IT’S TIME TO FINISH WHAT THEY STARTED . . .
– Our Song
[ About Our Song ]
Laura used to have big dreams, but she gave them up – because that’s what grown-ups do. Trying to turn her love of music into a career would have been absolutely ridiculous.
But when she hears one of Tadhg’s songs on the radio, she isn’t so sure.
Tadhg and Laura used to be in a band together. They used to be a lot of things. Now he’s a superstar, touring the world with his songs, reminding Laura of what might have been.
Then she gets an email that could change everything: Tadhg wants to finish a song they started writing together sixteen years ago. Making music again would literally be a dream come true, even if it’s with a person she swore she’d never speak to again. And they can keep things professional, right?
As Tadhg and Laura start working together though, sparks begin to fly. Maybe music isn’t the only thing that deserves a second chance . . .
[ My Review ]
Our Song by Anna Carey published with Hachette Ireland June 5th. Marian Keyes describes it as ‘a beautiful, moving and uplifting love story’ and that is exactly what it is. With it’s own playlist on Spotify, Our Song is the adult debut novel from Anna Carey. Spending much of her teens and twenties as a musician, Anna ultimately married a former bandmate, which very much adds to the authenticity of the story.
I will always be drawn to a novel with a band in it as I grew up in household surrounded by guitars and vinyls. I turn on music as soon as I enter a room or sit in my car. It instantly soothes but it also gets my heart racing and my feet tapping. Our Song brings me right back to my own college years and my twenties (and thirties) when live music was common place across Cork city. Thankfully the scene is slowly reinvigorating itself with a whole new generation of musicians hopefully getting a platform to showcase their work. But I digress…
Our Song is a fairytale, a beautiful story of love revisited but with a complicated history attached. Laura and Tadhg originally crossed paths in their mid-teens, when still in school, but didn’t meet up again for a number of years until a chance encounter in college. Both were passionate about music but both eventually chose very different careers. Laura completed her degree and worked in advertising while Tadhg toured the world as a highly successful artist. He won global acclaim for his songs but his heart always remained in Dublin, where he kept a base. Over the years Laura would occasionally hear one of Tadhg’s songs on the radio and she would have a moment of reminiscing but wasn’t she better off with the life she now had? Following a career in music was only ever a pipe-dream – wasn’t it?
When Laura’s personal and professional life hit a few obstacles she is distracted and a little depressed, Unsure of where she is at or what her future now holds, she is considering her options, downbeat at her situation, when an unexpected email arrives. Tadhg wants to organise a meeting. He’s back in town and would love if she would consider working on a song that they had started nearly two decades ago.
Laura and Tadhg had shared quite a fractious past but Laura makes a decision to see where the road takes her and, in doing so, realises how much she has missed her guitar and the buzz of creating music. But is being with Tadhg just a step too far for her right now? Isn’t her life already far too complicated?
Our Song is ultimately a feel-good romance that warms the heart and lifts the soul. Anna Carey has written a novel with all the feels. I was completely immersed in Tadhg and Laura’s story and their complex relationship. Their college days as indie musicians trying to get a break, and the atmosphere of those heady times, are all wonderfully described bringing a real nostalgic element to the mix. Although set in Dublin the themes are universal and will capture the attention of all readers. A charming tale Our Song is beautifully written, packed with nostalgia and memorable characters, with scenes that will have you reminiscing about years gone by. An easy recommendation from me.
[ Thank you Hachette Ireland for a copy of Our Song in exchange for my honest review ]
[ Bio ]
Anna Carey is an Irish Book Award-winning novelist, journalist, editor and scriptwriter who spent her teens and twenties playing in bands.
She is the author of seven acclaimed novels for young adults. Her debut novel The Real Rebecca won the Senior Children’s Book of the Year prize at the 2011 Irish Book Awards and her last book The Boldness of Betty was shortlisted for the same award in 2020. Her drama podcast The Famine Monologues was released by RTÉ in 2021 and her play The Making of Mollie was staged in 2024.
Our Song is her first book for adults.
She is married to her former bandmate Patrick Freyne and lives in Dublin.
