When singer Jesse Reid has an accident, Jane Quinn and the Breakers are tapped to fill in at the Bayleen Island Folk Festival and a star is born. What follows is a torrid love affair eventually undone by Jesse and Jane’s respective secrets. Loosely based on the love affair between Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, Songs in Ursa Major explores the question many women artists must confront: what are we willing to sacrifice for our dreams.

What a fun story for summer! I had a tough time getting started but about halfway through (when the story really focused on Jane) I couldn’t put it down. I’m a huge fan of Taylor Swift and the discussion of sexism in the music industry was so reminiscent of what she is still dealing with to this day. The mention of Jane not owning her master recordings was also very apt.

There were a few things I didn’t love: including the underdevelopment of some characters, I needed more Jesse. I needed more Charlie. I wanted to understand Jane better. I also felt that the random chapters from different viewpoints just didn’t flow, especially because they were from characters I had no vested interest in.
Fans of Daisy Jones will love this one and I actually think I liked the story better, even if it was a bit uneven.

One of the things I missed so much last summer was live music, going to outdoor concerts and listening to music under the stars. We had tickets to see James Taylor on my birthday and I’m still not over it. Songs in Ursa Major took me back to that summer festival feeling and I absolutely adored this novel.

Jane is a local musician living on an island in Massachusetts that’s a summer vacation destination. Jesse is a soft spoken superstar and is set to headline a folk music festival on the island. After he gets in an accident on the way to the concert, no one is more surprised than Jane when her band is asked to take Jesse’s spot on the main stage, and she performs like she’s been doing it all her life.
Loosely based on the affair of Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, this novel is poetic and emotionally charged. It takes the sex, drugs and rock n roll path that you might expect in a novel based in the music industry, but it’s filled with characters you’ll care about through exquisite storytelling.

4.5 stars

Of course I loved this. Total Daisy Jones and the Six vibes, with a little Almost Famous thrown in, too. This story is very loosely based on the love affair between James Taylor and Joni Mitchell in the late 60's/early 70's, but that is definitely not the whole story. While also depicting the hardships of sexism in the music industry at that time, at the core, this is a story of the women of the Quinn family of Bayleen Island.

It's crazy to think this was a debut novel. The way Emma Brodie has masterfully told the story of Jane Quinn—her relationship with her family, her relationship with music, and the intoxicating relationship with fellow musician, Jesse Reid—was really inspiring. This book was extremely atmospheric—I really felt like I was on the island, on tour, or with Jane in Greece. Reading the instances of blatant sexism Jane faced during the processes of recording, touring, and marketing her music was unbelievable, and even more unbelievable is that it's struggles that women still face in the music industry today. Jane shows the resilience to make her music, her way.

While it's going to be compared to Daisy Jones and the Six—I did just that earlier in this review—it is it's own story, not a copycat. I can't wait to read more from this new author.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great debut novel by Emma Brodie. An enlightening look into the music industry in the late 1960's and early 70's. The characters seemed very real to me. I especially liked Janey Q - the main character, an up and coming singer/songwriter, who is learning to navigate the world of record executives, concerts, drugs, and the highs and lows of being in the spotlight. Beyond that, it is also a story about family, love, and secrets. My only complaint is that sometimes it got too deep into descriptions of the music, which was over my head. Otherwise, a very enjoyable read.

I know comparatively little about the folk-rock music scene in the early 1970s, so not surprisingly the images that filled my mind as I read Songs in Ursa Major were of characters from the movie Almost Famous. The big difference in this unique and delicately wrought novel is that in this version Kate Hudson’s character would be a singer-songwriter in her own right—one whose talent far outshines those of the men surrounding her.

Emma Brodie effectively conveys the often unconscious sexism that singer Jane Quinn finds as she navigates the music industry. As a reader you want Jane to succeed, to become a star bigger and brighter than leading man Jesse Reid, but it’s also obvious that Jane is enmeshed an industry not inclined to give her a break. Jesse, born rich and largely disinterested in fame, has everything handed to him before he even asks for it. Jane comes from a poor background and just wants to achieve some measure of security with her talent, but she’s fighting an uphill battle.

Songs in Ursa Major reads a bit slowly at the beginning, but about halfway through it picks up speed. If anything, the end comes abruptly; the story of Jane and Jesse feels unfinished, and a 50-years-later epilogue wraps up their lives a bit too neatly. This minor point doesn’t detract much from the novel as a whole: Songs in Ursa Major is an immersive journey back to a very different time.

