of lobbing most of Lydia's zingers right back at her, but there are a number that just crumple her up. And they don't make sense that they have that reaction. Ivy knows about Lydia's antics, and Ivy's childish reactions irritate me. I'm just not buyin' it. Laurence needs to work on those Ivy-Lydia interactions to make them believable. It's the only weak point Facing the Music has.

As for Lydia, I'm surprised no one has called that witch to account yet. She's a selfish, self-entitled nightmare. If she behaves this way with people she wants, how does she behave with the "riff-raff" in town? Why hasn't she been taken out yet? No, no, this should have been developed more with people's reactions to make it believable or toned down. Instead, it's as if Lydia is an invisible person in town. No one reacts to her except Blake and Ivy. I know, I'm whining. It's just that Laurence has gone so over the top with Lydia, that I don't see how anyone could possibly not notice her.

Huh, I like the point Blake's grandmother makes about why all these publicity events are so important to rebuild the gym. I never thought of it this way. She sure makes a good point about the town's sense of intimacy dying out. She'd be agreeing with Kevin about the press: use them even as they're using her. Yank that attention they're paying in the direction you want it.

Oh, crack me up!! Ivy's so worried that the locals would chase her out of town with pitchforks, that when I read how the townspeople rally against the reporters, well, I can't help but laugh. Makes you wish more "decent" people would react this way!

That message Rex delivers…I see his doing this as a loose thread…

Blake realizes he's missing the end of Ivy's show, so why doesn't he simply turn around and go back for the end of it? It is such a no-brainer as to what she's up to, and I've only known her for a few hours. And Ivy has her usual, lame reaction.

Laurence does do a good job playing on my emotions: Ivy's reactions, Lydia's actions, Blake's thoughts, the story Grandmother told about meeting Charles and his fits of courting, that one taunt of Lydia's that actually sounds as if it could be true.

"It's the long, winding road…"

The Story
Thank god Rosewood contacted Ivy — again — about doing a charity concert in her old home town. Lord knows the town needs it after that last disaster, and Ivy is desperate to get some good publicity after this last fiasco, even if this will be her first trip home since the song that launched her career. The one about her break-up with the town hero, "Size Matters".

Now her manager is requiring all sorts of PR stunts — in her old hometown — but also demanding she change the types of songs she writes.

All she has to do is get through these next two weeks and avoid Blake…

The Characters
Ivy Hudson has a reputation as a sweet-but-unlucky-in-love Grammy-award-winning singer. Kevin Lynch is Ivy's manager, who knows what he's doing to Ivy's chagrin. Malcolm Holt is one of her best friends, and she's been linked to him romantically. Lucky for Malcolm, the action film star… Dominick is her bodyguard.

Sarah Hudson is Ivy's mother and owns a beauty salon, Curls, gossip central. Ivy's dad, Trent, is the high school band teacher. Sounds like Ivy got quite a bit from her dad. Pepper Anthony is Sarah's only, very insightful, employee and a former classmate of Ivy's. Pepper's being set up for a Grant romance. Brian Green, the former chess geek, manages the electronics store and is dating Pepper.

The Chamberlains are the town's royalty, and Blake Chamberlain was the town's golden boy and is a former NFL quarterback whose career was cut short. Now he's coaching the high school football team. Adelia Chamberlain is Blake's imposing grandmother and the family matriarch. Norman is his lawyer dad, and it seems that Blake may be taking after his daddy's inability to keep his pants zipped. His mama is Helen, and we don't know if she's dead or alive. Maddie is one of Blake's sisters, a snotty one, and she works at the town bakery; Mitchell is Maddie's twin brother, and he's going for a medical degree; Grant is a younger brother and a local fireman with some great insights; Simon is the youngest and a policeman in town; and, Hazel is his book-lovin' baby sister. Winston is their houseman; Cookie is their cook.

Lydia Whittaker is the town rich mean girl who also went to school with Ivy. Her family owns a huge horse farm and two of the local restaurants: Ellen's Diner and Whittaker's where she's an executive chef. She's best friends with Maddie. Tells you what Maddie is like… Thomas is her little brother. Angus and Willow are the horses the Whittakers provide for the parade.

