Stay with My Heart

by Tashie Bhuiyan

From the author of Counting Down with You  and  A Show for Two comes a new YA contemporary about a girl who accidentally sabotages an up-and-coming local band and falls for the guitarist while secretly trying to make up for her mistake.

Liana Sarkar lives and breathes music, hoping to follow in the footsteps of her A&R coordinator father. Maybe if she succeeds, he’ll finally give her the time of day instead of drowning himself in work to distract from the grief of her mother’s passing.

When Liana accidentally sabotages an up-and-coming local band, Third Eye, she makes it her mission to steer them towards success—without them discovering her role in their setback. But as she gets closer to Third Eye, especially their enigmatic leader Skyler Moon, it becomes harder to hide the truth.

With both her heart and their futures on the line, will Liana be able to undo the damage she’s caused?

Praise for A Show for Two
“You’ll fall head-over-heels in love with these characters while they fall in love with each other.” — Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times  bestselling author of  These Violent Delights
“Tender and bittersweet.” — Tahereh Mafi, #1 New York Times  bestselling author of Shatter Me

Praise for  Counting Down with You
“I. Love. This. Book.” — Mark Oshiro, award-winning author of  Anger Is a Gift
“Steals your heart from start to finish.” — Emma Lord,  New York Times  bestselling author of  You Have a Match
“Hand to fans of Netflix hit  Never Have I Ever .” — Booklist

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Young Adult Romance, Fiction, Mental Health

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 2, 2024

About the author

Tashie Bhuiyan is the author of Counting Down with You, A Show for Two, Stay with My Heart, and I'll Pretend You're Mine. She is a New Yorker through and through, and hopes to change the world, one book at a time. She loves writing stories about gaining agency through growth and surviving against all odds. When she's not doing that, she's probably traveling, attending a concert, or bothering her cat, Zuko.

Reviews

[Chloe Gong · Rating 5 out of 5]

A love song in book form, with all the beautiful aches and shining triumphs that come with finding your way. Tashie Bhuiyan writes with a mirror to your soul.

[Dawn Solaris · Rating 4 out of 5]

★彡 4 stars 彡★

“I could write a million songs about you,” Skyler says, “and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈ I’m grinning as I write this review. Heck, I was grinning throughout the book, because it’s just that wholesome and adorable. From late-night drives to bonding over Taylor Swift albums, YA romances don’t get better than this-

It’s funny that I’m not even into any of the existing boy bands out there but somehow… the idea of a guy with a guitar does things to my heart. I’m into sappy shit like that so I was fully prepared to be serenaded ( •᷄ᴗ•́)

𑁍ࠬܓ ᏖᏒᎧᎮᏋᏕ ᏗᏖ ᏇᎧᏒᏦ 𓇢𓆸

⪼ Sorta-Enemies To Friends To Lovers

⪼ Found Family

⪼ Absentee Parent

⪼ Bangladeshi Cultural Rep because we need more o’ this!

𖡼.𖤣𖥧 ᎷᎩ ᏖᏂᎧᏬᎶᏂᏖᏕ 𖡼.𖤣𖥧

: ̗̀➛ 🅣🅗🅔 🅢🅣🅞🅡🅨 & 🅣🅗🅔 🅕🅔🅔🅛🅢: Liana messes up. Big time. And the only way to undo the damage? Pave her way into not-so-secretly aiding a novelty of a boy band, because of course that’s the only way of assuaging these guilty terrors ~

It’s a simple story and I think that’s why it worked for me. Predictable plot twists? Cheesy confessions and love songs? Yeah and yeah, that’s exactly it. So if you’re allergic to typical YA with an essence like that, maybe it might not work as well for you. Having read Counting Down With You, which was Tashie’s debut, I definitely thought her writing and story-making improved by a lot in Stay With My Heart. This book was nicely fleshed out in most ways, from loveable characters to believable goals, Tashie set everything right!

Personally, the element of parental neglect felt really well done. Because, yes, our FMC Liana has daddy issues. But unlike most stories that try to sell this trope in the name of having their FMCs whine about how their fathers baby them and don’t ‘understand them’ like some Emo kids on hormones, I love how Liana’s daddy issues have a meaning and how realistically they stay unresolved. There wasn’t a magical HEA where her neglectful father oh-so suddenly had a change of heart in the last 10 pages and they patched up. No. They had issues, they still do, and you know what? It makes sense, because some things are beyond repair and talking it out doesn’t always help. So, I’m grateful to see a realistic approach for once!

: ̗̀➛ 🅛🅘🅐🅝🅐&🅢🅚🅨: I’ll fall to my knees and cry for more couples like them! A musician boyfriend who writes songs about her? A girlfriend whose love language is making a playlist for every late night drive? A couple who banters in the language of SONGS AND ALBUMS? I kid you not, one of their very first interactions was her challenging him to name his top three tracks on the album he was supposedly buying in front of her. And that he literally PAYS IN DOLLARS to hear her thoughts which she lies about but still takes the cash - why don’t you kill me already? Pointless to say, I loved their dynamic and I giggled an unhealthy amount reading this book.

»»——★ fιnαℓ тнσυgнтѕ ★——««

➳ A short and sweet read for the summer that I would definitely recommend. Especially if you love music and found family? What’s a sweeter treat? (◍•ᴗ•◍)

｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡

[Yusra ☾]

Now Playing: Fireproof ~ One Direction



Non Coherent Thoughts: WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL THIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I’VE READ IN MY ENTIRE FREAKING LIFE HDNFJNDJCNSKCMDK SOMEONE HELP ME WHYYYYY WHYYYYY IS IT DONEEEEEEEE ARGHHHHHHHHH UGH IF IT WASN'T FOR THE MUSLIM REP IT WOULD BE BEYOND SIX STARS OMGGGGG SKY MY LOVEEEE AND LIANA OMG AND MOHAMMED AND ETHAN AND VINCENT ARGUYHDGSJSGHDDH WHAT AM I GOMMA DO WITH MYSELF???


