What You Do to Me by Rochelle Weinstein

What You Do to Me by Rochelle B. Weinstein – 363 pages  

ARC from Amazon Publishing and Getred PR for an honest review

Book Blurb:

Journalist Cecilia James is a sucker for a love song. So when she stumbles across a clue to the identity of the muse for one of rock’s greatest, she devotes herself to uncovering the truth, even as her own relationship is falling apart. While writing an article for Rolling Stone, Cecilia works to reveal the mystery that has intrigued fans and discovers a classic tale of two soulmates separated by fate and circumstance. Rock star Eddie Vee once sang with his soul, dedicating love songs to Sara Friedman, his inspiration and first love. Now, Eddie takes refuge in anonymity, closed off to the past. Sara, too, has distanced herself from their love, moving thousands of miles away to live the life she once railed against. As Eddie and Sara tentatively open up to Cecilia about broken dreams, she struggles to give them a happy ending. In the process, she learns that broken hearts can be healed—even her own.

My Review: 4.5 stars

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What You Do to Me by Rochelle B. Weinstein is a completely absorbing and memorable book that sucked me in from the first page. Have you ever listened to a song and been completely mesmerized by its words? Often, they’re pure poetry, (for me that’s Tapestry by Carole King), but sometimes it’s the story being told in the song – and that’s where this story lands.

This plot follows a young Rolling Stone journalist who figures out who the mystery girl is from a fictitious song called, What You Do to Me. Here’s the kicker, it’s based on the real-life song, Hey There Delilah, by the Plain White T’s. The author got the okay to use that famous line as her starting point and took off from there.

So we have Cecilia, the reporter, digging around trying to figure out who the girl is, and where she is now, while alternating chapters tell the story of Sara and Eddie, and their brief but consuming love affair as kids. I loved the dual time periods and how they eventually come together.

The chapters were all titled with recognizable names from hit songs. Not only was that clever but it made me happy to break into song at just about every chapter. If you grew up in the 70s you’re in for a treat.

Great storytelling, smart pacing and Weinstein’s ability to create strong, yet vulnerable characters made this an excellent read. Themes of parental control, mixed race romance, journalistic beginnings, Jewish culture, and second chances were woven through the book.