The blurb enticed me in with comparison to daisy jones & the six.

Interesting story & insightful on how manipulative & lonely being a pop star was in the 90’s.

It was a ok read.

A book about pop stars in the 90s…..insecurity fame and chaos……a coming of age story about someone with talent and lack of confidence grows…….slightly slow and not an awful lot happens but an easy read

In 1997, Amber Young’s life transforms with a chance to join the girl group Cloud9 and escape her small town. As she steps into the spotlight in Los Angeles, she encounters fellow rising stars Gwen Morris and Wes Kingston, navigating the glittering yet treacherous world of fame.

As Amber's solo career takes off, her depth fades, overshadowed by the demands of stardom. Surrounded by exploitative figures and driven by a quest for success, love, and connection, Amber's journey underscores the fragility of public image and the risks of a single misstep.

Isabel Banta’s debut novel offers a fresh take on 1990s pop culture, exploring the complexities of celebrity through Amber’s experiences. While the book captures the era's challenges and the harsh realities of fame, it occasionally feels repetitive, and the ending lacks depth, leaving some threads unresolved.

http://thesecretbookreview.co.uk

Honey by Isabel Banta was the perfect summer read and TBH perfect for any time of the year. Amber as a character at times grated on my sensibilities, but that was testament to just how well she was written. Afantastic account of life lived in the limelight, loved it

Thank you to NetGalley, Bonnier Books UK | Zaffre and the stunning author Isabel Banta for this fantastic ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

This was my most anticipated read of the year - a Daisy Jones & The Six style book but set in the Britney era sounds absolutely perfect for me.

Sadly it didn't click with me as much as I expected it to and by the halfway point I wasn't that eager to pick it back up. I think I wanted it to go a bit deeper into the industry and I wasn't really connecting with Amber (honestly I think a book featuring the side character Savannah might have been more interesting)

One thing I did think was really cool was the inclusion of little quizzes and interviews that were very reminiscent of magazines from that era.

I knew from the description that this book would be right up my street - I wasn’t wrong! 90s babies, this is a must read!

This is a young adult fiction book about a young performer Amber Young and those she becomes friends with. It is 1999 and she is going to become a pop star. She originally considered being part of a group, until she met Gwen. Gwen decides she wants a solo career and Amber follows in her footsteps.

Amber is from a poor family, a missing father and an alcoholic mother, but at least her mum did take her to auditions. Gwen has her mother pushing her every step of the way. The two are from different backgrounds but they both love to sing. Amber is a natural talent when it comes to singing.

The story is very much a coming-of-age one. Following Amber as she is promoted in a certain way and has little say over things in her life. The non-stop tours, recording studios, interviews and promotions. Then a tour with a boyband ETA follows. She gets on well with the group and becomes friends with them. One of the members, Wes, is linked to Gwen, but not is all as it seems.

The book is definitely aimed at young adults and there is a certain feel of this throughout, I think it is the naivety of Amber and also the others as they are manipulated and cajoled into having a persona built up around the image the record companies want. It soon becomes obvious that money is more important than looking after their young charges. i will mention that Amber does have Sonny, he is her guide and someone who will help her and advise her, and my goodness she does need this from time to time.

I liked to see the transformation of the young characters as they try to work out what they want from their lives and how the choices they have are limited by how they appear to the public. As they become more successful then they start to realise they can have a l little more say on what they want, but this takes time and also a lot of guts.

Taking one show, one record, one interview at a time they gradually find out who they are. The talented youngsters are innocent and really don't know what to expect and this is something that does ring true of certain artists of the same era this book is set in, 1999-2000ish.

This is a great story to read and to see how the characters can make their way. It does have some sexual content but nothing too graphic and again is reminiscent of things being reported at this same time in real life. This is a book that has a lot of drama, teen angst, realisation and friendships. An enjoyable read and one I would happily recommend.

Honey by Isabel Banta is an enchanting story that has truly lived up to its anticipation as the must-read book of Summer 2024.

The story is a delightful blend of warmth, depth and vibrant storytelling, making it a standout amongst others. It's engaging and beautifully woven, taking readers on a journey though the lives of it's characters. Is it absolutely compelling, from start to finish.

