I enjoyed this story about a young girl mapping her way through the music industry. The story of her friendship with another young starlet Gwen, and her romance with a boy band member is an interesting one, highlighting how the media decides to portray someone.The book is well written and although nothing very dramatic occurs, it still makes for a fascinating read.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Back in the 1990s and 2000s pop music was awash with female vocalists, the likes of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. The tabloids speculated endlessly on their skimpy costumes, their sex lives. Fans invested in their relationships, and behind the scenes record labels and managers tried to package them up and control them. What was it like to live in the middle of this whirlwind, to be the focus of all this attention when you're still trying to figure out who you are? That's the idea that Honey is exploring.

When I first picked the book up I was bracing myself for sleazy record bosses and the main character to be a poor, exploited victim, but what emerged was a story of friendship, fortitude and finding your own voice. The music industry markets the main character, Amber Young, as a sex bomb and at first that made me deeply uncomfortable. But Amber is genuinely keen to explore her sexuality. She's a teenager, she's unashamedly looking for love and lust the way other teens are, it's just all happening in the public eye. Some of the sex scenes were still a bit much for me, as she is so young but the tone is honest, not sleazy.

What I loved the most though, was her relationship with supposed pop-rival Gwen. The world assumes they're natural enemies - Gwen is Bubblegum-sweet, Amber is super-sexy - but they never lose sight of who they really are. I loved following both women's journeys and it made me think about Britney et al in a completely new light.

This is a beautifully written book following the career of a young pop singer, from her first forays into the industry and beyond. Her public persona is contrasted with her true personality and feelings, and the reader gets a sense of the disembodiment and objectification that people in the public eye must feel.

As I say, this book is beautifully written and also very insightful. I have to admit that I struggled to stay engaged with it towards the end as I got a little bored, which is the reason I’m only giving three stars.

Thanks to the author and publisher for granting me access to this ARC in return for an honest review.

Honey follows Amber Young's journey through the highs and lows of pop stardom in the late '90s and early 2000s. Amber struggles with fame and authenticity, and the pressures of the music industry. I found this to be a captivating read with relatable characters and thought-provoking themes. A absolute must-read!!!

NOT a true story, even if it felt like it throughout. Amber is selected for one of the girl bands - Cloud9 - and her life takes a turn she never imagined.

Media is looking for stereotypes, and so are the producers - suddenly Amber doesn't recognise herself in the way she's portrayed, and her actual feelings are not in line with the narrative, neither are those of her fellow band member Gwen or boy band star Wes. They are all young, and their lives are decided (directed!) by those with money.

"I didn't like to perform. I liked to be loved."

A fantastic debut novel!!!

Thank you to Netgalley, Bonnier Books / Zaffre and Isabel Banta for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An incredibly poignant and thought provoking debut from Isabel Banta depicting the rise of pop star Amber Young in the late 90s to early 2000s.

This book read as though it could be a real biography, it was honest and at times raw with the descriptions of life growing up in the spotlight.

This new author will be one I'll be looking for in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It took a while to get into this one but honestly it was surprisingly good. I'm drawn to anything to do with famous people and how they live their lives, because it's always messy and fun and I just want to be famous. It's always interested to be reminded that famous people, especially younger famous people, don't have the glamorous lives they are portrayed to have in the media. This also touched well on how brutal the media was towards anyone in the limelight in the 90s and early 00s.

The writing was nice, the characters were written well and the story was compelling.

I'd definitely pick up something else from Isabel Banta.

“His gaze sweeping across her like a lighthouse beam, and she is the ship he is guiding home”

4.5 stars

I royally loved this book. It gave me Brittany Spears/modern day Daisy Jones vibes, and the plot was brilliant. Everything was thought through very meticulously - parts separated into verses, and the inserts of news stories etc. Amber’s character development was enjoyable to read and, despite not liking her at the beginning, I really liked her by the end! I feel like she deserved her wholesome ending and it was really really worth the read!! I just love it when books blur the lines of reality like this! it makes me believe the characters are truly real!
The only negative point I will make, is that at the beginning I felt the chapters were too long and jumpy - switching from past-present as Amber recalls her past. But I got into the swing of things and was hooked!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this gem, in return for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6328977437

As a child of the nineties, this is my era! And there was a strong nostalgia factor here, for someone who can remember a time before iPods and streaming, when music magazines and Top of the Pops ruled the world. And of course there are echoes, subtle and not so subtle, of the real lives of nineties/noughties stars like Britney Spears in here too. The book does a very good job of lifting the lid of the grimmer side of the music industry (and society more generally) around that time, underneath the bubblegum surface. And Amber is a strong, likeable lead character, who I was inclined to root for. My only gripe may be a slight lack of fun. There is a lot of navel gazing. And although possibly needed given everything the protagonist is up against, as a reader I found myself hoping for a bit less seriousness and a bit more joy.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

As soon as I saw girl band , late 90's early 2000's and music I knew this would be my kind of read and I wasn't wrong. I grew up in 90s and loved the spice girls and thought me and my school friends would be in a girl band, we practised every lunchtime! The book follows singer Amber who lives in America and all her life has wanted to sing and be famous. She begins in a band but then goes solo and tours with a band across states and the world. I really loved the friendship she had with fellow pop star Gwen. I liked how the topics covered girls growing into womanhood and how men sexualise girls in the industry and in general. I loved the style and writing and will be recommending this book to others. Any book that makes me cry gets a 5 star. Me crying to this book was so expected that I was finishing the last 4 pages in a café on a Saturday day time, very busy and out of no where at the end of the book I just got all the feels and was sobbing in public, testament to how much I grew to love Amber as a character

