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Cloverlily #1
Paint Our Song
Miles Curtis, a painter, owes his success to the popular band Cloverlily. Their music helped him get out of a slump many years ago, and he’s been a huge fan ever since. When he temporarily moves back home to help his family’s inn, he finds out that their guitarist, Calvin Lowe, is staying in one of their rooms.
Calvin, who turns out to be very quiet and withdrawn, is currently dealing with his band’s break-up. He makes it clear from the onset that he’s here to keep to himself. When he finds out that Miles is the painter he’s been wanting to meet, he seems more annoyed than anything else.
The two of them clash from the onset, but it doesn’t take that long for both of them to figure out that they have more in common than they initially thought–including being fans of each other’s work for years.
Paint Our Song is an m/m romance for those who love slow burns, opposites attract, strangers-to-lovers, and small-town novels.
Calvin, who turns out to be very quiet and withdrawn, is currently dealing with his band’s break-up. He makes it clear from the onset that he’s here to keep to himself. When he finds out that Miles is the painter he’s been wanting to meet, he seems more annoyed than anything else.
The two of them clash from the onset, but it doesn’t take that long for both of them to figure out that they have more in common than they initially thought–including being fans of each other’s work for years.
Paint Our Song is an m/m romance for those who love slow burns, opposites attract, strangers-to-lovers, and small-town novels.
346 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 22, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
May 15, 2026
⸺ Paint Our Song by Maia Kinley ⟢
⤿ 4.75 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑
꒰🎵꒱ You might be wondering: aylin, why does your rating say five stars? You gave it 4.75 and usually you don’t round up your ratings. Well, my dear friend (or stranger) I do now, I suppose? I was debating furiously the whole day, going over the book and my general feelings towards it while actively reading, as I usually do because I’m an overthinker by nature, and after much consideration, I decided that giving it four stars would be a disservice to both my time and the author’s. I mean, how could I even consider the possibility of being stingy when this book brought nothing but pure comfort, happiness and warmth into my heart. It melted me like a block of ice on a hot summer's day, and I’m nothing but a weak fool, who can’t deny the utter cuteness of a small-town, feel good romance once in a while. Sue me.
꒰💭꒱ Me and Paint Our Song found one another in what felt like a star-written prophecy. The timing was perfect, my mindset at the time was perfect. The premise? Perfect. After dozens of adrenaline spiking, enemies to lovers, insta-lust shenanigans of any kind, a relaxing, gentle, almost fluffy story was exactly what I'd been missing. The setting was already as cute as it can be: a famous painter named Miles, returning to his small, quiet hometown, looking to help his grieving mother with the family’s owned inn while his favorite band announces their breakup? Sign me up, especially if the said band is also his muse, and the guitarist, Calvin, who coincidentally visits the inn at the same time, is actually an enormous fan of his art. It’s like the most perfect of foundations for a heartfelt romance story, and after my last read, which made me deeply miss palpable connections in between characters, Maia Kinley presented herself like a knight in shining armor, delivering what might honestly be one of the best, purest relationships of my entire life.
Let me preface by saying that this book touches on some heavy topics. Miles's father died in unfortunate circumstances. The inn he so deeply loved is currently in dept and might end up being sold if the place doesn’t earn more popularity. There are also some mentions of depression caused by grief, a tad of anxiety and more or so a toxic past relationship (between Calvin and his ex-boyfriend), but honestly? Maia approached all of these topics with so much gentleness and lightness, that it’s hard for me to not consider it a happy story regardless. If any of these are a triggering subject for you, consider this a warning, but generally there’s really nothing deeply disturbing or difficult to digest amongst the pages. If you’re struggling with grief yourself, it might even be a book for you. It’s really sweet ♡
꒰🐕꒱ And speaking about sweet, I might’ve gained a few cavities and should pay my doctor a visit, because reading this story felt like crunching on pure sugar. During the book we focus solely on Miles, as he is our only available point of view, but believe me when I say: if you search for the definition of a green flag inside your dictionary right now, Miles's picture is probably somewhere in there, right in between one word and another. He’s sunshine personified: friendly, relatable, honest and has a heart made of gold. The minute his feelings towards Calvin begin to grow, he turns into utter mush for the guy — he basically worships the ground Calvin steps on. Not to mention, despite his own issues and worries, Miles always remains a healthy, pretty communicative guy, having the best of intentions in mind even when he and Calvin fight, making him more mature than most men I read about, who are also way older than him.
꒰🐈⬛꒱ On the other hand, while Miles is all golden retriever energy and sunshine, Calvin is the perfect black cat counterpart of the duo. He’s the quiet, introverted guy that most would label as an apathetic shadow, but is actually just as sweet as Miles, if not more. He’s kind to his fans, loves music (and performing, even though Miles himself wondered if that was not the case at some point), admires Miles as an artist since the first moment he ever witnessed a painting of his and is more than willing to put himself in hard situations just to help Miles with his problems. His personal story is that of finding his own worth, learning what's best for him, despite the way he usually dismisses himself as less important or incapable, and simply put: he needs to be protected by any means, he's a treasure.
꒰💌꒱ The chemistry between the two was out of this world. Despite their questionable (more like downright embarrassing) first encounter, their scenes were a pure delight to my withered, cranky soul. From casual moments of a slowly blooming friendship, awkward glances and first, shy touches, these two reminded me why I love reading romances as much as I do. There wasn’t even any need for them to actually be romantic with one another. I just liked reading about them, their struggles, their day-to-day interactions, the light teasing they shared once both grew more comfortable. Their love. This book made me really happy. It might sound silly of me to say so, but there’s no other way for me to describe it — I was smiling with my trusted kindle all pressed tightly against my chest. And I’m smiling even now as I’m writing down my thoughts.
꒰🤍꒱ Do I have some criticism? Not really, my rating mostly connects to personal feelings and I wouldn’t consider any of them negative, but if I have to mention anything, then I might as well start with the intimate scenes. I found them unnecessary. I know, I know, why would I consider them unnecessary? I like spice, I swear. Sometimes. Mostly as entertainment, but I do, truly. It’s just that, this book already had so many feelings pushed into it, Maia knew exactly how to navigate a delicious slow-burn that… I don’t know, all the sex scenes in comparison felt lesser, nowhere near as emotional and immersive as the rest, kind of plain? It might just be a personal preference of mine, but I found myself feeling barely anything when they happened, so I’m glad there wasn’t a lot of them in the story anyway.
Also, but this is just purely a me thing, I would’ve loved seeing a chapter or two from Calvin’s point of view. I like Miles. Heck, I adore Miles, but I was extremely curious about Calvin’s perspective as well, and if Maia had written some scraps of it here and there, this would’ve been a five-star-worthy read immediately!
Overall, it was a great time and if it sounds like something you might enjoy, then I absolutely recommend it. It appealed to me, and it might appeal to you, but if you don’t end up liking it in the end, don’t come back banging at my door, demanding answers. I refuse to take any responsibility when it comes to my preference in romance books. There's a third act break-up, so beware. Also, I really need Gil's and Chase's book to come out. Calvin's bandmates were utterly hilarious, a highlight of the book along with Miles's best friend. Maia, please, I'm begging.
⤿ 4.75 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑
"Just his luck, really, that he’s clearly developing a hopeless crush on this absurdly talented guitarist, who’s withdrawn but still sincerely kind, who’s also vulnerable and shy, and who, for some reason, has yet to figure out that Miles is a fucking mess. Or maybe Calvin doesn’t care that he’s a mess, which is an even more absurd idea to Miles."
꒰🎵꒱ You might be wondering: aylin, why does your rating say five stars? You gave it 4.75 and usually you don’t round up your ratings. Well, my dear friend (or stranger) I do now, I suppose? I was debating furiously the whole day, going over the book and my general feelings towards it while actively reading, as I usually do because I’m an overthinker by nature, and after much consideration, I decided that giving it four stars would be a disservice to both my time and the author’s. I mean, how could I even consider the possibility of being stingy when this book brought nothing but pure comfort, happiness and warmth into my heart. It melted me like a block of ice on a hot summer's day, and I’m nothing but a weak fool, who can’t deny the utter cuteness of a small-town, feel good romance once in a while. Sue me.
𑣲⋆˙⟡⋮ my thoughts ꒱
꒰💭꒱ Me and Paint Our Song found one another in what felt like a star-written prophecy. The timing was perfect, my mindset at the time was perfect. The premise? Perfect. After dozens of adrenaline spiking, enemies to lovers, insta-lust shenanigans of any kind, a relaxing, gentle, almost fluffy story was exactly what I'd been missing. The setting was already as cute as it can be: a famous painter named Miles, returning to his small, quiet hometown, looking to help his grieving mother with the family’s owned inn while his favorite band announces their breakup? Sign me up, especially if the said band is also his muse, and the guitarist, Calvin, who coincidentally visits the inn at the same time, is actually an enormous fan of his art. It’s like the most perfect of foundations for a heartfelt romance story, and after my last read, which made me deeply miss palpable connections in between characters, Maia Kinley presented herself like a knight in shining armor, delivering what might honestly be one of the best, purest relationships of my entire life.
Let me preface by saying that this book touches on some heavy topics. Miles's father died in unfortunate circumstances. The inn he so deeply loved is currently in dept and might end up being sold if the place doesn’t earn more popularity. There are also some mentions of depression caused by grief, a tad of anxiety and more or so a toxic past relationship (between Calvin and his ex-boyfriend), but honestly? Maia approached all of these topics with so much gentleness and lightness, that it’s hard for me to not consider it a happy story regardless. If any of these are a triggering subject for you, consider this a warning, but generally there’s really nothing deeply disturbing or difficult to digest amongst the pages. If you’re struggling with grief yourself, it might even be a book for you. It’s really sweet ♡
𑣲⋆˙⟡⋮ characters ꒱
꒰🐕꒱ And speaking about sweet, I might’ve gained a few cavities and should pay my doctor a visit, because reading this story felt like crunching on pure sugar. During the book we focus solely on Miles, as he is our only available point of view, but believe me when I say: if you search for the definition of a green flag inside your dictionary right now, Miles's picture is probably somewhere in there, right in between one word and another. He’s sunshine personified: friendly, relatable, honest and has a heart made of gold. The minute his feelings towards Calvin begin to grow, he turns into utter mush for the guy — he basically worships the ground Calvin steps on. Not to mention, despite his own issues and worries, Miles always remains a healthy, pretty communicative guy, having the best of intentions in mind even when he and Calvin fight, making him more mature than most men I read about, who are also way older than him.
꒰🐈⬛꒱ On the other hand, while Miles is all golden retriever energy and sunshine, Calvin is the perfect black cat counterpart of the duo. He’s the quiet, introverted guy that most would label as an apathetic shadow, but is actually just as sweet as Miles, if not more. He’s kind to his fans, loves music (and performing, even though Miles himself wondered if that was not the case at some point), admires Miles as an artist since the first moment he ever witnessed a painting of his and is more than willing to put himself in hard situations just to help Miles with his problems. His personal story is that of finding his own worth, learning what's best for him, despite the way he usually dismisses himself as less important or incapable, and simply put: he needs to be protected by any means, he's a treasure.