Francine Doyle does a nice casserole. Dorothy "Dotty" Baker is too old to care what she says, and she says anything she likes. Miss Vera's mac and cheese is to die for, and she always wins for her pies. Sheriff Todd. Emmett Sawyer is the new bar owner and bartender at Woody's. Jesse and Curt are a couple of guys with whom Blake had gone to school. Mayor Otto Gallagher has been the mayor all of Ivy's life; Marilyn is his wife. Mrs. Gloria Everett is Ivy's favorite history teacher, although she's now the high school principal. Miss Beverly Perkins owns Dressin' Up, the go-to shop for ladies needing a nice outfit. Such as tea with the town grande dame. Ruth is a waitress at Ellen's Diner; Fred is the cook. Miss Twila runs the B&B. Mr. Osbourne is the bank manager. Arthur Jackson owns the gas station. Miss Phyllis owns the antiques shop. Clark Newton is with the Rosewood Times. Petal Pushers is the local flower shop. Cheryl Buckman is a middle-aged lady working behind the counter of her daddy's ice cream store, Scoops. The same protective daddy who was a decorated sniper in Korea. Estelle Townsend owns Rosewood Cakes & Cookies, the local bakery. Josh Baldwin is the kicker on the high school football team, and the way Blake handles him is just beautiful. I'm curious what Rex Campbell's motivation was; he's another student on the football team.

Nash Russell is a tabloid celebrity reporter for Hollywood News. He's made a career out of uncovering every inspiration behind every one of Ivy's songs. Yeah, he's a not-nice guy and a disreputable journalist. Larry and Ted are from Celebrity Weekly. Jimmy is the talk show host.

Sterling Marshall is the jerk of a teen idol Ivy is in trouble over. Perfect Harmony was his boy band.

The Cover
The cover is sweet with a relaxed-looking Ivy and Blake lying on the green, green grass, each lying in the opposite direction with their heads touching. Ivy’s guitar is off to the side, and they appear to be relaxing into the day.

The title means different things to Ivy and Blake. Ivy’s music is for the release of her emotions while Blake is Facing the Music for what he did so long ago.

Fun good book. The premise was what initially grabbed me. Ivy writes a song about an ex-boyfriend and makes it big. Now she comes back to her home town and has to work with that same ex on a fundraising project. Set in a fun small town of Rosewood that has been hit by a tornado and is now being inundated by paparazzi after a hilarious argument between the two. Simply a funny romance.

-ARC courtesy of publisher and Netgalley.

This book was a bit slow to start for me. Ivy and Blake's history was a bit complicated and it took a while for Ms. Laurence to set up their past for the reader. Once I got to the half way point, I was invested in this story. I wanted to see how things would work out for Ivy and Blake as well as what would happen to the mean girl trying to tear them apart. There were a couple of really amusing moments and some ones that made me swoon. The supporting characters added to the story and I can't wait for Pepper to get her story. I recommend reading this book and will be continuing on to the second book in this series.

Facing the Music by Andrea Laurence is a such a fun read! A wonderfully unique storyline, delightful characters and laugh out loud humor are just a few of things that make this romance such an outstanding read.

Ivy Hudson's relationship with Blake Chamberlain ended when she discovered him in a compromising position and in the aftermath, she channeled all of her hurt and anger into the song that launched her singing career. In the years since, her numerous breakups have continued to inspire her most popular songs but her latest breakup song results in a major public backlash against her. Needing a retreat from the public eye and generate some positive publicity, Ivy reluctantly returns to her small home town to use her celebrity status to help raise much needed funds for the high school's new gym. Much to Ivy's dismay, Blake figures prominently in the upcoming fundraising efforts and the passage of time has done nothing to dim her hurt or diminish their smoking hot desire for one another.

Ivy is a wonderful character and it is such a joy getting to know the woman behind the successful career. She has never forgotten her humble beginnings and she is still very down to earth. Her anger and hurt over Blake's betrayal have not lessened with time but she is able to put aside her feelings for the sake of the fundraiser. Despite her successful career, Ivy has a few insecurities that a nemesis from her childhood exploits at every turn.

Ah, poor Blake. His mistake in judgment all those years ago indirectly destroyed his career and he is just now finally beginning to bounce back when Ivy returns to town. He readily admits that Ivy's anger and hurt are justified but he also unfairly blames her for his football career crashing and burning. When he and Ivy can no longer avoid one another, they have a long overdue discussion about their notorious past and agree to leave the past behind.

The reconciliation between Ivy and Blake does not happen overnight and this makes the resolution of their past more believable. In the beginning of the story, they are both a little immature but over the course of the story, they each do some much needed growing up. This leads to a deeper connection between them as they get to know one another again. Their romance has a few bumps along the way when an adversary continually sabotages Ivy's self-confidence and Ivy reverts to old behavior instead of talking things out with Blake. The part of the storyline with the vindictive foe takes a little too long to resolve and eventually becomes repetitious.

Facing the Music is a very entertaining novel with an all star cast of engaging characters, plenty of Southern charm and an exceptional storyline. The romance between Ivy and Blake is playful, flirty and quite sensuous and their banter is quite humorous. Overall, it is a thoroughly enjoyable story and fans will be thrilled to discover Andrea Laurence plans to revisit the small town of Rosewood in the very near future.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

The books that always end up catching my attentions are the ones with the funniest book blurbs, and Facing the Music had one that made me laugh so hard, I was wheezing.

