Somber Serenades

by Trinity Matthews

Eyes don’t lie - probably the biggest fucking lie I’d ever heard. — Tripp Mcguire





Life had always been a whirlwind for both Tripp and Elise but in different ways.

For Elise, crushing bills and a dad she no longer speaks to.

For Tripp it was girls, parties, performances and booze - lots & lots of booze.



But Elise doesn’t expect a whirlwind romance with her brother’s best friend.

After being forced to room together, their hatred for each other is apparent but so is their attraction.

Will they be able to prepare themselves for their whirlwind romance?

Will Tripp be able to prepare himself for the whirlwind that is Elise as she leaves his life as quickly as she came?

175 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 14, 2024

Reviews

[Shelby Conaway]

This book absolutely shredded me. I did a blind read because I saw it on TikTok and was not expecting that ending. I cried for a good hour.

[Melanie Bayne]

I absolutely LOVED their story. I loved it so much. Elise deserved so much better but once she got it, it was just too late. Talk about a book to leave you heartbroken. So good.

[Summer]

WTF!!!😭

[Jes]

i am bamboozled by the ending. i was not prepared.

[abigail | betterinfictions]

well that hurt.
I’m honestly rating it higher than I originally thought bc I can’t do .5 AND bc I can tell this took a lot of heart to write!
this book took a turn I wasn’t expecting but I think it was done really well.
I sobbed.
a good novella but please read TW’s page if you need to!

[Jordan Lynn Pohto]

Im heartbroken, crying my eyes out at 2:21 am. Why Elise? WHY?

[Stef]

It wasn't great, but still hurt more than expected. For a bit less than 200 pages a good book to get out of a reading slump

[Samantha Platt]

genuinely who is rating this 5 stars, the back of a shampoo bottle is written better than this.

[Bailey Herzog]

Why would you do that

[Bella B]

I’m rating myself 1 star for choosing to read this

😅😭😅😭😭😭😅😅😅😅😅🙃🫠

This was horrifically terrible, and I think the worst part might be the fact they had been having sex for WEEKS before he noticed a LARGE TATTOO on her back 💀😭

[Halla Fournier]

The ending made me so mad 😭😭

[Bookish Rose]

I literally had no idea what to expect from this novella. It was recommended to me for it’s emotion & it definitely delivered on that front.

“Isn’t it the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?”
I opened my mouth to say yes, because it was beautiful, but it would be a lie. If you asked me what the most beautiful thing was, I’d say the glimmer in Elise’s eye when I can see her claws coming out; Or when Elise finds joy in the mundane things. Up until I met her, my life severely lacked that and I couldn’t imagine what my life had been like before.
She had not only filled a hole in me I never knew was there but here I was now building an entire future with her.
The entire hike back, my entire body itched with the need to see her. I wanted to hold her hand, kiss her, hell even just sit next to her and I'd be fine.

You know those books that feel like the author put a little piece of their heart in the story? Like maybe something happened that changed their perspective or impacted them greatly & they used their writing talents to pay homage to that experience? This story felt like that. This felt like Trinity had something to say & she used Tripp’s & Elise’s voices to deliver her message. The ending of this story is likely to stick with you & you’re bound to shed a tear or two (I did). That said, because this is a novella, the story moved quickly & I think there might’ve been too many tropes packed into something this short since it felt like some didn’t have the time necessary to develop. That hindered the story’s impact, in my opinion. However, I still liked the emotional messaging at the end & the entertaining love story between these two.

“She shined as bright as the spring sun”
Alex had chosen it. Saying that’s what he saw when he pictured her. But I saw her for what she was, for what she had been. A wilting flower that was choked out by weeds. The weeds blocked out the rain and she hadn’t had someone to cut the weeds away.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t have been more… I’m sorry I wasn’t enough for you to stay but I understand. I’m sorry for not removing the weeds. I know why you did it, I know you loved me but I know you were tired,” I choked out the words as I slumped forward. “I know you were so tired, sweetheart, and you just needed a break… “Damn it, I just wish you had given me the chance. I was ready to take it all from you if I needed to. I could’ve taken it all from you if it would’ve meant you stayed.” … I dropped my head back, looking at the night sky trying to force myself to feel something but just like it had before I had met Elise, everything felt numb.

I think one of the biggest takeaways is the reminder that being depressed doesn't always mean sitting in a dark room, alone. Sometimes the person who looks like they enjoy life, the one always laughing & smiling, the one with a big personality, is the one who's struggling behind the facade. And even if they're getting some help, like going to a therapist, sometimes it's not enough to ease the burden.

I never wanted to let her go. I wanted to keep her here and keep her away from everyone in the world so no one could ever hurt her again…
“I’ve got you, Sweetheart,” I whispered as I kissed the side of her hair. She seemed to cry harder… I didn’t know what else to do besides hold her. I couldn’t fix it, I couldn’t fix the inside of her that he had broken.
I’d never felt so useless in my life, I’d never felt so helpless. I tightened my grasp on her and she burrowed further into me and if this is what I needed to do all night, I would.

Despite support, they might still be haunted by their demons until it's too much to bear. This book serves as a reminder to check on those people & remember there's more to everyone's story.

[Nicole]

First, I'd like to commend the author for writing about tough and triggering subjects. Please check out the TW's BEFORE reading (even if it gives away a spoiler).

Second, understand that this book has no ending. If you're expecting such an outcome, this book may not be for you. I repeat, there is NO HEA, lovey dovey ending.

WARNING! SPOILERS IN REVIEW!

