Riffs of Regret

by Micah K. Chaplin

A weekend of discovering new music sounds like the perfect break from reality. Cori Stevens is bored with her job and jaded when it comes to the dating world. Luke Walker works hard but lost his creative drive years ago. Mutual friends invite them to one of the nation’s largest music festivals, and the four of them take off, eager to get away from their everyday lives. As the weekend unfolds, it proves to be a turning point in the lives of all four twentysomethings. Even as they return from their musical excursion, the missed chances, broken hearts and regrets are only just beginning.

432 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 2012

About the author

Iowa native and current resident. Earned a bachelor of arts degree in mass communication from Buena Vista University in 2002. Published her first novel in 2003.

Reviews

[Heather Burdette Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main characters in Riffs of Regret, Cori and Luke, are set up- more like pushed together- by their two best friends at the Austin City Limits music festival. They connect over shared musical interests and feel a mutual attraction, but there's a Pride and Prejudice moment where Cori insults Luke, not realizing he's right behind her and can hear every word, and both of them assume any chance of a relationship is gone. The characters are very well developed, and I really sympathized with them as they dealt with some very serious real-world problems. This book goes beyond normal chick-lit topics and really looks at how difficult it is to navigate today's world of dating and relationships.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally had time to sit down and read Riffs of Regret, and I really loved it. In fact, I was up until almost 3 AM last night finishing it! The four main characters, Cori, Whitney, Sam, and Luke begin their adventure by attending a music festival together in Texas. Whitney and Sam had been dating and decided to try to set up their two best friends. The book has ups and downs, twists and turns, and you really find yourself falling in love with these characters and rooting for the best for them. I loved the evolution of the characters from the beginning to end of the story. It was so interesting to watch them change and grow, even though the story only takes place over the span of a year. To be technical, there were a few typos in the story, an omitted word here and there, but I totally knew what Micah was trying to convey. I really enjoyed this, and as you may be able to tell from the fact that I was up very late reading it, I couldn't wait to find out what happened to the characters in the end. I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of this book! :)

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

(reviewer's note: GoodReads locked me out of my first account, so this review is the same one I had on my old account. I'm trying to get that account deleted so there are not multiple reviews from me. Thanks!)

I don't see how anyone can read this book and NOT fall in love with the characters. The author's writing seems to sweep you up into the characters' world. You start to think of them as people you know. You feel their pain, joy, and sadness. It was a refreshing romance novel. I look forward to future novels from the author!

[Laura Saari · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters are so well developed I feel like I could run into them on a trip to Iowa. I love how real they are and how they navigate real life problems while trying to survive the dating world.

[Jayme]

WOW this book sounds really good cant wait to read it