Songs for Other People's Weddings

by David Levithan, Jens Lekman

From award-winning, bestselling author David Levithan and beloved, acclaimed singer-songwriter Jens Lekman comes a charming, tender novel about an unlucky-in-love wedding singer trying to find the right words to save his relationship

J is an accidental wedding singer. Unlike most wedding singers, he writes an original song for every couple—his way of finding out about the small, strange things that brought them together and the hopeful, vulnerable feelings they’re experiencing.

J’s own love life is in a state of flux. His girlfriend is off to New York for work, and as her life grows bigger and busier without him in it, he finds it harder to stick to a happy tune. He doesn’t know whether to encourage the soon-to-be-wed couples or warn them. When complications hit and love is tested, is there any way to sing through all the noise?

Combining David Levithan’s deeply observant storytelling and Jens Lekman’s inventive and touching original songs, Songs for Other People’s Weddings is a tender, honest novel that tracks love through all its chord changes, never forgetting that the best songs contain the bitter and the sweet, the despair of losing it all and the euphoria of being found.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Audiobook, Music, Adult, Adult Fiction

301 pages, Hardcover

First published August 5, 2025

About the author

David Levithan (born 1972) is an American children's book editor and award-winning author. He published his first YA book, Boy Meets Boy, in 2003. Levithan is also the founding editor of PUSH, a Young Adult imprint of Scholastic Press.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who loves David Levithan, and someone who enjoyed this book, I feel like the opinions on this one are definitely going to be polarizing. Here's the main things you need to know going into this book:
1. It's definitely NOT a romance, I would describe it as a dramedy.
2. J, the main character, is not the most likeable protagonist, and I think that's intentional.
3. I would personally describe this book as more somber in tone than a lot of Levithan's other work. Want more detail? Keep on reading...

J is a wedding singer-for-hire, and while he isn't intentionally self-absorbed, he has a tendency to prioritize his feelings and life as an individual over his girlfriend's. This is not uncommon for men... even if they're compassionate and caring people, that's the way a lot of them operate by default. I don't have time to get into the psychology of this. This is the main aspect of J that makes him unlikeable and it's very evident. Levithan makes this even more complex and nuanced with the care and intention that he gives his friends and clients-- J is thoughtful and observant, it seems, with everyone else except himself and V, his girlfriend. Again, this is something that I think is a lot more common and left undiscussed than people care to admit.

The main plot woven throughout the different weddings that J works is that V's job has taken her overseas, and he's left adrift-- it doesn't matter that he does the same thing when she would stay home while he goes and tours for work. V is rethinking her place not just in their relationship, but in her entire life, as doors open up for her, and J cannot comprehend this. Part of what drew me into this book was the strain and frustration between them and their relationship, something that I think many people that have been in long-term relationships can deeply relate to, whether or not their own relationships have a happy ending or not. I saw a lot of myself in V, and that push-pull between V and J amongst their warring emotions between both themselves and each other, while drawn out, is incredibly realistic.

Levithan, as always, has a way with words. Funny quips, astute observations, and much to say about love and the forms that it takes. Things that work and things that don't, the variables, how one size does not fit all. There are several key quotes that I will be putting up later upon publication (as of writing this, it's May-- the book will be out in three months time) If you enjoy Levithan's prose, you will absolutely find things to enjoy about this book. Whether or not you enjoy stories about flawed characters that are still trying to find their way in their late 30s is up to the individual reader. You likely will be frustrated reading this book at times, but again, I believe that to be intentional. Love changes shape, and (to quote Chuck Tingle) Love Is Real. It can also be extremely confusing and messy. It can be open-ended. Just something to keep in mind.

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Official blurb:

J is a somewhat-renowned wedding singer that goes the extra mile: he composes an original song for each and every couple he performs for. Despite deep insights into many (seemingly successful) unions, he is adrift in his own relationship with V when she relocates overseas for work. Levithan has skillfully written about love in all of its joy and sorrow in Songs for Other People's Weddings, a dramedy with flawed, human characters that affirm that we're all still trying to figure out life. Anyone who's experienced love (as well as heartbreak) will see themselves and their loved ones in this novel.

[Fay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Adrienne Blaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

"All the weddings in the world can't teach you about love. Only love can teach you about love."

