Honey is a warm, heartfelt novel with an emotional core. Banta’s writing is sweet, and the characters are so relatable that you can’t help but become deeply invested in their journey.

“𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭? 𝐖𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐦𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞? 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰?”

Honey is a nostalgic coming-of-age story of needing connection set during the teen pop boom of the late 90s and early 2000s.

Detailing Amber Young’s slow rise to stardom from a young age, Isabel Banta’s prose reads just like it is Amber’s own memoir, written from her journals and memories. I liked the multimedia pieces that were strewn in, like a Wiki article on Cloud9 (the failed girl group of Amber and best friend/pop star rival Gwen), a J-14 magazine quiz, and interviews, which help continue to capture that nostalgic feeling; all reminded me of how I used to consume any article about the pop stars that I loved. Amber’s story definitely pulls from Britney’s: a Star Search feature, an early connection to a member of a beloved boy band (who eventually she would date), controversy on being “too sexy,” and working with a Swedish producer (Axel is Max Martin-inspired, for sure). I liked how Amber’s success wasn’t a smash from her first single, unlike Britney’s. This struggle really pushed Amber into not just wanting to be a pop star because she wanted to be known, but to also really find her why and her drive. I also liked the friendship glimpses between Amber, and ETA boyband member Ty (who may have been inspired by Lance Bass); I wish there was more of them. Honestly, that’s how I feel about the book as a whole: I wanted more, especially in the characterization. The relationships between Gwen and Amber and Wes and Wes just didn't feel fully real or developed. Certain elements of the plot felt too short - I wanted to see Amber’s fame as a popstar fully.

Honey has the bones of a good story, even if I wanted more. I appreciated the trip down memory lane, and if you loved teen pop music of the TRL era, you may enjoy this. Thank you to Celadon and NetGalley for the ARC!

I genuinely enjoyed this more than I thought after I had to soft DNF because my ARC from netgalley expired so I had to wait for the audio to be released. It’s always interesting to me to read about famous people’s lives because they are just people like us, with feelings and thoughts and so much of their lives are not their own. I think she did a great job showing the struggles of fame, and also the excitement it can bring.

The plot of this book was so interesting and I was really excited to dive in. I really liked the writing and the musical aspect of the novel, but I had a hard time staying invested in the story. Overall, it was a fun and light read! It's definitely perfect for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC copy of this book! I loved the vibes of this story, was super close to Daisy Jones and the Six which I loved and was happy to be immersed in that type of story again. I love books that give you the inside look into the music industry, especially during the 90s-00s era. Im giving this book 3.5 stars and look forward to more from this author!

i loved this book! i am a sucker for a book about a pop star or famous person, and the nostalgia in this book was everything i needed 🤩

This authors debut novel was amazing! Its perfect for anyone who loved Daisy Jones, but also loves a pop twist! It felt nostalgic for the 90's when Britney Spears and pop girl groups were at the top of their game. Its a perfect coming of age novel and has a great plot! I would definitley reccomend this book.

I wasnt able to read and review this one before the publish date but now that I have I gave it 4 stars.

The nostalgia was high on this one! I enjoyed the references to the era, although I never fully connected to the characters. If Britney Spears memoir were fictionalized, this would be the result.

this was one of my favorite books of 2024 - I cannot believe this is a debut! It was so interesting and I feel like perfectly captured that time in music. I recommend it to people all the time when they are looking for a book to take on a trip with them; it is commercial but has depth

This was an interesting book that made me take a look at the music I grew up with. There was definitely a lot of nostalgia and it reminded me a lot of the artists I grew up listening to. While that was the case I did feel like this book was missing something. It was certainly not bad but there was something missing for me. I did not feel like any of the characters showed any growth like I was hoping they would. Overall, this book was good. I think millennials would enjoy and appreciate this one.

Thank you so much @CeladonBooks for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 25 June 2024)

SYNOPSIS | Amber has always craved the limelight and becomes a teen pop star in the early 2000s. The story follows her public life and career as she rises to fame.

