Review: Songwriter Night by D.G. Driver

About the Book:

In this sweet romantic novella, Lyle and Trish are two aspiring Country music songwriters that meet at a Nashville coffee house. With Trish being new in town, Lyle invites her to his monthly gathering of songwriters to get to know her better. The evening of quirky characters and light-hearted singing is interrupted by the arrival Aiden Bronson. He’s got a hit song on the radio, and he’s back to show off, stirring up some rivalry while he’s at it. How will Lyle compete against Aiden’s charisma and talent in order to win Trish’s heart?

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/songwriter-night-a-musical-romance-by-d-g-driver

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56828579-songwriter-night

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Guest Reviewer Frannie’s Thoughts:

In this sweet, romantic novella the two main characters are attracted to one another as they sit on opposite sides of the barista working on the lyrics to their new hopefully successful songs. Lyle is a native of Nashville and Trish is a shy young woman who just moved to town from Los Angeles. They both are dedicated to their music and see hope and inspiration in one another. Lyle and Trish connect through their deep love for music and their dream of becoming successful country singers in Nashville, a cutthroat musical town that is known as an incubator for exceptional country music singers.

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” Plato

When Trish appears at the songwriting gathering at Lyle’s home, the story really begins, along with the introduction to the compositions of 12 original country songs and a colorful hand full of characters. The other characters have interesting personalities that lead into minor conflicts around their poems, lyrics, and compositions. We learn about each unique personality and voice as they resolve their conflicts. Lyle is likable and connects with all the characters offering a seamless introduction for Trish as the new musician in the group. Trish’s humility is endearing, and Lyle’s attraction grows as he discovers her wonderful singing talent.

The story becomes contentious when Adian Bronson, a charismatic songwriter with a hit song currently playing on the radio, reenters the group. He is obnoxious, condescending to the others in the group and overly critical. Everyone is on edge but due to his celebrity status and common respect for a fellow artist, they endure his insults and argumentative comments. Adian is immediately drawn to Trish, the new girl who has just appeared in this tight knit music community. His attraction to her stirs up the old rivalry between he and Lyle. Who will Trish select to help her navigate the Nashville music scene?

The proses, lyrics and poetry are fabulous. They are sung and acted out by local Nashville artists in the audiobook version, which I think would be delightful to listen to in the future. The story is touching with chemistry and provides drama to the plight of the illusive songwriting dream of so many artists.

The novella is a bit confusing and awkward at the beginning. In general the writing is good, and the story could have been even better with more in-depth descriptions of the surroundings and more emphasis on bringing out the details of what would appear to be very colorful characters. The songs and the intention to keep music, theatre and acting alive evolve and the plot of the story becomes engaging and inspirational.

I highly recommend “Songwriter Night” to anyone who enjoys the arts, music, writing and theatre. Musicians and actors would embrace this book with a vengeance and help all who want to keep the art of acting and performance alive.

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About the author: D. G. Driver is an optimist at heart, and that’s why she likes to write books about young people who strive to make a difference in the world. From her teen environmentalist in The Juniper Sawfeather Trilogy, a young girl teaching her friends autism acceptance and to stop bullying people with special needs in No One Needed to Know, a girl who bravely searches for a friend lost along the shore of a dark lake in Lost on the Water – A Ghost Story, a princess who desires to be more than a pampered prize for a prince in The Royal Deal, to a boy who learns that being genuine and chivalrous are the ways to win a girl’s heart in All the Love You Write, Driver hopes to write characters that you’ll want to root for.

When she’s not writing, she is a teacher in an inclusive child development center in Nashville, and she can often be found strutting the stage in a local musical theater production.