An "accidental wedding singer" gets at the heart of love in this anti-romance. David Levithan blurs the line between real musician, Jens Lekman, and a character named "J" in his latest book. Levithan has incorporated music into his stories in the past, including Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, which became a movie. So this latest partnership with a musician seems like a natural fit. I'm curious what the collaboration looked like behind the scenes.

The audiobook for Songs for Other People's Weddings features songs from Jens Lekman's first solo album in 8 years, which shares its name with the book. Lekman performed at 10 weddings, singing original songs for the betrothed, just like J in this book. Video footage of these weddings appears in a music video for Lekman's album.

So, the songs are real, but it's up to the reader to guess at the rest of Levithan's writing, especially J's relationship to girlfriend, V. Most of the book follows their inability to define their relationship despite their love for each other. The red flags are there from the beginning, so as a reader, I never quite got to the point of rooting for them. Instead, I appreciated the nuanced descriptions of a slow-motion heartbreak.

Levithan's writing is terrifically tender and holds both humor and despair. Lekman's music has a twee softness that contrasts with casually blunt storytelling. It's hard to imagine reading this story without hearing the songs, so I highly recommend listening to the audiobook and/or the album, once it's released in September. One of my favorites in the audiobook was "For Skye."

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from RBmedia via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Leanna Streeter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Songs for Other People’s Weddings was my first novel by David Levithan, and it was such a unique, thoughtful read. The story follows J, a wedding singer who writes an original song for each couple’s special day. Told through a series of weddings, the book showcases a wide variety of relationships and love stories diverse in every sense and I really enjoyed seeing each one unfold.

At its heart, though, this story centers on J and his partner V, and the evolution of their relationship. This isn’t a romance in the traditional sense it’s more a reflection on love itself, the stages a relationship goes through, and what it means to stay, to grow, or to change.

There were moments that felt deeply philosophical and others that were more playful or lighthearted. I especially loved the insights on love it made me reflect and feel in equal measure.

I listened to the ALC while reading along, and I highly recommend that experience. The audiobook brings the songs to life with full performances, which adds so much emotional weight to the story. Reading the lyrics is one thing, but hearing them sung in the context of each wedding made it feel complete.

This was a beautifully crafted look at love in all its forms. Honest, lyrical, and at times bittersweet definitely a story that will stay with me thanks to RB media for the ALC and Abrams Press for the ARC.

[Jeffrey McCue · Rating 2 out of 5]

barnes and noble needs to start picking better monthly book club books, this was hot garbage. the audiobook has real musical performances which is neat (the songs sucked really bad, but I'll give an extra star for creativity) but I never cared for the main character, there was nothing at all that made me want to care for him. My birthday month has been tainted by a bad book club pick.

[Jamie Feuerman · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 stars

It breaks my heart to give a David Levithan book such a low rating, since I’ve loved his books for close to a decade. Maybe that’s why my expectations were so high, and unfortunately they were not met.

I hated J. I didn’t care about V and J’s relationship, and was very much rooting for them to break up and stay broken up. I found J to be whiny and insufferable, and I wished V would just end things and put him out of his misery. I hated being inside his head and having to hear his constant needy thoughts. I also found this book extremely repetitive, both with the constant fighting and circling back and rehashing of J and V’s relationship and the weddings themselves.

Overall I would not recommend this. There are some good moments and profound ideas hidden among all the things I didn’t like, but it is not worth sifting through to get to them.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

[RaeLeigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was so boring and the music sucked. Fully aware this is a personal opinion.

[Tiernan · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a sweet book, beautifully put together with the companion songs! perfect summer book all about love.

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, just misguided. I actually enjoyed listening to the music and the characters were never boring, but this entire book felt 100% written by a man specifically VI’s side of the relationship conflict. Her passivity and confusing signals is straight out of a 2000’s movie produced by men to go talk to other men about how weird ‘the opposite sex’ is. Like I get our main character was questioning his place in the world but I can only take this book seriously if the character was written intentionally as a reckless, clueless boyfriend. Because she literally just asked for space!

[Red Wolf Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

English:
I requested this ARC without knowing too much about it. The title caught my eye, and I was also intrigued by the audiobook format—it includes music, which adds a beautiful and emotional layer to the story, especially considering how important music is to the narrative itself.

