Loved this book. Loved the different perspectives, all in all a very deeply woven web of stories centered around one key event. An excellent fiction read!

The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes was a fantastic read and hard to put down. The story begins with three members of the 2000s era girl group Gloss finding out that their fourth member, Cassidy Holmes, is dead. The book goes back and forth between 2017 and 1999-2002, told mostly from the perspective of Cassidy in the past, but also from the other three women in the present. This was reminiscent of Daisy Jones and the Six in the way that I felt immersed in the behind-the-scenes world of a worldwide pop phenomenon, with all the glitz and grime that goes along with it. I couldn't put down this debut and can't wait to read more from Elissa R. Sloan.

Gloss was the hottest girl band of the early 2000's. The newest member of Gloss was Sassy Cassidy Holmes. Cassidy joined the group after a founding member left the group to fight leukemia. For her, it was a dream come true. She never thought that she would get to have a career in music after she lost a popular singing contest, but here she is, part of the hottest band around. Cassidy soon discovers that fame is not what she thought it would be. Fast forward almost twenty years and Cassidy has committed suicide, leaving her fans, her friends, and her family wondering if they could have done anything differently.


The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes comes with a warning and rightfully so. Cassidy Holmes is a broken young woman who was desperately seeking approval. The approval of the other girls in the band, the approval of their manager, the approval of her family, and approval from the fans. Because of that, she puts herself through hell. Trying to lose weight. Trying to be the best - everything. The narrator jumps around in the timeline between Cassidy at Gloss's heyday and the present day, as those who knew her try to reconcile her death. The reader gets invested in Cassidy's life and you want to scream for those around Cassidy to recognize her pain. Unfortunately, they don't. CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS.

Bottom Line - The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes is an engrossing read about a tragic young woman. I want to say that you should heed the warning. This book has the potential to open some wounds that are common among all women.

Details:
The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes by Elissa R. Sloan
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Pages: 448
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: 9/1/2020
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Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger Warnings for this book: Drug/alcohol use, abusive relationships, rape (not on page), racism, death, and suicide (there is an explicit scene of a character contemplating and getting dangerously close to attempting).

While this book had a really slow start, it definitely picked up around the halfway point and I was absolutely hooked. I liked how this book showed the darker and more dangerous sides of the entertainment industry; how girls and young women are groomed and preyed upon in different ways. Seeing how all of the Gloss girls adjust to and coped with their sudden massive fame was also interesting.

I wish the sapphic relationship had gotten more attention-I think exploring their hate-to-love could have been so great-but we hardly got to see them together at all.

Mental health is explored quite a bit in this book, and I think it handles the subject of depression particularly well. There was one scene in particular that hit so close to home for me, and it was so realistic it was almost too much for me.

*Thanks to the publisher for providing my copy of the book to review via Netgalley!*

I read and listened to this novel at separate times and loved the audio version. The narrator added to the story for me

I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me of Daisy Jones and The Sick, but it shift the music genre to 2000s pop. I thought the narration was performed well and kept me engaged.

A well done audiobook that confirms my opinion that being in a pop group is horrible.

Cassidy Holmes, the fourth member of the a popular girl band, commits suicide. The past is told through Cassidy's view point and the present is told through the remaining members. As her side is told, you find out how little anyone really knew Cassidy. Every character has a different reader, which I always love.

Pop groups have the most demanding lives dictated by a guy. And usually that guy doesn't care about their well being. Cassidy is close to no one but everything thinks that they know her. It's sad how little happiness she had in her life. When you find out the reason that Cassidy commits suicide, it makes sense. She had to have a reason to live no matter how small and when that reason left so did her will to live.

This audiobook is reviewed from an advanced copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

This was a great story that kept me coming back for more! Definitely a must read. The audio book is read by several people making it a unique story !!!!

Being born at the forefront of the Millennial generation, I was coming of age right when pop exploded on the music scene at the end of the 90s and into the early aughts. Pop princesses like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Jessica Simpson were our idols, and boy bands, such as 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys were the source of many teenage crushes. It was a definitive time for music that shaped an entire generation, and author Elissa R. Sloan is showing up with her debut novel The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes just in time to hit us Millennials with all the nostalgic feels.

The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes follows a teenage artist from her early days on a music competition reality TV show similar to American Idol in the late 90s to her rise to pop superstardom as a member of the girl group Gloss, the hottest musical act to hit the scene during the new millennium. But in 2002, Cassidy unexpectedly and abruptly walked away from fame and fortune, leaving Gloss behind and disappearing from the spotlight. Now 15 years later, she is dead by suicide and the world is left reeling, trying to figure out just what went wrong for Cassidy during those fateful years when no one could turn on the TV or pick up a magazine without seeing the Gloss girls splashed across it. Just what is the price of fame, especially when it ends in death?

I will be the first to admit that I devoured this scintillating and captivating novel. Celebrities are an object of public fascination, but one can't help but wonder, who are they really outside of the spotlight? The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes explores this concept, taking readers into the life of a pop superstar and showing us the dark and dangerous parts of the music industry; the things that are too often hidden from public view. While music stars show the world a smiling, happy face, there is often much more lurking behind the scenes. And that is what makes this book so compelling, because while music labels promote their artists to look and act perfectly, the story that is shown to the world is sadly often not a true one.

I was given the opportunity to listen to an audiobook production of this novel, and I am sure that this experience heightened my enjoyment of this compelling read. The audiobook uses a full cast of characters, and it made me feel as if I were listening to interviews with the actual members of Gloss - I was completely immersed in the story they had to tell. I found the narrators to be believable as the girls of Gloss, and forgot that I was listening to a book and not the story of an actual pop group. Additionally, the audiobook employs the talents of Stephen Graybill to read off tabloid stories and provide exploitative "behind the music" commentary about Gloss, furthering the feeling of authenticity in this truly enjoyable listening experience.

The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes will be enjoyed by anyone who has held fascination with Hollywood or celebrities, especially those of the Millennial generation. This book is recommended to readers who also loved Daisy Jones and the Six.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

It's difficult not to compare this story of a early 2000's girl band to the Spice Girls. It was interesting to see the 'behind the scenes' of such a pop group, and it was realistic, in that it touched on real issues such as eating disorders, self-medicating/drug use, and it even managed to tie in to the current #MeToo movement. However, those issues were used as plot and not as self-realization and healing.

For a debut novel, this is very good.

Cassidy Holmes, a once famous singer from an early aughts pop band, has taken her own life. The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes follows Cassidy's life from her earliest taste of fame to the moment it all falls apart. The audiobook narration is reminiscent of Daisy Jones and the Six, using unique narrators for each character. The reader gets to learn about all four members of Gloss. However, none of these characters feel fully fleshed out. One of the things that makes pop bands appealing to teens and tweens is that they get to pick a favorite member, but readers don't get this opportunity. Rose especially, who had a lot of room for complexity and character development, fell felt at the end, with little explanation to why she behaves the way she does. The plot is well-formed, and the writing is engaging, but this book lacks that extra charm that made Daisy Jones so addictive.

The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes is the story of a young gir who bursts on the scene when she joins three other young girs and they become a pop muscial sensation. The different perspective of the characters was helpful in getting to know them however, there were times that I was a bit confused on which character was narrating the chapter I was reading.
Overall I enjoyed listening to the title but did rewind some to try to fill in some gaps. I wanted to know more about the years after Cassidy left the band and her death.