The characters in Honey are the strongest aspects of this book. Each and every character is portrayed beautifully, holding such unique and interesting stories and background. The FMC faces a journey of self discovery and being resilient along the way. Her entire journey is moving and inspiring.

Isabel's writing style is absolutely phenomenal. She has made honey the absolute beautiful book that it is. Her descriptions are beyond impressive, painting imagery with such detail without being overly elaborate. She has mastered the perfect balance that draws a reader into her world she has created.

Homey earns a well deserved five stars for its captivating plot, relatable characters, and impactful themes. Isabel Banta is definitely an author to watch and I am eagerly anticipate her future works.

An absolutely great read that was very thought provoking. What a debut novel from such a promising author who has clearly done her research. I will certainly be looking for her next book

Amber Young is the product of a broken home but has a certain amount of talent. When her mother's ambitions to make her a child star fail, Amber seems destined for a mediocre life but she wants to sing. Picked to join a short-lived girl group Amber becomes a solo hit. However, her public image as the slutty girl juxtaposed with her clean-cut rivals lies at odds to a simple girl who just wants to be loved.
This book brought back so many memories. The 90s were a time when the pop phenomenon was huge with multiple bands being created and now forgotten. Here Banta explores the difference between public image and private personality and it's a heady mix.

I thought this was a somewhat mediocre novel, charting the rising success of 12 year old Amber Young as she first joins a girl band and then becomes a solo artist. I felt the relationships were all somewhat contrived and/or immature and not particularly relatable. That said, I preferred it to Daisy Jones & The Six, although I wouldn't rush to read another "rock star memoir" style of novel as I don't think they're my cup of tea overall.

Oh my gosh this was absolutely brilliant. I read it in 2 days and honestly I would have read it in a few hours if I wasn't responsible for 2 children.

I LOVE books like this. A bird eye view on fame, on life and the journey it takes you on. I absolutely loved Amber. She can be annoying, a lot of the things she did frustrated me but I loved her regardless. I kind of imagine Britney Spears in that way, trying to shed a good girl image and grow up in the limelight!

The writing..... phenomenal.

Literally I screamed "Yes!!!!!" right at the end because I was desperate for something to happen and it did hehe!!!!!

While we were all dancing and loving life to a backing track of Britney, Cristina and Avril (among others), back in the late ’90’s and early ‘noughties, did we ever stop to think of what was going on in their lives … in the background … how they got to where they were … how they were propelled into the spotlight, into “overnight success”? Honey by Isabel Banta is a magnetic, absorbing look at teenage girls aiming to achieve superstardom at a time where the entire music industry was managed and manipulated by arrogant, misogynistic men. While this is a work of fiction, it reminded me a bit of I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, which was not.

In the late 1990’s when girl bands and boy bands were the thing, I don’t think many of us stopped to think about think about the actual lives of those people chasing fame and fortune who we kept hearing every time we switched on a radio, and whose faces we saw on just about every magazine cover. Did we believe everything we read? I’m not sure, but we went along with the hype anyway. And when the stars reached higher and higher, they were so far out of our reach that they became even more ‘imaginary’ to us … even more unlike real people. So we never even imagined what could be going on behind the scenes.

Honey gives us a no-holds-barred look at what was really going on, and while this is a work of fiction, one can’t help thinking that this has been written by someone who knows the inside story because it all rings so very scarily true all these years later when we’re (hopefully?) a lot more savvy about what goes on behind the scenes of super-stardom.

Amber Young has always dreamed of being a star and then her wish finally comes true. She’s propelled up the ranks and I started to murmer to myself (on repeat) “be careful what you wish for …” While she’s one of a group of young girls who are ‘chosen’, they’re not all given the same treatment and we see how ‘management’ of the big record companies that they’re all clamouring to be signed to, decides to mould their differing images in ways that they think will work in their favour. Whose favour? Well, not necessarily the girls themselves, that’s for sure! They’re basically the last ones to be considered.