𑣲⋆˙⟡⋮ romance ꒱
꒰💌꒱ The chemistry between the two was out of this world. Despite their questionable (more like downright embarrassing) first encounter, their scenes were a pure delight to my withered, cranky soul. From casual moments of a slowly blooming friendship, awkward glances and first, shy touches, these two reminded me why I love reading romances as much as I do. There wasn’t even any need for them to actually be romantic with one another. I just liked reading about them, their struggles, their day-to-day interactions, the light teasing they shared once both grew more comfortable. Their love. This book made me really happy. It might sound silly of me to say so, but there’s no other way for me to describe it — I was smiling with my trusted kindle all pressed tightly against my chest. And I’m smiling even now as I’m writing down my thoughts.
𑣲⋆˙⟡⋮ on a final note ꒱
꒰🤍꒱ Do I have some criticism? Not really, my rating mostly connects to personal feelings and I wouldn’t consider any of them negative, but if I have to mention anything, then I might as well start with the intimate scenes. I found them unnecessary. I know, I know, why would I consider them unnecessary? I like spice, I swear. Sometimes. Mostly as entertainment, but I do, truly. It’s just that, this book already had so many feelings pushed into it, Maia knew exactly how to navigate a delicious slow-burn that… I don’t know, all the sex scenes in comparison felt lesser, nowhere near as emotional and immersive as the rest, kind of plain? It might just be a personal preference of mine, but I found myself feeling barely anything when they happened, so I’m glad there wasn’t a lot of them in the story anyway.
Also, but this is just purely a me thing, I would’ve loved seeing a chapter or two from Calvin’s point of view. I like Miles. Heck, I adore Miles, but I was extremely curious about Calvin’s perspective as well, and if Maia had written some scraps of it here and there, this would’ve been a five-star-worthy read immediately!
⟢ ⸺ 𑣲⋆˙⟡⋮ post scriptum ꒱ ⸺ ⟢
Overall, it was a great time and if it sounds like something you might enjoy, then I absolutely recommend it. It appealed to me, and it might appeal to you, but if you don’t end up liking it in the end, don’t come back banging at my door, demanding answers. I refuse to take any responsibility when it comes to my preference in romance books. There's a third act break-up, so beware. Also, I really need Gil's and Chase's book to come out. Calvin's bandmates were utterly hilarious, a highlight of the book along with Miles's best friend. Maia, please, I'm begging.
October 6, 2024
**ARC received in exchange for an honest review**
This book… THIS BOOK!! I didn’t realize how much I needed this after a self-imposed reading slump. It’s easily one of the cutest and quietest romance stories I’ve read all year.
I think it’s because both Calvin and Miles are introverted and wonderfully awkward that I couldn’t help but adore them—especially together 🥺.
+ The "famous pop star meets normie next door" trope has been done so many times that I didn’t expect much at first. I figured it would follow the usual dynamics. However, Miles and Calvin had a refreshingly different connection. Miles is a semi-known watercolor artist and a fan of Calvin’s music, while Calvin is the guitarist in a famous pop band and an admirer of Miles’ art. The way they both realized they were mutual fans was just ADORABLE!! 😭
+ Their romance was pure fluff! Watching them get to know each other—the hidden glances, the blushes—you could practically feel the moment they fell in love, and it was the sweetest thing 🥺💕
+ Respectful communication, gentle gestures, and both of them were incredibly sensitive when discussing tough subjects (like Miles’ father and Calvin’s ex). It felt so genuine.
+ The supporting characters were really likable (except for Theo, the selfish brat), and I CAN’T WAIT FOR CHASE AND GIL’S STORY!! ✨🥰
- My only criticism is the setting. Aside from the inn, I had no idea where this was taking place. Miles kept referring to “the city,” especially when they discussed meeting again, and Calvin asked if he was also from “the city.” But was the city far away? Was it a big city? The vagueness was a bit frustrating 🫢
I could gush about this book forever, but I’ll just end by saying that it was an absolute delight. I’m so grateful to have received this ARC, and I will definitely be purchasing a copy when it’s released 🥰
This book… THIS BOOK!! I didn’t realize how much I needed this after a self-imposed reading slump. It’s easily one of the cutest and quietest romance stories I’ve read all year.
I think it’s because both Calvin and Miles are introverted and wonderfully awkward that I couldn’t help but adore them—especially together 🥺.
+ The "famous pop star meets normie next door" trope has been done so many times that I didn’t expect much at first. I figured it would follow the usual dynamics. However, Miles and Calvin had a refreshingly different connection. Miles is a semi-known watercolor artist and a fan of Calvin’s music, while Calvin is the guitarist in a famous pop band and an admirer of Miles’ art. The way they both realized they were mutual fans was just ADORABLE!! 😭
+ Their romance was pure fluff! Watching them get to know each other—the hidden glances, the blushes—you could practically feel the moment they fell in love, and it was the sweetest thing 🥺💕
+ Respectful communication, gentle gestures, and both of them were incredibly sensitive when discussing tough subjects (like Miles’ father and Calvin’s ex). It felt so genuine.
+ The supporting characters were really likable (except for Theo, the selfish brat), and I CAN’T WAIT FOR CHASE AND GIL’S STORY!! ✨🥰
- My only criticism is the setting. Aside from the inn, I had no idea where this was taking place. Miles kept referring to “the city,” especially when they discussed meeting again, and Calvin asked if he was also from “the city.” But was the city far away? Was it a big city? The vagueness was a bit frustrating 🫢
I could gush about this book forever, but I’ll just end by saying that it was an absolute delight. I’m so grateful to have received this ARC, and I will definitely be purchasing a copy when it’s released 🥰
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2025
Oh how I wish this was written in first person and dual POV! I personally find it harder to connect with characters and the story when they’re in third person with only one POV. I still did enjoy this story overall, and I’m still very eager to read the next book in the series since Gil and Chase seem perfect for one another.
🎸 Artist X musician
🎨 Introvert X extrovert
🎸 Fans of each other
🎨 Grief
🎸 Artist X musician
🎨 Introvert X extrovert
🎸 Fans of each other
🎨 Grief
March 15, 2025
Rating - 3.5 Stars rounded up
This was cute. Small town vibes, famous musician, band drama, a failing Inn, and surprisingly soft and low-angst.
This was cute. Small town vibes, famous musician, band drama, a failing Inn, and surprisingly soft and low-angst.
October 16, 2024
PAINT OUR SONG
3.5 STARS
I received this ARC edition in exchange for an honest review before its release date of October 22, 2024, on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
This 346 page E-book debut novel by Maia Kinley was written a little unconventional, which was a very good thing. It is a small town / big city opposites attract, grumpy sunshine romance that’s a long-term slow burn. It kept me guessing about the climax of the plot. Every time I thought we got to it, there was another point later and was ‘oh this is the climax’ and for it to happen again and again. The author took her time and introduced two different environments and characters that reside in each until worlds collide.
--He'd let Calvin have the entire world if he asked.-
When Miles, an artist, is on the road to Ridgeford, his small lake town home to help his mom Dahlia get the family Inn back running properly financially, a rude and mysterious meet/cute occurs that is funny and was a running joke through out the novel. It’s not until he gets to his final destination that Calvin's identity is revealed to a great shock, as a famous musician and Miles embarrassing rambles his nervousness. What makes matters worse is that he is a repeat guest. Things don’t start great for them even though they have a hidden histor, and the tension is felt immediately. You can feel it leaking off the pages.
--Calvin’s probably already looking up how to file a restraining order.-
While both guys are on hiatus from work, hiding out at the Inn, they grow close and save each other from their own worlds of grief, depression, social anxiety, and past relationships. While leaning on each other for self-esteem, they learn that they are both extraordinary and even if they see each other as muses.
--“You're incredible, and I’m never going to shut up about it.”-
Until drama stews in Calvin's band Cloverlily and toxic energy gets spewed and rumor become truth. They are both pulled into a whirl of jealousy and petty self perseverance.
--"I should have gone to medical school.”-
I read the description before diving into the book, which isn’t normal for me. I like to be surprised without preconceived plot points and spoilers. I was slightly turned off by the slow burn disclaimer, as for me they have to be written a certain way for them to grab a hold but the author wrote this in a medium pace and in a way that the plot development of the artisan and music industries kept my interest. It was in Miles’ POV the entire time, and the grumpy sunshine awkwardness calms down pretty fast in a big rooftop scene, which was funny and sweet.
--"You're annoying. Goodbye. Thank you for showing me the roof garden.”
The ensemble was written amazingly and really felt like I got to know them just as well as our two MCs. Miles and Gabby, his friend and receptionist to the Inn, have amazing banter and humorous and, at times, dry one-liners that made me giggle.
--"You’re a catch, and even Calvin Lowe's just a guy! You’ve got this! You’re funny, kind, you work hard, and you’re not hard to look at! If it didn’t make me want to throw up, I’d ask you out! Miles pinches the bridge of his nose. “ Never say that last part again.”-
He also showed that a friendship with an ex can be healthy if not just a little awkward at times, which I really respected the author for 100%. Calvin’s bandmates Chase and Gil were EVERYTHING! They kept this book lively and spontaneous. I want them in my life for real! They were the perfect pair to help bring the happiness and laughter to the page. Their own banter with each other gives an insight into the past and maybe the future.
Because of the slow burn aspect, the spice took some time to get too.
--"Stop that. It's distracting,” grumbles Calvin.
“Stop what?”
“Stop deep-throating that lollipop.”-
2.5/5🌶. It wasn’t described in great detail, and each scene didn’t last long. It was more about the emotion than the act itself since the guys have so much of it to feel and don’t know how to express appropriately. They communicate it through the act of lovemaking. And it worked for them!
--"I think I’ve seen this couch on PornHub.”-
I did enjoy this book and can’t wait for the next installment as I have a feeling it will be chaotic and hilarious while also to continue to expand on our character and the world Maia has built.
--"It was on my vision board"-
Happy Reading!
3.5 STARS
I received this ARC edition in exchange for an honest review before its release date of October 22, 2024, on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
This 346 page E-book debut novel by Maia Kinley was written a little unconventional, which was a very good thing. It is a small town / big city opposites attract, grumpy sunshine romance that’s a long-term slow burn. It kept me guessing about the climax of the plot. Every time I thought we got to it, there was another point later and was ‘oh this is the climax’ and for it to happen again and again. The author took her time and introduced two different environments and characters that reside in each until worlds collide.
