This Bird Has Flown is the debut novel from Susanna Hoffs (singer/guitarist and founding member of the Bangles). Prior to its April 4, 2023, release date, Little Brown and Company provided an early galley for review.

I had heard awhile back an interview from Susanna where she mentioned that she was writing a novel, so I was very pleased to see this one pop up. I am a big fan of her music and was eager to see what she could do in this area. A glance at the chapter titles and the dedication made me smile. This indeed was going to be a novel for lovers of music like me.

For a first novel, it is solidly put together. The narration is clear and easy to follow. She does not get bogged down in exposition, allowing the background story elements to flow naturally from the action. I appreciated that the story did not always go down the easy and predictable routes. This is very reflective of life itself and makes the story feel plausible and real. Her characters are accessible and serve a purpose in the overall telling of Jane's story. Susanna's ability to draw upon her own life experience further helps add to the credibility of Jane's career, especially when she is performing. As we always say in writing group, "write what you know".

I look forward to Susanna's next book, whatever it is. I hope that she finds more itches that this kind of writing scratches for her

This is exactly the kind of salty female main character trying to do better in her 30’s story I’ve been craving. A great debut, looking forward to more from Hoffs

"Music. Fate. Redemption. Love.

Jane Start is thirty-three, broke, and recently single. Ten years prior, she had a hit song - written by world-famous superstar Jonesy - but Jane hasn't had a breakout since. Now she's living out of four garbage bags at her parents' house, reduced to performing to Karaoke tracks in Las Vegas. Rock bottom.

But when her longtime manager Pippa sends Jane to London to regroup, she's seated next to an intriguing stranger on the flight - the other Tom Hardy, an elegantly handsome Oxford professor of literature. Jane is instantly smitten by Tom, and soon, truly inspired. But it's not Jane's past alone that haunts her second chance at stardom, and at love. Is Tom all that he seems? And can Jane emerge from the shadow of Jonesy's earlier hit, and into the light of her own?

In turns deeply sexy, riotously funny, and utterly joyful, This Bird Has Flown explores love, passion, and the ghosts of our past, and offers a glimpse inside the music business that could only come from beloved songwriter Susanna Hoffs."

And if it gets adapted we get the real Tom Hardy right?

This highly readable debut novel tells the story of Jane Start, a singer/songwriter who had a hit covering someone else’s song ten years ago. Never able to build on her initial success—her sophomore album of original music failed—she’s been struggling ever since to find her way. Back living with her parents, Jane has writer’s block and is unable to write any new songs. After reluctantly accepting a gig to do a private performance for a bachelor party in Las Vegas (which goes badly), Jane is happy to accept an invitation from her longtime agent and friend, Pippa, to fly to London and spend a few weeks, trying to find herself creatively while living with Pippa.

At the last minute, Pippa is unable to make the flight to London and Jane finds herself sitting in first class next to a very attractive Oxford professor named Tom Hardy. Jane and Tom hit it off and before leaving the airport, Jane gives Tom her number. Two weeks go by and no text or phone call from Tom; just when Pippa is urging Jane to forget about Tom, he finally reaches out and they meet in Oxford for lunch. Things move very quickly from there and soon Jane is moving in with Tom in his flat in Oxford. Although she's not really making any progress in writing new songs, Jane also receives an offer to sing her hit song at the Royal Albert Hall that could help to revive her career.

#ThisBirdHasFlown has lots of humorous banter and some wonderful descriptions of how Jane feels when she writes a song or performs. Jane is a very sympathetic character but her desire to live in the present and leave her own recent painful breakup behind leads her to be incredibly oblivious to clues about Tom’s past relationships and their potential impact on her and Tom. It makes her seem very needy, jumping from one relationship to another, without truly understanding what she is getting into.

Nevertheless, the book is an entertaining debut with an appealing cast of characters and an interesting look inside the music business .

Thanks to #NetGalley and #LittleBrown for the ARC!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the novel. It was somewhat predictable, but it was a fun read.

