Kissing the Sky

by Lisa Patton

From the bestselling author of Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter comes a soulful, nostalgic novel about a young woman coming of age in the ‘60s to the blare of the music that shaped a generation.

It’s the summer of ’69. While her peers revel in free love and rock and roll, Suzannah is home from college, sequestered inside her conservative Southern home. Her domineering father has condemned rock music and driven away her best friend. She’s counting the days until fall.

But everything changes when her free-spirited best friend, Livy, resurfaces, urging Suzannah, a talented singer, to join her for three days of peace and music in upstate New York. Fed up with her father’s rules and fearful for her brother’s fate in Vietnam, Suzannah agrees to the road trip, sneaking off without her parents’ knowledge.

Miles outside her comfort zone, the electrifying bedlam of Woodstock jolts her into a journey of self-transformation. But it’s not all incense and peppermints. Suzannah’s falling hard for Leon, a boy she meets at the festival, and the seductive bud of first love conceals a thorn of heartache. Lies uncover betrayal, and Livy’s wild behavior leads to a startling revelation.

A nostalgic trip through the turbulent ’60s, this is the story of a lovable heroine who lets go of the girl she was to embrace the woman she’s becoming while she learns to lift her voice—for herself and perhaps for the world.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Historical, Coming Of Age, Audiobook, Music

379 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2026

About the author

Lisa Patton, author of Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter, Yankee Doodle Dixie, Southern as a Second Language, and Rush, and Kissing The Sky is a Memphis, Tennessee native who spent time as a Vermont innkeeper until three sub-zero winters sent her speeding back down South. She has over twenty-five years of experience working in theater, radio, TV, and music, including a decade with Doobie Brother Michael McDonald, who, along with his wife Amy, helped Lisa cowrite and produce “If Not for You,” an original song for Kissing the Sky. A graduate of the University of Alabama, Lisa is the proud mother of two sons, eight bonus children, and twelve grandchildren. She and her husband live in the rolling hills of Nashville with their four-legged furry son named Ziggy, and furry daughter named Daisy.

To find links to the original song “If Not for You,” please visit Lisa’s website at www.lisapatton.com or go to the streaming platform of your choice: Amy Holland/ If Not for You Connect with Lisa on Instagram, @lisapattonbooks, and on Facebook, Lisa Patton.author.

Reviews

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Memphis, Tennessee, August 1969. Suzannah is home from Union college for the summer, her father is religious and strict, he doesn’t allow her to sing, dance, listen to rock music, he forced her older brother Ron into signing up to fight in Vietnam and when he was exempt.

Suzannah hasn’t seen her best friend Livy in three years, out of the blue she appears and convinces SuSu to sneak out of the house and travel with her to upstate New York and attend a music festival or as it was advertised an Aquarian Exposition and where boyfriend will be waiting for them.

The traffic is jammed, she and Livy join masses of others walking to Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel and they meet two guys Leon and his cousin Johnny along the way and she has no idea the next three days will change her life. Suzannah is a church attending, rule following goody two shoes and Woodstock is shocking, eye opening revelation and here she finds both her courage and voice.

I received a copy of Kissing the Sky from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Lisa Patton’s story blew me away, took me back to what it was like to be a young person in America in the late 1960’s, to Woodstock where hundreds of thousands conversed to listen to music, get drenched and covered in mud, find peace, love and most all share their dislike for the draft and Vietnam war.

A true coming of age story, I found Susannah's character refreshing, I laughed out loud when she was shocked, her insecurities, I cheered when she decided to seize the moment, I felt her joy, pain and shed a few tears. I didn't see the big plot twist coming and five stars from me and I highly recommend.

[Erika Bazzle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kissing the Sky puts you right at the center of the beautiful, iconic disaster that was Woodstock… and even more complicated era of the Vietnam war-focused United States.
This book tackles youthful rebellion, love, complicated family dynamics, a reckoning of faith, forgiveness, and the importance of having the freedom and opportunities to make way for self-discovery!
With historically accurate research and details, specific to the timeline of the actual events of that crazy weekend in 1969, you’ll learn some things and you’ll feel even more.
If you liked Daisy Jones and the Six, get ready to love this one, too.

[Sabrina Ingram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazon First Reads Choice!

Dirty Dancing Parents Meets Woodstock
Vietnam War Brother
Narcissistic Best Friend
Grandmother Telling Daughter Life Story

I ate it UP. So Good!