--He'd let Calvin have the entire world if he asked.-
When Miles, an artist, is on the road to Ridgeford, his small lake town home to help his mom Dahlia get the family Inn back running properly financially, a rude and mysterious meet/cute occurs that is funny and was a running joke through out the novel. It’s not until he gets to his final destination that Calvin's identity is revealed to a great shock, as a famous musician and Miles embarrassing rambles his nervousness. What makes matters worse is that he is a repeat guest. Things don’t start great for them even though they have a hidden histor, and the tension is felt immediately. You can feel it leaking off the pages.
--Calvin’s probably already looking up how to file a restraining order.-
While both guys are on hiatus from work, hiding out at the Inn, they grow close and save each other from their own worlds of grief, depression, social anxiety, and past relationships. While leaning on each other for self-esteem, they learn that they are both extraordinary and even if they see each other as muses.
--“You're incredible, and I’m never going to shut up about it.”-
Until drama stews in Calvin's band Cloverlily and toxic energy gets spewed and rumor become truth. They are both pulled into a whirl of jealousy and petty self perseverance.
--"I should have gone to medical school.”-
I read the description before diving into the book, which isn’t normal for me. I like to be surprised without preconceived plot points and spoilers. I was slightly turned off by the slow burn disclaimer, as for me they have to be written a certain way for them to grab a hold but the author wrote this in a medium pace and in a way that the plot development of the artisan and music industries kept my interest. It was in Miles’ POV the entire time, and the grumpy sunshine awkwardness calms down pretty fast in a big rooftop scene, which was funny and sweet.
--"You're annoying. Goodbye. Thank you for showing me the roof garden.”
The ensemble was written amazingly and really felt like I got to know them just as well as our two MCs. Miles and Gabby, his friend and receptionist to the Inn, have amazing banter and humorous and, at times, dry one-liners that made me giggle.
--"You’re a catch, and even Calvin Lowe's just a guy! You’ve got this! You’re funny, kind, you work hard, and you’re not hard to look at! If it didn’t make me want to throw up, I’d ask you out! Miles pinches the bridge of his nose. “ Never say that last part again.”-
He also showed that a friendship with an ex can be healthy if not just a little awkward at times, which I really respected the author for 100%. Calvin’s bandmates Chase and Gil were EVERYTHING! They kept this book lively and spontaneous. I want them in my life for real! They were the perfect pair to help bring the happiness and laughter to the page. Their own banter with each other gives an insight into the past and maybe the future.
Because of the slow burn aspect, the spice took some time to get too.
--"Stop that. It's distracting,” grumbles Calvin.
“Stop what?”
“Stop deep-throating that lollipop.”-
2.5/5🌶. It wasn’t described in great detail, and each scene didn’t last long. It was more about the emotion than the act itself since the guys have so much of it to feel and don’t know how to express appropriately. They communicate it through the act of lovemaking. And it worked for them!
--"I think I’ve seen this couch on PornHub.”-
I did enjoy this book and can’t wait for the next installment as I have a feeling it will be chaotic and hilarious while also to continue to expand on our character and the world Maia has built.
--"It was on my vision board"-
Happy Reading!
June 23, 2025
This was a cute story about artist Miles and musician Calvin.
I loved the first chapter of this book, because it was an apt start between Miles and Calvin (with the note on the car). It showed off Calvin’s prickliness that you just knew Miles would be able to tame. Also, often with a story about a boyband star, the fanboying relationship is entirely one way but I loved the fact that Calvin knew of Miles too!
I enjoyed the variety of low level drama throughout, rather then focusing on one big thing. There were side plots about the band’s future, rescuing the inn, Miles getting back to his painting, and the situation with Theo, all alongside the actual jeopardy of Miles and Calvin’s relationship.
Speaking of the relationship, the veryyyy slow burn was enjoyable. There was some miscommunication and mishaps along the way which kept me wanting Miles and Calvin to get together even more - it was a sweet relationship I was rooting for the whole way.
Some of the side characters were a good addition, like Miles finding a new normal with Matthew, Miles’ mum and her relationship with her son, Gabby and her sassy teasing, and Miles navigating life without his dad, who felt like an absent character throughout.
Chase and Gil were obviously also great side characters! They were funny and loyal and I can’t wait to read the next instalment to see where their story goes - it will be fun! It feels like Chase needs to figure out what the rest of us can already see…
Really enjoyed this story and will read the next one too!
😸🎸🎨
I loved the first chapter of this book, because it was an apt start between Miles and Calvin (with the note on the car). It showed off Calvin’s prickliness that you just knew Miles would be able to tame. Also, often with a story about a boyband star, the fanboying relationship is entirely one way but I loved the fact that Calvin knew of Miles too!
I enjoyed the variety of low level drama throughout, rather then focusing on one big thing. There were side plots about the band’s future, rescuing the inn, Miles getting back to his painting, and the situation with Theo, all alongside the actual jeopardy of Miles and Calvin’s relationship.
Speaking of the relationship, the veryyyy slow burn was enjoyable. There was some miscommunication and mishaps along the way which kept me wanting Miles and Calvin to get together even more - it was a sweet relationship I was rooting for the whole way.
Some of the side characters were a good addition, like Miles finding a new normal with Matthew, Miles’ mum and her relationship with her son, Gabby and her sassy teasing, and Miles navigating life without his dad, who felt like an absent character throughout.
Chase and Gil were obviously also great side characters! They were funny and loyal and I can’t wait to read the next instalment to see where their story goes - it will be fun! It feels like Chase needs to figure out what the rest of us can already see…
Really enjoyed this story and will read the next one too!
😸🎸🎨
October 8, 2024
This is a wonderful story. Reading it was a pleasure. Delightful from beginning to end. I wish I could give this many, many stars because my heart melted. The characters are perfect. Even Theo, such as he was, was perfect! This book made me smile and touched my emotions. I wrapped myself up in this sweet relationship and enjoyed every minute of it. The journey was one that I would absolutely make again and again.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 29, 2024
A Joyfully Jay review.
4 stars
Paint Our Song is a sweet, contemporary slow burn with a side of enemies to friends. It features two twenty-something young adults who have, in their own respective ways, made names for themselves. The story is told in third person, but only from Miles’ perspective. This gives us a very clear sense of where Miles is coming from in terms of his relationship to his art, the inn, and why Cloverlily music is so important to him. Calvin does not narrate any chapters, but we still get a very clear idea of his personal struggles as well. This is largely communicated through Miles’ interactions with Calvin and shored up with asides from side characters, like the band mates who know Calvin best, and Gabby who doesn’t have the same stars-in-eyes reaction to the band that Miles does.
Overall, I thought this was a delightful read. If you are a fan of stories about famous musicians falling for (mostly) regular people and vice versa, or you’re looking for a good story that explores self-worth in relation to someone you care about, I think you’ll find a lot to enjoy in this story.
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
4 stars
Paint Our Song is a sweet, contemporary slow burn with a side of enemies to friends. It features two twenty-something young adults who have, in their own respective ways, made names for themselves. The story is told in third person, but only from Miles’ perspective. This gives us a very clear sense of where Miles is coming from in terms of his relationship to his art, the inn, and why Cloverlily music is so important to him. Calvin does not narrate any chapters, but we still get a very clear idea of his personal struggles as well. This is largely communicated through Miles’ interactions with Calvin and shored up with asides from side characters, like the band mates who know Calvin best, and Gabby who doesn’t have the same stars-in-eyes reaction to the band that Miles does.
Overall, I thought this was a delightful read. If you are a fan of stories about famous musicians falling for (mostly) regular people and vice versa, or you’re looking for a good story that explores self-worth in relation to someone you care about, I think you’ll find a lot to enjoy in this story.
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
October 22, 2024
Paint Our Song is like watching a masterpiece unfold, one slow brushstroke at a time. Picture this: Miles Curtis, a painter on the rise, finds himself face-to-face with his artistic muse—a brooding guitarist named Calvin Lowe, fresh from a band break-up and ready to brood in peace. But what happens when two creatives, who have been secret admirers of each other’s work, are forced to share the same space?
Cue the fireworks, or should I say, the slow burn! At first, it’s all friction—Miles is starstruck, Calvin is grumpy, and their meet-cute feels more like a meet-clash. But what starts as two opposites butting heads turns into something deeper, as these two artists realize they’ve been connected all along, in more ways than one.
This is a romance that’s as much about healing as it is about falling in love. It’s filled with witty banter, heartfelt moments, and just enough tension to keep you flipping pages long into the night. If you love small-town charm, slow-burn love stories, and the magic that happens when two artists find their rhythm together, Paint Our Song is your next must-read!
Cue the fireworks, or should I say, the slow burn! At first, it’s all friction—Miles is starstruck, Calvin is grumpy, and their meet-cute feels more like a meet-clash. But what starts as two opposites butting heads turns into something deeper, as these two artists realize they’ve been connected all along, in more ways than one.
This is a romance that’s as much about healing as it is about falling in love. It’s filled with witty banter, heartfelt moments, and just enough tension to keep you flipping pages long into the night. If you love small-town charm, slow-burn love stories, and the magic that happens when two artists find their rhythm together, Paint Our Song is your next must-read!
October 14, 2024
This book is a joy to read. It’s an inspiring love story of two artists who are destined to be the muses for each other’s talents. It is a Happy for Now story.
And while there are many other love stories that are fun or serious, this one has connections that take us on a journey of getting to know each other, including how the two main characters have a unique connection and previously unshared admiration.
Miles is a painter, and Calvin is a musician in a popular band, which had hired him many years ago to design an album cover for their now very well-known band, which is announcing they are breaking up.
It includes a dynamic for each of a loss. Mother and her son Miles are marked by the intense grief of losing their husband and his father.
We learn that a song from this group had inspired a reprieve from the deep grief that had caused Miles to stop painting. And our main character from the band, Calvin, has been a fan of the painting, and comes to stay in the hotel operated by Miles and his mother. The band’s breakup is a big deal, and the fact that Calvin is there, makes Miles almost fanboyish.
It also exposes the deep struggle that the small hotel is facing. The blossoming relationship provides a connection to a solution with social media and attention, including when he performs at the hotel’s weekly lakeside bonfire.
Ironic also that it also drew the attention of a bride to move her wedding to the small inn, learning that her grandmother had her wedding there.
Through a series of events, the remaining three members of the band play when the booked group can’t get into town.
Thousands saw their fangirl streamed performance, and the small hotel was overrun with bookings.
It also drew back the attention of the fourth member of the band who inserts himself into the dynamic. There’s tension because of Theo’s relationship with Calvin.
Calvin had been writing the lyrics, but Theo sung them. Many of the songs were about the relationship between the two men.
But after the party, Miles feels conflicted about his serious relationship with Calvin and doesn’t want to hurt Calvin. The ending is told in the title of this book, and the confession each has made to their friends separately that they wish to find someone to be with that will inspire them to make their art, in song for Calvin and in paint for Miles.
The story is told well, there are few incidental tropes and more than one bump before arriving at their HEA. But love prevails, and happiness will follow.