Coherent Thoughts (written before I finished the book): Like with all of Tashie Bhuiyan’s books, I never rate them because they portray Muslim characters doing the most haram things BUT does it while writing amazing stories. For that reason, I write a short review and leave the book unrated because it feels wrong on my conscious to rate it highly because of the terrible and disgusting Muslim representation, but I can’t rate it lower because it really was an amazing story.


First things first: this goddamn cover?? One of the most beautiful things, let alone book covers, I’ve ever seen in my life. I usually hate covers with people but this. This is an exception. That itself deserves a moment of silence.


…..


Done now?


Okay let’s continue!

The plot was super good. Like, way better than usual. In all of her books, the romance is amazing, but the plot isn’t always as great. This one was different. Even though it wasn’t as prefectly written and planned out (nothing can be perfect) but it was amazing. Hands down the best Tashie has wrote, period. I love how far she’s come with her writing!! (If only it was halal….sigh)


Liana: omg I wanted to give this girl a huge hug so bad like idek how to explain my love for her. Her longing for her mom and her detachment from her dad made me HEARTBROKEN for her. Everytime she spoke about how she doesn’t like life or she has no meaning, I got so sad because hello? You have Islam, if you let it! Istg, when you have Allah in your heart, nothing can stop you, and while things hurt, the healing process is easier because you know and trust that not only there’s an afterlife, but your going to be okay because Allah’s got your back, will always protect you and help you (if you want it), and he’ll never give you a burden you cannot bear.

Sky: to my future husband: if you are not Skylar Moon who’s going to write songs about me, bend over backwards for me and his friends and family, take me on long drives, talk with me easily, love me unconditionally, respectfully, STFU AND GO BACK THE WAY YOU CAME. Sigh Sky is my dream man. I love him sm ugh his patience, humor, kindness, and easygoingness was just ugh amazing. Also, his love and care for his sister, even though it’s not mentioned as much, is so cute. His mom and how he connects and bonded with Liana over it is just really special and I just love their bond sm. He’s just so….genuine. That’s the best word I can use to describe him, honestly, he’s a really genuine person.

Mohammed: number one wing man, I loved him sm he was just the Kenji of this story bro like he’s just amazing. He relates to Liana in a way that the rest of the boys can’t understand and he’s just a really good guy. Super kind but a complainer in chief and wild at heart. What he said about his parents 🥺 literally made my heart melt, I love when I see kids of immigrants from the East having great relationships with his parents and the fact that his biggest source of happiness is making his parents happy and it’s vice versa for them is just ugh so blessed and beautiful, ilhsm.


Vincent: I really liked Vinny. When Vincent was holding back Mohammed before he beat the crap out of Thomas, he told him something along the lines of, “he’s the white boy, you’re just gonna be the one who suffers”. That hit bro. Being from a minority literally changed the narrative and idk why but the fact that it was recognized in a romance book by an author who doesn’t talk about that often (at all) made me and my activist heart really happy. He’s really their rock.


Ethan: adorable. He’s so freaking adorable lol he’s so cute.

Evie: and the greatest best friend award goes too……

Thomas: A$$.Hole. I hate him with PASSION. He literally made me wanna punch my book like he was just awful. When he was smiling and taunting Mohammed and Vincent was holding Mo back, I actually felt like killing him. I never wanted to jump into a book to coming homicide on a character so bad bro. I think it’s because there are people like him irl left and right and THAT just ticked me off the edge.


Okay so to conclude, no one talk to me for 3 to 5 business days, I’m hungover from this.

[nandini · Rating 5 out of 5]

i can't form words anymore i only know how to scream

[LoveBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

❝𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒂 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉.❞🎵💘

“Okay. Uh, so...this next song is called ‘Late Night’ and...”
“And?” Ethan asks into his microphone with a giggle. They’re teasing Sky, and I have no idea why, because the song title doesn’t sound familiar in the slightest.
I cock my head in confusion as Skyler somehow turns even more red.
“I wrote it in the last few weeks,” Sky says, licking his lips. He’s scanning the crowd now, searching for someone or something. When our eyes meet, he finally pauses, holding my gaze.
“I’ve been having a little bit of writer’s block, so someone suggested that going on a few late night drives might help. So I did—with them. And suddenly, I was always looking forward to the end of the day. Without meaning to, I found a new muse. I don’t think she realized how much of an effect she was having on me. I still don’t think she knows. So I thought I’d write a song to tell her.”
My mouth falls open. He can’t mean he wrote a song for me. But who else would he be talking about?
“This one’s for you. You know who you are,” Sky says before winking at me.

╰┈➤ ❝ 𝓛𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓝𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 ❞
Late night driving
Small talk and smiling
I’m slowly learning
Every road leads me back to you
No matter what I do
The wind in your hair
The flush in your cheeks
My God, it’s bad for me
I roll down the windows
And toss away my sorry excuse for a heart
How do I hit the brakes?
I’m afraid to tell you
I hope we never end this drive
I’m afraid to tell you
You make me feel so alive
I’m afraid to tell you
I’m afraid to tell you
I’m afraid to tell you
If I was braver
I’d kiss you tonight
And maybe I want to tell you
I hope we never end this drive
And maybe I want to tell you
You make me feel so alive
And maybe I want to tell you
And maybe I want to tell you
And maybe I want to tell you
I’m braver by your side
Please kiss me tonight

★★★★★

୨ ❝𝐖𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭. 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐞?❞ ୧

★★★★★
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 𝒑𝒓𝒆-𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅₊· ͟͟ I've been hearing good things about this book, hope I like it as much as I like the cover.

