This debut novel takes place in 1969-71, starting at a fictitious folk festival in Massachusetts. This was the year a lot of the soft rock singers were just getting recognized- James Taylor, Carole King, Joni Mitchell and CS&N. In fact, this book is a takeoff on the Joni Mitchell/James Taylor relationship. And I don’t mean takeoff in the sense of caricature or parody, but more in the sense of a stepping off point.
This book will appeal to those that loved Daisy Jones and the Six. It covers some of the same material - the sexism, the hardships for a female singer to stand her ground and maintain her creative integrity. It also covers how hard it is to keep the tour lifestyle going - the sheer exhaustion, the constant pressure to be “on”, both leading to a reliance on drugs to power through.
While I adored Jane and Jesse and found them well formed, I was even more pleased to see the detail allocated to secondary characters, especially Willy. His comparison to his stars as horses, just really rang true. Brodie really made me feel the work involved in putting together a record, especially one as intricate as Songs in Ursa Major (of course, the entire time, I’m overlaying Blue in my mind).
I devoured this story. I wanted to fly through the pages, but also to savor it. I will admit to being a sucker for books about the music industry, especially from this period, but this is one of the better ones. As the ending of the book states, “a time of myth, a time of beauty, a time of rock and roll.”
My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday for an advance copy of this book.

This story starts in 1969 on a small island where a folk music fest is held yearly.
Janie Quinn is a life long resident and has her own band, The Breakers. The Breakers get to fill in last moment for the main attraction after he is injured in a motorcycle accident. Jane meets the famous Jesse Reid and nothing is ever the same.
A great story of the music industry in the late 60's and early 70's from a woman's perspective.

Songs in Ursa Major was a mixed bag of emotions for me. At the heart of the story, is such a sad love story - and I found myself rooting for Jane and Jesse throughout the book. However, even when I was rooting for her, Jane was sometimes very likeable and sometimes I couldn't stand her. The best part of this book was reading about the creating and recording of all the music. I wanted to look up the songs and listen to them, oh how I wish there was an album for this book! Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for a digital arc of this title.

This was a pretty good story but had too many details about the recording of songs. I did enjoy it though. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

This could be my favorite book of 2021! The story grabs you right away! Set in 1969 this book is nostalgic but relevant and makes you wish you could have experienced the world at this simpler time. A small town band, The Breakers, gets a chance to take the place of the headliner, Jesse Reid, at a local music festival. The lead singer, a beautiful blonde named Jane knows exactly what to do to win over this disappointed crowd. Not only does she make them stay, with her incredible vocals, she catches the attention of Jesse Reid's manager.
From there the band is caught in a whirlwind of making and album and going on tour as the opening act for Jesse Reid. Jane and Jesse start spending more time together and she opens up about her unconventional family. She’s lived with her grandmother, aunt and cousin Maggie since her own mother disappeared 10 years earlier. Jesse advises her on how to navigate in the interworking of the music industry.
As Jesse and Jane spend more time together they start a romance that seems to be written in the stars. While on tour Jesse starts acting suspicious until Jane finds out his shocking secret. The end of the relationship is also the end of The Breakers. They each go their separate ways but the friendship they have had for over a decade will endure.
As Jane tries to find her way on her own she finds herself once again looking to the past to find her future. She realizes her only way to move forward is to make peace with the family secret that she has always protected..

Such a fun way to start my summer reading! Set in the late '60s, early '70s the story follows a young folk rock singer's rise to stardom, complete with a complicated romance with another, more famous star on the scene, and a healthy dose of strong women and family dynamics. In the vein of Daisy Jones or Utopia Avenue, Brodie draws you in to the world of folk singer/songwriter, Janie Quinn, as she rises from her local garage band to a national tour and high profile romance. Brodie brings depth to the character, really drawing you in to her family of strong women, complicated relationship with her mother, and her own growth as an artist, particularly as she navigates being taken seriously as a woman in the industry and holding true to herself. Although there's plenty of depth to the narrative, I found this to be a fast and enjoyable read, the perfect start to summer! Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book in advance. #SongsinUrsaMajor #NetGalley

I loved this book. I sank into the story and wanted to walk along the journey with the characters. Something here for most everyone. If you love music, you'll get even another layer of depth to the story. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC.

I had read Daisy Jones and the Six and really liked it and hoped this would not be too similar. While it does deal with the music scene in the 1970's - it is definitely a different story and just as good. While it is a love story, it also delves into the lives of these young adults striving for fame and dealing with fame, drugs, and unsavory people in the business.