Much praise must be given to Mia Kinley for a well-constructed book with less of the standard MM romantic tropes. Instead, it really centers around the feelings of the two main characters, and the angst each faces in their chosen artform.
This is a fast read because, while the reader might anticipate the hurdles and successes, the storytelling is excellent and the pacing kept this reader engaged.
I have a thing about too many characters in a story, or at least offset that with helpful reminders of their connection to the Main Characters. Maia Kenley does well in keeping her readers connected without having to do much back tracing.
I will read more of Maia Kenley’s work if it is like this.
And while there are many other love stories that are fun or serious, this one has connections that take us on a journey of getting to know each other, including how the two main characters have a unique connection and previously unshared admiration.
Miles is a painter, and Calvin is a musician in a popular band, which had hired him many years ago to design an album cover for their now very well-known band, which is announcing they are breaking up.
It includes a dynamic for each of a loss. Mother and her son Miles are marked by the intense grief of losing their husband and his father.
We learn that a song from this group had inspired a reprieve from the deep grief that had caused Miles to stop painting. And our main character from the band, Calvin, has been a fan of the painting, and comes to stay in the hotel operated by Miles and his mother. The band’s breakup is a big deal, and the fact that Calvin is there, makes Miles almost fanboyish.
It also exposes the deep struggle that the small hotel is facing. The blossoming relationship provides a connection to a solution with social media and attention, including when he performs at the hotel’s weekly lakeside bonfire.
Ironic also that it also drew the attention of a bride to move her wedding to the small inn, learning that her grandmother had her wedding there.
Through a series of events, the remaining three members of the band play when the booked group can’t get into town.
Thousands saw their fangirl streamed performance, and the small hotel was overrun with bookings.
It also drew back the attention of the fourth member of the band who inserts himself into the dynamic. There’s tension because of Theo’s relationship with Calvin.
Calvin had been writing the lyrics, but Theo sung them. Many of the songs were about the relationship between the two men.
But after the party, Miles feels conflicted about his serious relationship with Calvin and doesn’t want to hurt Calvin. The ending is told in the title of this book, and the confession each has made to their friends separately that they wish to find someone to be with that will inspire them to make their art, in song for Calvin and in paint for Miles.
The story is told well, there are few incidental tropes and more than one bump before arriving at their HEA. But love prevails, and happiness will follow.
Much praise must be given to Mia Kinley for a well-constructed book with less of the standard MM romantic tropes. Instead, it really centers around the feelings of the two main characters, and the angst each faces in their chosen artform.
This is a fast read because, while the reader might anticipate the hurdles and successes, the storytelling is excellent and the pacing kept this reader engaged.
I have a thing about too many characters in a story, or at least offset that with helpful reminders of their connection to the Main Characters. Maia Kenley does well in keeping her readers connected without having to do much back tracing.
I will read more of Maia Kenley’s work if it is like this.
September 25, 2024
I enjoyed Paint Our Song by Maya Kinley. I thought it was a fun, easygoing romance that had okay characters. However, I also think that there is room for improvement here.
On the one hand, I thought both Calvin and Miles were well-constructed characters, and had their personalities very clear from the beginning. On the other hand, I don’t think the other characters of the book were as well explored as them.
Another thing that made me a little confused
Overall, this was an entertaining book and there is a lot of potential in Maya’s writing. It is just fine tuning all this creativity and story flow. I think that writing a book is an extremely personal and brave act. My review is in no disrespect to Maya’s writing, it is the exact opposite. It is about seeing indie authors thrive and grow with the help of their audience (Like me!!). I will definitely keep an eye out for Maya’s future publishing and I expect to return to Ridgeford sometime in the future.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
On the one hand, I thought both Calvin and Miles were well-constructed characters, and had their personalities very clear from the beginning. On the other hand, I don’t think the other characters of the book were as well explored as them.
Another thing that made me a little confused
Overall, this was an entertaining book and there is a lot of potential in Maya’s writing. It is just fine tuning all this creativity and story flow. I think that writing a book is an extremely personal and brave act. My review is in no disrespect to Maya’s writing, it is the exact opposite. It is about seeing indie authors thrive and grow with the help of their audience (Like me!!). I will definitely keep an eye out for Maya’s future publishing and I expect to return to Ridgeford sometime in the future.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 24, 2024
This book was a cute fluffy read that I couldn't put down. I read it in one sitting, I couldn't get enough of it. It contains a lot of tropes that everyone knows and loves (grumpy x sunshine, golden retriever x black cat, etc.) but it's not entirely dependent on those tropes like so many books seem to be. Miles and Calvin feel like very real, fleshed-out characters who are more than just the buzz-words everyone uses to advertise their books. They're incredibly easy to fall in love with and there isn't a moment when reading where I wasn't rooting for either of them.
As a main character, Miles is so compelling and charismatic that I could really feel for him and he was the perfect choice of narrator to see the story through. Meanwhile, Calvin is a character that is already so easy to love that it only makes sense Miles fell for him. Their chemistry was amazing and even from the earliest chapters, it was clear these two would be an amazing fit for each other. (Especially when we find out their love story started far before they ever met for the first time!)
I would have loved to see more of the side characters (Gabby deserves the world and I wish so deeply we could have seen more of Matthew and Miles learning to be friends again!) but I do believe they served their narrative purpose to the story of Miles and Calvina—and I'm beyond excited to see what develops between Chase and Gil!
This was such a cute, fluffy, feel-good read that I would recommend to anyone looking for something sweet and simple with just the perfect amount of angst. 4.5 stars, although rounded up to 5 because 4 stars simply isn't enough!
As a main character, Miles is so compelling and charismatic that I could really feel for him and he was the perfect choice of narrator to see the story through. Meanwhile, Calvin is a character that is already so easy to love that it only makes sense Miles fell for him. Their chemistry was amazing and even from the earliest chapters, it was clear these two would be an amazing fit for each other. (Especially when we find out their love story started far before they ever met for the first time!)
I would have loved to see more of the side characters (Gabby deserves the world and I wish so deeply we could have seen more of Matthew and Miles learning to be friends again!) but I do believe they served their narrative purpose to the story of Miles and Calvina—and I'm beyond excited to see what develops between Chase and Gil!
This was such a cute, fluffy, feel-good read that I would recommend to anyone looking for something sweet and simple with just the perfect amount of angst. 4.5 stars, although rounded up to 5 because 4 stars simply isn't enough!
October 31, 2024
DNF. Wanted to like this, but it just didn’t work for me at all.
The singer Calvin was just very offputting to me, and Miles just seemed so overly giving and was getting barely any response. It just seemed quite one-sided and I didn’t like that especially as it got too. Also the book is all Miles POV which would be ok but Calvin is sooo closed off and barely smiles or says anything that I need a POV or something to get a sense of why he didn’t seem to bother with anything and was so abrasive. About halfway through and you still didn’t get very much from him. After a while I just wasn’t fully invested in the story and it didn’t really interest me as much as I hoped it would. Just not for me.
The singer Calvin was just very offputting to me, and Miles just seemed so overly giving and was getting barely any response. It just seemed quite one-sided and I didn’t like that especially as it got too. Also the book is all Miles POV which would be ok but Calvin is sooo closed off and barely smiles or says anything that I need a POV or something to get a sense of why he didn’t seem to bother with anything and was so abrasive. About halfway through and you still didn’t get very much from him. After a while I just wasn’t fully invested in the story and it didn’t really interest me as much as I hoped it would. Just not for me.
October 25, 2024
Read this if you love:
🎸Guitarist/Somgwriter MMCs
🎨Painter MMCs
🎸A small town setting
🎨Strangers to Lovers
🎸Slow Burn
I adored Calvin & Miles! I mean, they had been circling around each other for years and were inspiring each other before they actually met, then had a less than stellar meet cute and I was completely committed to seeing them turn it around. This was lower angst, a little bit of OM drama, but a whole lot of artists finding their muses. Most of Cal’s band mates were amazing and I cannot wait to learn about them more.
🎸Guitarist/Somgwriter MMCs
🎨Painter MMCs
🎸A small town setting
🎨Strangers to Lovers
🎸Slow Burn
I adored Calvin & Miles! I mean, they had been circling around each other for years and were inspiring each other before they actually met, then had a less than stellar meet cute and I was completely committed to seeing them turn it around. This was lower angst, a little bit of OM drama, but a whole lot of artists finding their muses. Most of Cal’s band mates were amazing and I cannot wait to learn about them more.
October 25, 2024
3.5/5 ⭐️
these two were so cute with their awkwardness, usually its only one in the realtionship but they were both so awkward at times and introverted that you couldnt help but smile at them,
While it was a bit slow and drawn out at time, the connection was really sweet and you just knew when they felt things shift between them and they fell in love.
while the couple was cute, there was just so much drawn out and seemed to be thrown in there just because that i found myself losing interest quite a bit.
these two were so cute with their awkwardness, usually its only one in the realtionship but they were both so awkward at times and introverted that you couldnt help but smile at them,
While it was a bit slow and drawn out at time, the connection was really sweet and you just knew when they felt things shift between them and they fell in love.
while the couple was cute, there was just so much drawn out and seemed to be thrown in there just because that i found myself losing interest quite a bit.
November 19, 2025
⭐️4.5
Why am I reading all of her books soooo fast. I’ve finished 3 books in 4 days, who am I?
This might be my fav book from her that I’ve read. I’m not used to this writing style and I’d rather have a switching POV, but after I got used to it, it didn’t bother me so much.
I love love love the whole storyline and I love how Calvin and Miles fell in love with each other. It’s such a cute and lovely story and I am so happy for them. They fit together soooo welll!
Stop I am literally obsessed with this story😭
Why am I reading all of her books soooo fast. I’ve finished 3 books in 4 days, who am I?
This might be my fav book from her that I’ve read. I’m not used to this writing style and I’d rather have a switching POV, but after I got used to it, it didn’t bother me so much.
I love love love the whole storyline and I love how Calvin and Miles fell in love with each other. It’s such a cute and lovely story and I am so happy for them. They fit together soooo welll!
Stop I am literally obsessed with this story😭
November 2, 2024
4 Stars ⭐️
From start to finish this read was absolutely adorable with fantastic main characters. This book was such a happy surprise from this new to me author and I would highly recommend reading especially if you want to smile.
* I received an ARC from GRR, this is my open and honest review *
From start to finish this read was absolutely adorable with fantastic main characters. This book was such a happy surprise from this new to me author and I would highly recommend reading especially if you want to smile.
* I received an ARC from GRR, this is my open and honest review *
October 4, 2024
Premise and Overall Takeaways from Paint Our Song
The premise of this slice-of-life, chill-vibe love story is cute and low-angst, even with one character still grieving the loss of a parent. The setup is cute, Miles has loved the band Cloverlily forever and follows their career as a huge fan. Calvin, the other love interest, is the band's guitarist, who also seemingly has followed Miles' career for years. Miles's paintings have even inspired songs that he's listened to. What an interesting cycle, right? Songs that helped Miles get through tough times were actually inspired by a painting the songwriter had seen and admired. It is a nice touch to the story that makes their eventual pairing seem cosmic in a way, fated.