I love reading books about scorned heroines, I love reading books about redemption romances, and I love reading books about musicians, athletes, actors, or anything that's extremely far from the ordinary. What I normally don't love are books with both scorned heroines and redemption romances, because most books end up as a hit or a miss with both those factors. Either the heroine just abruptly goes from hating someone to wanting to have his children, or the redemption arc falls flat. Which was why I was surprised that I enjoyed this book. Especially since it contained factors that would normally make me run far away from the book as possible. There was a cheating hero (don't worry, the cheating happened prior to the novel) and a love triangle (partially, since it technically isn't a love triangle--but it has the schematics of one anyway), both two elements I'm not fond of. I tend to let it slide if the author handles it gracefully without blowing it out of proportions.

Here's the thing. I hate cheating heroes. Most authors tend to gloss over it, making the heroes put the blame of their infidelity on the female/significant other. I appreciated how Blake came to redeem himself in a realistic manner. He knew what he did was wrong. He knew what he fucked up on. I liked that even though others were trying to defend Blake to Ivy, he owned up to it himself.

Also, as much as I enjoy plots revolved around scorned women--I tend to dislike it when authors drag it on for too long, making the characters whine excessively just for the sake of angst and more drama for the plot. It's why I really appreciated and was pleased to see how Ivy was willing to move on from the past. They both have hurt each other (in two different ways, of course), but they still carry torches for each other. They still want each other, and the chemistry is there. Chemistry doesn't lie, people. [wink wink nudge nudge].

And most importantly, I loved how the two of them were willing to move on. Especially since what he did hurt both of them badly in the end.

This book was charming and funny. I loved the secondary characters. I loved Blake's brothers: Grant and Simon. I loved Pepper, who was an amazing friend to Ivy (There's nothing I love more than amazing/realistic portrayal of friendships between girls). I loved Blake's grandmother (and her meddling). And I loved Ivy's best friend, Malcolm (who should team up with Blake's grandmother, because these two are the best meddlers I've read in fiction).

What I also found to enjoy was the chemistry between Ivy and Blake. It was sizzling, and Blake managed to prove to be sweet and swoon-worthy.

What I didn't really enjoy was Lydia. She was one piece of work, and she kept getting on my nerves because she was hellbent on shaming and being rude to Ivy. [No man is worth all that cattiness, no no no].

Either than that, this book was definitely a hit for me. There were lots of funny moments, lots of witty banter, and lots of amazing characters that just made the entire book sweet, charming, and fun.

I'm excited to read Grant's and Pepper's book next.

Originally posted at The Not-So-Literary Heiresses.

Facing the Music is one of those contemporary romance novels that’s easy to read and get into. I’ve read a lot of contemporaries that made me laze around and dragged days before I finish it but this book was not one of those. Though the story was not new, it was captivating and it made me love the idea of “second chance love” more.

Blake and Ivy had their first chance five years ago, but because of Blake’s inability to be patient he drove Ivy away making her write a song that no one imagined would be famous. Who would have thought that a calamity would reunite them and made them face what happened in the past five years.

Ivy was compared to Taylor Swift in this book because of her song “Size Matters”. She gained instant fame because of her song that describes Blake’s heart but was misunderstood as describing Blake’s manhood instead. I think this is the first time I came across a character like Ivy. I like that she used her broken heart to achieve her dreams, although I do not really approve some of her foolish decisions to date jerks just so that her past feelings for Blake would ignite again and in turn inspire her to write another song. Even if I did like her character I find it quite ironic that she thinks of herself too much of a victim after humiliating her ex-boyfriend through a song, in front of millions, or billions, of listeners. Haven’t she gathered enough courage and strength after five years of being famous?

He may have been a jerk and a coward but Blake definitely made it to my book boyfriend list. It was a total bummer that it took him five years to realize that Ivy was the one, but anyways I like him. His dreams of being an NHL superstar were crashed and yet he didn’t blame it on anyone else, especially on Ivy despite her song that totally blew his reputation. He realized his wrong doings and did everything he could to take Ivy back. He did not hold grudges and I think his character was more mature compared to Ivy. He loves his family and he has an adorable granny that helped him and Ivy get back together. His granny reminded me of The Bet by Rachel Van Dyken, because I like it when grandparents interevene in their grandchildren’s love life. And I meant that in a positive way.

The story wasn’t new at all but Andrea Laurence had her way of making readers want more. The characters weren’t whiny and did not dilly dally at all. She wrote honest characters that didn’t beat around the bush and I love that she did that. I started this past midnight just before going to sleep and later after a “few” chapters the sun’s already rising. It was very hard to put down once you get into it. The new relationship she built around Ivy and Blake was convincing and it didn’t matter that the concept of the book wasn’t new.

