My Rating: 5 stars
This was such a charming, delightful read! I honestly can't remember the last time I had so much fun reading a book (years at least!). From the story to the characters to the plot to the descriptive writing (and everything in between), there were so many things I adored about this book that I honestly don't know if I can do it justice even with a lengthy review. Where do I even start? Ok, perhaps with one of the elements that made this story so good: the quirky, yet realistically drawn characters who, despite their flaws, turned out to be so endearing. I love the fact that the two central characters in this story, Bridget and Will, have such a unique, special, long-standing relationship — one that transcends both friendship and romance and instead is akin to family, with a shared bond closer even than siblings. To say that the family dynamics in this story are complicated is an understatement — I would say that "dysfunctional" is a better term to describe this family, albeit in a completely lovable and irresistibly charming way. I adored nearly every character in here (both human and pet alike, lol, though of course, special shout-out to Ronaldo, the funniest parrot on the planet in my opinion). Some would say that there were too many characters in the story and it was hard to keep track, but I was actually fine with it, as I appreciated the different perspectives that each character brought to the story. In fact, I'm glad the author, Amy Poeppel, structured the story the way she did — basically allowing us to see the various events from each character's viewpoint while at the same time giving us insight into the characters' backgrounds.
The other thing I loved about this story was the humor. Most people may prefer "deliberately funny," but I'm actually more of a fan of subtle humor — the kind that comes across so naturally that you don't even realize how hilarious it is until you find yourself suddenly laughing out loud (and getting sideways glances from people around you). This kind of humor is extremely hard to pull off well, especially in written format where words always convey the intended emotion properly — yet Poeppel absolutely mastered it here! I don't know how she did it, but she was able to make the story consistently funny in a thoughtful, respectful way, even while exploring some pretty heavy topics. Again, not an easy feat by any means. I talk about emotional resonance a lot in my reviews because this is a key component for me when it comes to reading. How does the book make me feel? What was the reading experience like? These (among others) are the types of questions I ask myself after each book and the answers help me figure out what rating best aligns with my feelings. One of the things that many of my 5 star reads have in common is that they move me to tears in some way (which isn't easy given that I can be quite the cynic when it comes to emotions). With this book, while it didn't move me to tears exactly (though a few scenes were mighty darn close to doing so), it did move me to (constant) laughter, which is even harder in my opinion given the type of humor I prefer.
I also like the fact that there was depth to the story and, like many of the best books out there, a meaningful message that was both thought-provoking and poignant. My favorite scene is the toast that Edward Stratton (Bridget's father) gives at the wedding, which, aside from being one of the most best scenes I've ever read in a book, also perfectly captured the brilliance that Amy Poeppel was able to achieve with this story: hilarious and heartfelt! The brilliance wasn't just in the story though....the many nuances with the book's title – in reference to a website, the menagerie of characters and their various positions as they go through life, the throwback to the actual music component in the story, etc. – and the way it tied into the story in such a significant way, also added a fun dynamic to reading this book.
Obviously, I enjoyed this one tremendously and so of course would wholeheartedly recommend it! If you want a smart, well-written, hilarious story with lots of heart that also features a wonderfully eclectic group of quirky but lovable characters, Musical Chairs is all that and then some. Those who know me know that I'm a picky reader and usually very stingy with my 5 stars (case in point – out of the 38 books I've read so far this year, not including this one, I've only rated 2 of them 5 stars), but this book absolutely deserves it! And yes, I have every intention of going back and reading Amy Poeppel's backlist, as I've been told her previous novels are great as well.
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