[Annette Gregorio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it one day. I couldn’t put it down. Woodstock was described as epic and the main character and the division in her family because of her dad’s religious views and the Vietnam War. Vietnam war was is still is the division of this country. But, throughout the whole time I was reading I was reading I was so invested in Suzannah and Leon staying together after Woodstock that I never saw a right time to put it down for the night so I didn’t sleep until I finished. Also, about what was happening with her peace loving brother in Vietnam. Not spoiling it. Must go read! Love it!!!!!

[Deb Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very cool to read. It takes place at Woodstock. I’ve never read a book in this setting and it kept me captivated. It is a little slow in the middle and the end was a little cheesy, but I really enjoyed this book.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. 📖🎧

[Corina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

This was truly a wonderful description of the Woodstock experience. I want there but this gives an authentic sounding look at what it was like. Don't miss this one! Excellent.

[Crystal Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.3 stars! What a gem of a story this was. I may have not been born when the first Woodstock happened, however, I am well aware of the event. Just like the MWC in the book, a best friend and I packed up and drove over 12 hrs to New York at the age of 20 to Woodstock 1999. This book brought flashbacks to my own experiences of living outdoors amongst thousands of people for three days just listening to music and enjoying life. When it came to this story, I heard of most of the bands and knew a few of the songs during that time period. But what was most joyful while reading this book was when I looked up bands I never heard of and I listened to their music. This story had a fun little love story, friendships, family dynamics and the hardships of the Vietnam war. I would definitely recommend this book.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book brought back a lot memories of Woodstock, Vietnam War, drugs, names of bands and the music during the late 60’s.

[Leah Hoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun read! I know very little about Woodstock, but this book put me there. Embarrassingly, I admit to not knowing a lot about the Vietnam War, so I appreciate the author’s ability to weave it into the story. This is by far my favorite Amazon First Reads choice!

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A completely absorbing dual timeline novel of the '60s, Woodstock, and a young woman who escapes a smothering Southern life and is transformed by the iconic concert and the wider world. Loved it!

[Tiffany Romeo-Peragine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have to clue how this book has a 4 star rating. It was so bad and repetitive. I gave up halfway through because it was so boring. I had no attachment to the characters and couldn’t care less how it ended.

[Tony Hodson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not my usual read at all. However I’ve always enjoyed the music of the late 1960s, synonymous with Woodstock and thought I’d try it. Surprisingly enjoyed it more than I thought. Terrific references to the groups starring at Woodstock. A great plot twist along the way. A more enjoyable read than I expected. Five stars for the entertainment value!

[Maura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was about 8 years too young for Woodstock, but it was certainly a part of the psyche of my younger years. This book does a fantastic job of taking you there through the eyes and mind and heart of a 20 yr-old sheltered girl from Tennessee. The author made an exceptional effort to research and represent the truth of the event. Kudos for her integrity. We also get a bit of the family realities of the war in Vietnam, and the cultural revolution to question authority, but to a large extent this is a love-story. And the story is expanded by jumping a generation where the once 20 yr-old is bringing her granddaughter to the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock. Well written, easy reading, twists and turns in important relationships, and lots of music and musicians' references from that era... worth the read!

[Kristina Clement · Rating 2 out of 5]

The description of the book was compelling, but the delivery was disappointing. The characters were flat and such extreme caricatures that I found I didn't really care what happened to them. This is the first book in a long time that I seriously considered not finishing. My only takeaway from it is that it must have been physically miserable to be at Woodstock.

Amazon First Reads

[Dawn Bartlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT an awesome book!

[Linda Langford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. The author obviously did her research. I was only 9 years old when this happened in Woodstock. I liked Susannah and Leon, and was glad they had a happy ending.

[Traci Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Nicely written. I really enjoyed this. I was too young to attend woodstock too. I did attend the anniversary concert and visit Be the l often for concerts.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars Rounded up.
A Big thank you to Prime First reads for giving me an ARC of this book.
This book is about Suzannah who comes from a strict conservative family who is attending Woodstock with her best friend Livvy (without her family knowing). Her brother Ron is serving overseas in Vietnam and she loves music but her father went to lengths including taking the radio out of her car so she can't listen to "The Devils Music" Suzannah and Livvy are at Woodstock because Livvy wants Suzannah (Suzi) to meet her boyfriend. The story is a dual timeline. You have the timeline leading up to Woodstock, the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock where Suzannah is there with her Granddaughter and Woodstock itself.
I gave the book 4.5 stars due to misunderstanding and Livvy getting on my nerves for part of the book. That being said the story of Livvy's coming of age and the story of Woodstock were so powerful and the things that left me frustrated ending up explaining themselves later in the book. I love all the research (see the letter at the end of the book) that the author put in to put this story into motion. Some people say the ending of the book is cheesy but I completely disagree. I found myself moved to tears and sitting a lot time after the book was read, letting it all sink in. That is a what a really good book does to me. I highly recommend reading this book and I look forward to reading other books for this author in the future. What started out as a "COVID passion Project" for this author turned out to be one Gem of a Historical Fiction book.