Unfortunately for Amber, she’s the one who they seem to decide will be the scapegoat – and if she’s the record company management’s scapegoat, then you can be sure that anything and everything she does will be manipulated to seem negative in the eyes of the public! My heart ached for her, as she worked her butt off for recognition, only to be knocked back down every time she managed to scrape her way towards gaining some positivity in the competition to get to the top. But it wasn’t only the fame that she craved, she just wanted some love and attention – not even adoration; just some care. There were so many times that I wanted to reach out and give her a hug. She didn’t get enough of those during so many difficult years.

I think my favourite character though would have to be Sonny, Amber’s long-suffering personal manager, who supports her and tries to guide her through thick and thin. He’s her champion, her saviour, her rock. He also becomes her family, and while we’re on that point, let’s talk about my least favourite character, Amber’s Mom, who defines the words ‘absent parenting’. After schlepping her around the cattle call of auditions when she’s barely into her teens, as soon as it looks like Amber has her foot on the bottom rung of the ladder to success,she more or less walks away, dumping her in the lions’ den to be mauled by anyone who feels that they own the right to do so – and I don’t mean physically; I mean emotionally and professionally. Believe me, when you read what went on here, you’ll realize that’s a lot worse than any physical abuse!

This is an absorbing, magnetic, although often disturbing read. I found myself angered to realize that as much as these young girls were (and I’m sure still are) manipulated by a bunch of arrogant, controlling men, so were we, the public, who are fed lie after lie for the sake of their chosen narrative. I’d like to think that most of those young women who’ve reached SuperNova status today have achieved it by having a lot more say over how they got there!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you grew up in the late 90s, early 2000’s you’ll absolutely adore this debut.

It made me feel so nostalgic as I lived through this myself because I was born in 1988 so I was growing up when this book was set and that made it even more special and somewhat reflective.

It’s a harsh look at a coming of age story in the world of fame and all that that entrails in the 90s, 2000’s that I found to be a real eye opener.

I felt so sorry for Amber, what with her family life and how she doggedly pursued her dream, largely without any support.

This is a staggeringly good debut that so many will love.

I wanted to like this more.

Some times the pacing seemed off and although I normally like books that don't go into too much detail sometimes this wasn't enough detail.

I definitely recognised who some characters could be based on and so having that knowledge and picture in my mind made it more enjoyable.

Having been in my 20s during the late 90s and early 2000s I love reminiscing - and although pop wasn't my genre it was still very relatable. I really liked the style it was written in and the track listing and wiki pages.

Overall I enjoyed it but would love to have had it a bit more fleshed in places.

Honey is a coming of age story set in the late 90’s early 00’s and centres around the life of Amber Young - singer/songwriter at the peak of her fame.

I quite liked this book! I liked how it felt we were getting an inside look into the world of someone famous - the idea that we can only see what happens on the outside and not what is really going in these people’s lives!

I liked that this book was also set in the 90’s where I feel this type of pop star was always in the headlines. I liked that we also got to hear how she interacted with other famous people and how people can help each other. I also liked how it highlighted what fame can do to a family and their relationships.

I feel this book also tackled a couple of tough topics so I’d maybe check trigger warnings if you feel you might need to.

Overall, I liked this and found it an easy read - exactly what I was looking for!

Y2K nostalgia? Daisy Jones & The Six for the pop girlies? A feminist reckoning with the misogyny of the music industry? On paper, Honey is extremely up my street, but in reality I felt a bit go on girl, give us nothing.

Honey is the story of pop megastar Amber Young, her rise to stardom, and all that she went through to get there. It charts her childhood as a time marked by failed auditions, and a determination of succeed anyway. She joins a girl group, meets her best friend, and eventually goes stratospheric. Banta succeeds in re-creating the pop landscape of the latter 1990s with near flawless precision: the boybands, the competition between the female soloists, the intrusive journalists. It’s soaked in nostalgia for that time and, in this respect, the novel is transportive and fascinating.