The main character, J, is inspired by Jens Lekman, a singer-songwriter who became known for performing at weddings after writing a song that casually suggested people could hire him for that. J does the same—he meets couples and writes personalized songs for their weddings, songs that capture the love and emotion between them.

Ironically, while J sings about love, he struggles with it in his own life. He’s been in a relationship with V for two years, but when she moves to New York for work, things become distant—literally and emotionally. V doesn’t seem interested in maintaining the relationship, nor does she want J to move to New York. She avoids conversations about where they stand, and J spends most of the book trying to figure it out.

I honestly felt a bit sorry for him. V never really communicates her feelings, and while I understand wanting to chase your own dreams, stringing someone along isn’t fair. J deserves clarity, but never really gets it.

This book didn’t necessarily wow me, but I did enjoy the experience of listening to the audiobook. The songs are beautiful and heartfelt, and I appreciated the contrast between the love J captures in his music and the confusion in his personal life. It’s not a romcom, it’s not a memoir—it’s simply a human story. A reflection on love, longing, and the question we all ask ourselves at some point: why?

Español:
Solicité este ARC sin aventurarme a averiguar mucho más, me llamó la atención el título y además que el formato en que lo obtuve, el cual fue audiolibro, venía con música incluída, lo cual aporta muchisimo más a la historia porque la música tiene mucho que ver con la historia.

En cuanto a los personajes, al menos el protagonista, está inspirado en el Jens Lekman, un cantautor que compone canciones para boda, además de otras que no tienen nada que ver a bodas, pero gracias a una canción que compuso en la que basicamente decía que podían llamarlo para cantar en las bodas, la gente lo empezó a llamar para eso.

J, nuestro protagonista, hace exactamente lo mismo, el se junta con las personas que lo contratan como para poder componer una canción personalizada para cada pareja en especifica. En esas canciones el habla de amor, habla de esos sentimientos que el puede percibir de las personas que están por casarse y mostrar con su música como esas parejas se aman, en cambio el en su vida amorosa se encuentra en una relación que a mi opinión es un tanto tóxica.

J está en pareja con V hace dos años, vivían juntos hasta que V se va a trabajar a Nueva York, comienzan una relación a distancia un tanto rara, ¿por qué rara? Por el simple hecho de que por parte de V, no vemos que le siga interesando tener una relación o al menos la da por sentada, y otra cosa, ella no quiere que J vaya a Nueva York con ella.

Honestamente, creo que V no quiere tener compromisos y yo entiendo que ella quiera tener su vida, sus oportunidades, pero no aclararle bien las cosas a una persona desde un principio, no me parece que sea algo bueno. Durante todo el libro tenemos a J preguntandose si sigue con V o no, y cada vez que quiere hablarlo con V, ella nunca quiere aclarar las cosas, como que le sigue la corriente de que siguen juntos aunque ya no se sienta como que siguen juntos.

No es un libro que me haya impactado mucho, es una linda experiencia escucharlo en audiolibro porque las canciones son lindas, me gusta la forma en la que las canciones hablan de esos tipos de amor que J ve en las parejas para las que canta pero que no puede hacer lo mismo por su relación, incluso me hace sentir un poco de pena por J.

No es una biografía, tampoco es una romcom, es simplemente un libro donde se cuenta la vida de una persona, la cual tiene que cantar sobre amor cuando el no tiene la suerte de experimentarlo como le gustaría. Es simplemente una historia humana, con reflexiones propias de una persona que busca las respuesta a la pregunta que todos nos llegamos a hacer: ¿por qué?

[vani · Rating 3 out of 5]

the premise of this book was compelling & original & i liked seeing a relationship progress via this vignette of sorts of other ppls weddings. it had so much potential to be touching and thoughtful, and i think if the author spent more time developing the love and peak of j & v’s relationship before we started the descent i could have felt more for them both!! i do on a meta-level understand each of their needs and wants and how life and the metamorphosis of adulting has made them branch out and grow apart & not together, and those themes were so good!! but i just never saw how they were compatible to begin with :(

beautiful prose as always though i do like his writing style loads

[Catie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another one for Book Club. When Barnes and Noble picks a book and doesn't have any discussion questions, or even have a podcast or video talk with the author, that's not a good sign. I am switching it up!

[Maddy Barlow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did it bother anyone else that most of the lyrics don’t rhyme??


