This is the story of how I fell in love with a broken man and his three little princesses. It is tragic, but it is true. And with truth, there is almost always tragedy.Tessa Lang has dreams of becoming the world’s next great author of horror novels. So, when she’s given the opportunity to write full-time, she sets out to do just that. There’s just one little problem.She’s not scary. At all.It … problem.
She’s not scary. At all.
It seems that her plans are ruined, until she meets heartbroken pianist, Jon O’Dell and his three little girls. Suddenly, she finds herself full of inspiration, and with the advice from her grandmother and best-selling novelist, M.L. Lang, Tessa decides to write what her heart wants – romance.
But as her novel moves steadily along, relationships start to develop, and Jon’s heart begins to mend, Tessa finds herself facing another unexpected dilemma.
What happens when you fall in love with your muse?
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Kelsey Kingsley is a one-click author for me. Invariably, she delivers on heart and humor. Her characters have many layers and she peels them back in such a way that they become irresistible. She does not disappoint in her latest book. Jon is broken. His world has been shattered and he’s deep in doubt of his own ability to move past the pain and create music again. Tessa comes into his life quietly – helping with his girls (I dare you not to fall in love with these pixies!) helping him heal bringing laughter back into their house. She is a writer who finds inspiration from him as he does in her. Ms. Kinglsey does not write a formulaic story. There are surprises, sadness, belly laughs and kindness all around. Her books are character driver – looking deep into hearts and minds and coming up with pain and happiness. This book is part of the Daisies and Devin series, and can be read as a standalone. But do yourself a favor – read Devin’s book, then Sebastian’s. It will mean more when you come to this one. Enjoy the ride!
I have been a fan of Kelsey Kingsley since her first book, “Holly Freakin’ Hughes”, and I can honestly say that each book she writes is better than the last…and I’m not sure how that’s possible.
Tell Me Goodnight is the story of Jon and Tessa. Tessa is a young woman searching for her inspiration so that she can achieve her dream of being a published author like her famous, and now elderly, grandmother, for whom she is her live-in caregiver. Jon is a widower with three young daughters, a struggling musician who has lost his muse and spark for life. The two meet by chance and what begins as a baby-sitting job turns into more.
One of things I love about Kelsey’s writing is her character development. The reader becomes invested in these characters like they are close friends. In addition to our main characters, you will fall in love with the adorable and spunky O’Dell girls, Grandma Lang, Jeff, and our old friends (if you’ve read “Daises and Devin” or “The Life We Wanted”) Devin, Kylie, Sebastian and Tabby, as well as the rest of the band. The bonus epilogue also gives a great lead in to Kelsey’s next book about our lovable Chaddington Bear, which I will be anxiously awaiting, as I expect we will get to see a bit more of Jon and Tess as well.
This book is a stand alone, but if you haven’t read D&D and TLWW, you’ll want to after reading this book. It will leave you inspired, and, if you’re like me, you’ll be once again awed by Kelsey’s ability to make you laugh, cry and love while reading her work.
Such a touching, beautiful story. Jon and Tess’s journey was breathtaking. You cant help but fall in love with Jon’s little girls. You will laugh, you will ugly cry and maybe even cheer. It grabbed me from the first page and I couldn’t put it down until I was done.
After a couple of days of processing, trying to figure out who my favorite character was, and what I liked best about this book, I am no closer to having the answers than I was while reading. Grandma Lang was my favorite. A once best selling author who traveled the world is now in declining health. She wants the best for her granddaughter, Tess, a struggling author “to be” if she could ever just finish her first book. Tess was also my favorite for a million tiny reasons that spoke so highly of her character. The fact that she loved the 90’s cemented my love for her. John, a widower, and struggling musician is the father of 3 little girls. He experiences so much growth throughout this story and he quickly became another favorite. The little girls, OH MY GOODNESS! They were spectacular, so cute, so much personality! I love them!!! Finally, I resigned to the fact that they were all my favorite. The storyline drew me in and kept me wanting more right up until the very satisfying end. Kelsey’ s writing shows so much growth as an author with each and every book she writes, and I love her dearly. I feel like she and Tess may share several characteristics. I definitely recommend giving Tell Me Goodnight a read if for no other reason than to find out where the saying “tell me goodnight” originated. As far as what I liked best about the book, all of it. I love all of the book.
If I could give it more than 5* then I would! This has heartbreak and love throughout, with characters that unknowingly bring the best out of each other, but won’t admit their feelings to the other!