[skye (cardan’s ver.) ꩜ .ᐟ [hiatus] · Rating 5 out of 5]

— ”we were all strangers at one point. now we’re a family, aren’t we?” ⊹₊ ⋆


rating : ★★★★★


— ”trusting someone to treat me the way I want to be treated is too hard and too scary.” ⊹₊ ⋆


༘⋆ liana sarkar. we are the same human being. every time I look at you, I see myself. she is too relatable for my weak heart. I understood almost every single one of lia’s struggles throughout the book. and i’m not lying when I tell you I cried a lot, too. she has such an amazing personality and the perfect attitude. tashie, you’ve written this book too well, and now my pillow is wet with tears.

༘⋆ skyler moon. i’m 101% lucky as hell to share my name with the CUTEST tashie-written book bf (yes, this is a flex). I fully understood his reluctance and hesitation before asking anyone else for help, no matter who or why. he just didn’t want to feel like a burden to those he loved, and oh my god did I feel that in my heart. he’s so considerate and comes off as insecure, to me, for which istg I just want to hold him forever and never let go.

༘⋆ skylia. the most perfect ship i’ve read in contemporary romance books ever. I cry myself to sleep when I read books where the fmc is a stranger to any idea of love bc she’s never felt it from her family and stuff (relatable), but then there’s the mmc who showers her with love and affection to try and begin to make up for all those years in her life. dear god, all i’m asking for is someone who would understand me like sky understands lia. the day that someone writes a song for me is the day i’ll happily ascend to heaven.

༘⋆ ethan, vinny, and mo. I shit you not, I exist for the found family trope in books. and it was today that I realised I have my very own found family in my life, when I saw myself sending screenshots of funny third eye moments to my friends group chat and telling them ‘that’s us���. also, the second I read about ethan and vinny, my mind went ‘larry stylinson reincarnation, i see it <3’. and mo!! he’s so so adorable and amazing. he was so understanding after lia explained the entire situation to him. they’re all such cuties <3


— ”this is about love that perseveres, even in the face of pain and heartbreak.” ⊹₊ ⋆


༘⋆ the plot was immaculate! this had the perfect pacing, short chapters, the most adorable characters, playlists, songs for chapter titles, etc. it was, quite literally, a flawless read.

lia’s story has taught me that toxic relationships — especially with your parents — can never be normalised. sometimes, it even looks like they love you and you want to believe it, but the truth is just much harsher. my heart ached every moment of this book. when lia said ‘sometimes, I think he pretends I died when ma did. and sometimes, I wish I did’, I felt that in every bone, muscle and nerve of my body. I can confirm I broke down at least 10 times while reading this book.


— ”pinky promise?” ⊹₊ ⋆


༘⋆ my favourite parts of the book were when sky and lia had the talk about their mothers and the grief and everything, and also when sky dedicated a surprise song to lia during their light the way performance. that was, by far, the sweetest thing i’ve ever read in a romance book <3

ethan and vinny were the cutest, oh my god! and evie? do not get me started.
I know the struggles of long distance friendships first-hand bc my best friend of 10 years now has been living away for the past 7 years, and it never gets easy. I could see so much of her and me in evie and lia’s moments, it brought tears to my eyes. tashie always writes the best friendships too <3.


— ”i made you a playlist.” ⊹₊ ⋆


༘⋆ tashie bhuiyan. she’s such an inspiring author and explores the most amazing themes in all her books! I read counting down with you and a show for two last year, and they were also instant 5-star reads! she has such a beautiful way with words, I just feel like crying. and also, I feel so represented when I read books where the mcs deal with the same problems I, and so many others, do.

tashie, your books make me feel so loved.
i love you <3

i’m so happy to have picked this to be my first book of the year! (special thanks to carthika for being the one to convince me to read this through her review post <3)

༘⋆ lastly, thank you so so much to tashie, inkyard, and netgalley for providing me with an eARC long ago! i’m so sad to have not read this sooner than a day before its release ):


— ”I could write a million songs about you, and it still wouldn’t be enough.” ⊹₊ ⋆

[Jane ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

What if, instead of One Direction adopting you, you become a manager for a band no one has heard of?

Half of the time I cringed from all the teenage wish fulfillment, and the other half I was actually having fun and thought it was cute.

This is not a bad book, it was just too fanfiction-y at times for me. Maybe I'm just too old for guys with tattoos and earrings named Skyler Moon who love Taylor Swift and are leaders of a band, who also wear crop tops....



The plot itself is quite predictable but that's fine. Bonus points for an excellent mental health rep.

[carthi ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m afraid to tell you // If I was braver // I’d kiss you tonight

after reading this twice, i think i am now knowledgeable enough to be writing a proper review that will do this book justice. cause when i say this book hands down will always have a special place in my heart, im not joking. 🥹🫶💘

this book. its just serotonin in book form. that is the best description i could ever come up with, without talking your head off for five hours (tho dw the youtube video is coming <3).

miss tashie has a way with her characters, cause how else do i find pieces of me and my life in them? i genuinely understand the pain lia went through cause ive been in similar situations, and its comforting to see that in books (?) writing this review im baring a part of my soul alongside cause of how emotionally attached i am to these five adorable humans. they deserve the best and nothing less. speaking of which, miss tashie is there any chance we could get mo and kate's story? pretty please???? 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹😆

*spoilers ahead (?) so read with caution :D*

♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ. liana ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ.