[milly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25! read this very quickly and kinda really enjoyed. despite there still being elements of war, it was cool to read a historical fiction about an event that isn’t just tragedy. you can tell the author really did research and spend a lot of time learning about woodstock from people who were really there and i think that paid off so much in the atmosphere (however as someone who was obviously not there - not sure why i would know this is accurate or not). the author did kinda get me with that twist, though at first i thought it was a little ridiculous, i thought it was a cool avenue to explore and something (as mentioned in the authors note) that isn’t often brought up in books including veterans! overall i enjoyed this a lot more than i expected and think that for a small niche of people this could be an all timer fav book!!!

[MikeLikesBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. I was born in the early sixties but too young to remember Woodstock that occurred when I was seven. Of course I heard of it and I love the music of the sixties. As a young adult I worked with older men who were Vietnam Vets. They had so many demons.

I enjoyed the audiobook. Some of the slang like “groovy” was fun. Loved the ending. If you love historical fiction and want to read something other than a World War II novel, pick this one up. I gave it 3.5 because of the topic. The story was ok and there were tidbits of wisdom that I really appreciated.

I want to thank NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for a free copy of the audiobook. My review is voluntary.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a 30 year old of course I have heard about Woodstock. I knew it was a huge concert that went down in history but I had no idea how crazy it really was. Although the author didn’t experience Woodstock herself she put so much time and effort into interviewing people in order to make this story as factual as possible. I felt like I was experiencing Woodstock through a conservative southern Baptist 20 year old girl from Memphis TN. The story felt so real and I’m so glad I got to learn a little more about this small piece of American history.

[Chastity · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book! It was a cozy, coming of age historical fiction with some romance sprinkled in. As someone who was absolutely born in the wrong generation, I always wished I had been around to attend Woodstock. This book brings you along on the journey and kind of makes it feel as though you were there! The author put a lot of research into this, as she says in the author's note, but it was obvious while reading. Having read about and seen so many documentaries on Woodstock, I could see the accuracy in what I was reading. If you want a cozy mostly light hearted read, I definitely recommend it. There are a few darker themes sprinkled in with this obviously taking place during Vietnam, and there are some strict religious topics, but its not too in your face.

[Martee Grainger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book surpassed ALL my expectations. From the level of detail in capturing Woodstock to the personable and raw main character, I literally felt as though I was there. Never read a book like this before. Such a moving and real story of a woman finding her way in a chaotic world. I highly recommend.

[Megan Warwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me feeling nostalgic for something I've never experienced!

This story is about Suzannah, a grandmother reminiscing about her time attending Woodstock in the summer of '69. I loved every minute of this book! The story-telling was beautifully done, and had me fully immersed.

✨ Coming of Age
✨ Self Discovery
✨ First Love
✨ Peace ✌️ and Love 🫶
✨ Wartime Struggles

This was my second time reading an "Amazon First Reads". Both books were 5 stars for me. READ THIS! It sure gave me all the feels! 🥰

[Deb Darling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the story of my growing up era. While I was definitely too young for Woodstock, I was very aware of what was happening, the music, Vietnam, etc. While my family wasn't Southern Baptist, my father thought long hair on boys was just as slippery slope (the domino theory) as allowing North Vietnam to control South Vietnam. I really enjoyed the naive girl see life on the other side. I think anyone born in the 50's would love this book.

[Sammy Keating · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the best books I have ever read. genuinely and wholeheartedly obsessed with this story. I wish I could give it 10 stars<3

[Steph Vuce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so adorable! A grandmother is reliving her time at Woodstock while sharing her memories with her granddaughter at the Woodstock reunion. They talk about music, drugs, falling in love, and finding yourself. I would read this over again!

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t turn the Kindle pages fast enough! From start to finish, this book kept my attention. Definitely a book to add to your TBR.

[Kim Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5