Tess is looking after her grandmother who was, a best selling novelist, and a hero in her granddaughters eyes! She aspires to be just like her author grandmother, but it’s a struggle!
Jon is a heartbroken piano playing widower and father of three gorgeous girls all under the age of 6! He plays in his brothers bar to earn just enough money to pay the bills!
Tess and Jon meet whilst she is asking his brother for a job, but what she ends up doing is completely different to pulling pints!
What follows is a girl who falls head over heels in love with 3 little girls and their father! And a man, who sadly, struggles with his feelings for the past, present and future! Can they both find a way forward through all the heartache to find ever lasting love!
Beautifully written this is an emotional, heartwarming sweet romance. Tessa wants nothing more than to become a writer when the opportunity arises she jumps in full force except she can’t write…. she needs a muse. Enter Jon the widower with three young girls to raise, hiding in his grief and playing music at his brother’s bar at night. When Tessa begins to babysit Jon’s girls she finds her muse to write and as time pass she also finds herself falling for Jon. But Jon still grieves even as he develops feelings for Tessa. This is a story of struggle, grief, second chances and taking chances. A stand alone read but we do get to revisit some character from Kelsey Kingsley’s other books. A great read, loved it.
Wow! Just wow. So many, many emotions right now !
This is the story of Jon and Tessa Jon is a young widower with three small girls Lilly , Shelly, and Annabelle.
Tessa is his babysitter, friend and maybe the beginning of something new!
This was such a great read with amazing characters, I promise I will never forget these little ladies !
Kelsey Kingsley Thank you for the gift of this beautiful journey of second chances, heartbreak, of moving on and moving forward, and promises of the future!
There are stories that touch you. Then there are stories that consume you, hold a close truth that it brings you to tears and you have to stop, compose yourself and breathe. This is one of those stories. Ripped my heart out, shredded and put it back. A gut wrenching story of something lost, love and hope. Jon and Tessa are amazing characters that find themselves healing and inspiring one another. Best story of hers in my opinion and one of the best reads for me of 2019. Hands down this book needs to be read by everyone. Get on it people!!!
I have loved Kelsey Kingsley’s writing since her first release, and each book has been better than the last. This one truly touched me in a profound way. The writing is exquisite, the story poignant, the characters colourful and beautifully flawed. I laughed so many times, shed a copious number of tears, and was absolutely devastated and thrilled simultaneously when the story came to an end. A fabulous book that should be on your list of books to cancel plans for.
Did you ever open a book and know immediately you were going to love it? That this book was going to pull you all the way in wether or not you wanted it to or not? Did you also know that your emotions were in for a roller coaster of a ride? Yet, you kept going? Prepared to be breathless by the end of said ride (book)? Yup, that’s this book. I’m only at 13% and I had to stop to write this part of my review. I am already invested into the attention of the finer details of Tessa and what she is picking up and it’s just the beginning. I will continue this review either when I’m finished or continue to interrupt my reading flow. I have to follow my instincts. Don’t want to lose my thoughts. Think of this as my screenplay of emotion and feelings on this book.
I love Tessa insights, “Every job begins with strangers”. When you read this line it’s very perceptive and so pertinent to what’s going on within the story. You have to love a book that uses the word, “cahoots”. I don’t want to give any spoilers or take away from your enjoyment of the story. You should really read this yourself. It’s so worth the read.
What I found after staying up all night and reading straight through, (why you ask, because I couldn’t put it down),the author took very realistic situations and made them relatable, the conversations are real and true, the attention to detail explicit. There is a scene in the book where Jon explains about the elderly. I felt like he was talking directly to me because the entire situation and scene applied to my mother. The author nailed it completely. It tore me up. She talks about people getting old and how they act towards the ones they love. Their fears, their lack of social graces, which I admit made me laugh, because it’s so true.
When she talks about Jon and how he interacts with his little girls it moved me so deeply. He was a dad willing to do everything for his girls to make them happy, even though he was just trying to navigate through life one day at a time. I must admit there was a moment I was annoyed by him because I thought he was being hypocritical. However, isn’t that the way life can be? We don’t see clearly and make assumptions? Believe me Tessa was no saint. She was as confused with her life as Jon was. Yet, being the strong woman she was she moved forward and did what needed to be done. If you ever experienced loss and heartbreak, moving forward it’s so hard. No one can give you a timeline. It’s an individual experience. Every person, even within a family, moves or doesn’t at their own pace.