What makes a book a five star read? Five stars are for books I am thankful for. Books that draw me in; give me characters who are complex, unique and make me wish I knew them personally. Five stars are also for books I can’t put down because I become so invested in their story. This Bird has Flown is a five star 🌟 read.

Jane Start is technically a one hit wonder. Ten years earlier she released a cover of a song by superstar Jonesy. What followed was a a viral record, video, and instant fame. However, when she did her follow up album, her star began to fade. This Bird has Flown is a story of the cost of fame; the struggle to cope with the imminent fall; all interwoven with a powerful love story.

Susanna Hoffs clearly has a way with words, given the unforgettable songs she has written, and this book is just as good. I fell for Jane, Pippa, Will and Tom. actually all of the characters. Their characteristics were so clearly written I felt I could see them in front of me. I felt their pain, joy and hope. I highly recommend this book and fingers crossed there will be others to follow.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read and review this arc.

THIS BIRD HAS FLOWN is an entertaining, charming read with real and fun characters. I loved the witty humor and the style of writing. I so appreciated that instead of following the money, fame, and security, the main character Jane follows the path where she feels free and can spread her wings. And how appropriate that Jane and Tom meet on an airplane. What a delightful debut for the author!

Many thanks to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Do you remember the Bangles? How about lead singer (and co-founder) Susanna Hoffs? What a surprise to find she has written a novel—and a charming one at that.

The lead character is Jane Start, 10 years past her one hit, a cover of a song by a big star named Jonesy, and seven years past the unsuccessful album of her own songs. As the story opens, she’s now reduced to singing karaoke at a Las Vegas bachelor party, which must be rock bottom, right? Definitely, if you add to it that she has recently broken up with her cheating boyfriend.

Pippa, Jane’s longtime London-based agent, gives Jane a ticket to London and, on the flight, Jane’s seatmate is Tom, an Oxford professor. On that long overnight flight, there is a connection between them.

There follows several months in London and Oxford, full of romance and making new friends in Tom’s Oxford world. But there are threats to Jane’s happiness, in the form of an old girlfriend of Tom’s, and an offer from Jonesy that sounds great except that Jonesy is the ultimate unknowable control freak. (And seems clearly based on Prince.)

For quite a bit of the book, the Jane character disappointed me. For a woman in her early thirties she seemed way too easily overpowered by her emotions and lacking in any self-confidence. But she grew on me, especially in connection with the many other well-drawn and winning characters. The storyline also plays out with ratcheting tension in Jane’s personal and professional life, which kept me compulsively turning the pages.

An unexpected bonus is Hoff’s brilliant descriptions of the enchantment of music and performance.

One hit wonder Jane Start hasn’t really performed in ten years, is not only broke has recently split with her boyfriend. But her manager/friend hasn’t given up on her and gets her a gig at a bachelor party. Afterwards, with nothing else, she decides to stay with her manager in London. On the flight there, she meets Oxford professor, Tom Hardy, and there are sparks. What follows is a new life in London, possible performance on stage, but both she and Tom have secrets that may ruin this budding romance.

This is a music industry rom-com, that I enjoyed reading. This debut novel written by former Bangle – Susanna Hoffs is a pleasurable trip behind the scenes of what it is like to be a popular musician, but more important what it is like to be human.

I thought the concept for This Bird Has Flown was really interesting, but I just couldn't really get immersed in the novel as much as I had hoped. Regardless, I do think it's a book that patrons will enjoy, so we will be purchasing for the collection.

This Bird Has Flown follows has-been one-hit wonder Jane as she leaves a pathetic show gig to stay at her manager’s place in London, hoping that things will turn around for her and she’ll be able to write some new hit songs. Only, on the flight over, she meets Tom, who in the shadow of her breakup with her longtime boyfriend Alex, looks like a very interesting peer to Jane and steers the novel down the track of a light hearted Rom-com.
I expected this novel to be a quick read of amusing scenes that flew by, but I found myself struggling with this. Jane seemed like a likable character at first, but her decisions as the novel went on were frustrating (how many red flags did Tom drop and yet Jane still moved in with him after just two weeks?) and the side characters were only there to help funnel Jane towards the discovery of the “big lie”, rather than help flesh the novel out. It was irritating to see even the novel focus more on Tom and what he was hiding than on Jane’s endeavor to write a new song and get her flailing career back up and running. Even Jane’s stage fright, which was the perfect climax moment to string throughout the plot due to her agreeing to a large concert showing, wasn’t really pulled from that often in favor of wondering about Tom’s ex Amelia.
I’m not saying I expected extremely well rounded characters, but the interactions between so many of the characters themselves along with Jane’s highly questionable decisions made this book much more cringy than fun to read.

