I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fast read. The story flowed pretty well. It was sort of fun reliving the late 90s early 2000s. There were lots of characters and sometimes the story was hard to follow because it bounced back in time without indicating. But if you’re looking for a light beachy read, this will do.

Oh bummer, I was so excited to be approved for this one. Unfortunately, the characters were not for me and it included more sex talk than I care for. I guess I wasn't the target audience for this one. It did become a Book of the Month and will be successful through that.

Thank you @macmillan.audio & @celadonbooks for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

This book is for music lovers, as it charmingly divided by time and in sections with musical terms such as Epigraphs, Verse 1, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Chorus (Reprise), Verse 2, Bridge, and Outro. As intriguing as the format was, I just could not get into the story. The characters were young and made immature observations and choices. After a while I lost interest. I think the story is more suited to a younger audience.

I thought I would like this one more and this book had all the makings of something I would recommend over and over again.

The self reflection of the characters just seemed shallow. None of them sparred any real emotion from me which was unfortunate.

Genre : Contemporary/Coming of age Fiction
Rating : 3.8/5

This was such a fantastic book to shed light on the darker side of a pop star fame. We have all grown up with Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and many other such pop stars who started very young as a kid, and navigated through it all. We always have admired them and envied them for the luck (and talent) they've had to make so big in the music world. But, we paid much attention to the darker aspects of it, and this book does exactly that.

1997 - Amber Young received a life-changing call and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join a girl band in LA and leave her small town. As she embarks on her solo career and her fame intensifies, so do her the people who want to exploit her, the lecherous fans and the haters who despise her for being a sexuality icon and ruining their kids. Amidst all this, the only people around her orbit that she trusted was Gwen - her best friend and another popular pop star loved by everyone around, and Wes - her boy crush and a popular boy band member who is hesitant to be associated with her but not hesitant to have sexual relations with her.

It was interesting to read about how the world of fame works - Gwen had established herself as the nice, virginal, pure pop star, so Amber was forced to become the anti to establish herself - the pop icon who performed raunchier songs (despite not having experienced most of it). This is her coming of age story as she grows from a young girl to a woman and her journey into learning to navigate through popularity - both good and bad.
There are song lyrics in the book for all the various songs she writes and performs, and I liked reading them (and giving my own music to them!).

It's a pretty interesting story, but it does become slightly monotonous as we progress. I wanted to know more about her career than her relationship revolving around Gwen and Wes.
The book does end with a news article that gives us a glimpse into where she is now.
It is very memoir-ish, except it is fiction.
A great debut by Isabel Banta!

Thank you NetGalley, Bonnier Books and the incredible Isabel Banta for providing me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

#bookreview #honey #isabelbanta #giveaways-arcs

This was such a nostalgic read! Having grown up in the 90s/2000s, this book did a great job at capturing the vibe of pop stardom during that time. I also think this novel brings up some really interesting topics around over-sexualization of young women as well as how women are constantly pitted against each other. I went into this expecting it to be a little more Daisy Jones & Six - ish, but found that it was much darker. Overall, I still enjoyed the story and would recommend this to readers interested in the darker side of young stardom.

There were definitely some heavy aspects to this book and I recommend readers to check trigger warnings as there are elements that may be difficult for some readers.

Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

If you grew up in the late nineties when POP was king, you will love this book. Although this is fiction, this feels like it mirrors the lives of musicians like Britney Spears, Nsync, and Christina Aguilera- among others. 
Meet Amber Young- a young talented singer who after starting out in a girl group, is now a solo singer. We get Amber's whole life story- the good and the bad. Amber is a talented singer but doesn't get much attention or praise from her mother, but quickly becomes loved by the public...well loved is a strong word but she becomes famous quickly. She is criticized for just about everything..including her sexuality, which becomes a major storyline in the press. 
This story felt very Britney and Justin. As a lifelong Britney fan, I could see a lot of similarities. I really enjoyed this book. At times, it felt a little sluggish but overall I enjoyed the story.

everything about this novel sounded like it should have worked but somehow nothing did. the character dynamics are superficial and the heavy topics introduced lack depth or proper exploration. a massive disappointment overall.