The setup is fairly straightforward. Miles moves back from "the City" (more on that later) so he can save the family inn. He arrives to help his mother and the hotel which is in dire straights. But he knows next to nothing about business, something that might have helped. His father wanted Miles to be happy and pursue his dreams as an artist, so he went to art school. But maybe a business course would have helped, even if he'd taken it as an elective. Because it's a lot to jump into! Especially because he and his pal Gabby seem to be the only ones who want to save it.
The Hotel
His mother is clearly not all in on running the family's hotel. I questioned how the inn hadn't already closed. It's been five years since Mile's father passed. The mother doesn't seem fully invested in the inn's survival. She wants to travel, to garden, and to live her life. I don't blame her, she has been grieving too.
But one would think that avoiding going further into debt would be required if she wants to do the things that will make her happy. Keeping the hotel afloat should be more of a priority for her. But she lets the management of the inn fall by the wayside and hires part-timers. She relies much too heavily on Gabby, an employee who deserves the manager title, but doesn't get it until she makes motions to leave for greener pastures.
Hiring part-time workers, by the way, is an expensive stop-gap to a failing business. My parents ran a family business while I was growing up, so I have some personal experience with how things usually work. Most importantly, I know that when finances are tight family businesses generally don't hire help from outside the family. Instead, they take on more work themselves.
If the mounting debt and pending closure of her hotel, which is her family's legacy, were more of a priority, the mother character would be doing most of the work herself. But she's not. She focuses instead on puttering around in her garden. She's truly not invested in the hotel's survival. It seems like she is almost waiting for the hotel to completely flounder so she can have a clear out.
I found this element of the mother's characterization disappointing. It might be due to her overall character being underdeveloped. In fact, as I write this review I can't recall the mother's name. All I know is that the hotel is called Hannah's Inn and that's NOT the mother's name.
Saving the Hotel
I realize I've deviated from the original intent of my review because I honed in on the business stuff. But that's okay, I liked the parts of the story surrounding Miles, Gabby, and their newly hired digital marketing manager's efforts to save the hotel. I do have a BBA (that I don't use in my real-life job) so I like stories that delve into this area and do it well. The author did a great job here of making the business plans exciting. She avoids getting too bogged down by details. And the social media marketing plan is a good call. I liked that they didn't let a near-disastrous event harm their reputation. Instead, they flipped the script and seized their viral moment. Way to go!
Chill and Peaceful Vibe / Sweet Characters
The plot of Paint Our Song is mostly chill and peaceful. It is a quick read. I like the vibe of the city the hotel is in, and none of the characters are black-and-white evil. I hate when stories feature characters who are one-sided, shallow villains. And the villain, if this story has one, was a character I still want the best for, even if they were annoying at times and came in between Calvin and Miles smoothly getting together. The story was light. I enjoyed that nothing huge happens, even when things are stressful for the characters, the drama wasn't life-altering.
Miles and Calvin
Miles is an enthusiastic labrador of a person and Calvin is a prickly grump. Sunshine/Grump is one of my favorite tropes and I enjoyed Miles and Calvin as characters in Paint Our Song. Miles is earnest, sweet, and awkward. I immediately wanted him to succeed in all his endeavors, first page, first paragraph. I love him. I like the progression his character takes
Calvin is harder to get a read on, but I found his prickliness is more due to him being shy than actually grumpy or mean-spirited. I ended up loving Calvin a lot and wished that we got some paragraphs from his POV too so we could know what was going on beneath the surface. There are times in the story when Calvin frowns or makes a face but his emotions aren't ever explained. I wanted more insight into what he was thinking. I also got the idea that he crushed on Miles even before he met him. But unfortunately, that was never completely confirmed in the story. I feel like Calvin has a lot of depth that isn't able to be explored in a single POV story.
Nitpicks
This story only has minimal issues. It's an adorable story and I've already discussed my major sticking points I encountered while reading, namely the mother's motivation or lack there of. But no review I post would be complete without the parts my immersion got snagged on and drew me out of the story.
the City? Setting Questions
The setting in this story was vague enough to make me question if Miles lived in New York City or another city. I think it would be helpful to name a bigger city even if it's a fictional place. I dislike vagueness in a story. Miles lived in "the City" which to me means New York City. Because the descriptions of his hometown seemed vaguely upstate New York or Massachusetts-like. But then Miles talks about driving in the city just a few blocks to find parking and the City in the story didn't seem big enough to be Manhattan. Maybe Boston? I think it's fine to have a story take place in real settings just as much as it's okay to take place in a fictional setting. But I don't like when something isn't named so I have to put together a picture myself.
Pacing and Editing
The pacing of the story is slow at times, maybe it needs a deep edit to eliminate some unneeded scenes. It just seemed to plod along in the middle and I wanted the story to climax and have a happy ending. At 34 chapters, and in my Kindle 5000+ locations it's a lengthy novel. I can't say how many pages this would be in a print edition because the location in an ebook refers to a stable location for text that is the same for various screens and monitor sizes, so there's no good way to correlate locations to page numbers. But I can estimate that it's a long book.
Odd Apostrophes and Turns of Phrase
There were a few odd phrases that made me pause so I could parse what the author was trying to convey. I got really snagged up on the adverb 'frustratingly' being used in one part in particular.
Miles is drawing and the paragraph reads,
"This time, the papers aren't crumpled and he hasn't frustratingly run harsh pencil marks over his drafts".
It took a few re-reads of this sentence before I understood that it wasn't frustrating that Miles had marked up his paper. Instead, the author is saying that Miles had, in the past, scratched out his drafts in frustration.
Those are two different things and I think my confusion came down to adverb placement.
In English, of course, adverbs can go pretty much anywhere in a sentence and the sentence works. But the nuance in this sentence can change with various placements. The adverb placed right after the auxiliary verb 'hasn't' and before the past participle 'run' conveys the idea that it was a generally frustrating thing that Miles had done, to scratch up his paper.
Maybe, instead of frustrating being used in an adverbial tense, if the author used the term 'frustration', it would be clearer. For example, "he hasn't run harsh pencil marks over his drafts in frustration" is clearer. IS THIS JUST ME? This is the teacher in me coming out to play.
There are also a few places where a contraction is used instead of writing out the full phrase. It seems like a small nitpick but it messed with the flow and made me pause, as a reader. Like, "He'd much [rather] retreat to his house," where not only is a word left out of that sentence that needs to be added but I think it sounds weird as "he'd" and would flow better to read "he would much rather go back to his house".
Another is when it says "Megan's a force to be reckoned with." I think it would read better to say Megan is a force..." I had to read this sentence twice to make sure I hadn't read it wrong and it wasn't an incorrect use of the 's to indicate ownership over something.
There are a few other places but I forgot to highlight them so I can't remember specifics.
This is the nitpick section so these gripes might seem like too much, but it made me pause enough to highlight it in my book so I think it's worth mentioning.
Recommend or Not? Recommend!
Highly recommend this beautiful story about a grumpy musician and a cheerful artist finding each other after rotating around one another's spheres for some time. It's fate, and it's cute. And I really liked Paint Our Song.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The premise of this slice-of-life, chill-vibe love story is cute and low-angst, even with one character still grieving the loss of a parent. The setup is cute, Miles has loved the band Cloverlily forever and follows their career as a huge fan. Calvin, the other love interest, is the band's guitarist, who also seemingly has followed Miles' career for years. Miles's paintings have even inspired songs that he's listened to. What an interesting cycle, right? Songs that helped Miles get through tough times were actually inspired by a painting the songwriter had seen and admired. It is a nice touch to the story that makes their eventual pairing seem cosmic in a way, fated.
The setup is fairly straightforward. Miles moves back from "the City" (more on that later) so he can save the family inn. He arrives to help his mother and the hotel which is in dire straights. But he knows next to nothing about business, something that might have helped. His father wanted Miles to be happy and pursue his dreams as an artist, so he went to art school. But maybe a business course would have helped, even if he'd taken it as an elective. Because it's a lot to jump into! Especially because he and his pal Gabby seem to be the only ones who want to save it.
The Hotel
His mother is clearly not all in on running the family's hotel. I questioned how the inn hadn't already closed. It's been five years since Mile's father passed. The mother doesn't seem fully invested in the inn's survival. She wants to travel, to garden, and to live her life. I don't blame her, she has been grieving too.
But one would think that avoiding going further into debt would be required if she wants to do the things that will make her happy. Keeping the hotel afloat should be more of a priority for her. But she lets the management of the inn fall by the wayside and hires part-timers. She relies much too heavily on Gabby, an employee who deserves the manager title, but doesn't get it until she makes motions to leave for greener pastures.
Hiring part-time workers, by the way, is an expensive stop-gap to a failing business. My parents ran a family business while I was growing up, so I have some personal experience with how things usually work. Most importantly, I know that when finances are tight family businesses generally don't hire help from outside the family. Instead, they take on more work themselves.
If the mounting debt and pending closure of her hotel, which is her family's legacy, were more of a priority, the mother character would be doing most of the work herself. But she's not. She focuses instead on puttering around in her garden. She's truly not invested in the hotel's survival. It seems like she is almost waiting for the hotel to completely flounder so she can have a clear out.
I found this element of the mother's characterization disappointing. It might be due to her overall character being underdeveloped. In fact, as I write this review I can't recall the mother's name. All I know is that the hotel is called Hannah's Inn and that's NOT the mother's name.
Saving the Hotel
I realize I've deviated from the original intent of my review because I honed in on the business stuff. But that's okay, I liked the parts of the story surrounding Miles, Gabby, and their newly hired digital marketing manager's efforts to save the hotel. I do have a BBA (that I don't use in my real-life job) so I like stories that delve into this area and do it well. The author did a great job here of making the business plans exciting. She avoids getting too bogged down by details. And the social media marketing plan is a good call. I liked that they didn't let a near-disastrous event harm their reputation. Instead, they flipped the script and seized their viral moment. Way to go!
Chill and Peaceful Vibe / Sweet Characters
The plot of Paint Our Song is mostly chill and peaceful. It is a quick read. I like the vibe of the city the hotel is in, and none of the characters are black-and-white evil. I hate when stories feature characters who are one-sided, shallow villains. And the villain, if this story has one, was a character I still want the best for, even if they were annoying at times and came in between Calvin and Miles smoothly getting together. The story was light. I enjoyed that nothing huge happens, even when things are stressful for the characters, the drama wasn't life-altering.
