When the Music Stops

‘The sheer definition of a page-turner’ Reader review

‘A truly original, bittersweet tale of life, loss and enduring love that had me completely hooked. A treasure of a book!’ Sunday Times bestseller, Ruth Hogan

‘Stunning, stunning, stunning’ Anstey Harris

This is the story of Ella.
And Robert.
And of all the things they should have said, but never did.

‘What have you been up to?’
I shrug, ‘Just existing, I guess.’
‘Looks like more than just existing.’
Robert gestures at the baby, the lifeboat, the ocean.
‘All right, not existing. Surviving.’
He laughs, not unkindly. ‘Sounds grim.’
‘It wasn’t so bad, really. But I wish you’d been there.’

Ella has known Robert all her life. Through seven key moments and seven key people their journey intertwines.

From the streets of Glasgow during WW2 to the sex, drugs and rock n’ roll of London in the 60s and beyond, this is a story of love and near misses. Of those who come in to our lives and leave it too soon. And of those who stay with you forever…

‘Endearing and beautifully told’ Janet

‘Stunning …with touches of a modern day Jane Eyre in that invisible space between the pages. Unusual. Rare. Magical. Highly recommended.’ Jenny

‘What a storyteller this author is…The closing chapters are sublime, and brought me to tears. A beautiful ending. This book will remain with me long after I write this review’ Janette

‘It mixes the ordinary with the extraordinary…in one way a version of David Nicholls’ One Day’ Jane

‘I fell in love with this lovely book…it’s about the things that connect us. A terrific read’ Pamela

‘This is going to leave a few people with tears in their eyes…read it in one sitting’ Louisa

‘There was one scene that overwhelmed me, had me crying so much I had to put the book down and take a breather. I went back after 15 mins to re-read, and cried again…Joe Heap does not disappoint’ Reader review

‘ I just loved Ella and lived every step of her journey…a compulsive read’ Bren

‘I’m swiftly becoming a big fan of Joe Heap!’ Emily

“'A truly original bittersweet tale of life, loss and enduring love that had me intrigued from the first page and then completely hooked. A treasure of a book!' Ruth Hogan 'Stunning, stunning, stunning... A masterclass in structure, character, and how-to-write-about-love' Anstey Harris 'A bold read' WOMAN & HOME 'A lyrical tale of love, loss and regret, When the Music Stops will stay with you long after you've finished reading' HEAT 'A brilliant kaleidoscope of love, friendship and heartache that takes the reader on a never-to-be-forgotten journey. I adored it!' Celia Anderson 'This is a story of love, near misses, and of those who stay with you forever' Best 'It's a thing of beauty... a triumph' Fionnuala Kearney 'The most incredible thing about Joe Heap's When The Music Stops is the way it mixes the ordinary with the extraordinary. In one way it's a version of David Nicholls' One Day, but set over a longer period . . . A stand-out book' Frost Magazine Praise for The Rules of Seeing: 'Strikingly brilliant' Sun 'An exceptional book' Dundee Courier 'This year's Eleanor Oliphant' Claire Allan 'Astonishing' Ruth Hogan 'A tender, tense drama about love and the unexpected places you can find it' Sunday Express 'A quirky love story which promises to make you see the world in a completely new way' Daily Mail 'Joe Heap's fascinating debut makes you think about the things most of us take for granted'Good Housekeeping 'An inspiring story of love, loss and friendship' #1 bestselling author Catherine Alliott 'It really made me re-evaluate how I see the world...outstanding'Katy Regan, author of Big Little Man 'Startlingly, outstandingly good' Benjamin Ludwig, author of Ginny Moon”

‘A truly original bittersweet tale of life, loss and enduring love that had me intrigued from the first page and then completely hooked. A treasure of a book!’ Ruth Hogan

‘Stunning, stunning, stunning… A masterclass in structure, character, and how-to-write-about-love’ Anstey Harris

‘A bold read’ WOMAN & HOME

‘A lyrical tale of love, loss and regret, When the Music Stops will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading’ HEAT

‘A brilliant kaleidoscope of love, friendship and heartache that takes the reader on a never-to-be-forgotten journey. I adored it!’ Celia Anderson

‘This is a story of love, near misses, and of those who stay with you forever’ Best

‘It’s a thing of beauty… a triumph’ Fionnuala Kearney

‘The most incredible thing about Joe Heap’s When The Music Stops is the way it mixes the ordinary with the extraordinary. In one way it’s a version of David Nicholls’ One Day, but set over a longer period . . . A stand-out book’ Frost Magazine

Praise for The Rules of Seeing:

‘Strikingly brilliant’ Sun

‘An exceptional book’ Dundee Courier

‘This year’s Eleanor Oliphant’ Claire Allan

‘Astonishing’ Ruth Hogan

‘A tender, tense drama about love and the unexpected places you can find it’ Sunday Express

‘A quirky love story which promises to make you see the world in a completely new way’ Daily Mail

‘Joe Heap’s fascinating debut makes you think about the things most of us take for granted’Good Housekeeping

‘An inspiring story of love, loss and friendship’ #1 bestselling author Catherine Alliott

‘It really made me re-evaluate how I see the world…outstanding’Katy Regan, author of Big Little Man

‘Startlingly, outstandingly good’ Benjamin Ludwig, author of Ginny Moon

Joe Heap was born in Bradford in 1986, the son of two teachers. In 2004, he won the Foyle Young Poet award, and his poetry has been published in several pamphlets. He studied for a BA in English Literature at Stirling University and a Masters in Creative Writing at Glasgow University. Joe lives in London with his long-suffering girlfriend, short-suffering baby, and much-aggrieved cat. The Rules of Seeing is his first novel.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.