Songs for Other People's Weddings: A Novel

by David Levithan, Jens Lekman

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Relationships can be messy, and what better way to capture the ebb and flow of romance than through song. David Levithan and Jens Lekman’s lyrical concoction is a heartfelt, relatable, and at times wistful exploration of human connection.

“Witty, romantic, and deeply satisfying.” —Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author of This Time Tomorrow 

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

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.

“Surprising, funny, compassionate—Songs for Other People's Weddings Is not just lyrical, it sings.” —Steven Rowley, New York Times bestselling author of The Celebrants and The Guncle

“A hilarious, heartfelt, and tremendously wise exploration of love in all its beguiling and bittersweet absurdity.” —Grant Ginder, author of The People We Hate at the Wedding 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419778124
Publisher:	Abrams Press
Publication date:	08/05/2025
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

David Levithan is the author of numerous acclaimed novels, including The Lover’s Dictionary, Every Day, Boy Meets Boy, and Two Boys Kissing. His other collaborations include Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist with Rachel Cohn and Will Grayson, Will Grayson with John Green. He can often be found with headphones on, a devoted music listener . . . but it’s safe to say that nobody will ever ask him to sing at a wedding.
      
Jens Lekman is a singer and songwriter from Sweden with several beloved albums such as Life Will See You Now, Night Falls Over Kortedala, and Oh You’re So Silent Jens. He was once voted the fifteenth-sexiest man in Sweden by ELLE. Then he dropped down to number thirty-three, and since then he hasn’t been included in their list. He works part-time as a wedding singer.

Hometown:

Hoboken, New Jersey

Date of Birth:

1972

Place of Birth:

New Jersey

Education:

B.A., Brown University, 1994

Editorial Reviews

"The concept is immensely clever . . . Much like a good love song, this story demands to be felt."— KIRKUS, starred review

"An accomplished novel . . . Levithan’s heartfelt prose and Lekman’s songs for each of the novel’s 10 weddings offer genuine and often funny depictions of love’s messiness. It adds up to an impressive meditation on love and letting go."— PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"Songs for Other People’s Weddings is something special . . . A sweet, clever and romantic read."

— AMAZON, Editors' Pick

"A charming, unique, and unconventional exploration of relationships."— LIBRARY JOURNAL, starred review

“This beautifully bittersweet novel . . . is a refreshingly honest take on the many shapes and sizes romance can take as well as both the hope and heartbreak that falling in love can bring.”— BOOKLIST

“Consider me David Levithan and Jens Lekman’s new number one groupie. Songs for Other People's Weddings is a hilarious, heartfelt, and tremendously wise exploration of love in all its beguiling and bittersweet absurdity. And like the best kind of pop songs, you’ll still be thinking about it long after it’s done.”— GRANT GINDER, author of The People We Hate at the Wedding

“The very best prose has a certain lyricism, so perhaps the pairing of a novelist and a songwriter seems obvious. The love story they create, however, is anything but. It's surprising, funny, compassionate—it's not just lyrical, it sings.”— STEVEN ROWLEY, New York Times bestselling author of The Celebrants and The Guncle

“What’s better than a witty and romantic novel about a beloved Swedish musician? How about a novel written with a beloved Swedish musician? This book is deeply satisfying to those of us who have loved both David Levithan and Jens Lekman for years, and reads like a supergroup of two, a combo the world didn't even know to dream of!”— EMMA STRAUB, New York Times bestselling author of This Time Tomorrow and All Adults Here

From the Publisher