ill start with our lovely lia. from her love for music to her long-distance relationship with her best friend, there are so many things i relate to her. she is just so good at what she does (cause um did anyone see thirdeye's follower stats, this girl is fire!), and knows it to. sure she made a small mistake, but what's remarkable is her tenacity to fix it. i would honestly just down-spiral for the next few days. and even if she tried her hardest to stay detached, our boys are just too good to not fall for. 🤭🤭🎀

then there's her relationship with her dad. i think this is where i really understood her a lot more. this line had me sobbing my heart out, because yes, why? 😭😭

Why should I? Why is that my responsibility? He signed up to be a father. I didn’t sign up to be his daughter. If anyone should be cutting the other slack, it should be him to me.
His wife died, too. And so what? Does that mean he’s no longer my father? He’s just a grieving husband? I’m some kind of collateral?

oh and the long-distance bestie situation. i just think its a universal law that best friends will always be separated because of studies. ive been long-distance for the past three years with mine, and god, this was so accurate! (but technically in our situation, im evie, and she's lia, cause my love life is non-existent 😂😭).

Me: death is looking a lot nicer than whatever tf life has going on
Evie Khodabux: you have to stay alive if you want to see me beat the shit out of thomas
Me: ...suddenly my will to live is stronger than ever

Some days, I wish I were never born. This is one of those days.
I want to hit something. I want to rip something apart. I want to do something, but there’s nothing for me to do.
It’s not fair. It’s not fair.
But it’s not like life has ever really been fair to me before.

i wish i couldnt relate to this, but um, i do and it hurts at times, but seeing that kind of representation in books is just healing.

“Fair enough. Mine are ‘Afterglow,’ ‘Cornelia Street,’ and ‘The Archer’."

also her taste in music 🤝 my taste in music >>> i geniuinely only listen to afterglow, daylight and the archer the most out of that album (is it obvious that i am skylia's child in reality?) and the fact that both our playlists have english and desi songs 😌✨

♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ. skyler ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ.

next we have him. honestly if he existed in real life, i would geniuinely go all the way to LA to see him and make sure there was hope for me because he makes me want to hold onto the fact that boys like this do exist. and when i tell you this boy fell hard first, i mean HE FREAKING FELL! idk how i missed it the first time, but the signs are all over the place! he would always initiate conversation, and every time he talked to her HE HAD A SMILE ON HIS FACE!!?! 🦋💘✨🦋💘✨🦋💘✨

“I would’ve actually taken you on the date if you let me.”
I cough abruptly. “Huh?”
“I mean, you knew our music and you were beautiful,” Sky continues. I’m gonna go into cardiac arrest at the tender age of seventeen at this rate. “And I could tell you were pissed near the end, but it was kind of hot.”

dear god, if you still have any mercy left in you, kindly bring a sky into all of our lives. love, a hopeless romantic <3

even if i forget about him as a love interest, and just him itself is walking AMAZON FOREST. the way he absolutely cares about third eye, and he only ever cared about the music and his boys.

“No! They’re my family,” Sky says, voice cracking. We both wince. “I’d do anything for them.”

♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ. them ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ.

“Is there any reason you’re looking at me?” I ask when I finally return to my post behind the cash register.
“Is there any reason you’re looking back?” Sky asks, and I try not to immediately scowl at him.
“I asked you first,” I say, even though it sounds childish to my own ears.
He smirks a little, like he knows. “And I asked you second.”
“But I asked you first.”
“We can go in circles all day, Liana.”
I blow out a deep breath. “I find you very irritating.”
Sky grins. “That’s alright. So where’s this practice room of yours, anyway?”

their relationship is the most wholesome one to ever exist. their's is the kind of love that you slowly but gently move into. is there falling involved sure, but this one is a slow burn that just makes you fall for these two even more than ever. the way they talk out things and communicate is just heart warming. they are the definition of love and if anyone says anything against them, they're just idiots and have no taste.

AND UM IF ANYONE HAS FORGOTTEN, HE WROTE TWO SONGS ABOUT HER!!! AND LITERALLY SAID THAT HE COULD WRITE A MILLION AND IT WOULDNT BE ENOUGH?!?!? um- wha-? how does your standard NOT rise higher than heaven after this? 🤭😌🥹✨

♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ. third eye <3 ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ.

if there is one complaint i have for miss tashie, its the fact that she makes me wish this was a real band. i wish that i could just go into google and type "third eye" and find every video and post lia has made for them. if they were real, my will to live would be off the charts.

“I’m buying you a bottle of vodka for your birthday,” I say to Ethan. “Bless your heart.”
“Liana, do not buy him alcohol,” Skyler says at the same time Vincent says, “Absolutely not.”
“Haters,” Ethan mutters.

then there's our ethan and vinny. i had my suspicions from about 25% in and boy am i happy to have predicted this one :)))) these two are just sweeter than italian hot chocolate and i could get drunk on that love. the way ethan wrote a love song for vinny??? *swoons, dies, and gets revivied to continue writing this* 😂🤭💖

and there's mo, dont tell them, but he's my fav :) the way he might look scary and strong, but is actually just a huge softie with an even bigger and lovelier family.

ugh, how do you not fall in love with all of them? T-T and the way they whole-heartedly accepted lia into their little family? even celebrated her birthday with a surprise party?!??! my standards in friends have also risen!!! honestly, i would end every calamity on earth for these five. 😆🤧

♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ. the writing ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ.

miss tashie just outdoes herself every time she publishes a book. and this was no different. her writing was just so well paced, but maybe a little too well, cause i wouldnt have minded an extra 200 pages of third eye + lia content (just saying, or maybe that book about mo and kate would do as well ;)) 💗

all in all if you read till here, and still haven't read the book, what are you waiting for? GO, BUY IT AND READ IT ASAP!!!

