I was really looking forward to this book.
It sounded like it had all the promise to be a potential 5 star.
However for me personally I felt it just didn’t hit the the mark, I felt it lacked the emotion I was after from Amber, I found the story lacked growth and was mediocre in the middle.
I did enjoy the vibes it was trying to give to people back in the 2000s.
Overall I would rushed to recommend but equally it wasn’t as enjoyable as I would of liked

DNF. There is a cross-section of readers who will absolutely gobble this book up and they are 'Britney Spears fans' and 'Sally Rooney lovers'. It's an odd subsection, I don't know how many people actually exist in it, but they'll love this. By the time I got to the teenaged first-person female lead casually lending an air of ennui and intellectual superiority to objectified women on the covers of magazines and then leaping to talking without a single ounce of irony about her own nipples, I had checked out. When I tell you it felt like a man writing Amber, you might get a sense of what I mean.

The connection to Daisy Jones is not at all useful - both books are about music and that's where the similarities end. I think you'd be far more inclined to enjoy this book if you enjoy literary fiction, character-focused books that have an edge to them that you don't often get in celebrity stories. Personally, I think books about famous people, especially musicians, have to tread a very thin line between cringe and authenticity, particularly because most authors are writing from research, not experience, and Honey just wasn't successful for me. Maybe I need to stop reading books about fictional famous people.

This is such a great story on so many levels. It is enjoyable as just a great sexy summer read to enjoy by the pool but it is also so much more and can be enjoyed at a much deeper level too. It is a coming of age story, it’s about being a young girl, it’s about being a young woman, it’s about finding out who you are. It’s about the toxic environment of the music environment but it’s also a really lovely love story. It is incredibly relatable and I loved every second of it.

Honey - Isabel Banta 🍯

⭐⭐⭐⭐

After reading the blurb for this one I immediately had to get my hands on it and I'm so glad I did.

Really enjoyed this and the layout/format that it was written in. The CD tracks and Wikipedia type pages about the characters were really interesting.

This book portrayed the hatred and sexism that female celebrities felt in the late 90's and 2000's really well. It also made me feel nostalgic when Tamagotchi's were mentioned.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own*

#honey #netgalley

Honey is a fascinating behind the scenes look at the life of a fictional popstar, from her early days of auditions to being a multi-platinum selling solo artist. It details the highs and lows of being in the spotlight with the world watching your every move, and mirrors real life singers that are still active today.

If you have even a passing interest in the music industry, then the story of Amber Young is definitely one for you. There are parallels to stars like Britney Spears and boyband N*Sync, and if you lived through the late 90s then you’ll know all about how obsessed the world was with these artists. Honey does a great job of recreating that nostalgia, while keeping a sense of reality at the same time.

Amber’s whole life is governed by the people around her, and none of her relationships are easy, whether it be with best friend Gwen or eventual boyfriend Wes. Everything they do is scrutinised and written about, and there’s very little leeway for living a normal life. This all made me stop and think about how we perceive people in the public eye, and how much the tabloids lie and embellish the truth.

I enjoyed this coming of age story, though I wish I’d related to Amber a bit more. It’s a very topical story at the moment, especially with the likes of Taylor Swift dominating world news 24/7, and I particularly liked the inclusion of lyrics and media excerpts peppered between chapters. I recommend Honey to anyone who likes music and anyone who’s ever had an obsession with a popstar… this book will take you back, and it may even open your eyes to what goes on behind closed doors!

3.5/5.

Amber Young , a young wanna be singer is devastated when she loses a singing competition to Wees Kingston. A few years later they meet again when Wes is performing with successful boy band ETA and Amber as part of girl group Cloud9 are supporting them. When Wes meets Cloud9 member Gwen, the three lives are forever linked.
This is more than just a rock star story. The lyrical narrative is at times at odds with the conflict between the characters and the range and intensity of emotions are cleverly designed to have an emotional effect on the reader..
The characters set out in search of fame and fortune is that what they really want? Or are they looking for security, praise, acceptance and love.
Does anyone really know what they want at 16?
This is a really interesting read especially for the dynamics between the parents and the children.

I enjoyed this book, but I felt it lacked emotional depth. While it was easy to read and engaging, it often skimmed over the protagonist's feelings, preventing me from fully immersing myself. I really liked wanted to feel the darker aspects of fame, the raw grit and seediness - but it only ever seemed to scratch the surface.

I did enjoy the friendship between Gwen and Amber. Despite the media's attempts to pit them against each other and their limited interactions, their bond remained unbreakable. I appreciated how the book portrayed a positive female friendship in an industry notorious for promoting rivalry among women.

An interesting aspect, I found, was Gwen’s sexuality. Although a minor part of the story, it felt very real to the time with how the industry suppressed her identity and relationship with Tammy. It definitely added a layer of realism to the story.

However, I wished for more insight into Amber’s reactions and emotions. The scenes moved too quickly, leaving little room for her to process events. The focus on her "daddy issues" felt limiting and didn't provide the emotional range I was hoping for.

Overall, while the book was interesting, it didn't resonate with me as much as I had hoped.

I liked the first half of this novel but it seemed to get a bit flat in the second half. And I thought the ending was really rushed but it was a good read and can tell it had been influenced by the early 00's singers like Britney Spears.

I enjoyed this book, but I found it a bit lacking in emotion. It was really easy to read and get into, but there wasn’t enough about what the character was feeling. It seemed to cut away from her emotions a bit too much. I wanted to get caught up in the dark side of fame and I just didn’t get that from it.