Another part of this story that I loved is we get to see favorite characters from past books. Believe me, this is a standalone but once you read this book you will want to go read the author’s other books. She cuts through all the bull and goes straight to your heart and does it in such a beautiful way with her words. When someone writes like this I feel they know the subject matter in a way that’s much more personal than research. That’s just my opinion.
Can you tell I adore this book. Another point I want to make is that the cover is stunning and goes to the heart of the story. There is so much to this book that I want to talk about because the truth is in the details but it’s not fair to you or the author. You deserve to read this story. I know this isn’t a regular or formulated review but I felt I really couldn’t do this any other way. To the author I say, thank you for inviting me into this beautiful family. I was captivated. In my opinion this is a masterpiece and one of my favorite reads of 2019.
Can two broken people heal each other or are they destined to hurt more?
Tessa longs to write a novel but has serious writer’s block. Feeling stifled living with her failing grandmother, she looks for a part time job. She finds one babysitting three little girls for Jon, a depressed widow. Jon has been pursuing a piano career for years but hasn’t had any success. He misses his wife fiercely and resists any changes to his life, focusing on his daughters. Tess is exactly what all four of them need but as they grow closer, new heartbreak threatens.
I loved watching Jon and Tess grow as friends and then as more as both fight past demons. Definitely keep the tissues handy for this story but ultimately hope and love will leave you smiling as the family finds their happily ever after.
The only thing I love as m uch as a good romantic comedy is a good romantic tragedy! But I gotta have my happy ending. This book supplies it all!
Jon is a broken man – still unable to move past the death of his wife two years ago and unable to feel the passion for the piano that he once had.
Tess is an aspiring author; wanting to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps. But she’s unable to even begin a book.
After a chance meeting, they become each other’s muse and more.
To say I loved this story is an understatement. I not only enjoyed it, but it moved me. And I loved the story behind the title! The author is a terrific writer and I look forward to many more books from her!
Wow! Kelsey Kingsley is an author that surprises me with every book of hers I read. This book was so touching. My heart hurt for Jon and those little girls. I could see them so clearly. Tess needing a break from her day to day needed that man and his ladies. From the song lyrics that made me want to cry, and the words of the book I was so pulled in to those lives. It truly made me feel all those emotions. We also had Sebastian and Devin too! Who doesn’t want more of the characters we already had met?
A widowed father and his 3 young daughters find a way to make it through life…with the help of a newly hired babysitter who comes into their lives at the right time. You can read more about the summary of the book on Amazon or Goodreads, usually I would give more detail, however, I am here to tell you what this book is truly, sincerely about.
Every line in this book is damn near quotable. Every. Line. The magic felt in this book was unreal and tears sprang to my eyes numerous times throughout this novel. This book deals heavily with loss and grief, but we also see a hurting man go through the healing process. Sometimes we find friends in unlikely places and situations and this certainly rings true for Jon. Sometimes we need that friend to kick our butt into gear and get us out of a funk and that is exactly what happens. I have never cheered more for a couple than I have while reading this book…
“Tell me you love me and tell me goodnight.”
This sweet quote above is spoken by Jon (the widowed father) to his girls every night before they go to bed. We eventually find out where it came from and the reason why it is said, is so sweet. Maybe even as sweet as the love that slowly blooms in this read (Kelsey SLAYS the slow burn in this one).
“Sometimes the most magic can be found in simplicity.”
When we think all hope is lost and a dream is about to given up, magic happens. Sometimes we can’t see the forest through the trees and that’s what happened to Jon. Characters from past novels of Kelsey are seen in this book, but don’t worry. If you haven’t read Daisies & Devin or The Life We Wanted you won’t miss anything. If you have, you will be SO PLEASED with the cameo appearances!
I have never written a review that lacks in a summary, but this book was just so moving. I hope I have done this book justice and I have let you know just how freaking amazing it is. It was a very emotional and healing read. Words cannot express the flow of words that traveled on paper like a beating heart looking for its soulmate. If you are a fan of romances this is a must read. If you are struggling with grief and heartache, pick up this book. Let the words speak to you, because they will. Yes, there is a happy ending and I understand there is one because it’s a work of fiction, but that doesn’t mean that the words within this book cannot help heal you as well.
5 stars. This book blew away all my expectations. If you have read it, let’s chat. If you haven’t, get it STAT.
She does it again!
Kelsey Kingsley has become an author I can’t get enough of since I read The Life We Wanted (I’ll never forget that story or Sebastian!) and then on to Daisies and Devin (out of order, I know!). Tell Me Goodnight is the 3rd book in this connected series and once again, she has floored me with her talent for writing from her heart straight into mine, wringing a full gamut of emotions out of me every single time. The story behind the title was so sweet, touching and it weaves its way throughout the book.