WHAT I LIKED:
- had all the early 2000s Britney / Christina / Justin vibes
- multimedia formatting really helped add intrigue and keep this story fast paced

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- every plot point kind of felt halfway done and it didn't go deep enough on any of the complex issues that it tried to address
- Amber felt like a character who was along for ride in her own story (but maybe that was the point...)
- Gwen was a much more interesting character
- could have done without the pages of song lyrics
- the ending felt rushed as everything was being wrapped up too quickly

This was an interesting peek behind the scenes into the life and career of an aspiring young singer--It's not all the glam, fashion, and polish that we see played out onstage or from the PR machine. Sometimes it's dark, tragic, gritty, and a fight to the ascent.

The FMC was relatable--that doesn't mean she was always likeable--as readers we may not have made the same decisions she made along the way, but we were able to see why she made the choices she did and how she adapted, changed, and matured over the course of her career.

Banta did an excellent job with character development. The narrative and timeline progressed along with the FMC, which, while it felt slow at times, kept me reading on.

Overall, I enjoyed this book.

I was immediately drawn to the title and cover, but I didn't know much about the story before picking it up. I had a hard time getting into the story and it dragged for me.

Thank you Netgalley & Celadon Books for the advanced reader copy.

Overall - 3/5! Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC (although it took me like two months to read it lol). The premise for the plot is super interesting which is why I requested it in the first place. I think it does an outstanding job of bringing the reader in to how child starts of the 2000’s were likely treated. Another interesting part was the authors use of albums lyrics, news paper print outs, etc to also help the plot along. I’ve always been a huge fan of that in books like this.

Unfortunately- this book just didn’t grab my attention the way I wanted it to, and I physically had to force myself to finish. Although - I think is just the genre of the book I’m not a huge fan of. Not a bad read if you want to know more about what childhood stars likely went through - but if that isn’t anything you’ve ever thought of, keeping this book off your TBR is probably fine.

3.5 stars. Honey is about a fictitious young up and coming pop singer in the late 90s/early 00s. Amber is 16 and coming into her own and trying to make it in the music industry. She is scouted at a school talent show and pursues a music career. Being slightly younger than Amber, who was born in 1980, I enjoyed the cultural touchstones in the book, like being on Star Search as a teenager! The story is super easy to get into and moves fairly quickly. It got a little tedious in the middle portion because I was frustrated by Amber and her lack of agency. I understand this is how many people are as teenagers and adults, but I just don't enjoy reading about that perspective. She was a bit bland and let life happen to her so often. I think I would have enjoyed this more if it had been about her friend and fellow pop singer, Gwen. I was never into the pop scene of the late 90s/early 00s, but it was fun to have a backstage pass. The story is a bit salacious at times and it was an easy read. I listened to the audiobook, which is masterfully narrated by Brittany Pressley. She's truly one of my favorite narrators!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for providing this ebook and audiobook ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Honey by Isabel Banta is a poignant and captivating story that explores the sweetness and sting of life’s complexities. Banta’s lyrical prose brings the characters and their emotions to life, weaving a tale of love, loss, and self-discovery. The vivid imagery and heartfelt storytelling make this book impossible to put down. If you’re looking for a deeply moving read that will stay with you long after the final page, Honey is the perfect choice.

This gives off vibes of a Daisy Jones and the Six for the 90s kids + Jeanette McCurdy’s I’m Glad My Mom is Dead.

Back when boy bands were the thing and girl groups were forming but mostly fizzling into solo acts. Following Amber as she finds herself a girl who has already physically matured into a woman as she navigates the ugly and misogynistic world of pop music. She can’t be the virginal good girl because her body doesn’t fit that image. And she really isn’t the bad girl who is sexually liberated that they want her to be.

Her journey is one of ups and downs and uncomfortable situations and ugly truths about the music industry that we’ve seen play out while reading biographies and articles about Britney and Christina and N’Sync and all the other young artists of the 90s.

Interesting concept could really see the influences of early 2000 pop girl music. Unfortunately I didn’t feel a deep connection with any of the characters and the overall story was kind of a let down

I wanted to loooove this book, I really did. The concept is right up the alley for me. I feel like overall, this book tried to do too much. The author took a ton of high-profile issues that have plagued the entertainment industry and just said lets write a book about them all. Because of this, she didn’t really focus on anything at all, and to me it felt disjointed and surface deep. So, it wasn't super enjoyable for me.