There are times I think the conflict went overboard, but I think Lydia as the antagonist prove her worth. This little b*tch was so annoying I wanted her gone and eaten by monsters, Arum, aliens, whatever. I just want her gone, and looking back I think she did her job well as a big fat conflict because she annoyed me like hell.

Although I love the story to bits and liked the way this was written, the ending disappointed me. I was already feeling their love, their passion and their desperation for each other but somehow their “final” getting back together seemed so weak compared to how they were picking up their relationship before the big fight. It felt rushed and I wish it was more convincing because it didn’t seem enough for me. We’re talking about a girl who lost her trust to the only man she ever loved, and them getting back together through a declaration of love seemed petty. I know the author tried to put some elements that would make it look like they didn’t jump into it immediately but I hope she put something more to make it more convincing and realistic.

Overall, I loved the story and the way the author executed this except for the ending. You know that feeling when your riding a rollercoaster and you feel excited with it just going up and then suddenly feel disappointed because you found out that it will just be going around and not roll down like you expected? I felt exactly like this. But don't fret, it was still a good read and I don’t regret reading this because I totally loved it despite the disappointing ending.

A sweet contemporary romance with likeable characters, lovely settings, and HEA. A rather predictable ending but that's what so comforting about romance novels, I find. Facing the Music is about forgiveness and second chances; of learning to the bad times go and hanging on to the good ones. An easy to read, single sitting, reading that warms my heart; a great start to a series.

Originally posted at The Not-So-Literary Heiresses.

Facing the Music is one of those contemporary romance novels that’s easy to read and get into. I’ve read a lot of contemporaries that made me laze around and dragged days before I finish it but this book was not one of those. Though the story was not new, it was captivating and it made me love the idea of “second chance love” more.

Blake and Ivy had their first chance five years ago, but because of Blake’s inability to be patient he drove Ivy away making her write a song that no one imagined would be famous. Who would have thought that a calamity would reunite them and made them face what happened in the past five years.

Ivy was compared to Taylor Swift in this book because of her song “Size Matters”. She gained instant fame because of her song that describes Blake’s heart but was misunderstood as describing Blake’s manhood instead. I think this is the first time I came across a character like Ivy. I like that she used her broken heart to achieve her dreams, although I do not really approve some of her foolish decisions to date jerks just so that her past feelings for Blake would ignite again and in turn inspire her to write another song. Even if I did like her character I find it quite ironic that she thinks of herself too much of a victim after humiliating her ex-boyfriend through a song, in front of millions, or billions, of listeners. Haven’t she gathered enough courage and strength after five years of being famous?

He may have been a jerk and a coward but Blake definitely made it to my book boyfriend list. It was a total bummer that it took him five years to realize that Ivy was the one, but anyways I like him. His dreams of being an NHL superstar were crashed and yet he didn’t blame it on anyone else, especially on Ivy despite her song that totally blew his reputation. He realized his wrong doings and did everything he could to take Ivy back. He did not hold grudges and I think his character was more mature compared to Ivy. He loves his family and he has an adorable granny that helped him and Ivy get back together. His granny reminded me of The Bet by Rachel Van Dyken, because I like it when grandparents interevene in their grandchildren’s love life. And I meant that in a positive way.

The story wasn’t new at all but Andrea Laurence had her way of making readers want more. The characters weren’t whiny and did not dilly dally at all. She wrote honest characters that didn’t beat around the bush and I love that she did that. I started this past midnight just before going to sleep and later after a “few” chapters the sun’s already rising. It was very hard to put down once you get into it. The new relationship she built around Ivy and Blake was convincing and it didn’t matter that the concept of the book wasn’t new.

There are times I think the conflict went overboard, but I think Lydia as the antagonist prove her worth. This little b*tch was so annoying I wanted her gone and eaten by monsters, Arum, aliens, whatever. I just want her gone, and looking back I think she did her job well as a big fat conflict because she annoyed me like hell.

Although I love the story to bits and liked the way this was written, the ending disappointed me. I was already feeling their love, their passion and their desperation for each other but somehow their “final” getting back together seemed so weak compared to how they were picking up their relationship before the big fight. It felt rushed and I wish it was more convincing because it didn’t seem enough for me. We’re talking about a girl who lost her trust to the only man she ever loved, and them getting back together through a declaration of love seemed petty. I know the author tried to put some elements that would make it look like they didn’t jump into it immediately but I hope she put something more to make it more convincing and realistic.

Overall, I loved the story and the way the author executed this except for the ending. You know that feeling when your riding a rollercoaster and you feel excited with it just going up and then suddenly feel disappointed because you found out that it will just be going around and not roll down like you expected? I felt exactly like this. But don't fret, it was still a good read and I don’t regret reading this because I totally loved it despite the disappointing ending.