Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jun 2023
368 pages
Genre: Romance
Paperback Original.
Publication Information
When a single dad meets the former rock-star crush of his youth, everything they thought they knew about happiness and love is thrown into chaos in this hopeful, heartwarming romantic comedy.
Billy Perkins is happy. And why wouldn't he be? He loves his job as an independent music teacher and his apartment in Baltimore above a record shop called Charm City Rocks. Most of all, he loves his brainy teenage son, Caleb.
Margot Hammer, on the other hand, is far from happy. The former drummer of the once-famous band Burnt Flowers, she's now a rock-and-roll recluse living alone in New York City. When a new music documentary puts Margot back in the spotlight, she realizes how much she misses her old band and the music that gave her life meaning.
Billy has always had a crush on Margot. But she's a legitimate rock star—or, at least, she was—so he never thought he'd meet her. Until Caleb, worried that his easygoing dad might actually be lonely, cooks up a scheme to get Margot to perform at Charm City Rocks.
It's the longest of long shots, but Margot's label has made it clear that any publicity is an opportunity she can't afford to miss. When their paths collide, Billy realizes that he maybe wasn't as happy as he thought—and Margot learns that sometimes the sweetest music is a duet.
"The story follows the characters as they navigate the messy emotions of growing up, growing closer, and growing apart. Full of tongue-in-cheek adoration for the city of Baltimore, from its beers to its obsession with crabs, the story is also packed with witticisms and nostalgic rock references that will be best appreciated by Gen Xers. With clever dialogue, unpredictable twists, laugh-out-loud moments, and heartwarming joy, this is really a book about nice guys...Pure fun." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"In this gentle romance, Norman takes a thoughtful look at finding love in one's 40s and how it balances against family, career, and other obligations...Both protagonists come with plenty of baggage, whether it's Billy's attachment to the status quo, or Margot's checkered rock star past, and the way their chemistry pushes them both out of their comfort zones seals the deal on this romance. This is a joy." —Publishers Weekly
"Bursting with heart and chock-full of pitch-perfect dialogue and disarmingly wonderful characters, Charm City Rocks absolutely sings. I loved everything about it." —Allison Winn Scotch, New York Times bestselling author of The Rewind
"If Daisy Jones and Emily Henry had a baby, it would be this hilarious and delightful rock-and-roll rom-com." —Colleen Oakley, USA Today bestselling author of The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
This information about Charm City Rocks was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Matthew Norman lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with his wife and two children and holds an MFA from George Mason University. His previous novels include All Together Now, Last Couple Standing, We're All Damaged, and Domestic Violets.
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