Musician Riley Shaughnessy is in a slump. His self- confidence has taken a huge hit because he was unexpectedly excluded from a rock and roll documentary. While his band members are enjoying success in pursuing their solo careers, Riley has writer's block. His management team is pressuring him to complete his first solo album and the music and the words aren't flowing for him. To complicate matters, Riley's manager has arranged to have him interviewed by a prestigious music magazine. Journalist Savannah Daly is not amused, she has been bumped off a fabulous cover story and assigned to interview musician Riley Shaughnessy. She's not looking forward to dealing with another temperamental, self-centered rock star.

THIS IS OUR SONG is a poignant friends-to-lovers-story. The first three chapters of the novel drew me into Riley's story as they set the stage for the conflict and provided insight into the characters of Riley and Savannah. I thought Ms. Chase would portray Riley as a temperamental, misunderstood musician. I was totally off-base! Riley is a sensitive, caring person who is struggling—and Samantha Chase portrays Riley with just the right amount of depth and emotion. The reader feels for him and identifies with Riley.

The author continues to explore how the death of Lillian Shaughnessy has affected each member of her family. The scenes when Riley remembers singing with his Mom are superbly written and made me cry. Ms. Chase does a great job with exploring first impressions; Savannah's first impression of Riley and Riley's initial thoughts about sharing his story with a writer. Riley feels uncomfortable about the interview process and suggests that they travel to North Carolina and spend time with his family. He is hoping that Savannah will see beyond his rock star persona. Loved the scenes with the Shaughnessy family! The author does an outstanding job as each member of the family is included in the story. Ms. Chase is known for her fabulous dialogue and the banter between the Shaughnessy brothers accentuates the feeling of family comradery! Enjoyed the heartwarming scenes between Riley and his father—especially when Riley recognizes that Ian has a social life! Riley is able to focus on his music and his relationship with Savannah during the trip to North Carolina.

The couple returns to Los Angeles and become immersed in their careers. Riley learns something about Savannah and the couple separates. The last few chapters of THIS IS OUR SONG were superbly written. The author incorporates Riley's love for his music, his mother and his family as he prepares for a solo concert at the Hollywood bowl. The conclusion is perfectly written for this couple and has several surprises that fans of Ms. Chase's Shaughnessy novels will adore!

Book Summary

She knows him by reputation
Making a name for himself as a musician wasn’t easy, but he followed his dreams to rock-star success. But the relentless expectations of fans is not helping the slump he's in now. So of course the person who attracts him is the woman who is not impressed by fame.

Which gives Riley Shaughnessy a lot to prove
Entertainment reporter Savannah Daly is completely unfazed by pretty-boy rock stars. She’s just here to get her interview and write her story. But spending an entire month with the Shaughnessys is going to show Savannah a side of Riley she never could have guessed.