_________________
original review:

miss tashie, i love you! these five have my heart and soul for life. they’re the most adorable found family ever! and mix in all that music and band and im just a melting puddle 🥹🫶✨ sky&lia forever 💖🎀🦋✨

full review to come soon <3

thank you so much author, publisher and lonelypages book tours for the eARC.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third eye my favourite found family 🫶 (them cuddling when Liana got sad was the cutest thing).

I have been REALLY excited for this book and it did not disappoint, I read the whole thing in a night. This book has turned me into a Tashie Stan.

Liana Sarkar: a girl who accidentally sabotages Third Eye (an up-and-coming local band) and somehow falls for the lead guitarist while trying to fix her mistake. Liana deserves nothing but happiness, I just want to give her a big hug.

Skyler Moon: The leader of Third Eye and the lead guitarist whom Liana falls for. He loves his members so much, he would do anything for them. They are his family. Him writing songs for Liana>>>

Third Eye: a band consisting of Skyler Moon, Mohammed Anwar, Ethan Mitchell and Vincent Alvarez. I LOVE SKY, MO, ETHAN AND VINNY MY CUTIES. Ethan being the sunshine and all the members plus Liana being the sunshine protector is so fitting.

Liana and Evie are friendship goals fr, they represent all the long-distance best friends.

“It’s nice of them to pretend they’re not doing this because I look sad and pathetic in the aftermath of my best friend leaving. Nicer than I deserve, probably, but I won’t complain about receiving free cuddles.”

“I know you secretly love spending time with us,” Ethan says, coming to stand by my side and butt his head against mine. “You adore us.”

I loved the dynamic between Third Eye and Liana, I loved how slowly they opened up to her and made her part of their family. Liana who only had Evie and Riya now had this little group too who cared about her. I also loved how the book focused on Liana’s mental health and I’m glad for that.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A South Asian American teen girl grapples with anxiety and depression following her high school graduation and mother's recent death. Struggling in the face of her father's absenteeism and neglect, Liana tries to please him by focusing on her new internship at his Music Recording company only to find herself getting tangled up with an aspiring band and its friendly, yet complex members.

Heartfelt, with excellent mental health rep and TONS of popular song recs, this was great on audio narrated by one of my favs, Soneela Nankani. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and Librofm for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review! This is by far my new fav from Tashie Bhuiyan!!

[Fem loonieslibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute YA romance with wonderful mental health rep.

Also, I see you, Tashie. I too love Chan. 😌

[saachi (taylor's version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is one of the most screaming giggling throwing up crying kicking my feet in the air sobbing inducing books ive ever read

rtc

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the found family trope and boy band dynamic. I honestly wish I could experience Third Eye for real 😩 and just know that I’d be front row for ‘Late Night’! I also loved the therapy representation. It's always heartwarming when characters actively seek therapy because they understand its importance.

Tashie Bhuiyan does a great job placing a bit of realism into the story with the direction she decided to take Liana and her fathers relationship. It mirrors reality for many people, really emphasizing that family can extend beyond blood to include the friends around you.

However, I was somewhat disappointed because the story didn't resonate with me as well as I expected. I struggled to understand and appreciate Liana’s choices. While I empathize with her need for her father's attention, her character felt a bit selfish because her inability to own up to her mistakes by being honest. I felt like she justified her lies based on her situation and the others were expected to just allow things to happen without regard for their own situations.

I loved the book's general premise, and despite falling short for me, it still had so many heartwarming aspects that I really enjoyed.

[jude ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚(semi-hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow, it’s been awhile since i read a book that was so addicting. rtc!!!

≡;- ꒰ °pre-read ꒱

୨⎯ 5/16/24 ⎯୧

im on a roll with reading cute little ya romances sooo let’s keep it goinggg!! i read counting down with you in less than a day because it was just so addicting even with a bunch of homework, sooo i have high hopes for this one!! ive been wanting to read this for so long so i hope it lives up to my expectations!!!!

[nitya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still swooning tbh

Content warning: parental death (past), child neglect, anxiety, depression

[jenna (jennajustreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Realizing I need to write a review for this book since it has been three months and I still think it way too often.

I wasn’t a massive fan of Counting Down with You, but I gave this author another chance with A Show For Two. I liked ASFT more than CDWY, so I decided to finally read this book and see where my feelings truly lie with Tashie. Needless to say, I’m glad I did.

This book felt like a breath of fresh air. It had a love story that wasn’t super cringey, likeable characters, and a solid plot. I LOVED how each chapter title was a song, and how there was a playlist that matched the respective chapters. I listened to the song that represented what I was reading, and that made it 1000x better.

The chemistry between the main couple was tangible, and there was just enough reality where it felt realistic but not annoyingly so. The side characters were strategically created where you felt like you knew so much about them, but wasn’t overwhelmed with information, either.

You’ve got me, Tashie. This one is a hit.

[maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

the way this book is so taylor swift and gracie abrams coded

Reading STAY WITH MY HEART by Tashie Bhuiyan is like finding a tiny, tucked away, hidden corner of the world and finding the utmost comfort within it. It’s so warm and cozy and so perfectly well-written, and I devoured this book in less than 24 hours. Everything about this book was just SO GOOD from the found family, to the humour, to the way Liana is such a perfectly fleshed out character that I was rooting for from the very first page. ALSO THE ROMANCE????? SKY AND LIANA FOR LIFE.

There’s literally nothing about this book that I didn’t like. 5/5 stars and you guys NEED to pick this up. Thank you Inkyard Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. STAY WITH MY HEART comes out JAN 2nd 2024!