I think I ended up liking this more than I thought I would? Lots of the observations rang true. However the characters kinda sucked. Not a very optimistic bunch! The songs were pretty cool in terms of literary devices. Idk over just very ambivalent towards it.

[Tayler G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot explain why I loved this bittersweet, melancholy novel. I'd be hesitant to recommend it because I'm not sure it's for everyone. The characters felt real, more so than most books. The audio narration with someone singing the songs at the end of each chapter was a sweet addition. Thanks RBmedia and NetGalley for the ARC

[Alejandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I both loved and disliked this book. I didn’t care for the main characters as much but love the quirky side characters and immensely enjoyed the music interwoven in the audiobook.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm mad at David Levithan for writing this book. There have definitely been books of his that I simply haven't connected much with, but this is the first of his that I actively disliked, even hated.

First of all, this book is too damn long. I swore I was almost at the end and looked at my Kindle to see I wasn't even halfway done. It's exhausting. The central idea of following a wedding singer who writes a song for each couple he sings for is cute, but you soon realize it's a tiring, one-trick conceit by the third or fourth wedding. It's no longer interesting, but rather kind of annoying to have J, the protagonist, go through the same motions each chapter: meet the couple, get their story, agonize over what he's gonna write, go through some type of sturm and drang to get to the wedding, sing the lyrics, pine for his lover (V), and then repeat. And this goes on for hundreds of pages.

Which brings me to the book's biggest issue: these protagonists SUCK. SO. HARD. J is a whiny little selfish bitch, and V is a petulant asshole. They are horrible individually and even worse as a couple, so I spent the whole book getting angrier and angrier that Levithan seemed to want me to root for them to end up together, despite V seeming to not like anything about J (and storm out of every argument she started, ad nauseum) and J not being able to listen to her or stop himself from making every interaction about him and his feelings and desires. I hated them.

Maybe Levithan needs to stick to young adult and middle grade fiction, where his observations about love and human nature and connection can feel more profound and lead his characters on more meaningful paths to growth. Because when we're dealing with 30-somethings who don't know who they are, what they want, or where they're going, it's obnoxious, cloying, and aggravating.

[Mait Harkey · Rating 3 out of 5]

1 August 2025

3 stars

The premise of this book is charming. A singer-songwriter meets couples, interviews them, and then creates a unique song for their weddings that encapsulates their relationship. Each of the wedding couples felt well-written, interesting, and complicated in the way that only chapter-long relationships can. The settings for their weddings were vibrant, varied, and unusual.

The problem with this book lies in two things:
1. The plot
2. The central relationship

Firstly, the plot relied on NPCs (the wedding couples) to move it forward. Our main character, J, did not act on his own at all in this entire novel. He changed from location to location and learned things about himself and his relationship based solely on other people's relationships.

Which brings me to J's relationship. J and V are in a years-long romance that has fizzled into something that is merely practical. But when V's job takes her to NYC and away from J's home in Sweden, their relationship loses the convenience that was the last thing holding it together.

I think one of the strengths of this novel is also its greatest weakness. J and V are in such a realistic dying relationship that it made the sections of the book that were about them deeply boring. V teeters on the edge of breaking up with J, leading him on over and over again with hugs and hints and invitations to coffees, and the whole time I was just BEGGING her to break up with him. As for J, his lack of self-respect and willingness to be thrown about at the whims of V's feelings toward him made it impossible to root for him as a character. Their relationship is so goddamn real that it felt insufferable to read.

Overall though, despite the annoyance of having to push through pages and pages of a doomed relationship, this book had a lot that I did enjoy. The songs were cute, the weddings were all unique from each other and kept things interesting, and the side characters who came along (Meta and Sky in particular) kept me reading.

[Ethan Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this entirely because of the song contributions from Swedish singer/songwriter Jens Lekman, and while to me, those were easily the best part, I can’t say in the end I didn’t enjoy the novel. I can’t say I was surprised to learn that the majority of David Levithan’s writing is YA novels. I say this because there were some issues for me with dialogue, especially in the first half, that just felt very YA and this is assuredly not a YA book. I think this is being marketed almost like a Romace novel of sorts, but I would disagree with that heavily. We are dropped into J (very obviously a stand-in for Jens Lekman, even referencing one of his actual songs being the reason J sings at strangers weddings) and V’s relationship in a time where it’s hard to see how they ever made it to begin with. I thought seeing all the different weddings and situations they brought was fun, and I loved the idea of each chapter having a corresponding song (apparently half the chapters were written around the songs and then the other half the songs were written around the chapters). The overarching storyline didn’t hit for me really until the second half, and I would say to me, overall, the second half of the book is better. I’d say if you’re a Lekman fan then it’s a fun read, but otherwise I wouldn’t say you need to read it.

