90s nostalgia at its finest and I couldn’t get enough! I had high hopes on this one and had my eye up on it so was over the moon to be able to have the chance to read it.

I was expecting a nostalgia t read from Honey and, don’t get me wrong, it totally delivered on that. However, Honey was actually far more than that.

An insight into the entertainment industry which felt so real. The shame on women, their bodies. A sensitive approach.

As somebody who adores pop culture, reading this was a no-brainer for me. However, I did not love it as much as I expected to. I think what let me down was how it was advertised as a Y2K Daisy Jones. Daisy jones is my all time favourite book, so my expectations were set really high and it just didn’t meet them.

However, there were some beautiful quotes in here that i was taking photos of on my phone and will go back to in the future, so it definitely made an impact.

This took me right back to the world of late 90s pop music.

Amber has the world at her feet. She’s a small town girl who is making it big. Her face is everywhere and you cannot turn on the radio without hearing her songs. But along with the fame comes a level of scrutiny and intrusion that she is not prepared for and knowing who is genuine becomes increasingly difficult

There is definitely some Britney Spears inspiration in Amber’s story: boy band boyfriend dramas, rival stars and Rolling Stone covers.

As her career progresses and she learns more about the music industry and the media, Amber is fighting to be taken seriously as an artist and break out her pop image.

There are some great moments in this book. Parts of the story are vivid and alive – you’ll want to check that the characters aren’t real. I didn’t always like Amber. She makes some really selfish decisions. Sometimes she is determined and hardworking, and others it almost seems like she isn’t quite sure what she is doing .

I liked the hidden gay relationships which rang true. And I did fly through this as it was very readable.

Thank you NetGalley for my gifted digital copy of Honey.

This took me right back to the 90s era with Britney/Christina vibes. I loved this insight into life behind the fame and really warmed to the friendship between Amber and Gwen who the press decide to pit against each other. I really loved this book much more that I thought I would. It was interesting reading about how the music industry warps people's views of young women in the limelight I can certainly see the truth in real life from this novel.

This was an interesting throwback to the 90s/00s pop era, with hugely poignant hints towards famous rivalries that hooked girls my age. I really enjoyed the characters and the way Amber developed. Sometimes the structure felt too jarring, and jumped between place or time with little detail, which was confusing and made it feel like things were left unfinished.

I really appreciated how Banta explores themes of resilience and self-discovery, making Honey’s journey relatable and compelling. The characters are well-developed, and their dynamics add depth to the narrative. However, I did feel that some plot points could have been fleshed out more, as there were moments where the pacing felt a bit uneven.

Banta's writing shines in its simplicity and sincerity, making it easy to connect with Honey’s journey. It’s not a fast-paced drama, but more of a gentle, reflective read that feels honest and relatable. Honey’s struggles are raw and real, and there’s something comforting about watching her navigate the ups and downs of her world.

If you’re in the mood for a slice-of-life story that feels like catching up with an old friend, this one’s a great pick.

Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my advanced copy in exchange for a review. It surprised me how much I enjoyed this book. Normally books based on people in the limelight overglamourise the life. This certainly did not do that.

Thank you for approving me to read this book. Unfortunately I don't think it was for me right now. I was excited to read it as it's set in a time when I was a young adult and so I know the time well. I thought the story was interesting and definitely spoke to how the media was at the time for young people, women especially, who were in the public eye but I just felt like I was held at too much of a distance from the characters and couldn't connect with it. I think I perhaps read this book at the wrong time for me so I would look out for more books by this author in the future.

Not what I expected - but in a good way. Was refreshing to have female friendship centred, and the writing style was surprising and compulsively readable. A little rushed character growth at the end, but a great ending so not complaining!

Being an 80’s baby I was excited to read this but again this book is one of them ones where you shouldn’t believe the hype!!!
The song lyrics really!!! It was all a bit cheesy and I found it quite slow paced. Took me longer than i actually wanted to spend on this to read!
The characters were boring and the storyline was a bit pretentious and dull!!

I was sold on this book as a Britney Spears meets Daisy Jones and the Six read. It was beautifully written and tackled some big themes, especially how (un)glamorous fame is, the power hungry individuals in the music business and how creativity can be compromised by them - and the cost of individual freedom when you’re thrown into the limelight. I enjoyed it, but the one thing missing for me was a bit more pace and unpredictability in the plot. Huge thanks to the author and publisher for this advance review copy. Views my own. 4*

Synopsis —It is 1997, and Amber Young has received a life-changing call. It’s a chance thousands of girls would die for: the opportunity to join girl group Cloud9 in Los Angeles and escape her small town. She quickly finds herself in the orbits of fellow rising stars Gwen Morris, a driven singer-dancer, and Wes Kingston, a member of the biggest boy band in the world, ETA.

As Amber embarks on her solo career and her fame intensifies, she increasingly finds herself reduced to a body, a voice, an object. Surrounded by the wrong kind of people and driven by a desire for recognition and success, for love and sex, for agency and connection, Amber comes of age at a time when the kaleidoscope of public opinion can distort everything, and one mistake can shatter a career.

@mythoughts—- Young girls manipulated by the music celebrity world. In this novel you follow Amber as her career takes off as a single artist. She is portrayed as a self obsessed , sex crazed , insecure young girl . Amber and her mothers relationship is quite a sad one and she was left to her own devices most of the time. I didn’t particularly warm to any character at all and the music scene which was probably described correctly however I was a bit bored. This was a coming of age , developing artist , set in the 90’s novel it reads like an autobiography of life. If you enjoyed Daisy jones and the six and want some nostalgia over the 90’s girl band scene then this may be for you !

A really enjoyable read that is a fascinating insight into the toxic world of celebrity, fame & wealth.

A well written page turner that transports the reader back to the 90s/00s, it really made adult me look back at my teen celeb loves very differently.

I loved this book - it is reminiscent of Daisy Jones and the Six and explores a girls rise to stardom, the double standards public figures are held to and the effect societal views can have on young women.

This was a wonderful character study drenched in infamy and scandal – unpicking the glitz to show the grit beneath. I loved how this was a tale of reconnecting with an inner artistry and unlocking your voice.

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

This is an interesting read, the story of young teens going through the steps to stardom. How family and friends affect them then the massive part public perception and the press plays in their lives. Its a good insight into the behind the scenes pressures and struck a chord with how many young singers have had struggles such as Britney Spears. The book shows well the progression with age and maturity the singers go through.

Honey was such a great read! I like pop music and pop stars, so am very aware of dual nature of fame when it comes to pop stardom. From X-Factor contestants revealing how they were really treated to the tragic tale of Britney's conservatorship, it's a brutal world when you're a all-singing, all-dancing commodity. Albeit a talented one.

In Honey, this darker side of the industry is explored really well, alongside the hunger that Amber (our pop star) has. Amber was such a well written character, I felt like she was real and was fully invested in her story.

Really immersive and easy to read in tone, I'm excited for the next book from Isabel Banta.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This is a timely exploration of the fame of young female popstars in the early 2000s. If you remember that period, you can see the parallels and echoes of artists like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera throughout. However, Amber is far from a cliche or two-dimensional character. The narrative draws you in and I pretty much read the whole book in a few hours. It's not a hard read, but it certainly leaves you with some thinking to do.