Phew, what a ride. I can totally see why this book gets so much hype!

Overall, I really enjoyed it—even with its darker tone and heavy content (definitely check trigger warnings). It sent me on a full emotional rollercoaster: nostalgic, romantic, toxic, rage-inducing, heartbreaking; yet still somehow hopeful.

Loved: The 90s music scene was everything. Even though Jane & Elijah are alt rock, I loved the blend of folk and heavy metal vibes woven in. As a music lover (albeit not to their extent), I really enjoyed watching their songwriting, creating, & collaborating process. I also loved the present-day scavenger hunt across Europe - especially how it took them through grittier, less touristy spots. Stapley’s writing was so vivid I could *see* them roaming the streets, chasing clues.

Liked: The raw emotion. I legit felt my heart rate spike with feminist rage at times. I was angry, frustrated, & heartbroken… for Jane especially. The double standards, the way the public can destroy a woman’s reputation while giving men a pass… ugh, it hit hard, and unfortunately is still alive & well today. I also liked how the ending was done (especially with the multimedia revisit & Hen’s wrap-up), but no spoilers here!

Missed: I *wanted* to rate this higher than 4 stars, but I really needed more from Jane & Elijah’s healing journey. We spend so much time in their destruction (the toxicity, substance abuse, trauma) that I wanted to see their growth as well. I *wanted* to root for them fully & believe they’d be good for each other again if reconnected… but I needed more of that healing on the page to get there.

Overall: Would definitely recommend—but again definitely check trigger warnings, as we spend a lot more time there than I personally expected.

This was a fun (but dark!) and quick story to read, full of nostalgia for the 1990s grunge and music scene. I thought that Jane’s outlook, drive to reach her goals, and focus on the man she loved was a very 90s female character, perfectly capturing what it was like to become a young adult at that time. A couple of the details and twists were a little unrealistic, but that’s why it’s fiction. :) 4 ⭐️

CW: sexism, drug misuse, alcohol abuse, drunk driving, parental death

Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC. Note: this was published in Sep 2024. I’m late reading this and getting my review posted.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DH6Dh2vO7ia/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Throwback Thursday
Backlist review for The Lightning Bottles that released in September

I’ll be honest, I hate posting reviews so far after pub dates but sometimes I need to be in the right frame of mind to maximally enjoy a book. When I first got the arc for The Lightning Bottles, I was ready to revisit the 90s grunge era of my childhood despite that era now being referred to as “historical fiction.” It didn’t immediately grab me, so went to live on my nightstand with all my other second chance books until yesterday I picked it up and read it in one fail swoop.

If you liked books like Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid or Honey by Isabel Banta, check this one out. It’s a glorious mashup of contemporary/lit fic/historical fiction with a bit of mystery thrown in for good measure.

The Lightning Bottles is an angsty read fueled by misogyny, a dose of nostalgia and at the center a heartbreaking love story. Stapley absolutely nailed the 90s music scene, and created realistic characters with believable hopes and challenges. Loved the music references and fully enjoyed this trip down memory lane.

Interesting and fresh, a twist on the typical, artsy music centered book. Once again, music shows its ability to bridge together the most compelling friendships and more between two people so similar but also vastly different.

This book is an ode to nostalgia. As a woman who lived the 90s as a teenager/young adult, I loved how this book evokes that era in pop culture and music. A book full drama, music, tragedy, heartbreak and hope.

Here's what you're gonna get from this book: Janet/Jane and Elijah met online when Elijah answered one of Jane's posts. They communicated in different ways when they were teenagers. Jane's mother wasn't happy about that distant relationship, so Jane ran away from home to be with Elijah. They're young, in love, and share a love of music! But they have some obstacles in their path; his friends see her as a threat. Soon Jane and Elijah find themselves on top of the rock 'n' roll world as the hot duo 'The Lightning Bottles.' Jane writes the songs while Elijah is the singer. He's hot, charismatic, and his fans adore him. Jane is reserved, hated, and maligned by fans and critics alike. Years later, Elijah goes missing, Jane finds herself alone, misunderstood, dealing with grief. When her teenage neighbor, Hen, arrives claiming to have some information on Elijah that might help Jane, she begins a journey through memories to know the truth.