A huge thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the widget and the copy of the stunning finished book!

*4.5 stars!*

I have to begin this review with I really loved this book. In a year filled with being stuck at home and having an overwhelming urge to be anywhere other than my living room being stuck inside for another day, Songs in Ursa Major was medicine for my soul. I was transported to a world of music festivals and rock music, can it get any better?

If you are a fan of Daisy Jones & The Six or anything in that vein, this may be of interest to you. The story chronicles Jane Quinn and her rise to fame, set to the backdrop of her fiercely loving family of strong independent females and her interactions with Jesse Reid. This story is loosely based on the love affair between Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, so c'mon!! This is made for me!

I loved the intricate relationship between Jane and her family. A house full of single women, constantly having each other's backs and act as a tether for Jane as she ascends as the star they all knew she was meant to be.

The book navigates the darker themes that come along with music industry stories well and tells a fully realized narrative without shying away from the harsher sides of the industry, specifically what it means to be a woman in this industry.

The writing was equally fast-paced and descriptive. Each chapter felt like a small snapshot of the journey that helped to cover a large amount of ground this story needed to cover. These characters felt so real and watching them grow and live was so fulfilling.

This is such a fabulous debut for author Emma Brodie and I look forward to what comes next!

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me an eARC and finished copy in exchange for a honest review.

Jane Quinn is the lead vocalist and guitarist in the Breakers, a local band of Bayleen Island, off the coast of Massachusetts. The story begins in 1969 at the annual Folk Fest on the island where superstar Jessie Reid is set to headline but an accident leaves him unable to perform and Jane and her band goes on in his place. After their performance on stage, Jane and the Breakers are catapulted into stardom and the music industry. Jane and Jesse spend time together as he recovers on the island. They are two kindred spirits who are drawn together as they spend time working on new music and also because of they both loss someone. The Breakers record a new album and Jane and her band are the opening act for Jessie Reid's 1970s tour. Jane and Jessie are together but she keeps their relationship a secret as she wants to be known for her music and not Jessie's girlfriend. Jane returns to Bayleen island after her entire world erupts after making a discovery while on tour and she writes her masterpiece "Songs in Ursa Major".

The music industry is heavily explored and the apparent sexism and double standards that females faced in the 60s, 70s and even now. Women were taken advantage of, belittle and their creativity and talent were diminished by producers and men in the music industry. This debut novel explores music, family, love, loss, stardom in the 1970s music industry.

Trigger warnings: addiction, drug use, overdose, mental illness, grief

This review is posted on Goodreads, Netgalley and on Instagram.

What a genuinely enjoyable read! I found myself immersed in the vivid settings and characters throughout and, like other readers, enjoyed making the ties to real life people and events. I also appreciated the feminist angle on the sexism in the music industry during this time. Definitely Daisy Jones & the Six vibes but stands on its own!

⚡𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳
Peak into the folk rock and roll music scene from the 60s/70s through the eyes of a talented female musician.

💭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴
I requested this eARC on #netgalley right on the heels of finishing (and absolutely loving) #daisyjonesandthesix, and desperately wanting to go back to that era. I know a lot of people are drawing comparisons between the two, but other than the setting (music industry in this time period), the books are completely different.

I didn’t expect this book to be so engaging but from the moment Jane stepped onto the stage barefoot and won over the angry crowd, I was hooked. The writing is smooth and the characters jump off the page. I loved some of the secondary characters, especially Jane’s family of incredible, strong women.

Although I adored Jane and Jesse, I wouldn’t consider this a romance so don’t go into it expecting that. It’s also definitely a slow burn novel, but so, so worth it.

I loved Jane’s growth throughout the story and the insight into songwriting. Overall this was a beautiful debut and I would recommend it to anyone who’s interested in this time period or the music industry in general.

Songs In Ursa Major by Emma Brodie is a delicious mix of romance, music of the 60s and 70s and a realistic look at sexism in the music industry. Inspired by the love affair of music icons James Taylor and Joni Mitchell this debut writer perfectly brings to life the feel and mood of the sex, drugs and rock n roll of the time. If you love the plot of a Star Is Born this is a must read for you.

