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.

I will not look at murals the same again after The Lightning Bottles.

Years after the presumed death of one member of the duo rock group, The Lightning Bottles, fans are still wondering what happened to him. Jane Pyre though just wants the past to live in the past. When she moves next door to a fan, Jane is quickly pushed back into the mystery of what happened to Elijah.

The Lightning Bottles is everything you'd hope it would be from a book looking at a rock group, or in this case duo group. We see the Lightning Bottles from before they became a performing duo to the top of their fame. It's heartbreaking, but also eye catching. It's sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll. This book encapsulated what I like about fiction books dealing with music groups. It had so much heart to it that I felt like the characters were real. I kept wanting to hear the music of The Lightning Bottles, but alas I'd have to remind myself they were a fictional duo. The end was satisfying and Stapley left nothing on the table.

If you were a fan of Daisy Jones and the Six, give this a chance. No it isn't told in an oral history format, but a lot of the same tones are present throughout both books.

Thank you to Simon Books for a copy in exchange for review consideration.

Nostalgic 90's rock duo fame and tragedy. A road trip with teenage Hen and 1/2 of the rock duo Jane to uncover the meaning of mysteriously cryptic clues that seem to suggest that there is more to the disappearance and presumed death of the second half of the rock band Lighting Bottles Elijah. Lots of YA themes could be a rec for the 20s audience. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this one as I had head so many good things about her previous novel Lucky. This one had potential but fell up short with characters I couldn't connect with. Falls into the rock and roll star crossed love category but I enjoyed Daisy Jones & the Six much more.

Story follows Jane Pyre as she tries to find out what happened to her partner (in love and music) Elijah who disappeared with out a trace years before. The were part of a rock n roll duo and he was by far the more popular of the two leaving her to be one of the most hated and misunderstood woman in music. She rents a house in the country to get away from the public and meets a sullen teenager and the two begin to try solve the mystery of what happened to Elijah.

If you loved Daisy Jones and the Six, this one’s for you! 🎸

A cross-continent road trip about two misunderstood outsiders brought together by their shared love of music, interwoven with flashbacks to the beginnings of Jane and Elijah’s love story and meteoric rise before Elijah’s sudden, suspicious death.

It was beautifully written, moving, nostalgic, and gripping. @marissastapley nailed the 90’s music scene like she owned it! I’m a huge 90’s rock fan, and the musical references scattered throughout the story had me screaming.

The novel is part love story, part mystery, with dual timelines and raw, real topics (love, addiction, the cost of fame, loss, hope, and friendship). This was right up my 90’s grunge kid alley!

The 90's was definitely a great era for music and this book took me back there. I really became invested in this story and found it to be so well written and compelling at the same time. The characters were well written and I liked the blend of genres in this book. The story was a bit reminiscent of Love's and Cobain's from the 90's, however it definitely had it's own story. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. This was a really great read.

What does it say about me that I really seem to enjoy stories about made-up bands more than reading a story about a real one? Not to get too philosophical here, but I think maybe I like it because, while I can't always say with honesty that I am a huge fan of the latest band getting the bio treatment, I can always imagine I'd be the purest fan of a fictional band. Phew, got that out. Now, I'm guessing that fans of Daisy Jones and the Six will flock to this book, so no need to explain that. If you are, on the other hand, simply a fan of nostalgic books about the 80s and 90s—or you actually remember the internet when it was mostly a cursor and a message board, and the Seattle Grunge scene with a little known Kurt Cobain—this book may also be for you. Like so many stories I've read lately, the woman is left holding the bag for a man who somehow, despite vanishing (or precisely because he vanished) has preserved a pristine, heroic reputation, while she is openly reviled. For anyone wondering, the female main character is definitely more Courtney Love than Yoko Ono. Interpret that how you will.

I saw a lot of pushback online about the treatment of addiction, so those are valid notes to consider. But for me, this nostalgic trip around the world was well worth the time, and I recommend it even if you wouldn't normally choose a book about a rock band from the 90s. It's so much more than that.

incoherent confusing, got three chapters in and had no idea what was happening. did not finish due to lack of motivation to continue.

3.5-4 stars
This was a really interesting book that follows the love of the two main characters and how their relationship sparked their music career until one day Elijah goes missing and everyone thinks it’s Jane’s fault.

This is a 90s grunge era mystery about a married rock duo — equal parts vibes and suspense, medium pace

I am not a big music person; other big novels about fictional rock stars haven’t been for me. I wanted to read this because I absolutely loved Stapley’s con artist book “Lucky.”

“The Lightning Bottles” is an absolutely wild tale, but Stapley’s storytelling ability trumps even the most far-fetched plot. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and would recommend it to anyone who’s just in the mood for a story that keeps you hooked from the beginning to end.