Miles and Calvin
Miles is an enthusiastic labrador of a person and Calvin is a prickly grump. Sunshine/Grump is one of my favorite tropes and I enjoyed Miles and Calvin as characters in Paint Our Song. Miles is earnest, sweet, and awkward. I immediately wanted him to succeed in all his endeavors, first page, first paragraph. I love him. I like the progression his character takes
Calvin is harder to get a read on, but I found his prickliness is more due to him being shy than actually grumpy or mean-spirited. I ended up loving Calvin a lot and wished that we got some paragraphs from his POV too so we could know what was going on beneath the surface. There are times in the story when Calvin frowns or makes a face but his emotions aren't ever explained. I wanted more insight into what he was thinking. I also got the idea that he crushed on Miles even before he met him. But unfortunately, that was never completely confirmed in the story. I feel like Calvin has a lot of depth that isn't able to be explored in a single POV story.
Nitpicks
This story only has minimal issues. It's an adorable story and I've already discussed my major sticking points I encountered while reading, namely the mother's motivation or lack there of. But no review I post would be complete without the parts my immersion got snagged on and drew me out of the story.
the City? Setting Questions
The setting in this story was vague enough to make me question if Miles lived in New York City or another city. I think it would be helpful to name a bigger city even if it's a fictional place. I dislike vagueness in a story. Miles lived in "the City" which to me means New York City. Because the descriptions of his hometown seemed vaguely upstate New York or Massachusetts-like. But then Miles talks about driving in the city just a few blocks to find parking and the City in the story didn't seem big enough to be Manhattan. Maybe Boston? I think it's fine to have a story take place in real settings just as much as it's okay to take place in a fictional setting. But I don't like when something isn't named so I have to put together a picture myself.
Pacing and Editing
The pacing of the story is slow at times, maybe it needs a deep edit to eliminate some unneeded scenes. It just seemed to plod along in the middle and I wanted the story to climax and have a happy ending. At 34 chapters, and in my Kindle 5000+ locations it's a lengthy novel. I can't say how many pages this would be in a print edition because the location in an ebook refers to a stable location for text that is the same for various screens and monitor sizes, so there's no good way to correlate locations to page numbers. But I can estimate that it's a long book.
Odd Apostrophes and Turns of Phrase
There were a few odd phrases that made me pause so I could parse what the author was trying to convey. I got really snagged up on the adverb 'frustratingly' being used in one part in particular.
Miles is drawing and the paragraph reads,
"This time, the papers aren't crumpled and he hasn't frustratingly run harsh pencil marks over his drafts".
It took a few re-reads of this sentence before I understood that it wasn't frustrating that Miles had marked up his paper. Instead, the author is saying that Miles had, in the past, scratched out his drafts in frustration.
Those are two different things and I think my confusion came down to adverb placement.
In English, of course, adverbs can go pretty much anywhere in a sentence and the sentence works. But the nuance in this sentence can change with various placements. The adverb placed right after the auxiliary verb 'hasn't' and before the past participle 'run' conveys the idea that it was a generally frustrating thing that Miles had done, to scratch up his paper.
Maybe, instead of frustrating being used in an adverbial tense, if the author used the term 'frustration', it would be clearer. For example, "he hasn't run harsh pencil marks over his drafts in frustration" is clearer. IS THIS JUST ME? This is the teacher in me coming out to play.
There are also a few places where a contraction is used instead of writing out the full phrase. It seems like a small nitpick but it messed with the flow and made me pause, as a reader. Like, "He'd much [rather] retreat to his house," where not only is a word left out of that sentence that needs to be added but I think it sounds weird as "he'd" and would flow better to read "he would much rather go back to his house".
Another is when it says "Megan's a force to be reckoned with." I think it would read better to say Megan is a force..." I had to read this sentence twice to make sure I hadn't read it wrong and it wasn't an incorrect use of the 's to indicate ownership over something.
There are a few other places but I forgot to highlight them so I can't remember specifics.
This is the nitpick section so these gripes might seem like too much, but it made me pause enough to highlight it in my book so I think it's worth mentioning.
Recommend or Not? Recommend!
Highly recommend this beautiful story about a grumpy musician and a cheerful artist finding each other after rotating around one another's spheres for some time. It's fate, and it's cute. And I really liked Paint Our Song.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 21, 2024
I love how I'm trying new authors and exploring how they present their characters, their flaws, their wants, and their needs. I'm really glad I found this book.
The main character, Miles, is an artist who has lost his spark of creativity since the loss of his father. Listening to his favorite band helps. But when he comes back to his hometown to help his mother run the inn that he's father loved and they've been struggling to keep up, meeting the guitarist of his favorite band, Calvin, helps more. Especially when Calvin reveals that he's been a fan of Miles' art for a long time.
The plot seems pretty simple, and it would be if these two characters didn't have just so much to overcome and deal with, if they didn't have so much growing up to do.
I really enjoyed the journey of discovery this book took us readers on, and I look forward to reading more of this series in the future.
The main character, Miles, is an artist who has lost his spark of creativity since the loss of his father. Listening to his favorite band helps. But when he comes back to his hometown to help his mother run the inn that he's father loved and they've been struggling to keep up, meeting the guitarist of his favorite band, Calvin, helps more. Especially when Calvin reveals that he's been a fan of Miles' art for a long time.
The plot seems pretty simple, and it would be if these two characters didn't have just so much to overcome and deal with, if they didn't have so much growing up to do.
I really enjoyed the journey of discovery this book took us readers on, and I look forward to reading more of this series in the future.
October 11, 2024
It’s been a while since I’ve read such a cute and fluffy book, and I forgot how much I loved it. Paint Our Song had me kicking my feet, smiling, and giggling. It was so cute, but also emotional. There were some deep scenes that had me tearing up so much.
Miles and Calvin were so perfect for each other. Their encouragement for the other was so beautiful. We all need someone in our corner to pick us up when we’re down. The development of their relationship was so well done and so natural. It was beautiful.
I adored Gabby so much. Without a doubt, both her and Chase were my absolute favorite characters. And I loved Miles’ relationship with his mom. It reminded me so much of my own.
I’m so excited for more from this world and from Maia Kinley.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Miles and Calvin were so perfect for each other. Their encouragement for the other was so beautiful. We all need someone in our corner to pick us up when we’re down. The development of their relationship was so well done and so natural. It was beautiful.
I adored Gabby so much. Without a doubt, both her and Chase were my absolute favorite characters. And I loved Miles’ relationship with his mom. It reminded me so much of my own.
I’m so excited for more from this world and from Maia Kinley.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 21, 2024
It's like a sexier hallmark movie 😌
October 14, 2024
Paint Our Song by Maia Kinley was a heartwarming read that took me through a rollercoaster of emotions. There were moments that had me cringing due to Miles' awkwardness, but it fit his character perfectly, making those moments feel authentic rather than forced. By the time I was halfway through, I was tearing up because of how sweet Calvin and Miles’ relationship was. Their connection felt so real, and the author did an excellent job at making their journey together resonate.
That said, the setup of how Calvin and Miles came together felt a bit too convenient at first. Calvin visiting Miles’ family inn and becoming so inspired by the artwork that he had to find Miles seemed a little far-fetched. It took me a while to suspend my disbelief, but once I did, I was fully invested. I do wish we’d seen a little more build-up in the early chapters, maybe with Calvin’s initial visit to the inn being more fleshed out. Once the band, CloverLily, was introduced and Calvin and Miles started spending more time together, I really got hooked.
The themes of self-love and overcoming feelings of inadequacy were beautifully done. Both Calvin and Miles struggled with their own insecurities, and seeing them grow together was powerful. I also appreciated how the book addressed the challenges Calvin faced as a celebrity, dealing with rumors and judgment about his sexuality, especially with his ex-bandmate Theo in the picture. Theo was the perfect antagonist—absolutely awful but necessary for the story’s tension.
The side characters, Gil and Chase, were a joy to read, and I'm excited to see their story in the next book! I’m definitely adding it to my TBR. Also, Miles’ best friend Gabby was a quirky and vital addition to the story, helping Miles realize that he wasn’t meant to run the family inn but to continue with his art.
The writing style was one of the highlights for me. Though there were awkward moments, they felt intentional and true to Miles’ personality. It’s rare for me to enjoy an ARC without finding issues in the writing, but Maia Kinley nailed it here. My only other critique is that the slow burn was a little too slow for my personal taste. Calvin and Miles clearly liked each other, and it took a while for them to realize how good they were together, which stretched things a bit. But overall, this didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment.
If you enjoy heartfelt romances with quirky, lovable characters and don't mind a bit of a slow burn, Paint Our Song is definitely worth a read!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
That said, the setup of how Calvin and Miles came together felt a bit too convenient at first. Calvin visiting Miles’ family inn and becoming so inspired by the artwork that he had to find Miles seemed a little far-fetched. It took me a while to suspend my disbelief, but once I did, I was fully invested. I do wish we’d seen a little more build-up in the early chapters, maybe with Calvin’s initial visit to the inn being more fleshed out. Once the band, CloverLily, was introduced and Calvin and Miles started spending more time together, I really got hooked.
The themes of self-love and overcoming feelings of inadequacy were beautifully done. Both Calvin and Miles struggled with their own insecurities, and seeing them grow together was powerful. I also appreciated how the book addressed the challenges Calvin faced as a celebrity, dealing with rumors and judgment about his sexuality, especially with his ex-bandmate Theo in the picture. Theo was the perfect antagonist—absolutely awful but necessary for the story’s tension.
The side characters, Gil and Chase, were a joy to read, and I'm excited to see their story in the next book! I’m definitely adding it to my TBR. Also, Miles’ best friend Gabby was a quirky and vital addition to the story, helping Miles realize that he wasn’t meant to run the family inn but to continue with his art.
The writing style was one of the highlights for me. Though there were awkward moments, they felt intentional and true to Miles’ personality. It’s rare for me to enjoy an ARC without finding issues in the writing, but Maia Kinley nailed it here. My only other critique is that the slow burn was a little too slow for my personal taste. Calvin and Miles clearly liked each other, and it took a while for them to realize how good they were together, which stretched things a bit. But overall, this didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment.
If you enjoy heartfelt romances with quirky, lovable characters and don't mind a bit of a slow burn, Paint Our Song is definitely worth a read!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 25, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up
This was a very cute read overall. Loved how sweet it was and the general fluffiness of it. For a book by a newer author, I think the main characters were well thought out and showed me who they were throughout the book. I also loved how their feelings developed - it happened slowly and on page, and I couldn't put the book down for a second during this part.
One thing I hoped to see differently was this narrative that love fixes everything. Miles' internal dialog was a little concerning to me regarding his lack of self esteem and his grief for his dad. These were compelling stories that grounded his character, but there was a huge lack of resolution in my opinion. They both basically disappeared towards the end and the only thing that changed is that Miles was In Loveᵀᴹ. Not everyone is ready for therapy or counseling or psychiatry, but I would have appreciated that this was a work in progress for him rather than a done deal.