I enjoyed this smart, sexy, emotional romance between a newly-expat American singer and a British professor, from Bangles lead singer Susanna Hoffs, who knows all about the vagaries of pop stardom. I felt at times like it could have resolved a bit more quickly, but the characters were interesting enough to keep me engaged. The local scenes in Oxford really shone.

A solid first effort from Susanna Hoffs! No doubt that she is extremely talented, and this book was super fun, but it just didn’t click 100% with me. A mix of women’s fiction and romance, the love story is pretty depressing at the end of the day, but I did enjoy the look at the music industry from someone who certainly knows her stuff.

4.25/5 stars! What a fun, exciting, and unique story. This reminded me a lot of the movie "Music and Lyrics." Sometimes you're just looking for inspiration for the next big song. That's where Jane is at the start of this hilarious contemporary romance. I was even more excited to learn the author is a singer herself. Nothing like life mimicking art . This was one of those books you can't put down because you're laughing too hard to stop.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Jane Start used to be a household face and name, but in the intervening years, her star has descended. It's been a week and she's endured a rather humiliating experience at a Vegas bachelor party. Jane hops on a plane to London, where she'll lick her wounds with her best friend. On the flight, sparks fly with handsome Oxford professor Tom and heartbroken Jane begins to hope. Fast forward two weeks and Tom *finally* texts Jane. They fall into a fast and furious love, but Jane can't shake the feeling Tom is keeping something from her and all evidence points to that fact.

This modern tale modeled on Jane Eyre was adorable, funny, and alluring. The characters were easy to care about - Jane was broken in all the right ways. I loved her relationships with Pippa, Will, and Tom.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I look forward to reading more novels by Susanna Hoffs. Check it out now!

Hoff writes in a lyrically wonderful style. I thoroughly enjoyed this peek backstage in the music business and her portrayal of a female in the industry who has the possibility of a comeback (in work and love!) without sacrificing who she is now.

This was a fun, sexy, sometimes silly romp in the life of a thirty-something one hit wonder, Jane. Her life is in the dumps, playing at a bachelor party in Vegas, when her luck begins to change--meeting a flirty rock star, kissing a handsome Oxford professor on a long plane ride, and possibly getting a chance to share her music again at a highly publicized concert. What could go wrong? The characters really shined in this story--I loved all the quirky characters. The story sometimes seemed to wander a bit, but I was there for it. I really enjoyed this one!

A delicious debut by singer, songwriter, guitarist and now novelist Susanna Hoffs.
Hoffs mixes music, romance, sold-out concerts and adventure as the reader traverses through the world of Jane Start. Once famous for covering a song by Jonesy, a world famous songwriter, she has been reduced to living at her parents home and playing karaoke in bars. When an opportunity is presented by her manager Pippa, Jane is heading to London. In transit, she meets a handsome professor and is enamored instantly. Inspired, her life is about to take an unexpected turn and a much unexpected connection!
Highly recommended and fun to read.
My thanks to NetGalley, the author and Little, Brown for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.

As a woman who grew up in the 80s and 90s, I wanted to love this book. I struggled to connect with the characters and some of the writing felt disjointed for me. There were some scenes that were fun, but ultimately, there were aspects of the story I just couldn't get on board with. Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am sorry to say that I liked the IDEA of this book more than the book itself. It felt like a series of somewhat amusing incidents that didn't quite hang together as a novel. If Hoffs were to write another book I'd be interested in taking a look, but this one didn't work for me.