[elly · Rating 4 out of 5]

i did not expect to love this as much as i did. for the past week i’ve been slowly falling into a reading slump, but somehow I finished this in one sitting and had the most amazing 4 hours during it. i went through a rollercoaster of emotions and even shed a few tears (out of sadness but also laughter) while reading this☹️🤍

this is for the girlies that love found family, music, taylor swift, marauders band aus and struggle with mental health and anxiety<3
i can’t even articulate more of my thoughts into words but i’m OBSESSED with these people and relationships and am already wanting to dive right back into a reread…
also the added songs each chapter AND the playlists in this were AMAZING!

[zahia · Rating 5 out of 5]

redoing this review bc it's one of my fave books ever and it deserves all the love<3🐛🎀🫧🌷

[tanisha (jacks & cardan’s version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We were all strangers at one point. Now we’re a family aren’t we?”

This rating could easily go up or down depending on how much I think about the book in the next few weeks. But I loved Stay With My Heart so much. Tashie Bhuiyan never fails me. I have loved and raved about each of her books and this will be added to that list.

Her books become comfort reads for me as I just fall in love with the characters each time. And while I’m on the topic of her characters I love how in each book Tashie leaves a little Easter egg of her previous book characters. For example this is a minor spoiler but Liana’s cousins are Mina & Karina who are the mcs in Tashie’s previous books, A show for two and Counting down with you. I loved both of these books and to see the characters being mentioned made my day.

I also loved the relationship between Liana and each of the band members. Found family is my favourite thing and to see that in this book really made me smile. I have to add that Sky & Lia, I wish we got to see more of them! I really enjoyed the little bits of romance we got from them but I wished it was more. That would be my only con for this book but I still loved it nevertheless.

The plot was very interesting as well which added to my enjoyment. It was great reading about the band and their journey along with Liana’s character development. On top of that I have to say the mental health representation was brilliant. Liana struggles with both anxiety as well as depression and I could find myself relating to her many times throughout the book which is something I love when reading.

I am personally a huge fan of music and to see Tashie write a whole novel dedicated to her love of music and mention various of her favourite artists (such as Gracie Abrams, Taylor Swift & Fleetwood Mac) which I happen to also love. It was just everything.

This book was so amazing, not once did I get bored and I know I’ll be reading it again sometime in the near future.

PS: I need to stop using love in my reviews and find more words in my vocabulary because I feel like my reviews are all so repetitive 😭

[Thamy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did it. I judged a book by the cover. It's a cute one, but it somehow made me thing this wouldn't be really good. Just another simple story about teenagers for teenagers. The cover screamed at me not to take it seriously. To expect at best a fanfic turned book. Well, if this was a fanfic or a Wattpad story, it deserved being turned into a book (as of course many of them do). My tired eyes went and prejudged it. Bad me.

3.5, rounded up.

Liana's father is a one of those big guys working for an important record company, and it's while he's listening to demos instead of paying attention to his only daughter that Liana meets the group called Third Eye for the first time. Soon, she actually meets the members and falls for the wrong one. He uses her position to get to her father, lies and ultimately ghosts her. Now Liana has not only wronged the father she wants so much the attention but also the members of Third Eye. She decides, thus, to help them improve themselves and prove to be better than the member they've lost.

I love how you really don't know who is the bad guy or the good guy at first. It's so rare for YA's to get me this excited about who the main character will end with.

Liana also faces other issues, especially her fight against depression. I don't know if her attitudes refusing to sick help sooner than later was the best choice to include in a book for younger readers if you really wanted to send them a message, but at least the importance of therapy was very obvious.

The troubles Liana gets into are very believable too. I'd probably have fallen for the same traps, even if I wouldn't have had her resilience to keep the charade and hide it all while trying to compensate Third Eye. I'd have broken down much, much sooner. And her issues with her father, they were simply heartbreaking. There was no big drama, it was just what it was, which made it even more more bitter.

The plot wasn't such a novelty, so it's not so memorable. Yet, I loved the time I spent with these characters and I wish I could have been at one of Third Eye's performances. This book won't cross the genre, but I highly recommend it to readers of romantic contemporary YA's.



Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

[Cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Queen Tashie has done it again! This book had me laughing, swooning, crying, gagged, and wanting more every second I read it! WHERE IS MY SKYLER MOON, IM WAITING??? I would love to see this book adapted into a miniseries or something just to see these tiktoks dances Liana made the band do (and hear the songs too ofc). Third Eye’s love and friendship reminded me of my favorite band and when I used to play music with my friends. The love and connection you feel for those people in that moment of musical harmony is truly one of the seven wonders of the world. I said it once and I’ll say it again, I am a Tashie groupie and cannot wait for book 4.

[Noi (in & out) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trying my first 2024 published book!

"We're touching the world for them"

This is why I still read YA.

* Lgbt+ rep.
* Found family.
* Depression.
* Anxiety.
* Death of a parent (loss and grief).
* Parental neglect.
* Some underage drinking.

[alexa♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

OH MY GOD. I’m writing this 2 minutes after Skyler just dropped THE LITERAL BEST QUOTE IN THE BOOK. “I could write a million songs about you, and it still wouldn’t be enough.” WHATTT like that is literally the sweetest thing ever. I’m blushing right now just thinking about it. And Skyler isn’t even my cup of tea. Like personally I didn’t relate to the whole book really being centered around music. I loved it! Don’t get me wrong, and I would’ve given it 5 stars but it’s not my thing. But if you like the whole band aspect you should def read!

[Ankia Unknown]

This cover looks AI generated

[Mariana ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has everything I love, on paper: found family, a sweet and kind love interest, a slow-burn romance…! Unfortunately, though, the execution was reeeally lacking, in my opinion. I found this book profoundly boring, and I don't think the main premise (aka, the romance) was properly built up.