I also agree with other reviewers about the length and about the lack of development of the secondary cast. A more judicious editor could have strengthened the main narrative and made a smooth reading experience for the reader. Also, I don't think the secondary cast was particularly large but it felt super underdeveloped. Most of the cast didn't have a role to play and were just there. I think using Miles' mom a little more would have been really cool - she bonded with Calvin, she and Miles have a shared grief - all of that could have been highlighted but she just faded into the background.
Although Theo was a rather one-dimensional villain, I actually didn't mind him as much because the focus wasn't on him, it was on preservation of the band and what Calvin wanted out of everything. In this case, I think the lack of page time probably helped, but the tension would be much stronger if his character had some added depth and then got more page time.
Overall, a great start to a writing journey. I'm looking forward to Giles and Chase's book.
(Separate, mostly inconsequential note, I have no idea how authors choose names for characters, but I personally find it extremely challenging when multiple characters have names starting with the same letter - e.g. Chase and Calvin, Gabby and Gil, Matthew and Miles, etc. It doesn't always hurt the reading experience but I feel like here it did for me, if only just a little.)
This was a very cute read overall. Loved how sweet it was and the general fluffiness of it. For a book by a newer author, I think the main characters were well thought out and showed me who they were throughout the book. I also loved how their feelings developed - it happened slowly and on page, and I couldn't put the book down for a second during this part.
One thing I hoped to see differently was this narrative that love fixes everything. Miles' internal dialog was a little concerning to me regarding his lack of self esteem and his grief for his dad. These were compelling stories that grounded his character, but there was a huge lack of resolution in my opinion. They both basically disappeared towards the end and the only thing that changed is that Miles was In Loveᵀᴹ. Not everyone is ready for therapy or counseling or psychiatry, but I would have appreciated that this was a work in progress for him rather than a done deal.
I also agree with other reviewers about the length and about the lack of development of the secondary cast. A more judicious editor could have strengthened the main narrative and made a smooth reading experience for the reader. Also, I don't think the secondary cast was particularly large but it felt super underdeveloped. Most of the cast didn't have a role to play and were just there. I think using Miles' mom a little more would have been really cool - she bonded with Calvin, she and Miles have a shared grief - all of that could have been highlighted but she just faded into the background.
Although Theo was a rather one-dimensional villain, I actually didn't mind him as much because the focus wasn't on him, it was on preservation of the band and what Calvin wanted out of everything. In this case, I think the lack of page time probably helped, but the tension would be much stronger if his character had some added depth and then got more page time.
Overall, a great start to a writing journey. I'm looking forward to Giles and Chase's book.
(Separate, mostly inconsequential note, I have no idea how authors choose names for characters, but I personally find it extremely challenging when multiple characters have names starting with the same letter - e.g. Chase and Calvin, Gabby and Gil, Matthew and Miles, etc. It doesn't always hurt the reading experience but I feel like here it did for me, if only just a little.)
October 22, 2024
A painter and a rocker: a compelling and heartfelt love story
Paint Our Song is a heartfelt, emotionally deep, and captivating story with a refreshing approach to the common romance trope of opposites-attracts, and the world of the rich and famous. Beneath the layer of Miles and Calvin's evolving relationship, the author does not shy away from touching on complex emotional topics such as loss, grief, self-discovery, and responsibility with sensitivity and honesty.
Despite the seemingly slow-burn and simple plot with limited suspense and action, the deep dive into thoughts and emotions makes the characters relatable and lovable, and the story intriguing and captivating. A vibrant narrative with emotional ups and downs and eloquent, simple yet effective prose rounds out a compelling and page-turning reading experience.
Miles and Calvin are as different as they can be at first sight. Miles is a kind, level-headed, humorous, extroverted, caring, talented, and successful painter. Calvin is his opposite, a famous guitar player in the rock band, introverted, deeply private, and isolated. He hides behind his public persona of a straight guy, appearing mysterious, distant, cold, and somewhat rude. However, through developing his connection with Miles, he shows his sensitive, emotional, and insecure side.
Following their not-so-smooth first meeting, they soon discover shared vulnerabilities, interests, and attraction.
While Miles is dealing with his loss, grief, and an overwhelming sense of duty and responsibility, ready to risk his career, Calvin, on the other hand, is gripped with fear of facing the future and the loss of personal and professional security and stability due to the collapse of his band.
The narrative focuses mainly on Miles, his views, inner thoughts, and perceptions. Getting more insight into Calvin, his past, and relationships would improve my understanding of his views and reactions. Regardless, this novel is a heartfelt, fulfilling, and engaging reading experience.
While the novel is well-suited for those who appreciate emotionally profound, character-driven stories, readers looking for fast-paced action, high angst drama, or light, purely feel-good romance may find it different from their usual preference.
Paint Our Song is a heartfelt, emotionally deep, and captivating story with a refreshing approach to the common romance trope of opposites-attracts, and the world of the rich and famous. Beneath the layer of Miles and Calvin's evolving relationship, the author does not shy away from touching on complex emotional topics such as loss, grief, self-discovery, and responsibility with sensitivity and honesty.
Despite the seemingly slow-burn and simple plot with limited suspense and action, the deep dive into thoughts and emotions makes the characters relatable and lovable, and the story intriguing and captivating. A vibrant narrative with emotional ups and downs and eloquent, simple yet effective prose rounds out a compelling and page-turning reading experience.
Miles and Calvin are as different as they can be at first sight. Miles is a kind, level-headed, humorous, extroverted, caring, talented, and successful painter. Calvin is his opposite, a famous guitar player in the rock band, introverted, deeply private, and isolated. He hides behind his public persona of a straight guy, appearing mysterious, distant, cold, and somewhat rude. However, through developing his connection with Miles, he shows his sensitive, emotional, and insecure side.
Following their not-so-smooth first meeting, they soon discover shared vulnerabilities, interests, and attraction.
While Miles is dealing with his loss, grief, and an overwhelming sense of duty and responsibility, ready to risk his career, Calvin, on the other hand, is gripped with fear of facing the future and the loss of personal and professional security and stability due to the collapse of his band.
The narrative focuses mainly on Miles, his views, inner thoughts, and perceptions. Getting more insight into Calvin, his past, and relationships would improve my understanding of his views and reactions. Regardless, this novel is a heartfelt, fulfilling, and engaging reading experience.
While the novel is well-suited for those who appreciate emotionally profound, character-driven stories, readers looking for fast-paced action, high angst drama, or light, purely feel-good romance may find it different from their usual preference.
October 28, 2024
Let's start with what you need to know:
*3rd Person POV
*Rockstar & Artist pairing
*Small town setting
*OM drama (not too bad IMO)
*Hilarious supporting characters (Chase, Gil, Gabby)
*On page steam!!
Now then, on to the review:
I'm ashamed of myself.
Why, you ask?
Well, you see... I held on to this book for far too long. Like I literally downloaded it and let it sit on my kindle for DAYS. Maybe weeks. I honestly can't remember.
As a mood reader, it happens sometimes.
But this book made me so upset that I didn't gobble it down the first day.
The connection between the main characters is captivating in a way I don't always get in books. They were attracted to each other from the start, and with a slightly slow burn, we get to watch it all unfold.
Add in the chaos of a failing Inn that belonged to his father and the struggle of the band falling apart, and you get a setup that lends itself to an amazing romance.
Maia did a wonderful job with these characters. I mentioned above about OM drama -- Calvin has an ex who is persistent and a bit of a narcissist. While he does reappear a lot in the story, it's not so bad that I felt like putting this book down. In fact, I really wanted to see him get the rug pulled out from under him, so I was actually encouraged to keep going.
All in all, this read is so stinking good. I will post some teasers too on my GR because I don't want to spoil for anyone else and I can hide them there. :).
Ok, here come the spoiler-ish things. Don't uncover this if you don't want to see:
*3rd Person POV
*Rockstar & Artist pairing
*Small town setting
*OM drama (not too bad IMO)
*Hilarious supporting characters (Chase, Gil, Gabby)
*On page steam!!
Now then, on to the review:
I'm ashamed of myself.
Why, you ask?
Well, you see... I held on to this book for far too long. Like I literally downloaded it and let it sit on my kindle for DAYS. Maybe weeks. I honestly can't remember.
As a mood reader, it happens sometimes.
But this book made me so upset that I didn't gobble it down the first day.
The connection between the main characters is captivating in a way I don't always get in books. They were attracted to each other from the start, and with a slightly slow burn, we get to watch it all unfold.
Add in the chaos of a failing Inn that belonged to his father and the struggle of the band falling apart, and you get a setup that lends itself to an amazing romance.
Maia did a wonderful job with these characters. I mentioned above about OM drama -- Calvin has an ex who is persistent and a bit of a narcissist. While he does reappear a lot in the story, it's not so bad that I felt like putting this book down. In fact, I really wanted to see him get the rug pulled out from under him, so I was actually encouraged to keep going.
All in all, this read is so stinking good. I will post some teasers too on my GR because I don't want to spoil for anyone else and I can hide them there. :).
Ok, here come the spoiler-ish things. Don't uncover this if you don't want to see:
October 27, 2024
Paint Our Song is a gentle, slow burn romance between a shy guitarist and awkward, effusive painter.
Miles is heading home when he finds an angry note on his windshield from an irate driver over his parking. When Miles recognizes the car later at his family’s inn and tries to explain, Calvin says he’s wrong. The moment gets cringey as Miles realizes the maybe-note-writer is the guitarist of his favorite band, a trying-to-lie-low Calvin.
It’s not Insta love - or even like. But I enjoyed watching as they tentatively warmed to each other.
Calvin - the guitarist and creative force for Cloverlily, is adorable. He’s a bit introverted and cautious - not sure at first how to react to Miles’ puppy dog energy.
The band’s music helped Miles get out of a creative slump and gave him great exposure when they used one of his paintings on the cover of their breakout album.
The fact they were secretly (or not so secretly in Miles’s case) fanboying each other was an unexpected development.
There are peeks at both their creative processes, which was fascinating. The country inn setting is perfect. And friends and band mates were great additions to the story.
There were times I grew a little frustrated with Miles. He was caring and loyal. But I wish he would have talked to Calvin instead of ghosting him over a misunderstanding. AND LISTENED TO THE SONG! His ex Matthew was right when he said Miles had two speeds: 100% all in or giving up completely because he’s thinks he’s lost and not worthy. Happily he snaps out of it and makes amends.
There’s a bit of drama with Calvin’s ex Theo, who seems to believe he’s bigger than the band. And Miles and his mom need to come to terms with their grief of the death of his father.
This quiet, gentle story is a delight. The ending is a warm hug of happiness.
The cover says Cloverlily Book 1, and here’s hoping Book 2 features a best friend/idiots to lovers pairing.
Miles is heading home when he finds an angry note on his windshield from an irate driver over his parking. When Miles recognizes the car later at his family’s inn and tries to explain, Calvin says he’s wrong. The moment gets cringey as Miles realizes the maybe-note-writer is the guitarist of his favorite band, a trying-to-lie-low Calvin.