This book is a fast-paced, spicy, and tragic love story. You meet two tortured souls. They crossed paths in an unconventional way, but luck brought them together. We see their journey over 170 some pages and how they grow together. Unfortunately, sometimes love isn't enough, and your demons catch up with you. The story ends in a way that is a reality for many. You feel all the feelings and emotions that FMC and MMC go through. At the end, you can't help but feel heartbroken.

However, there is a lot going on in this book.

At times, it was a bit too much of everything ( from meeting the best friend, to the band members, to the history of the FMC, to the richness of the MMC, to meeting the brother, etc.). I would have liked to read about less of the “outside world” and more on character development. I could see that they were smitten with each other, but I found it hard at times to feel that they were in love with each other. With FMC's past, the way they got close was a little hard to understand how she'd allow herself to be influenced like that with MMC (plus, there was no mention of contraception?).

Again, this is a fast-paced book, and I can understand if some of the details get lost a bit.

Overall, I give this book a 3.5/5 stars .

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

[Amanda]

You know those books where you can’t be mad at the author because they absolutely nailed it with their writing but they left you broken? So now you are trying to trudge through the waters of your tears and figure out how to move on from this book. Like you just fell in love and then have a broken heart all in a matter of one book. Author Trinity Matthews just accomplished this scenario with her book “Somber Serenades.”

From Author Trinity Matthews comes a book about enemies to lovers that truly do not stay enemies for long. They slowly just realize that they misread each others opinions and started to acknowledge their feelings. As they become lovers, the MC’s truly start to depend on each other during their times of need. They grow and lean on each other for a majority of the book.

I won’t ruin it but the ending of the book truly wrecked me. It was written so well that you could just feel the emotions leap off the page. I was feeling everything and just started crying like crazy. I will need to take some time to sit with this book before moving on to the next. Written with such emotions but sadly this could be someones reality.

[Sarah Carvell]

If you need or want a quick read to crush your soul, you’ve found it.

This should have been a longer novel instead of a novella with some more depth throughout to really hit you in the feels. The beginning half, with the banter and sheer attitude and yearning and a tension, really pulled you in. Had me laughing and kicking my feet like I was there! The last half I struggled with a bit because it felt a little rushed to get the story to where they wanted it to end. While the ending was obvious from the beginning, it still got you in your feelings when you read it.

I can’t be mad at the author though. She set her intentions for the book and wrote it out beautifully. She intended on wrecking everyone who reads the book, and she hit her goal.

[Teahlyn Seeger]

I want to be mad, but I can’t. The author went through with her plan and shattered me. I devoured this in a few hours and then cried my heart out. Elise and Tripp’s love story is beautiful.

I love the “brother’s best friend” and roommate tropes. Somber Serenades wove them together beautifully. I expected more spice but I wasn’t mad when some scenes faded to black. The scenes included were well written. I do wish the story was longer and included a few more details to the events that took place, it felt a bit rushed.

I received this as an advanced reader copy and this is my honest review.

[Ené]

I have no idea what to say about this.

Was it sweet? Yes. Was it a worth it novella? Definitely. Did it 180 by the end and just choose to hurt me and everyone who read this? Absolutely.

The biggest part of this actually is that I feel like all the progress throughout it went moot by the end. It became a whole thing that now feels like an absolute cycle. Still worth a read though.

[Lourelle]

I both loved and hated this book. It doesnt have a hea but it is rooted very much in reality for some people. The love between the characters is felt as you read it. The tragedy breaks you as well because you feel just as blindsided as the mc. It leaves you asking questions.This is bravely written.

[Bethany 🌿]

This was so good 😭 but I was NOT prepared for the plot twist.

[Adryana brooks]

heartbreaking

I never saw the ending coming in a million years!!! Great story! It was a nice quick read! Would totally read it again

[Paige :) Jacoby]

ouch

Yeah so I didn’t expect to cry my eyes out reading this. My fault for not taking the earrings serious.

[Madison bittman]

not a happily every after.

Was doing so good and was so excited then it just took a sharp turn and the female character dies. Sorry for the spoiler but it was awful.

[Julie]

Trinity we need to talk

Wth!? Trinity you know what you did. I'm not mad I just need a minute. Nah I'm a little mad.

[Kiany Marquez]

THE ENDING? I’m sorry?!!!

[BookishVibesClub]

This is one I can only recommend if you like having your heart filled with swoony goodness and then destroyed. It made me completely fall in love with the characters and then ripped my heart out right along with them. I would have absolutely loved the story if I stopped around 85%. If I read it again, I would stop there for my HEA :) It was a really great contemporary romance/tragedy read filled with saucy banter, trauma past, true love, and heartbreak.
Fast paced, spicy romance. Every chapter held my interest and I read it in one sitting. I absolutely ADORED the characters and their chemistry ❤️‍🔥. I just soaked up every bit of their love story as it grew. And when heartbreak comes, you feel just as broken as the main character experiencing it. This gave me feels of Remember Me (movie) and a little bit of the After series. This is not a true romance as there is not an HEA. You will not leave this book feeling good feels.

🎸 Rock star MMC
🎸 Protective MMC
🎸 Fiery FMC
🎸 Millionaire BF
🎸 He Falls First/Harder
🎸 Heartbreaking Trauma rep
🎸 Swoony and Spicy Love Story
🎸 Tattooed MMC
🎸 Broken but Trying FMC
🎸 Tragic Story


4⭐️🌶️🌶️ (open door, slightly explicit!t) read

* language warning

** Check TW’s before reading (includes SA flashbacks, Sui…)