Had a lot of potential, but it really fell short for me. I wish the characters, relationships, etc. were more developed.

A unique novel about being a young girl growing up in the spotlight. Powerful insight into what it means to be a woman now and in the past.

Thank you to Caledon books for an ARC of Honey by Isabel Banta.

Considering this is the author's debut novel, I wasn't too sure what to expect. All I knew was the premise sounded very interesting and who doesn't love a book about a rising pop girlie. As a pop girlie fan myself, I actually really loved this book. The writing was great and I found myself just diving head first into the story of Amber Young. She is who so many of favorite artists are, exploited and judged by society, and who I find myself understanding and drawn towards. I just couldn't put this book down and I loved the way it was told (in years and in cities that were important to Amber's character.) I especially loved the friendship between Amber and Gwen, I love pop girlies who can be there for each other. I don't know, there was just something really special about this book and I am happy that I am of the few who saw the potential in this.

In Honey, Banta explores the intoxicating highs and devastating lows of fame, offering a raw, unfiltered look at the life of a pop icon. Amber’s journey is both a cautionary tale and a poignant exploration of identity, ambition, and the cost of stardom. Banta’s vivid storytelling captures the essence of the ’90s and 2000s pop culture while delivering a narrative that feels both nostalgic and strikingly relevant.

If you're fascinated by the world of pop stars and the complexities behind the glittering facade, *Honey* is a must-read. Banta’s debut is a powerful and engaging story that resonates with anyone who has ever dreamed of the spotlight.

I couldn't put this book down! It was such a fun nostalgia trip for me. I enjoyed guying what plot lines were inspired from the pop stars of my youth, but also enjoyed some creative diversions, particularly incorporating some LGBTQIA+ plot lines. Having some character development carried by fictionalized Wikipedia articles was really creative, as that's where we typically go now for biographical info on music artists. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

3.5 rounded up. Very nostalgic read, reminiscent of popstars like Britney, Christina, the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC. It was a super quick and easy read
Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the eARC!

I had high hopes for this book -
I could have grown up with these girls yet they seemed to be almost caricatures - really distorted and unbelievable. Kinda yucked out about all the "sex" scenes. Would have loved to have seen more legit character development and maybe a REAL relationship/friendship (Gwen). This one was a struggle for me sadly. Thanks to Netgalley & Isabel Banta for an advanced copy of Honey.

Isabel Banta's debut novel, Honey is fantastic. The way Amber, the protagonist is written is raw, real and relatable. Within the first couple of pages, I was invested in this novel, the story of Amber, her relationships with her mother, Gwen, and many more. Exploring your sexuality as a woman, is in itself such a challenge, having to do this while there are hundreds of thousands of eyes on you, is a different story. I wish we could have seen more regarding Amber and Axel's dynamic. Overall this was an enjoyable read-3.8 stars!

A big thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Isabel Banta for providing me with an ARC.

A really compelling fictionalized account of pop stardom in the late '90s into the early 2000s—putting readers in the mind of characters in the vein of Britney, Christina or *NSYNC. It was a quick, engaging read that appears to be well-researched using memoirs and real accounts of the music industry during this era.

this was sweet and the relationships that the mc go through are so good. I love that the focus is not on teenaged girls hating each other and they remain friends first and foremost

This was amazing! I devoured this in less than a week. I loved the story and the writing was beautiful, so well done. It was interesting learning about the toxicity of the music industry in the 90s.. which I’m sure is also happening right now. Also I love axel ❤️

Short synopsis: The story of Amber Young (a fictional pop stars) rise to fame.

My thoughts: I was so enraptured with this story, I could not stop listening and reading it. I do feel like the end was missing something. It was somewhat abrupt and I would have liked a little more.

Amber was not a very likable character, but in a way I kind of liked that she was flawed. Just a reminder that celebrities are people and they make mistakes. My biggest issue is that Amber was a young adult (barely 17) making such huge adult decisions while in the spotlight and as a prominent role model figure for young girls. Maybe I’m just getting old… But the book did keep mentioning that moms hated her.

Read if you love:
- Coming of age stories
- The music industry
- 90s pop music
- Fictional books written as biographies
- VMAs and MTV