I liked the book, and found it an enjoyable read for a quick summer diversion. I doubt the story will stick with me for long, but that doesn't mean it's not good. I do feel that this title is misclassified as women's fiction - it could easily be YA/Young Adult (with the removal/rewriting of a few scenes). I found the sex scenes a little cringe-y. I often reread favorites but once was enough for this one. Still, if you like "behind the scenes" stories about rock bands, I think you'll like it.

Happy living her life on Bayleen Island, Jane Quinn routinely performs her duties as a CNA at the local mental facility and as a bartender at the local watering hole. She players in her band, the Breakers, as gigs arise. Jane has dreams, but doesn’t know how to make them come true until the top star, Jesse Reid, of the local folk festival is in an accident and her band is asked to replace him at the last minute. Jane catches the eye of a talent manager and this begins her tumultuous career as a singer/songwriter and her roller coaster love affair with Jesse.

I loved this book. I’ve never been so absorbed in a book that I lost all track of time and everything happening around me. Jane sabotages her career and love life at every turn, sticking to her morals and feminist beliefs, and I still wanted her to find success, happiness and true love in the end. Songs in Ursa Major is a definite must read in my opinion.

read if you like: a star is born, music, 1960s/70s era stories, feminism, defiant heroines, unique family dynamics, talented women, fuq the patriarchy
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HAPPY PUB DAY TO SONGS IN URSA MAJOR! get it June 22 anywhere you get books☺️

this book truly read like a movie - like a star is born or country song or any musically romantic drama.. it was EVERYTHING

i literally had full body goosebumps on pg 7 - the exact same way you would when the heroine takes the stage and plays in a movie. the description and truly emotional connection you feel through the words is incredible. this book truly felt like i was watching a movie and the visuals were so strong.

the tropes in this were pretty standard for a musical/romance/drama style of book/movie but that didn't make them any less incredible to read!

the sexism that jane faces in the music industry was written through both male and female perspectives and it was fucking brilliant. emma holds a power of making you despise a character so much through words alone that i was literally SNEERING at my book

i loved seeing the, very realistic, sexism storyline but despite this being set in 1969-71 America, there was no racism or homophobia present as well (there are Indigenous & queer side characters). it was utopic and i can make a few assumptions as to why this was done strategically so i liked it but irl during this time there ABSOLUTELY would have been so be mindful of that!

i loved the family dynamics of jane's matriarchial family. absolutely iconic.

the second-half of the book i really didn't know what was going to happen next which by that point, in most books, is not common at all!

the ending was a bit open-ended but it felt right for the story. i wish there was a bit more of an iconic powerful transcendent ending for jane, especially with the sexism storyline, but overall, i really enjoyed it and reco ESP if you like music movies of this sort. also look at that STUNNING cover y'all.
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thank you so much to @penguinrandomca for this ARC & to @emma.c.brodie for writing this story🥰

If you're looking for a book that will give you the same feels as Daisy Jones & The Six, then this is the book for you. I couldn't put this book down once I started. I loved all the nods to James Taylor and Joni Mitchell, like when Jesse Reid played guitar on four tracks on Songs in Ursa Major (James Taylor played guitar on four tracks on Joni Mitchell's "Blue"). It was fun connecting the supporting characters with their real-life counterparts, like Carole King and Carly Simon. This was the perfect book to read in the lead-up to the 50th anniversary of Joni Mitchell's "Blue."

Absolutely fantastic book! Songs in Ursa Major tells of the struggles of Jane Quinn to make it as a female singer/songwriter/gifted musician in the rock industry in the early 70's when men ruled and women were just pretty little things. Jane and her band the Breakers live on Baleen Island off the Massachusetts coast. The Island is famous for its summer folk festival. This year the headliner, Jesse Reid, is a no show so the manager pulls the Breakers off a side stage and puts them on in place of Jesse. That begins the rock and roll part of the story. Jane's family consists of her aunt Grace, very pregnant cousin Maggie, and grandma Elsie. Jane's mother, also a talented songwriter, disappeared years before. Most of the Quinn women work at Elsie's Widow's Peak hair salon and at the Center, a state of the art rehab facility. Grace is called to care for a VIP patient - it turns out Jesse was in an awful motorcycle accident and needs extended care. It is when Jane takes a shift that she and Jesse meet and sparks fly. Between Jesse and the band's new manager, Willy Lambert, Jane and the Breakers are set on the path to rock stardom. But Jane has to make some serious choices about her music, her values and her life. Emma Brodie has given us an excellent first novel. The characters are believable and likeable - it was easy to picture myself sitting down for dinner with the Quinn's or catching the Breakers in concert. There are a few explicit scenes and the book deals very frankly with addiction and mental illness so I would recommend this to mature YA audiences and to EVERY adult! Fans of Daisy Jones and the Six, and Mary Jane will love this book. I think it would make a great book club selection as well. Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC - I enjoyed it immensely. Off to play some Joni Mitchell!!

