This review has been made possible thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books. Thank you for giving me the chance to review the book honestly prior to its publication.

I was originally drawn in by the stunning cover (ignoring what they say about judging books by their covers) because it conveyed a sense of melancholy in its simplicity. And I am always partial to some minimalist colour-blocked covers! The second thing that appealed to me what the concept - Johnny opens his door to his five year old son, a byproduct of one night with the girl he’s certain was the love of his life while on a road trip around the US with his best friend Will. It gave off very strong Three Men and a Baby or Baby Daddy vibes, just with a five year old Luke instead.

The rest of the book focuses on Johnny stepping up to be a parent, with the help of his friends and family - as they say, it takes a village to raise a child. He was also coming to terms with missing out on the years he could have spent with Lauren, raising their child together, and Luke’s early years and first milestones, which he writes up in songs to and about her. Another fun aspect of the novel was the imagined conversations between Johnny and Lauren, through the letters she left with Luke, answering any questions he would have about parenting.

I found that the book was really quick to read, I finished it in less than a day, the writing flowed smoothly and the chapters divided different scenes and time periods well. At points, I did find the characterisation of the children as too mature in their speech or too infantile, and the adults felt like they fell within tropes and were a bit one-dimensional. I was also hoping there would be a resolution regarding Johnny and Lauren, or someone else as a potential partner for him but was disappointed. There were also a few moments that felt a bit forced or too serendipitous, such as songs conveniently coming on the radio, very specific movie choices etc.

On the whole, it was a sweet story about kismet between two people, a man coming to terms with suddenly being responsible for a child, and a community coming together to help him raise Luke. I would have loved to read more about Johnny’s friend TSP (though I did not like her name) and her relationship with Will, as well as their other friend Susan and her personality outside of her career.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who’s in the mood for something bittersweet, a little bit melancholy and who loves music and song lyrics.