Amazing Loved, loved, LOVED this book. I immediately fell in love with Jane, the Breakers and the story as it unfolded. I do wish the ending was slightly different but I loved the flash forward to see where everyone wound up.

Musical novels are having their moment in the spotlight. Taylor Jenkins Reid's Daisy Jones and the Six was the trailblazer, and now books featuring soulful storylines are finding their way into the hands and hearts of readers. Combining both riveting narratives and magical melodies, these reads are often packed with intrigue and drama, and are positively unforgettable. Some of these novels, such as Daisy Jones, are even inspired on real musical acts, as is Emma Brodie's debut, Songs in Ursa Major, which is loosely based on the short-lived relationship of folk singers James Taylor and Joni Mitchell.

Jane Quinn and her band The Breakers are not on anyone's radar to make it big on the music scene. However, when they are a last-minute replacement at a local Folk Festival for superstar Jesse Reid, who crashes his motorcycle on the way to the venue, they find their star steady on the rise. Jane and Jesse grew up on Bayleen Island together, but they come from different worlds, never intersecting or coming in contact, but that is quick to change when Jane and The Breakers are given the incredible opportunity to record an album under the same label as Jesse.

As Jane helps nurse Jesse back to health after his near-fatal accident, he assists her with her album and navigating the industry, and the two soon form a bond that transcends their shared passion of music. But as their ardor for each other grows and their bands head out together on a head-spinning tour full of shared moments in the spotlight and plenty of boozy late nights, they find themselves dancing too close to the sun, sure to be burnt. When things come to a head and life-altering secrets are revealed, no one will walk away unscathed or the same.

The late 60s and early 70s were such an iconic time in history, and especially in music, making it the perfect backdrop for Brodie's folk music-inspired novel. Trailing Jane as she contends with standing up for herself as a woman in a world that caters to men, while also coming to terms with the fact that she became a star by riding Jesse Reid's coattails, Songs in Ursa Major shines a spotlight on the hoops women have to jump through to be taken seriously in the music industry. Readers will root for Jane as she grapples to find footing as a musician in her own right, and fights to take control of her life and career.

Also tantalizing is Brodie's use of music and lyrics throughout this euphonic novel. Interweaving songwriting and lyrics with narrative, Songs in Ursa Major envelops readers with the music of Jane Quinn and Jesse Reid, providing for an immersive, reflective reading experience. Brodie captures a moment, a place, a person in Songs in Ursa Major, and has created a resounding tale of the music scene.

Where Songs in Ursa Major falters is in Jane's connection with readers. By telling this story in third person, Brodie misses an opportunity to allow readers to really associate with Jane on an intimate level and fall in love with her, which happens to be my biggest issue with this book. I did not like Jane. I feel like Brodie only gave us what Jane would want us to see of her, and because we are not let in, it is difficult to elicit feelings of endearment or sympathy towards her as she struggles to find her way.

Soon to be a motion picture, Songs in Ursa Major will most appeal to readers who enjoy books about the music industry. While this novel has a different feel and story structure from Daisy Jones and the Six, readers who enjoyed the musical aspects of that novel will also find much to love about Songs in Ursa Major.

I very much enjoyed this story. It was wonderfully written. I look forward to the author’s next book!

Is there a genre of fiction books about fictitious rock bands/singers with a behind-the-scenes feels? I really hope there is. After reading The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes by Elissa Sloan, and Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, I fell in love with reading about the going-ons of these bands. I can add Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie to this list, as I fell in love with Janie Q and The Breakers!

This book is Emma Brodie's debut novel, and it was an amazing read. From meeting the Breakers, and learning about Jane's rise within the music industry in the late 60's and 70's was so interesting to me, I could not stop turning the pages. We get to see Jane's struggles with her getting to know Jesse Reid and how it impacts her place in the biz. As she rises to a level of superstardom, we are there when all of her relationships change, and how she handles them.

Every now and again, the POV of the story would change, and we would see an incident from the POV of a music producer, or a photographer. These instances worked very well in the story and really enhanced what was going on in the story. A few trigger warnings: drug use, addiction and mental health concerns.

I have read that this story is loosely based on the love affair between James Taylor and Joni Mitchell. If this is true, then I need to look up more about this! My only complaint about this book was that the ending wrapped everything up to where there will never be a sequel. That made me sad, as I would love to visit this world again!

If this is Emma Brodie's debut novel, I cannot wait to see what else can come from her!

Once I started reading, I couldn't stop. I loved the characters, the scenery of the Island, the story, it just ticked every box. The musical nostalgia took on a character of it own! I highly recommend this debut book!

This took a little while for me to get into the story.
This is 3rd person POV. Jane, the heroine and Jesse the hero.
The story starts off in 1969. There are a lot of characters to keep up with.
Each characters has their faults and vices. It really was trying my patience. It did had some realism to the era.
I liked Jane and I really was pulling for her. I wish that this would have been 1st person.
This was a fun area to go through.
I would love to read more by this author. I'm ok, if it's not about the music world.

Jane Quinn has just gotten the opportunit of a lifetime. Jesse Reid, a very popular singer, is supposed to appear in a music festival but he is now injured and can’t be on the stage. Jane is asked to step in for Jesse. The crowd is restless but she manages to still perform and get noticed.

After, Jesse and Jane start becoming close. Her band is even chosen to open for Jesse’s upcoming tour. Things don’t turn out as expected but she is inspired to be able to write Songs in Ursa Major.

