Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
YA author Levithan (Another Day) collaborates with singer-songwriter Lekman for an accomplished novel about a wedding singer's relationship troubles. J is a "bookish, folkish" Swedish singer-songwriter who writes an original song for each wedding. He interviews the couples to learn their story and tailors the lyrics and tune to them, whether the bride is his childhood friend's mother marrying the same man for the fourth time or the celebrants are an influencer couple who insist he name-drop the brands sponsoring the ceremony. After his girlfriend, V, travels to New York City with her much younger boss to secure funding for his tech start-up, J becomes unmoored when her communications taper off. He follows her there and calls on a friend who connects him with performance artists to stage a sham wedding as cover for his true intention to monitor V. Geographic proximity, however, only exacerbates the tension between J and V. Levithan's heartfelt prose and Lekman's songs for each of the novel's 10 weddings offer genuine and often funny depictions of love's messiness. It adds up to an impressive meditation on love and letting go. Agent: Bill Clegg, Clegg Agency. (Aug.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
J is a singer/songwriter who primarily earns his living performing at weddings. What makes him unique is that he writes an original song for each wedding after learning the couple's quirks, feelings, and relationship background. J's own love life, however, is far from a happily-ever-after. While he and his girlfriend, V, have been dating for some time, they still live in separate homes. When V must travel to New York City for an extended work commitment, the strain of long distance highlights the troubles in their relationship. J becomes unfocused, insecure, and depressed, while V is overworked, exhausted and distant. J believes that a surprise visit to NYC is just what they need to reconnect, but V wants space to think. Through other trials and tribulations, J and V eventually discover that what they had is over, despite their continued affection. The story examines their relationship journey, lingering on both the bitter and the sweet. VERDICT Levithan's (Wide Awake Now) novel, which includes original lyrics from singer/songwriter Jens Lekman, is a charming, unique, and unconventional exploration of relationships.--Linsey Milillo
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A Swedish wedding singer struggles with his love life when his girlfriend moves to America. J is a "somewhat successful Swedish singer-songwriter. If you live outside of Sweden, it's unlikely you've heard any of his songs on the radio…unless you are one of the bookish, folkish sort who listen to bookish, folkish stations that play bookish, folkish ditties." Because he wrote a song called "If You Ever Need a Stranger (to Sing at Your Wedding)," he's started a lucrative side hustle singing at the weddings of mostly strangers (and a few friends). But he's a unique sort of wedding singer--instead of simply singing covers of popular songs, he writes an original song for each couple. His own love life, though, is complicated. His girlfriend, V, works for a buzzy startup that requires her to move to New York. J, used to being the one who leaves for tours and gigs, is at loose ends without V around, and their communication suffers with an ocean between them. When he gets a wedding gig in New York, he eagerly hops on a plane, only to find that V is not so eager to see him. As his relationship goes through a slow and painful breakdown, J continues playing weddings--some for people who are truly in love, and some for couples whose foundations are built on shaky grounds. Through it all, he keeps writing original songs for each couple, even as the lyrics are suffused with his own heartbreak. The concept is immensely clever: The story is written by Levithan, best known for his YA work, with original songs written by Swedish singer-songwriter Lekman, also a part-time wedding singer--and who actually wrote a song called "If You Ever Need a Stranger (to Sing at Your Wedding)." As J plays wedding after wedding, emotions take center stage. The languid pace fits J's quest to find out if love really can conquer all, if marriage even matters, and if there's any hope for his relationship with V. Much like a good love song, this story demands to be felt. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