I found it very interesting and vested in the characters lives. Well written and kept my interest throughout the story.

What an amazing roller coaster ride of emotions! The story of Jane Quinn and the journey that she makes trying to find her own voice is one every person needs to read. This book addresses so many issues from mental illness to addiction that it truly speaks to all. You don’t need to be a musician to understand this book. Emma Brodie does an awesome job of explaining the details of writing and singing in a way that teaches so much to the reader. I loved this book and highly recommend it.

If you liked Daisy Jones and the Six you will enjoy this book a lot. It's not quite as well written but as a debut I see great things in Ms. Brodie's future. The plot is terrific but maybe the characters could have been drawn a bit deeper for this reader. A female in the music industry back in the 60s is a wonderful concept. The opening scene of this book was one of the best I've read this year - music festival, star missing, our lead, Jane gets her chance to be seen. She is but it gets complicated. Themes of female empowerment are throughout. She does it her way, suffers because of it, but ultimately grows as a woman and a musician. If you like music you'll probably "get" this book more than I did. Some of the incredibly detailed descriptions of the songs were a bit much for me but the message that writing a song and then realizing why and what it tells you about yourself was definitely heard. (Same could be said for journaling, I guess) There's a love story and some fun travel, but also themes of mental illness and addiction. Why struggle? Because you GET to! I actually dreamed about this book and was glad to find that my ending was NOT the actual resolution. The last chapter is incredibly satisfying and not at all cheesy. I will be on the look out for the next book from this author. 4 and a half stars from me. - Mary Silva

I enjoyed this story about Jane Quinn and her experiences in the music industry of the late 1960's. I found Jane to be an interesting character and especially appreciated her sense of self and her dealing with the sexism that she encountered. Her romance with Jesse is one you find yourself rooting for and I enjoyed the post-script sharing updates for all the characters. The subplot about her mother didn't resonate for me as much but I enjoyed spending time with Jane, Jesse, the band, and the various characters as they worked to build a life that would fulfill their needs.

Reminiscent of Daisy Jones and the Six, this gives off strong 70’s rock’n’roll vibes. Some parts move a bit slowly, but there is nice character development. It’s an escape to another time and place.

I really wanted to like this book - based on rock bands in the 60’s/70’s! Love reading about that but this one was different - I just wasn’t connecting to the characters. The main character, Janie Q, was beautiful, talented and I think she was meant to be a strong female character - but she wasn’t and felt very wishy-washy to me. I’d definitely try this author again but this one wasn’t compelling me to keep picking it back up. Even after the “twist” I’d hoped it would pick up but unfortunately it didn’t happen for me.

Having read (and loved) Daisy Jones and the Six, I was instantly drawn to the premise of Songs in Ursa Major. And while this book didn’t resonate with me as much as Daisy did, I really liked being once again transported to a life and time so far from my own. This book takes you back to the summer of 69 at the Bayleen Island Folk Fest, where local singer Jane Quinn’s chance encounter as a performer on the main stage launches her into stardom. You’ll meet Jane’s strong family of females, her band members who feel like family, and her love interest, singer Jesse Reid. It’s clear author Emma Brodie has fleshed out enough lyrics to write an album herself and I can’t help but feel like some of the songs really would be hits! As we watch Jane chase her dreams, she learns that life in the spotlight isn’t exactly how she imagined it. How far will Jane go to get all she ever wanted? And what will she do when she finds that fame won’t change her past?

This is an awesome debut by Brodie and I look forward to seeing more from her. Thank you to Knopf and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC.

Coming of age read about a musician and her band in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Main character Jane was likeable and relatable. She's funny & fun and there are scenes that stay with you, like the photo shoot. There are some sex scenes and drug related scenes too. I think fans of Daisy Jones & The Six will also enjoy this book.

In the late 1960s, Jane Quinn is the lead singer of a band called The Breakers. They receive their “big break” when the headliner for a music festival is injured and cannot play his set. This sets in motion Jane’s musical journey with her band and within herself.

This was a more of a coming of age story than a romance story. Jane is a very strong character who grew throughout. The music industry tried to tear Jane down again and again, showing readers what being a female singer truly entails: harassment, bullying and deceit. The 60s and 70s were a time of great music, and I loved reading a story set in this era.

