This was the book I needed at the onset of quarantine. Perfect Tunes calmed my mind from the barrage of news and the anxiety of pandemic. I fell easily in rhythm with Laura, a young musician and songwriter from Ohio that heads to New York City in the early aughts. The story is a fun blend of nostalgia and music, but I was most enthralled by its insightful examination of creativity within the confines of being a woman and a mother.

The book spans over a decade, and starts with Laura as a naïve 22-year-old trying to avoid harassment at a hostessing job in order to pay her half of the rent for the Manhattan apartment she splits with her best friend Callie. They go to shows, bars, parties, and they meet musicians.

Laura meets Dylan, the lead singer-guitarist in a band called The Clips. Emily Gould’s writing is straightforward, resonant, and funny, too (Laura muses early on: “Dylan had the most beautiful dick in the world.”) Readers witness Laura’s journey into early onset adulthood after becoming pregnant, and the narrative makes dramatic jumps in time. We meet her daughter Marie as an infant, and watch her grow from toddler to teenager. The flash forwards and curveballs in Laura’s narrative kept the pages turning swiftly, and I found myself completely (and happily) transported.

The feeling of nostalgia was especially strong for me since I met my musician husband in an East Village dive bar in the aughts. He was in town recording an album with his band and I was temping anywhere I could to make my portion of the rent in a Bushwick loft that had no walls and going to any party listed on myopenbar.com. Maybe Laura and I would’ve been friends. Perfect Tunes reminded me so much of those first weeks navigating New York, and that flaming desire between two young people in the middle of a grimy city...

Rest of the review is at thebookslut.com <3