This debut was fantastic! As an artist, Jane uses inspiration from her life to be able to create something amazing. You get a glimpse on how the music industry treated women and how double standards were normal at that time. It has been compared to Daisy Jones and the Six but they are both different. This book is definitely worth the read.

I absolutely loved this book. I originally hesitated because of the comparison to Daisy Jones but once started realized that this was a completely different story and I never wanted it to stop. I feel in love with Jane and rooted her on through everything. I cannot wait to read more from Emma Brodie.

This is a great book for fans of Daisy Jones & The Six or fans of fiction about the music industry. It's 1969 and at a music festival on a small island off the coast of New England, Jane gets her big break when the headliner doesn't show up for the festival. She and her band perform and get noticed. So begins a whirlwind tale of music, ambition and love. Jane was a relatable protagonist who struggles with career and romance. She has her own personal history of a missing mother and family trauma. In an industry that seems dead set against letting her succeed, Jane follows her heart.
Through it all she maintains her integrity and sense of self. I really enjoyed this one and recommend it!

I adore how music and lyrics were woven throughout this book. though I didn't really enjoy the ending.

This was a warm, quick, fun read that was much needed in the middle of January (and on the heels of A Little Life). Books about music and the music industry seem to be the hot take right now which is ok with me but I definitely fell into the comparison trap and was thinking about how this novel stacked up to its more recent competition.

First off, I had no clue about Joni Mitchell and James Taylor. I knew about him and Carole King...but I guess I just really don't know my 60s/70s singer-songwriters as well as I thought! Anyways, it was an added bonus that this was based off real life people, but just happened to be fictitious. I felt with Daisy Jones & The Six it was completely obvious it was about Fleetwood Mac and Rumors so this was a happy discovery.

I did feel bits and pieces were unpolished and the narrative of the book moved a bit too fast if that makes sense. For instance, at the beginning, they just perform and POW the next day talking to a person in the biz. Especially since the festival was dying so rapidly that it became defunct the next year. But I think that comes from debut writers and lack of nuance.

I think the characterization was off as well. It would be hard to explain what felt off about them without giant spoilers that don't take place until 3/4 of the novel have progressed, BUT just know 2+2 did not seem to add up to 4 and there seemed to be continuity issues with personalities and the stories being told. I am not wholly convinced that our main character Jane would act in a certain way or believe certain tales near the end of the book...I'm just not.

All that being said, it was a pretty good, fast-paced read. Infused with a lot of real-based characters that kept you guessing who was who. Immerses the reader in the world of 1969 and the music industry harking back to a more romantic time for songs and song writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a free digital copy to read and review. These opinions are all my own

Perfect summer or vacation read. Something to pick up on and off. Only because I didn’t want it to end.

When a song drags you in from the beginning you know you're in for a treat.
Songs in Ursa Major did just this.

Jesse is an artist recovering from an accident. Jane is asked to step in to fill the position at a music festival. What results is an unlikely relationship.

I loved how the lyrics are seamlessly woven into the book. What we find is the bond that can only be created by music.

If you like music this is for you. If you like reading this is for you. I really enjoyed this book.

Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie is a historical fiction that looks at the romance between musicians and how it affects their careers.

When a book grabs you from the first page, you just KNOW it's going to be good. Songs in Ursa Major was hard to put down. Jesse and Jane show that music really does bring us together.

Songs in Ursa Major follows the discovery of a young woman, Jane, by Jesse Reid, who is already the rising star recovering from an accident. Showing the choices of fame, artistic liberties, and reality of gender bias, we see how their careers evolve. I enjoyed the writing and how the lyrics were shown throughout - it makes you 'sing' in your head along! I felt like the plot moved in a way that felt realistic, too.

Following reading, I had the opportunity to listen to Emma Brodie - highly recommend also checking YouTube for a song based on the book.

Thank you Knopf Doubleday and Netgalley for an ARC; I also purchased a copy of my own!

I will admit I was hoping for a Daisy Jones and the Six vibe. Although that’s not really what this was I did enjoy the story. I’m not sure I liked the end? I would read another by this author. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC

I just finished reading Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie and let me just be real for a sec here...

I'm typically not a huge fan of stories set around the music scene of the 60s and 70s (or any music scene for that matter). Love the music from that era but I don't know, stories set around this subject just don't do anything for me.

So at first when I heard about this book, I wasn't too interested. But this year is the year I've been trying to read outside my typical go-to genres so I thought let's give it a shot.

I'm happy I did! The storytelling and writing in this book is amazing. I read this on my Kindle and was constantly highlighting so many passages throughout the book because the writing was just so beautiful.

Songs in Ursa Major is set in the late 60s and 70s and follows musicians Jesse Reid and Jane Quinn. Jesse is set to perform at a music festival but gets into a serious motorcycle accident on the way to the show.

Jane and her bandmates are asked to step in and play at the festival. Obviously everyone is super disappointed because they were there to watch Jesse perform but Jane blows everyone away and delivers a performance of a lifetime.

Jesse and Jane strike up a friendship and then a steamy love affair. We follow them through the ups and downs, the highs and lows of being in the music industry, especially during that time.

I enjoyed this book so much! I loved the time period, Mary Jane and the story. A great coming of age story that deals with the first time a girl realizes maybe her parents aren’t always right.

Likely one of my favorite books of the year. Beautifully written, enchanting, and female forward.

ARC via NetGalley but the opinions are my own.