Where Honey falls flat is, sadly, the characters. Amber is embroiled in plenty of drama throughout the novel – but what’s wild is that this drama ended up being quite dull to read. I struggled to care for Amber, her friendship with fellow starlet Gwen, or her love interest, Wes. The narrative voice – it’s a first-person novel, recounted by Amber – felt like it was 10 years older than it supposed to be. their self-reflection at the age of 19 rang false and the relationships didn't feel real. Amber goes through a lot of trauma in the book too, and almost none of it is properly explored. I rarely felt any connection with her throughout the novel, which made it much harder to enjoy.

Banta makes excellent use of multimedia in the novel – we see song lyrics, news articles, magazine quizzes and screenshots from websites. I am a sucker for a multimedia addition to a novel, and I loved this element of the book, though I wish they had been contemporary additions, rather than Genius annotations from the modern day. There’s also – and spoiler alert, I guess – a sickeningly lazy addition at the end of the novel, where the author uses a Wikipedia article to outline the rest of Young’s life. It’s meant to feel like a mic-drop – I think – but I hated it so much it brought Honey down from a 4-star to a 3-star for me.

Fun and fluffy, Honey has plenty to say but unfortunately missed the mark for me in how it said it. Worth a read (apparently the audiobook is fantastic) but ultimately a bit forgettable.

Honey is a rip roaring journey through the 90’s and 2000’s pop world. A place where how you look matters, a place of young female talent that is controlled by middle aged men, and of boy bands where even their love lives are controlled by management. Isabel Banta follows the story of three young pop stars, from auditions to world tours, and what there lives are like as part of the pop factory.

Isabel Banta not only focuses on the female characters of Amber and Gwen, but also how young men were treated by telling Wes’s story. I really liked this balance, it showed that men were exploited, but a lot less than women. As usual the PR machine likes to put people in boxes, Gwen the innocent young women, whilst Amber is sold as a sex kitten, more raunchy than Gwen that sees her get hammered in some press as being overtly sexual and flaunting her body. As expected this isn’t a decision made by Amber but by her team. It was annoying, but probably true even today, that she was seen not as a person but a commodity, and her case a pair of boobs that men speak to rather than face. Control is a central part to this book, the record companies control every part of these artist’s lives, even down to fake love lives that are used as a popularity tool.

Isabel Banta has created three wonderfully drawn characters that bounce off each other bringing their individual stories to this book. I would say Amber is the main character, she has lived and dreamed this since her teens. I felt she was the most exploited due mainly to her developped body, whilst she wanted to be more than her sexuality. Being on constant PR tours, playing concerts all over the country and on the world’s stage leaves her lonely and it is fascinatig that her best friend is her said rival, Gwen. I loved their relationship, no one could know they were friends, but they are in a rare situation of being pop stars so understand each other, and give each other support and confidence to go for change.

By introducing Wes, Isabel Banta shows the opposite of Amber and Gwen’s story. Being part of a boy band means that he has a group of friends to share his experience, he never feels the isolation of Amber and Gwen. However, I did feel that he was maybe alone in a different way. He can’t be with the perosn he loves, his PR team want him to fake a romance with Gwen as it is good for their careers.

When reading this it did make me think of Brittany Spears, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake, although this really isn’ their story. It was how the music industry pitted these women against each other, and how they developped from teenagers to young women wanting more control, but finding obstacles in their way.

Honey is a real escapist novel. I actually read it in one day and enjoyed immersing my self in the 90’s pop scene. There are obviously a lot of moral and controlling issues in relation to the characters, and post #MeToo we hope that things have changed and these young stars have more control over their lives. The writing captured the amosphere of this period and I loved the inclusion of some of the song lyrics, giving further insight into Amber’s life. This would make the perfect holiday read with its heady mix of sex, lust, power and rivalries. A sexy and sintillating read.

The synopsis sounded right up my street. But I was left so bored by the book.
The pacing was just soooo slow. It felt so ploddy.
Just felt like a series of lists and basic description... "I did this", "then I did that", "next this happened" - it was written so plainly, and just didn't go anywhere for the longest of times!!

Really really did not like this book!

If the central character of Daisy Jones and the Six was a 90s pop idol/Britney Spears type character! The ups and downs of the world of celebrity when a member of a hugely popular girl band goes solo.