I loved the characters, the settings, the music, all of this story! The writing was splendid, the scenes are thoughtful and the premise is alluring. Yet I found the first half of the book a bit off. I didn't connect to the events until reading almost half of the story. Also, the ending was a bit shaky, in my opinion.

If you're looking for a story with Daisy Jones & the Six vibes that make you smile easily while enjoying 90s music, this book is for you.

While this book reminded me of Daisy Jones and the six with it themes and plot the characters were just not as well written for me. This book follows Jane in two timelines her growing up meeting a guy and starting their band and the modern timeline follows after her bandmate died and she moves somewhere hoping to be left alone only to move next door to a super fan. A super fan who believes Elijah is still alive and leaving messages for Jane. We follow Jane and Hester as they try to solve the mystery. I enjoyed this story quite a bit and thought the writing and pacing were great and a bit addicting. My only issue was the characters just never really clicked for me. The main character Jane was fine but just felt like it could have been more. This is my first book by this author but hope to read more in the future. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

I. LOVED. THIS. I think I devoured this book in 24 hours because I was so enthralled. I loved following the flashbacks and then the modern day hunt for Elijah. I refuse to spoil this book for anyone so all I will say is that everyone should give this one a go. It filled the Daisy Jones sized hole in my heart that's been missing.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stapley’s writing is immersive, capturing the gritty essence of the grunge era while exploring themes of fame, love, and the weight of public perception. The narrative moves effortlessly between past and present, drawing readers in with its emotional depth and vivid descriptions. The Lightning Bottles is a thrilling and poignant exploration of music, mystery, and the lengths one will go to for love and redemption. It’s a perfect read for fans of rock ‘n’ roll and complex characters, with a haunting atmosphere that lingers long after the final page.

An entrancing read about fame, love, ambition, and the struggles each of these brings crashing down.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The nostalgia was great but the characters were lacking. It went on and on but didn't do much to build the tension or give a strong character base to connect with the reader. Read like YA trying to do adult.

I really enjoyed the setup of this book, two young people getting to know each other through their words and love of music. The story started off strong and fast paced but the tempo quickly slowed as we moved through Jane and Elijah's rise to stardom and ultimately Elijah's disappearance.

The story is told in then & now, dual timelines as Jane and Hen discover the Adam & Rib murals. Although I really liked the way the murals were used to reveal the relationship between Adam & Rib; I didn't enjoy the "Treasure hunt" element of it. Overall there were lots of good elements and themes but they just didn't coalesce for me. I did not enjoy the resolution, it seemed too unrealistic and diluted my feelings for the rest of the story.

3 stars.

Thank you to the Publisher and to NetGalley for the eArc in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars...very nearly 5 stars.

Okay...I will admit that is just perfectly niche for me. Somehow, despite the fact that I have little interest in celebrity lives in real life, I am absolutely obsessed with books focusing on the lives of musicians. I don't know what it is, but they suck me right in.

This book totally hit the spot for me. I love the heartache and the turmoil. The 90s as the backdrop was also perfection. Little references here and there that clearly pointed to bands or famous figures in real life were like fun little Easter eggs that just made me happy. (Also...weirdly, I pictured Elijah's parents as the Cullens from Twilight. Don't ask me why...my brain works in mysterious ways.)

Stapley's writing was fun and balanced, staying full of tension without being overwhelming. There is plenty of angst in her characters and the music scene comes off appropriately gritty. I loved the imperfect character of Jane and how she handled being pushed to the backseat of her own fame. There was a lot of raw material in this book that resulted in a character who didn't come out perfect in the end. She was consistently flawed, she had hard lessons to learn, and her pathway was quite messy.

There were 2 things that kept this from being a solid 5-star. First...pacing. There was some slow movement in the beginning and a few scenes that could have benefited from some additional exploration; a few areas where transitions between the timelines could have been a little more clear and less bumpy.

Second, the ending. For me, the ending can make or break the entire book. And I was a bit disappointed with this one. It felt a little too easy and not as complex and I think it needed to be after all the setup. Things wrapped up pretty quickly and I just didn't get the emotional punch that I wanted from the narrative.

Despite its flaws, I really, really enjoyed this book. It was one that I didn't want to put down. I ran through a gamut of emotions and I really felt like I could understand Jane's character. It's a book that I will be putting in my permanent collection.

