3.5 stars

Jeff is the lead singer for a rock band that is slowly imploding, due in part to members various issues, and also in part to the hectic work schedule that the label is holding them to. Jeff takes time for himself and heads back to an area that he last saw when he was 15. He knows that he will probably run into people who knew him when he was younger, as well as people who will recognize him because of his fame. What he doesn't expect is to run into his ex best friend. But he does, and they very quickly build back the friendship. And once Jeff discovers that there is a chance that Carter might have feelings for him, too, everything changes. There are still issues with the band, and the label, but Jeff has a solid base and even more of an incentive to deal with things now.

I am not sure what I was expecting from this, because I've read a couple of lackluster books by this author, but this one was on the better side of the scale. I could buy how quickly Carter and Jeff had feelings for each other because they had those years of friendship that we catch glimpses of throughout the story. This is a love story, and but it's also a story about friendship, and finding the way back to friendship. I liked that the story didn't focus too much on the past, and how crappy it was for some of the characters, but rather what they were working toward, and, eventually, how they were going to get there. ( )

I was really excited to read this book because it's Ashlyn Kane doing rock star romance, and American Love Songs will forever be my favorite romance including musicians.

Despite some glaringly obvious editing mistakes that managed to confuse me out of the book at times, I really had fun reading it. The romance was easy and sweet, though mostly in the background in the later half of the book, and imho, a bit lacking even though they were toothache inducingly sweet together. After they got together the focus shifts to Jeff's band and his band-mates, and them figuring stuff out together. That part was fun too, and I felt vindicated when they finally managed to change their label. I also forgot how much I like the way Kane writes banter.

I think I'm due a re-read of American Love Songs now though :) ( )