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Mayluna

A Novel

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Mayluna

By: Kelley McNeil
Narrated by: Amanda Leigh Cobb, Kevin Kemp
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A legendary band, an iconic lead singer, and their mysterious connection to a woman whose love helped create the music of a generation. Timing is everything in a powerful novel about fate, regret, and moving on by the author of A Day Like This.

In the 1990s, Carter Wills was the lead singer of the English alt-rock band Mayluna, securing his place among music legends. His tortured-heart lyrics struck a chord. And so did his secret connection to a woman whose love changed all their lives. Who was she?

Evie Waters’s two grown children discover an iconic photo in an old magazine of a “mystery girl” with Carter: their mother. It all started in a wistful time and place for Evie, her twenty-fifth summer. A young columnist forging her career. Backstage euphoria. A long-shot interview. And an almost cosmic connection with an enigmatic musician on the rise.

What happened between them is a hidden story no one, not even Evie’s family, knows. Until now. Worlds apart, Carter and Evie finally reveal the story—joyful, regretful, and unforgettable. It was a time when the stars aligned for a love so profound the whole world felt it. It was as if it would last forever.

©2024 Kelley McNeil (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Fiction Genre Fiction Magical Realism Women's Fiction Fantasy Magic Celebrity Heartfelt Tear-jerking
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Critic reviews

“This achingly romantic tear-jerker by McNeil (A Day like This) hits the same notes as Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones and the Six.”—Library Journal

“McNeil's latest is a dreamy, melancholy look back at young love…Fans of wistful love stories and intellectual music retrospectives will appreciate the astronomical metaphors throughout, intertwining music, math, and the planets into this complicated love story.”—Booklist

“An utterly engrossing story about secret lives, second chances, and encounters with enigmatic rock stars. Mayluna is fresh, heady, and nostalgic.”—Jennifer Gold, author of Halfway to You
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I loved every second of this book! Hit me right in the feels right from the beginning to the end. Carter and Evie forever,

Wow

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couldn't stop listening to this once I'd started. wholly addictive listen. the only problem was the female narrator. when voicing Carter's parts, her accent is laughably awful

addictive

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This book was beautiful land I knew it was going to break my heart…and I still loved it so much! Definitely recommend this book

What a book

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Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this story, beautifully written and well narrated … so glad a chose this to listen to.

Fabulous!

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This is a beautifully written, emotional book that blends music, fate, love, and longing into a story set against the backdrop of the late 1990s alternative rock scene. Evie, a young journalist, is sent to interview an up-and-coming band who are less than enthusiastic about the press. She meets Carter, the band's charismatic and enigmatic lead singer, and both of their lives change in ways neither of them expect after that initial meeting.

What made this so compelling is not simply the romance between Evie and Carter, but the intensity of the connection they share. McNeil captures that rare feeling of meeting someone who seems to understand parts of you that you yourself don't always understand and nobody else can reach. Their relationship feels authentic, messy, and achingly human, filled with moments of hope, longing, and vulnerability. Carter is particularly memorable as a character, as beneath his fame lies a man carrying profound emotional weight, and his struggles make him easy to sympathize with.

Evie is equally engaging. She is intelligent, ambitious, and relatable, and her emotional journey forms the heart of the story. As she reflects on the choices that shaped her life, it makes you consider the complicated nature of destiny, timing, and regret. These themes are handled with sensitivity, allowing the emotional impact to develop naturally rather than relying on melodrama. Did I agree with the choices she made? No. But I could understand how and why she made them.

The atmosphere of this book is one of its greatest strengths. The backstage world of concerts, recording sessions, and rising fame feels vivid and immersive, yet that never overshadows the characters. Instead, it becomes another language through which Carter, Evie, and the members of Mayluna express themselves. This book evokes nostalgic feelings for youth, first loves, and missed opportunities while also exploring family, healing, and the passage of time. Several moments carry a quiet heartbreak that builds steadily throughout, and the writing excels at portraying both joy and sorrow, making the story feel intimate even when set against the scale of international fame.

Overall, I found this a heartfelt and beautifully crafted story that captures the bittersweet reality that some connections never truly leave us, no matter how much time passes. It is the kind of story that stays in your thoughts and packs an emotional punch that, even though I saw it coming from a mile away, still managed to get me, and that doesn't happen often. The audiobook was included with the KU download, and both narrators do a phenomenal job with their performances and add to the overall experience

5⭐️

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