The book starts off with the MC (Liana) flirting with na aspiring musician (Thomas) for weeks. She ends up showing her dad (who's a famous music producer) Thomas's demo, which her dad loves. She then finds out that not only was Thomas using her to further his career, but "his" songs were actually stolen from someone else. Liana REFUSES to tell her dad that Thomas is a phony, because her dad is neglectful, and the first time he paid attention to her in years was when she found the ~incredible musician~ that is Thomas. Liana's plan, then, is to let her dad keep believing Thomas is amazing, while also helping the people Thomas stole music from (a band called Third Eye), who she also doesn't tell the truth to (because she literally has the power to expose Thomas as a thief, but refuses to do so lol). So, yeah, her ridiculous plan is to make Third Eye more famous, in hopes that her dad likes them more than Thomas, all while not revealing that Thomas doesn't write his own music. It's suuuuch a stupid plan. 🙄

This was the main conflict of the book, and it was incredibly frustrating. First of all, it's very predictable; you can quickly tell Thomas is using Liana to reach her dad, and when his plan is revealed, it becomes obvious that the 3rd act conflict is going to be Third Eye finding out that she had the power to expose Thomas's deception, but didn't.

Liana is aware that her lies won't end well, and she gets called out on page for it, but it's still annoying to see this stupid conflict drag on until the last 15% of the book. You know from the *very start* of the story how things will play out, so the whole book is just buildup to something that you know exactly how it's gonna end. It was sooooo repetitive, and the payoff wasn't even satisfying. Liana just throws herself a pity party, wondering “What was I supposed to do?” (uhhhh maybe tell your dad that Thomas stole other people’s music? It's not YOUR fault that HE lied to you!). Third Eye aren't even mad at her for not exposing Thomas for stealing their songs (even though that's what they should be mad about); they're only angry that she lied to them (about who she is and her reasons to want to help them). And they literally get over it immediately lol. 🙄🙄🙄 All that buildup for like 2 pages of anger from the victims of Thomas's theft + Liana's refusal to expose Thomas's theft. Such a stupid conflict for the whole book to be centered around.



Let's now talk about the romance. I didn't care about it AT ALL. 🫥🫥🫥🫥🫥🫥🫥 The LI is one of the members of Third Eye, Sky Moon (yes, that is his actual name. I wish I was joking 🥴🥴🥴). As Liana helps Third Eye become more famous (her ~genius~ plan, remember?) she bonds with the members of the band. However, I feel like she bonded much more with the other members than with Sky Moon. The platonic relationships she had with the other boys felt more developed and real than the romance with Sky, which was really lackluster in comparison.

Liana and Sky barely even talk. It was over halfway through the book that they started ~kind of~ bonding. And, listen: I LOVE slow-burns! That is literally the only way I can enjoy a romance! But if I don't actually SEE the characters getting closer, then the romance won't be enjoyable! Like, yes, Liana and Sky only get together at the end, but also, they barely interact throughout the whole book, so it doesn't even feel like a slow-burn; it just feels like an underdeveloped romance that only started being (poorly) developed in the last half of the book. 😕😕😕 I appreciate a slow-burn, but that doesn’t mean there should be NO relationship development in the 1st half of the book.

Liana often mentions that Sky is really hot and really nice/protective of his band mates. She knows him sooooo well, despite barely talking to him. They then realize they both have dead mothers, and that's about it. I don't really understand why either of them liked the other. 😐 There was no reason for them to be in love. There was barely even a reason for them to be friends, especially when you compare their friendship to Liana's with the other band boys, which were actually kind of developed. The romance just gave me NOTHING.

I also didn't find Sky to be that compelling of a LI. Once again, I LOVE him on paper: sweet, kind, understanding… Literally all I want in a male LI! However, Sky’s whole personality is being a martyr — being too nice, doing everything he could for his band mates, not accepting their help, thinking he should suffer so the other boys could thrive… 🙄 Other than that, all I know was that he writes music and has a dead mum. He was booooriiiinggggg. 🥱 Maybe it's because we never saw much of him (since he and Liana didn't talk much outside of the topics I already mentioned). Idk. I just didn't care about him, and I cared even less about his and Liana's romance.



This book also has a problem with telling instead of showing :
➤ Liana's relationship with Thomas (I wish we'd seen a bit more of their fling, because it lasted a while and it didn't feel like it).
➤ Liana going to her internship (she goes twice a week for months, but we only see her there like, once).
➤ She does a presentation for a bunch of importante people at the music label her dad works at, and her dad is finally paying attention to her, and yet we never see this happen.
➤ Lots of moments between her and the band are just mentioned instead of shown, which sucks, because their friendship is supposedly a big point of the story. The author reeeeally wants the reader to believe they're a ~found family~, and the characters are always saying they're "family", but it never felt that deep, to me. 😐
➤ As I already mentioned, Liana knows Sky super well even though they barely interact on page. I guess their relationship developed off-page.
➤ She and Sky go on a late night drive once, and a while later it's just mentioned that they actually kept doing that and it had become a ritual of theirs. We, the readers, didn't even know they kept doing it that often lol.
➤ Liana randomly mentions she found out a while back that some of the band members are bi. Off-page, of course.
➤ Liana worked as a social media manager for the band, and it's mentioned that she doubled their followers on instagram, got them a lot of YT subs, got their twitter hashtag to be used regularly, and managed to get one of their shows to be packed (we never even knew they were doing shows, btw. This comes out of nowhere and is never brought up again).

All of these things happened off-page, and were only mentioned in the story a while after they happened. I don't know why the author didn't just show at least some of these moments, especially the ones that would help solidify the relationships.



Another thing: I get that this book was about music, but there were waaaayy too many music references. Each chapter was titled after a song, but if you didn't know that specific song, it would literally mean nothing to you. I think this would've worked better if the author used a line from said song at the start of the chapter, like an opening quote (something that a lot of other books do as well). That way, we could actually understand the importance of each song for each chapter.