I will probably flesh out this review further at a later date, but this book really surprised me in a positive way. The writing often and surprisingly veered towards the lyrical and didn’t feel sugar coated or simplified for a younger audience. Then again, I’m not too sure as a whole this should be shelved in the Teens and YA section. The character in the present time of the book is 42 which is nearly my age - I think the target audience would be people born in the 80s maybe up until 1990. I’m really enjoying reading about unflinching female friendships recently and it was totally believable that these two characters who were constantly being pitted against each other were in fact best friends,

Isabel Banta’s, Honey, is a beautifully written debut novel that follows Amber Young, a rising pop-star in the 90s’, and the fluctuations of being a woman in the spotlight, especially during this period of time. I knew within the first few pages of this novel that Honey would be a book that enthrals me, and it would have me either devouring the pages or taking my time to appreciate the beauty and magic behind every sentence. It surprisingly turned out to be the second option, I wanted to savour every last moment of the book.

Honey covers an extensive range of topics such as the objectification and the unfair treatment of women by the media, how society often sows dissension between women, the contradictory standards for men and for women, misogyny, the power of dynamics, and much more.

One of the main things I loved about ‘Honey’ was the vividness of Banta’s characterisation. It had me wanting to google the characters’ names as I was utterly convinced they were real people. Banta made the vision of the world of ‘90s pop stars come to life in a way that made the unfortunate events Amber found herself in seem relatable, yet I simultaneously felt as though I was learning something new. It made me realise just how badly we as a society treat women who are in the spotlight. It read very similar to a memoir, but with the atmosphere and the evocative beats of Daisy Jones and The Six and the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

Through Amber, the reader gains an insight into the often dark and exploitative world of Hollywood and the silent suffering of many women who dare to venture in. ‘Honey’ showcases the real and the raw, the often difficult methods women have to implore to reach the top, as their male counterparts benefit from their exploitation. I felt a sense of exasperation on Amber’s behalf for the way in which the people around her persistently tried to control her, convert her image, and suppress her voice. How some of the things Amber was continuously admired for were used to raze her to the ground. How there are so many possible ways to be a woman, yet none of them ever seemed good enough. I found Amber’s story bears a resemblance to the things Britney Spears shares in her own memoir ‘The Woman In Me’. I think we owe so many women who are in the spotlight an apology. While Amber’s story of being a pop-star during the 1990’s is such a unique premise, I think many of the themes that were discussed in the novel are universal and I’m sure many people who read the novel will be able to resonate with at least one part of the story.

I can’t recover from the fact ‘Honey’ is Banta’s debut novel. She is a once-in-a-lifetime talent and the way she writes makes it feel as though she has been publishing books for years. Please buy this book when it’s released so I have even more of an excuse to talk about it!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Bonnier Books and Isabel Banta for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I can’t wait to read more of Banta’s work in the near future.

Publishing date: 25 June 2024

I really loved this book. Everyone has dreamt of being a pop star!
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy this ARC ebook.

I really enjoyed this book. I will look the others books of the author
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

As a 90s baby I dreamt of becoming a famous popstar so this sounded right up my street.
The storyline was good, less drama than I expected but enough happening to hold my attention.
The characters overall were likeable and had growth.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t my cup of tea. I got through 35% and then just skipped to the end to find out what happened. There was nothing wrong with it. I think other people will enjoy it.- but for me, it just felt really unsurprising? It’s the story of a pop star - it felt like Daisy Jones and the Six (book, not TV show) but that had already been done so brilliantly that this felt like a pale imitation.
The two stars are because I could see it wasn’t badly written at all; just not my thing.

I really enjoyed this book, I found the writing style very immersive. I was hooked in to Amber's story and was rooting for her the whole time. I liked how we experienced Amber's growth as the story follows her through her blossoming career. The characters were well written and developed, I especially liked Gwen and her storyline. I think this book is a great insight into the harsh reality of lifestyle as a popstar and shows the ups and downs of this life in a relatable way. I would recommend this book and will definitely be reading the authors next release.
4.5 stars rounded up.

An interesting take on the life of a female pop sensation, although in the current (or emerging) "Me Too" climate there wasn't a focus on that at all in this but an idea of how lonely this life could be and why so many of these "stars" seem to submit to alcohol or drugs.
Quite a well paced tale overall.

Not particularly the type of book that would have me desperately awaiting the author's next story but overall an engaging read.

This is about a girl who recognises her dreams as a singer. The path to greatness is beset with pitfalls though - like the manufactured “sexy” image she is given. Of course being young and pliable, she doesn’t get what she wants straight away. And the boy she initially falls for starts dating her best friend because that’s what the public seem to like. With her spirit though, I found myself gunning for her to find her own way. It was easy to get into the hectic life Honey leads and there is a pop style to the way the narrative is presented, interspersed with interviews and viewpoints. I enjoyed reading this.

This book was great, I found that I was cheering Amber on to be successful, even though it was inevitable, Banta makes sure she keeps Honey grounded throughout. Reading this I felt invested within Honeys life, she wants stardom, but what does she want? The rest of the characters Banta created were interesting too. It was a great read and I think this is going to be one of 'the' best sellers of 2024!