Kissing the Sky by Lisa Patton

Narrated by Hallie Ricardo

Historical Romance. Stands Alone.

“Like atoms and molecules, music binds people together, no matter what kind of family they grow up in. Or what they look like. Black, white, brown, yellow, or red. Music is the golden thread of commonality that joins us all. It’s our universal language, our perfect form of communication.”

If you have any curiosity about Woodstock, READ THIS BOOK. I was two when Woodstock took place, but I’ve been fascinated with the festival and the music of that time for most of my life. Many of my still-favorite bands were at Woodstock, and I’ve watched documentaries and read books about it. In fact, one of my favorite books of 2025 also took place at Woodstock.

Kissing The Sky by Lisa Patton is a dual timeline story, taking place at the 1999 Woodstock celebration but mostly flashing back to the 1960s. But it wasn’t just the setting that I loved. Suzannah’s story was completely unputdownable.

Kissing The Sky is a coming-of-age story about Suzannah, a sheltered young woman raised by a very strict, deeply religious father who forbade things like rock music and dancing. Her world is small and controlled, and the pious expectations placed on her family are intense. Her father even forces her brother to enlist for Vietnam. When Suzannah finally breaks free and heads to Woodstock with her childhood friend, it becomes the beginning of a completely different life.

I appreciated how the book explored friendship. One of the central relationships is with Livy, a girl who seems almost impossibly beautiful and confident on the outside but comes across as toxic and frustrating for much of the story. Suzannah spends so much time angry with her, judging her choices and behavior. But as the story unfolds and more of Livy’s life is revealed, the picture becomes much more complicated. It ended up being a thoughtful look at how easy it is to misunderstand people when you don’t know what they’re carrying, and how easy it is to let anger and jealousy spoil your joy.

“Beauty is not about having a perfect face. It’s about the way you love others and how you make them feel.”

Suzannah also falls in love along the way, and I really enjoyed reading about her first love happening at Woodstock. Watching her experience the world for the first time is what made the story special for me. Her naïveté, mixed with the excitement of discovering music, friendship, romance, and independence, made the journey feel both emotional and genuine. It captures the spirit of that era in a way that feels immersive rather than overly romanticized.

What also makes this book stand out is how thoroughly it was researched. The author clearly did the work, because everything about Woodstock feels incredibly authentic and lines up with everything I’ve read and more. The atmosphere, the culture, the music, and the sense of freedom and rebellion from that moment in time all come through vividly. The audiobook even includes an original song by Michael McDonald, which adds another layer to the experience.

“The weekend had helped me to grasp that real beauty is not about how we look on the outside. It is found in who we are as human beings, the way we treat one another, the way we love one another, and our willingness to consider someone else’s feelings before our own. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Likes:

The very accurate and detailed descriptions of Woodstock, including the announcements, the band order, and the overall experience. Even though those parts were factual, they were told as part of a story, which made them so much more entertaining.
Reading about such a young, sheltered, naïve girl finding herself.
The discussions of the Vietnam War.
The exploration of friendship, accepting people as they are, and not letting someone else’s behavior affect your own.
The sweetness of first love.
The history of some of the bands and music discussed, and how The Beatles played into the story.

Dislikes:

I got a little frustrated with Suzannah after a while. She let Livy’s behavior, which got on my nerves too (and I have a friend exactly like her), ruin her enjoyment of the amazing festival and take time away from her budding romance.

The Narration:

Hallie Ricardo was fantastic. She was perfect for the sweet and sheltered Suzannah, and I never felt like there needed to be another voice. I think this one is better listened to, not only because there is an original song written by Michael McDonald with John McFee on guitar (both from The Doobie Brothers), but also because the announcements and overall feel of the festival are much more immersive in audio.

The Down & Dirty:

Kissing The Sky by Lisa Patton is going on my all-time favorite list. This book doesn’t just tell a story about Woodstock, it drops you right into the middle of it. I don’t think you have to know anything about Woodstock to love it, and if you don’t, you’ll learn. If you are a fan like myself, you will love it. I turned on songs from every band as they were mentioned, which made it even more immersive for me, even though I sometimes had a hard time stopping the book to listen. Tackling religion, war, politics, music, drugs, friendship, love, and family, this book had everything I could have wanted in a novel set at Woodstock.

I’ve been reviewing books for more than fourteen years, and Kissing The Sky stands out as an all-time favorite, and one I plan to listen to again.