I might have to give this another go in the future but my first try failed. I got bored and dnfed about 20% in. A shame since the narrator is good and this book has stellar reviews. I'm hoping my lack of interest is purely a mood issue and that this book will grab me with another try.

I was interested in this title as I’d seen it compared to Daisy Jones and the Six and obviously the historical and musical setting does have some similarities.

However Songs in Ursa Major surprised me by also dealing with serious mental illness. I don’t feel that this is something we see represented in fiction very often. It also draws attention to the stigma that mental health problems can still attract and the impact it can have on families is a really important issue which needs more recognition. The book also calls out the rampant sexism in the music industry which is still affecting artists now.

Although some parts of the storyline could be seen as predictable, they are also commonplace in the lives of people in the industry so this didn’t bother me.

Overall this was an interesting story set in the folk rock scene of the early 1970s. I liked the musical elements and the setting was very atmospheric. The mental health rep was important but I’m not sure how realistic the description of symptoms was, as it was unlike what I’ve witnessed having lived with someone with a similar condition.

The narrator of this title was very good, and her voice was easy to listen to.

A wonderfully written hedonistic romance novel. Loved the 70s theme and the characters. Such a great summer read. I listened to it as an audio book and found it really helped to bring the story to life.