There were also MULTIPLE playlists in the middle of the book. Like, the author straight up just dropped a list of 10-15 songs in the middle of the book – this happened at least 7 times, which is 6 times too many for a full playlist drop. That, in addition to the 60+ songs mentioned at the start of the 60+ chapters + all the other songs mentioned casually throughout the book, made this kind of annoying to read. If you actually wanted to fully understand the book, you'd literally have to spend hours (maybe days) going through all the songs mentioned here. It was super unnecessary, and would've been exhausting to keep up with (obviously, I didn't even try lol. Ain't nobody got time for that).



What I liked: Liana's personal issues (grieving her mother's death and dealing with her father's neglect) and the focus on mental health and therapy. I also liked the representation. Overall, not na offensive book by any means; just a boring waste of potential.

[Sue Miz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starting this and let me first say
THIS COVER IS GORGEOUS 😍

Well, I still think that the cover is gorgeous
but it is still misleading
because it is suggesting a romance
and THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE and because of that, I will not give it 5 or even 4

I loved that this is cute and clean
I am always looking for those for my G10 students

I liked Liana's morality and how she wanted to redeem herself eventhough it was not her fault. And she learns that fixing a mistake with a bigger mistake is not the answer, and that it is always better to tell the truth.

I loved her interaction with all the band's members (in another world, this could be a very good RH romance) and not just Sky.

I loved the diversity of the characters....but sometimes too many can be too much...everyone is POC or LGBTQ, but the only white dude is the villain....figures

However, there was very little interaction between Liana and Sky for it to be a romance!!! they didn't even date but somewhen by the end they hang around walking. So why was this promoted as contemporary romance?????

The one-sided POV also failed this genre. A 2024 romance written in one-sided POV?????? NO, STOP THAT

All in all, it was a quick easy read

[Stephanie ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Lonely Pages Book Tours, Tashie Bhuiyan & Inkyard Press for having me on a book tour!!

This book will be published on January 2nd.

Content Warning from Storygraph:
Graphic: Mental illness, Abandonment, Cursing
Moderate: Death of parent, Toxic friendship
Minor: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts

“Who isn’t chronically online these days?”

If you have not read Tashie’s YA books, what are you waiting for!! I have said this before and I will say it again, Tashie has such a way of writing the teenage voice. And specifically with this book, this is perfect for Gen Z. It has the lingo, the music and just I feel would be relatable

I love this book for so many reasons. Even though I am 36 years old, there is nothing in this book that I couldn’t relate to (okay maybe the romance part of it but that aside). Don’t let this beautiful cover fool you, this book has a lot of deeper topics inside.

My heart broke for Liana as her relationship with her dad was so hard to read. I just wanted to reach and give her a hug. Sometimes I forgot how young Liana is because she just seemed so wise even with her predicament she was put in. I honestly wanted to scream at her dad for the stuff he would do, wouldn't do or say to Tashie.

Music played such a huge part of this book and I love that Bhuiyan also included some playlists within the text. Liana was so smart when it comes to working with Third Eye. I loved her relationship between each of the members and how special it is.

I think that it is important that those who are young adults have books that discuss mental health. This book deals with grief and depression and how it’s not linear. When I was a teen, we did not associate the above with teenagers but it existed and often times found too late.

I am excited to make a playlist with all these songs.

I knew from the first time I read Tashie’s books she would be an auto buy/read. I just love this book so much and want everyone to read it!

Check this book out if you love music with an emotional tie in.

PS - Tashie, the GASP I made when I saw one of my favorite songs of all time as a chapter title. Thank you for including Shine by Years & Years

PSS - Love the little mention of the Poconos!

[Starr ❇✌❇ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC from Edelweiss
TW: depression & discussion of self harm, themes of parental death
3.5

I'm a fan of Tashie Bhuiyan's romances, but I think this one was my least favorite. It did have her hallmark relatable characters and easy readability, but too much got in the way for me.

I do like the concept- having to get a local band recognition to make up for ruining their chances, and falling for one of them. There's good tension and the fact that Liana feels the need to be so secretive adds even more.
I think Bhuiyan succeeds in her romances because even if they fall into a known trope, they never go exactly as expected, and that's definitely true here. I love how things shake off expectation right at the beginning with a surprising turn, and I also appreciate the way things with her father are dealt with, instead of getting the Hallmark treatment.

I was ready to hate Sky and actively not root for their romance, but he's actually incredibly sweet, and he wound up being easy to like.
Which is a positive but also a negative- because it makes the set up for him being seen as a huge jerk and his dynamic with Liana really unbelievable. The explanation for it is super thin and doesn't take the time to try to make any sense. I think this could've been done so much better, and I'm let down.

The complete resistance to promotion was incredibly irritating and got old fast. I get that we're supposed to see them as more about the music and friendship than fame, but the way so many of the fights are about totally normal promotional stuff that they absolutely should not have treated Liana like she was crazy for really got on my nerves and made me at Mohammed in particular. They admit they want to do music as a career, so they should appreciate Liana- I mean, what do they expect to be doing when they get signed? And to have Liana feel guilty about it just made me so mad.

There's also a sad amount of filler feeling internal dialogue in here. I liked seeing Liana's head and her struggles, but the amount we hear her wonder the same things or come to the same conclusions felt like an attempt to make the pacing slower, and/or something another round of editing might have been able to make more interesting.

[Melanie Belson (melanielovesbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This was very sweet and a good rep for anxiety. I could feel everything that Liana was going through. I loved her connection with the band and their development. Her desperation to connect with her father and how she stood up to him towards the end was so well done. I have really enjoyed everything from Tashie I have had the joy to read so far.

Thank you to Inkyard Press and Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for a honest review.