[HeloReads98 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of this book was immediately intriguing: J is a singer who performs at weddings, writing personalised songs for each couple. It’s an original and charming idea. The first chapter (the first wedding) was particularly striking and I really enjoyed it.

However, as the novel progressed, I found it became somewhat repetitive. The originality of the premise seemed to fade along the way. Although each wedding is different, offering J new opportunities to reflect on his own personal life, after a while it gave me a sense of length and sameness.

J’s personal life, especially his relationship with his girlfriend V, struck me as almost chaotic. I struggled to connect with him as a character, though I suspect this might have been intentional on the author’s part. While J’s professional life is centred, at least partly, around love, in his private life he seems to find the very concept more difficult to grasp.

This book is not, strictly speaking, a romance. Rather, it explores love in all its forms: in what is beautiful and fulfilling, but also in what is flawed or unsustainable. It examines the life cycle of a relationship (the couples J writes for, as well as his own with V) from its beginning to its end, and the many shapes it can take.

In the end, this was not really a book for me. That said, the audiobook version, with its songs woven into the story, added a unique and engaging dimension that I genuinely enjoyed.

Many thanks to NetGalley and RBmedia for allowing me to review an ALC of this book.

[J.E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I'm just not that into long introspective narratives, but I found this novel hard to connect with initially. The reference to the two main characters as J and V was distracting. I kept reading the J as an I (due to the font selected), which required frequent resetting of my reading brain! I also wanted (spoiler alert!) an HEA...not in the cards.

The premise is that a successful singer (J) composes original songs for couples and performs the songs at their weddings. However, his own romance is slowing disintegrating. When V takes a job in New York, J follows in an attempt to rescue their love. Songs are included in the text. I'll leave it to other readers to evaluate their song-worthiness. I found it difficult to imagine the tunes they would be set to.

Having said that, there is nothing wrong with the writing. In fact, it's excellent! But the character of V struck me as bitchy and unwilling to accept J's commitment. I suppose it's unfair to judge a book by its characters, but there it is. Maybe I should rate it 4 stars, but I'm too angry about the ending!

[Paige Slovisky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Rbmedia for the free copy of this book to review!

“The uncertainty doesn’t just come from wondering how well you know the person you love. It comes from wondering how well you know who they will become, who you will become, and what that will mean for each other. And then going for it anyway, based on the hunch that it’s going to work it out, that whatever changes you make will end up being compatible.”

This book felt like a love letter to music and an exploration in what it means when two people choose each other forever. I found it a little slow at times, but using weddings as a story telling device and the jumps in time kept me interested. By the end of the book I could not stand V and 0 percent of me was rooting for her. The author did a good job of capturing how heart wrenching the end of a relationship is. I’m glad I stuck it through and finished, but I wish the quirky humor and witty banter so present at the beginning of the book, would’ve lasted throughout!

[Kim Macdonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book never got off the ground --- it kept trying to wind up to some big event or reveal that never came. The love story was repetitious and exasperating to the point you no longer routed for these two. The ending felt like the authors just ran out of ink .. and what was the point of not naming the 2 main characters ?

[Dana Fontaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oof! Thank you to the publishers for sending me an ARC of this book. Although it was little, I had to set it down a couple of times. It was so so sad. I imagine if this was a movie I would be sobbing like I was while I was reading it. This book was a punch in the gut in a good way.

[josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75**

[Soon Perez · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 🌟

definitely one that is better as an audiobook with all the included songs!

"Music could make things better....
The singing made everything momentarily lighter."

-Libby 🎧

[Alexandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wonder if I would’ve liked it better if I didn’t do the audiobook version

[Cheryl Reppert · Rating 2 out of 5]

a different kind of read.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great on audio with the songs performed.

[Adrienne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can’t even describe how bad this was 😭

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5: the songs were fun at first but then they didn’t get better and generally V and Jay’s relationship annoyed me (I understood V’s reasoning but she acted so cold)