It’s not Insta love - or even like. But I enjoyed watching as they tentatively warmed to each other.
Calvin - the guitarist and creative force for Cloverlily, is adorable. He’s a bit introverted and cautious - not sure at first how to react to Miles’ puppy dog energy.
The band’s music helped Miles get out of a creative slump and gave him great exposure when they used one of his paintings on the cover of their breakout album.
The fact they were secretly (or not so secretly in Miles’s case) fanboying each other was an unexpected development.
There are peeks at both their creative processes, which was fascinating. The country inn setting is perfect. And friends and band mates were great additions to the story.
There were times I grew a little frustrated with Miles. He was caring and loyal. But I wish he would have talked to Calvin instead of ghosting him over a misunderstanding. AND LISTENED TO THE SONG! His ex Matthew was right when he said Miles had two speeds: 100% all in or giving up completely because he’s thinks he’s lost and not worthy. Happily he snaps out of it and makes amends.
There’s a bit of drama with Calvin’s ex Theo, who seems to believe he’s bigger than the band. And Miles and his mom need to come to terms with their grief of the death of his father.
This quiet, gentle story is a delight. The ending is a warm hug of happiness.
The cover says Cloverlily Book 1, and here’s hoping Book 2 features a best friend/idiots to lovers pairing.
October 17, 2024
The band Cloverlily was the one stable thing in Miles’ life. Their songs were what got him through his father’s death. He had found himself again ‘accidentally’ becoming a famous artist, including making a cover for his favorite band. But now it was time to really look around him, and he realized he neglected his family Inn, and it was struggling. It was time for him to go home and try to fix it.
Calvin needed a quiet place to get away from the band and try to wrap his head around the life he had. Cloverlily was everything to him, but the personalities in the band struggled, and something had to change. He didn’t expect to meet a very persistent man who was also an artist he really liked at the inn he had chosen. It seemed that they could probably help each other in more than one way.
OPINION: I very much enjoyed this story. Each man’s personality is very clear, and you get to know them through the pages. There is something inherently charming about Calvin, with his quietness. There are moments where his teasing comes across as harsh, which may be by design; overall, though, I felt I knew Calvin pretty well, and I liked him a lot. Miles had a completely different personality, and he was a lovely person. I would love to know both of these men personally. As a debut novel, I very much liked this author and will watch for the next book. There were a few bumpy grammar bits, but you can easily enjoy the book regardless. There are also quite a few emotional moments. I recommend this story. It's got some depth, so it isn’t a super quick read, but I kept going back to it, wanting to see how this love story unfolded, and it was great.
Calvin needed a quiet place to get away from the band and try to wrap his head around the life he had. Cloverlily was everything to him, but the personalities in the band struggled, and something had to change. He didn’t expect to meet a very persistent man who was also an artist he really liked at the inn he had chosen. It seemed that they could probably help each other in more than one way.
OPINION: I very much enjoyed this story. Each man’s personality is very clear, and you get to know them through the pages. There is something inherently charming about Calvin, with his quietness. There are moments where his teasing comes across as harsh, which may be by design; overall, though, I felt I knew Calvin pretty well, and I liked him a lot. Miles had a completely different personality, and he was a lovely person. I would love to know both of these men personally. As a debut novel, I very much liked this author and will watch for the next book. There were a few bumpy grammar bits, but you can easily enjoy the book regardless. There are also quite a few emotional moments. I recommend this story. It's got some depth, so it isn’t a super quick read, but I kept going back to it, wanting to see how this love story unfolded, and it was great.
October 23, 2024
This book is a delightful and inspiring love story between two artists, Miles and Calvin, who become each other’s muse.
Miles, a painter, meets Calvin, a musician from a famous band that he once designed an album cover for. The band is now breaking up, and Calvin arrives at the small hotel Miles runs with his mother, who is still grieving the loss of her husband. Their connection grows as Calvin helps reignite Miles' passion for painting, a passion that had been stifled by grief.
As the band’s breakup makes headlines, Calvin’s presence brings attention to the struggling hotel, and a spontaneous lakeside performance during the hotel’s bonfire sparks interest on social media. This boosts the hotel's visibility, leading to new bookings, including a bride who discovers her grandmother had married there. The band's remaining members even reunite to play an impromptu set, drawing in fans and adding tension when the fourth bandmate, Theo, reappears, stirring up old dynamics.
Throughout, the blossoming romance between Miles and Calvin is authentic and full of emotion. Both characters face personal struggles with their art—Miles with his painting and Calvin with his music—and their relationship becomes the catalyst for their creative rebirth. There are a few bumps along the way, but ultimately love prevails.
Mia Kinley skillfully avoids overused tropes, focusing instead on the emotional depth of her characters and the challenges they face in both love and art. The pacing is excellent, keeping the reader engaged, and the story flows effortlessly. It’s a quick, captivating read that leaves you rooting for Miles and Calvin to find happiness together.
Miles, a painter, meets Calvin, a musician from a famous band that he once designed an album cover for. The band is now breaking up, and Calvin arrives at the small hotel Miles runs with his mother, who is still grieving the loss of her husband. Their connection grows as Calvin helps reignite Miles' passion for painting, a passion that had been stifled by grief.
As the band’s breakup makes headlines, Calvin’s presence brings attention to the struggling hotel, and a spontaneous lakeside performance during the hotel’s bonfire sparks interest on social media. This boosts the hotel's visibility, leading to new bookings, including a bride who discovers her grandmother had married there. The band's remaining members even reunite to play an impromptu set, drawing in fans and adding tension when the fourth bandmate, Theo, reappears, stirring up old dynamics.
Throughout, the blossoming romance between Miles and Calvin is authentic and full of emotion. Both characters face personal struggles with their art—Miles with his painting and Calvin with his music—and their relationship becomes the catalyst for their creative rebirth. There are a few bumps along the way, but ultimately love prevails.
Mia Kinley skillfully avoids overused tropes, focusing instead on the emotional depth of her characters and the challenges they face in both love and art. The pacing is excellent, keeping the reader engaged, and the story flows effortlessly. It’s a quick, captivating read that leaves you rooting for Miles and Calvin to find happiness together.
October 16, 2024
A GRUMPY/ SUNSHINE OPPOSITES ATTRACT SLOW BURN 🔥 💕
I don’t know why some readers has to rip an authors work apart by nitty picking every part of the book they did not enjoy- I absolutely loved this story from start to finish even if it was in third person POV!
It started with a note on a windscreen…
“Thanks for being a jackass”
Two artistic souls who have been admiring each other’s work for years- lead guitarist 🎸for Cloverlily- Calvin Lowe and well renowned painter 🧑🎨 Miles Curtis finally meet face to face with disastrous results at first… it was hate at first site or was it?…
This was a slow burn with steamy elements, cute banter, bashful flirting and smouldering looks that keeps you as reader hooked until their passion for each other grows to a blazing inferno! 🔥
I loved how they were each other’s muses without realising it and inspired so much passion and goodness in each other and supported each other where they needed it the most even in grief that even Calvin’s bandmates Gill and Chase could see it!
Miles’s best friend Gabby was a rock for Miles and his mom where his debt ridden family’s Inn was concerned…
The secondary characters Gil and Chase were amazingly intuitive and supportive where these two stubborn insecure characters were concerned… but Theo is another story and maybe he will get his redemption…
I look forward to Gil and Chase’s story next!
This was a new to me author who’s work I will definitely read more of!
I voluntarily received an ARC and this is my honest review.
I don’t know why some readers has to rip an authors work apart by nitty picking every part of the book they did not enjoy- I absolutely loved this story from start to finish even if it was in third person POV!
It started with a note on a windscreen…
“Thanks for being a jackass”
Two artistic souls who have been admiring each other’s work for years- lead guitarist 🎸for Cloverlily- Calvin Lowe and well renowned painter 🧑🎨 Miles Curtis finally meet face to face with disastrous results at first… it was hate at first site or was it?…
This was a slow burn with steamy elements, cute banter, bashful flirting and smouldering looks that keeps you as reader hooked until their passion for each other grows to a blazing inferno! 🔥
I loved how they were each other’s muses without realising it and inspired so much passion and goodness in each other and supported each other where they needed it the most even in grief that even Calvin’s bandmates Gill and Chase could see it!
Miles’s best friend Gabby was a rock for Miles and his mom where his debt ridden family’s Inn was concerned…
The secondary characters Gil and Chase were amazingly intuitive and supportive where these two stubborn insecure characters were concerned… but Theo is another story and maybe he will get his redemption…
I look forward to Gil and Chase’s story next!
This was a new to me author who’s work I will definitely read more of!
I voluntarily received an ARC and this is my honest review.
October 24, 2024
(4.5)
I'm blown away by the writing in this story, it flowed so beautifully and the characters were phenomenal. I loved how everything was connected, even though Miles never met Calvin until later in life, these two men were connected since the beginning of both of their careers. I really enjoyed that full circle realization moment that these characters had when they discovered that about each other.
I found the story itself to be very beautiful, I liked how both of these men were into different art forms and how they inspired one another. I found that to be very beautiful.
Calvin and Miles slowly got to know each other throughout this story and developed a friendship that gradually grew into more. It was such a terrific slow burn that had mild angst, and was full of swoony romantic scenes. Both of these characters have such vibrant personalities and characteristics, they have great backstory and the dialogue and chemistry that occurs between these two men is fantastic! The side characters are as amazing as Calvin and Miles are, they provide hilarious banter and help move the story along in a nice way. I loved the cheeky and teasing banter that Calvin and Miles had with each other, it was so cute, and really gave off that feeling of "will they, won't they?".
I thought this story was fantastic and I'm really excited to read more books set in this series. I'm specifically looking forward to Gil and Chase's story, I'm so curious about how their story is going to go.
I'm blown away by the writing in this story, it flowed so beautifully and the characters were phenomenal. I loved how everything was connected, even though Miles never met Calvin until later in life, these two men were connected since the beginning of both of their careers. I really enjoyed that full circle realization moment that these characters had when they discovered that about each other.
I found the story itself to be very beautiful, I liked how both of these men were into different art forms and how they inspired one another. I found that to be very beautiful.
Calvin and Miles slowly got to know each other throughout this story and developed a friendship that gradually grew into more. It was such a terrific slow burn that had mild angst, and was full of swoony romantic scenes. Both of these characters have such vibrant personalities and characteristics, they have great backstory and the dialogue and chemistry that occurs between these two men is fantastic! The side characters are as amazing as Calvin and Miles are, they provide hilarious banter and help move the story along in a nice way. I loved the cheeky and teasing banter that Calvin and Miles had with each other, it was so cute, and really gave off that feeling of "will they, won't they?".
I thought this story was fantastic and I'm really excited to read more books set in this series. I'm specifically looking forward to Gil and Chase's story, I'm so curious about how their story is going to go.
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