I enjoyed the premise of the story. A female singer in an all male band, set in the 1960s and 1970s, I was amped up for a great read. Jane knew what she wanted for her career, and she didn’t bend or break at the industries ideas for her. I enjoyed reading Janes relationship with those in her band, her family, Jesse, and with herself.

I constantly found myself comparing this book to Daisy Jones and the Six which is one of my all time favorite books. It did not meet that expectation I had set for it going in. There were too many characters for me to keep track of, and because of this, I felt I never strongly connected to anyone in the book. Despite these two pitfalls, I enjoyed Jane as a character. She was a strong woman in a mans world who didn’t let fame and fortune derail her from her own wants and goals.
I also felt the epilogue wrapped up the story beautifully and I was so happy with how it ended.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy reading about the music industry, strong female characters, the 60s/70s and coming of age/ family relationship focused stories.

The Bayleen Island Folk Fest attendees are eagerly awaiting the performance of headliner and rising star Jesse Reid when he crashes his motorcycle en route. Local band The Breakers, with their talented and striking lead singer Jane Quinn, are asked to step in and perform in his place. Jane knows they have to deliver the performance of a lifetime to quell the disappointed fans, and they do not hold back. Jesse remains on the island to recover and develops a friendship with Jane, helping her as she begins to navigate the industry while creating The Breakers' first album, including the latent sexism and condescension she contends with at every step. What follows is a passionate love affair between Jane and Jesse, the ups and downs of touring and stardom, and the dark secrets they have both been keeping from each other. Jane must decide what she wants to fight for and what she must let go in order to share her music with the world. She continually finds ways to survive while trying to forge her own path as a woman in the male-lead, male-dominated music industry, ultimately creating of one of the most iconic albums of all time,

Songs in Ursa Major is set in world of the music industry in the 1960s and 1970s, paying homage to musicians like Joni MItchell and James Taylor. It dealt somewhat with the creative process behind writing songs and creating the melodies for them, which, at times, bogged down the plot and didn't add much to the overall story. I thought it was interesting but there was so much description at times that I kept thinking, "Let's get on with it! Back to the main story!" I thought the relationship between Jane and Jesse was intricate, passionate, and intense, while feeling like there was more they could offer each other. The two of them seemed to orbit each other, always wanting to feel the light or approval from the other. They need each other no matter how far apart they are or how much time has passed.

I highly enjoyed this book. Although it follows in the recent trend of other music industry based books, it had a different tone and feeling to it, more of a darker side to the world of music.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday for the eARC of the book. All opinions are my own.

Songs In Ursa Major gives 60s/70s rock music scene realism. We start with Jane Quinn and her band covering at a music festival for Jesse Reid, a rising singer who got into a crash before his set was supposed to start. This launches Jane's (and her band's) budding music career, but not without her being shown the sexism, drug abuse, and awful treatment of the music industry at that time. Between family drama, relationship struggles, and being pushed aside in multiple ways, Jane grows to find herself and the music she wants to make. There were a few plot twists that I didn't expect, but that didn't feel as shocking as I would have expected.

This is kind of a dense read, but it sweeps you up into it. It can be a quick read, but you might miss some things if you go too quickly. I had to go back and reread some things to make sure I had things straight-for instance, the Quinn family is made up of all women, and it took me a while to figure out how they were all related. Recommended for people who enjoy pseudo-documentary novels and can handle reading about drug abuse. I do pretty well reading those things, but I still had a hard time with it toward the end of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars- a great summer read for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six. A little clunky in places, but the character development of the main character is great and the story really carries you along. Perfect for your beach bag.

Thanks to Netgalley, Knoff, and the author who provided the ARC.

I liked the concept of this book and enjoyed the first part of it, but I was disappointed as the story progressed and with the ending. Reading other reviews, I know this was based on two singers/songwriters in the late 60's, early 70's and was meant to show the lives of pop and rock stars. It succeeded somewhat in doing that through two original characters, Jane Quinn and Jesse Reid.

Jane becomes an overnight sensation on the small island where she grew up when she takes the stage at the Island music fest after Jesse is unable to perform. Jane lives with her grandmother and aunt. Her mother, a songwriter whose song was stolen by another artist, disappeared when Jane was a child . . . or so the story goes. The secret about Jane's mother is revealed after Jane and Jesse hook up romantically and tour together. The tour ends disastrously when Jane discovers that Jesse is a drug addict.

I was hoping this book would turn into a murder mystery involving Jane's mother, but it went in a totally different direction. There were some ends never tied up such as a fire during the Island Music Fest, and the ending left much to be desired.