This novel from the storytelling to the writing was absolutely incredible. To say it's a beautiful story is simply an understatement. This book may in fact be one of my favourites for this year.

When I started reading this book, I was getting hints that reminded me of the movies "Almost Famous" and "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood". Although all are very different stories from each other, I stick to these small comparisons because there were similar aspects in them all that I loved. With that being said, this novel is very much its own with a story that's incomparable.

No matter the genre or style, if you are a music lover/connoisseur, there's a good chance that you'll enjoy this novel. If you have a strong appreciation for music, there's a good chance you'll have a strong appreciation for this novel and the story that unfolds.

I really loved each of the characters that made up this novel from Julia and Jesse to Willy and the Quinn females. I could easily see how Jesse could be made out to be a villain but I think many, like me, will find it difficult to place him in that category based on the complexity of this story.

For those that like a hard hitting and emotional read, check this one out. I cannot help but applaud Emma Brodie on such a fabulous debut and I know I will be keeping my eyes peeled for more of her published works in the future.

***Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me an ARC and final copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review***

It’s the year 1969, Jane Quinn is lead singer of a small town band called “The Breakers.” They practice in the back room of her grandmas hair salon. They are unexpectedly given the chance of a lifetime to headline at their local Massachusetts music festival when the Headliner Jesse Reid is injured in a motorcycle accident. The crowd is furious… they came to see the handsome Jesse Reid, not some small town band. But Janie Q knocks everyone off their feet with the performance of a lifetime, and a star is born.

Songs in Ursa Major portrays the sexism that took place during that time, and how difficult it was for women to show their creativity through music. It nods to mental health issues, family relationships and the Rock and Roll lifestyle on the road in the 70’s.

I throughly enjoyed this book, and was hooked from the first pages. I love that Jane defied all expectations placed before her, to become the singer/songwriter SHE wanted to be. There were many secondary characters that sometimes it was difficult to keep them all straight, but the character building was done very well.

Thank you @netgalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is today June 22, 2021. If you love music this is a great pick for you!

Songs in Ursa Major in an ode to folk music and rock and roll. The story follows Jane Quinn, an aspiring artist who is thrust into the spotlight after a lucky break at a local music festival. Jane is then swept up into the music world, butting heads with the higher ups and falling into a doomed affair with Jesse Reid, a rising star with his own demons lurking behind him electric blue eyes.

I really enjoyed this one! The plot was really interesting and I loved that it was inspired by Joni Mitchell and James Taylor but still felt unique enough to keep me engaged. I also really adored Jane's character and how she was unapologetically herself and unafraid to stand up to the sexism in the music industry. Jane's entire family was such a good supporting cast, too, and I loved that the Quinn women were so central to the story.

This was a great summer read and perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six! (And can someone please tell Reese Witherspoon to adapt this too so I can hear Jane's songs IRL??)

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Knopf for providing the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is definitely out of the norm for what I usually read but I was pleasantly surprised. It seemed to be a fairly accurate depiction of the music scene of the 60/70s which made this a very fun summer read. The book was beautifully written, but I did find it to be a bit predictable. Overall a great book to throw in your beach bag and read while soaking up some sun!

Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie

When Jane Quinn takes the stage at her tiny island’s summer Folk Fest, her local band suddenly subbing for superstar Jesse Reid, she has no real idea of the ride she’s about to go on. Not only does the connection she feels with her fans provide her with the sense of belonging she’s sought since being abandoned as a child, it also opens doors--to Jesse, the strength of his success, and even his piano. Jane’s gift is not something she takes lightly, and conforming isn’t part of the fabric of her family. Songs in Ursa Major leaves readers yearning for Jane to succeed, for Jane and Jesse to find their way together, and for the music industry to find a conscience. I won’t tell you which of those are resolved but will say that for anyone who’s ever been an artist—whether it be with paint or words or music, this story will grab hold and remind you why you do it, and what you are up against.

A great story you will not want to put down. Brava Emma Brodie!
Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. It will be released June 22, 2021.