I loved the nostalgic 90s vibes of this book but marketing unfortunately set the bar too high with comparisons to Daisy Jones and the Six. I don’t know why pubs keep doing this because it sets up the wrong expectation going into the story. I thought the characters could have been better developed but I enjoyed the plot. This wasn’t bad at all but just not my favorite.

When I saw this was blurbed as Daisy Jones meets 90s punk rock, I was hooked. The premise sounded so interesting - I love fictional music and bands. Unfortunately, this one fell short for me in a few ways. I admire an unlikable character, but Jane (half of the rock band The Lightning Bottles) and Hen (her teenage neighbor who helps her uncover a secret), were both frustrating and bland. The story, though at parts was interesting, seemed to drag on. And the big reveal at the end seemed completely unbelievable.

I seem to be in the minority for this one, though, as many others have really enjoyed it!

Thanks to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

I was lucky to get an advanced copy of this fantastic novel and then slept on it for months for absolutely no reason. Which sucks because this was a great novel focusing on a woman making music in the early 90s. The story of Jane, a complex girl who meets a boy and makes music with him is superficially a story of so many women in the 90s, but dig deeper and its the story of how the music industry and the people who buy music treats women, denying them their kudos and painting them as the reason men have problems. Stapley's focus on Jane and her search for a way back to her love of both Elijah and music is neither cliche nor unique, but her focus on 90s music helps to amplify the way we cast women. Stapley does a great job of balancing flashbacks and the current timeline, leading readers through a road trip and treasure hunt to two people finding each other in a happily ever after that works for them.

I found this book to be very nostalgic, with its focus on 90's alternative rock. This is the music of my adolescence and I especially loved girl bands, primarily Hole.

Jane Pyre is not Courtney Love, but she is the Most Hated Woman in Music, especially after her husband and bandmate mysteriously disappears after their second album. Jane finds herself starting over 5 years after Elijah's disappearance in a German farm house. Young superfan Hen lives next door. Jane and Hen embark on a scavenger hunt through Europe to find street art that reminds Jane of Elijah.

The story is complex, Jane and Elijah's relationship is different from a typical book romance. Their love is deep and based on shared experiences and a love of music. The story goes back and forth between the Lightning Bottle's rise to fame and 5 years later. Both sections were great. The characters have depth and I really cared what happened to them.

Really loved this one. The sharp writing, the music theme, the mystery that propelled the plot and of course, the twist toward the end. I flew through this book in about two days and highly recommend.

This book borrows very heavily from the Kurt and Courtney legend, but in the best possible way. Told from the perspective of Jane (Courtney). The Lightening Bottles is told in alternating timelines. One that traces Jane and Elijah (Kurt) falling in love and forming their band The Lightening Bottles. The other, years after Elijah has disappeared into the sea, Jane finds herself with a young superfan, Hen in Germany following what might be messages that Elijah has left behind. This book reframes what it is to be a woman in the spotlight and the partner of someone who is universally loved. A great nostalgic read with all of the nineties feels.

Jane Pyre rose to fame as part of the musical duo The Lightning Bottles with her husband, Elijah Hart. Their story was a simple love story born from their shared talents and passion for music. But as their popularity exploded so did their problems. After a particularly heated night, Elijah disappears, presumed to be dead. Jane is publicly shamed and leads to her downfall.

Until a German teenage girl (and fan of The Lightning Bottles), Hen, approaches Jane with information that might just solve the mystery of Elijah’s disappearance. At first Jane is reluctant but eventually the two embark on a journey that takes them for place to place as they attempt to piece together the mystery.

This novel was filled with 90’s music nostalgia and Seattle grunge music scene. It takes a close look at the pitfalls of fame, the music industry and the complexities of a partnership where live isn’t always enough.

Thank you to @simonbooks @simonandschuster @netgalley for a digital review copy of this novel

Two musicians meet virtually and then in person with both a romantic and musical attachment. Unfortunately, they do not do well with the fame and things spiral out of control. Story alternates between the past and present. I really enjoyed the first 2/3 or so--the burgening of the relationship and the present Jane -- but the last part seemed rushed and it wasn't really clear why they both spiraled into booze and drugs and why they were fighting. Basically we were told but not shown I guess. I wish that as much heart and detail had gone into the last part so I was more invested in what was happening.