Two things I did enjoy about this book though was the friendship between Gwen and Amber, which was so strong even through everything, even when the media were pitting them against each other, even though they weren’t actually seeing that much of one another. I loved that this book showed a positive friendship in an industry that is so keen to have females be enemies to each other.

The other thing was Gwen’s sexuality, which even though it was a small part of the book, was really interesting to see. There were glimpses into the industry not allowing her to be gay and not allowing her to be with Tammy and honestly I could have read a book all about them.

I just wish we could have seen more of Amber’s reaction to things. That the scenes didn’t move on so quickly and we could actually see her processing. The only emotion came from her daddy issues and I really wish that hadn’t been the case.

It was an interesting read, but not one for me really.

Honey is an immensely enjoyable book covering the early years in the rise of pop star Amber Young. She actually feels real to me, I could definitely feel the Britney, Christina & Justin of it all.

Tackling how the media & public treat young women in the public eye, the effects this has on them, the gruelling work they put in & how they are taken advantage of by men in management is something that is often ignored. Not so in Honey, though I feel it could’ve been more brutally written because I’m sure it’s worse in reality.

Amber & Gwen have a gift, but using it puts them in a world that can be very cruel. I loved Amber as a character, watching her mature was wonderful, I wish we could’ve read more! I loved Daisy & the Six, but this was even better in my opinion, probably because I was one of those young girls in the late 90’s/early 2000’s and it felt so nostalgic.

I can’t wait to see what the author has in store for us next.

I received an ARC of this book via netgalley. I was intrigued by what sounded like an interesting and imaginative storyline. Instead we have a book that centres around Amber Young's sexual exploits and mainly troubled relationships. i don't feel like we got any real sense of how stardom led to events. it felt like an almost continually repetitive series of travel across America and Europe with a man in every location. The narrative was extended by including material supposedly in magazines, interviews etc and a few song lyrics thrown in for good measure. Not for me this one

This book is not to be missed & perfect for the Summer holidays. It gives an insight into how women were treated by the media in the 90s, & kinda reminded me of Britney Spears, & Christina Agularia at the height of their fame .a brilliant book.

This book had all the makings of being right up my alley (I started it the day after I received it over the other 30 books I have on my TBR pile), but it just didn't work for me. It was decent, but at the end of the day, I didn't particularly care about these characters or what was going on in their lives... their self-reflection at the age of 19 rang false and the relationship between Gwen and Amber and Amber and Wes just didn't feel legitimate or real. With this type of book, I want to feel what these characters are feeling and going through, but it never pulled any kind of emotion out of me.

I really enjoyed this book - I felt it was beautifully written. It covered lots of important topics such as the treatment of women in general and by the media.
I wasn't sure if it would be my thing, but it really was, and I'd definitely read another by this author.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 4*
Writing skill : 4*
Plot: 3*
Pace: 4*
Characters: 3*

This was pretty much what I expected it to be in terms of plot, I was feeling nostalgic throughout a lot of the story. I was 13 in 2000 and could easily picture the likes of Britney or Christina being the MC. The added spice was good, and didn't feel unnecessary unlike other books where its added in just to tick a box. I was getting Evelyn Hugo vibes from the plot too, but over a much shorter time frame. Dont expect a #1 times bestseller and this should sit well with you. A great debut.

Such an interesting read about the behind-the-scenes lives of celebrities. I loved the nostalgic throwback to the 90s and 00s.

In this book we meet Amber who has been auditioning for singing jobs since she was young. Eventually all her patience and persistence pays off when she gets the call to join a newly formed girl group - Cloud9 - based in La, which also means that she is able to escape her small town life and, more importantly, her family! This book follows her success as she leaves the group to embark on a solo career, detailing all the perils and pitfalls that go hand in hand with stardom as a young single (?) woman... The manipulation, the face, the exploitation, the threats, the worry, the public's perception of who she is, and all the time, dreading that there is nothing that can pull the rug out from under her.
This book was busy and often chaotic but I guess this mirrors what is happening in Amber's life... Especially with regard to her relationships. It also shows how what people perceive others to be is definitely not always what they are, to often tragic consequences.
There are things that are spelled out and others that are hinted at, but all quite sensitive themes, all done with respect.
I can't really say I enjoyed this book, due to it's content, it's not all that happy at times, and being of a certain age, with common sense, I am not sure it really opened my eyes to anything I wasn't already aware of, but it was, in itself, a rather interesting and intriguing glimpse into the life of a bright star, the things she had to do to get there, and those she has to continue to do to stay there.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

A wonderfully told story about growing up, finding out who you are and exploring the possibilities that exist for you, even when others are imposing their ideas onto you.

The story is of a young singer named Amber Young, who gets scouted at a young age to join a girl band Cloud9, in the era of girl and boy bands, the book then follows Amber's career, with all the highs and lows of being in the public eye and feeling owned by those around her. Being questioned if her ambition is enough, or is it just a desire to be loved and find love.

The story is cleverly set out into the sections of a song, I really liked this style and I really enjoyed the honesty and rawness of what it is like to be a young girl growing into adulthood in the limelight and how others thoughts and opinions shape who you think you are and impact you.

This is a brilliantly written debut novel, I loved the writing style, Isabel Banta has a great way with words, that help you to become immersed in the life of these pop icons of the late 90's early 00's.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

would like to thank netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book

a new author for me and her style of writing took me a while to get into... but the storyline was something that pulled me in....

though i struggled with it... its not a bad storyline it just didnt hold my attention...

An interesting read on pop culture and the highs and lows that come with fame. Very immersive writing with some great characters.