So, on to the story. Jon is a man who has lost his ‘Joie de vivre’, his reason to be. It’s been 2 years since his wife unexpectedly passed away and besides his 3 adorable young daughters, there isn’t much else that keeps him going. He used to love playing the piano, he’s so talented, but now?- phoning it in, writing new music?- NO! too painful, dating?- never, but sadness and guilt?- that he has in spades. His family sacrificed so much so he could pursue his dream of a career in music and he’s gotten nowhere, still playing Billy Joel covers night after night in his brothers bar. Boring and soul stealing, that’s what it is!
Tessa moved in with her elderly Grandma to take care of her while writing her 1st book..ugh..what book? She has lost her inspiration, needs to escape the funk she’s in and get away from Grandma’s Family Feud reruns for a few hours a day.
A chance meeting with a sweet little ‘princess’ in a bar, of all places, is where Ms. Fate will push Tessa right into the path of Jon, the sad and lonely widower who has also lost his muse. Maybe Fate had this planned all along! Fate you crazy thing you, I love how you think!
I ADORED THIS BOOK! I really don’t want to say too much because you should experience it firsthand. The characters of Jon and Tess- totally loved them both, perfectly written. Those little darling girls- adorable and precocious, Grandma- snitty and sassy. Even the cat had personality. Fans of the previous 2 books might see a few familiar faces here and there, loved that too!
So, get yourself a box of tissues and a comfy chair so you don’t have to move at all while you read this exceptional story. Tears and laughter, sad- but funny too. Touching, tender, uplifting and filled with hope and faith in love, but there is so much more to discover in this beautifully written story.
I’ll admit to still being awake at 4 am, when my husband said ‘are you really still reading?’ Of course I was, how could I sleep when I needed to find out the ending for Jon and Tess??? This is what Kelsey does to me, heart- stolen, mind- blown, sleep..who cares??? I can’t wait for the next book so I can lose sleep once again.
An early copy was offered and happily received. This is my honest review of it.
4.5 “all-the-feels” Stars!!!
I dare say that this is my favorite book yet from Kelsey Kingsley…
This one captivated me from the very beginning. Jon and his little princesses had my heart, adding Tessa to the mix only made it better. I loved that Jon and Tessa found their muse in each other and had the opportunity to achieve their individual dreams. This was FULL of emotions, heartache, humor, extreme cuteness, the most supportive family, not to mention Devin and Sebastian and the rest of crew.
I loved the snippets of Tess’ book in the beginning of her chapters throughout the book!
Absolute perfection!!!! I’m a fan of this author, and have read all of her books. This one I think has become my new favorite. She has put her whole heart into this book and it shows. You will feel all the emotions with this one. I found myself reading slowly so I could savor every word. It’s a beautiful story about loss and finding love again. Jon is a widower with three girls, and he’s just going through the motions of life. Enter Tess. She’s a breath of fresh air for this little family. Needing to escape her own life a little, she takes the position of babysitter. Is it possible for Jon to move on without letting go? Can a person love again after such a loss? I can’t recommend this book enough.
Such a moving story! I won’t be able to give this book justice with this review. I have always loved the books Kelsey Kingsley has written, but this is by far my favorite. This book brings all the feels!!!! I laughed, cried, even swooned while reading it. This book is a true work of art, and really touched my soul. My heart ached reading all the things Jon and his 3 little girls had gone through. Tess is a perfect addition to them, helping Jon to not let go, but move on.
Kelsey does a spectacular job of drawing you into the book, making you feel like you are living within the pages. I absolutely loved it! Can’t wait for the next one and to be able to see glimpses of Jon and Tessa and their precious family!
With Tell Me Goodnight Kelsey has once again shown the stories she creates are full of happiness and pain. These characters not only deal with grief but they also find amazing happiness in this second chance, slow-burn romance. So many of my emotions were expressed while reading this beautiful story because Kelsey Kingsley is a wonderful storyteller who digs down and shares some deep, intense stories.
I never wanted their story to end, but we might see them in the next book. Jon and Tess fit so well together, they never expected anything but quickly found they healed each other. His girls are the cutest thing, and Kingsley was spot on with how little girls behave and talk. Huge peeve of mine when authors fail to match a child with the appropriate age, making them speak like a teen when they are supposed to be seven. I had so many feelings for them, I really felt I could reach out and hug them. One of my favorite reads this year. I received an early copy, review always given voluntarily.