4.5 stars
Be still my grunge-loving, 90s kid heart. This is by far one of the best books I have read so far this year. Part coming-of-age story, part romance, and part mystery- so many parts, but woven together seamlessly. For those of you multiple timeline people, there's that too. The book flips between 1991-1994 and its present day 1999, showing the journey of main characters Jane and Elijah. I could not put this book down and finished it in 2 sittings. Put this on your list right now (as well as the author's previous book Lucky, which I also loved).
HIGHLY recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC!

I loved this book. Nothing like a part mystery, part memoir-esque story with wild characters to hold your attention. Stapley does an amazing job of developing the characters that you feel like you have known them/heard of them (two of the characters were rock stars) even though they are fully fictitious. This book was hard to put down.

The Lightning Bottles is an ode to musicians who have faded away through death, disappearance or otherwise. The main character is Hen, a teen living with her shut-in mother who is obsessed with the (deceased?) lead singer of The Lighning Bottles. She saw him play in Berlin, near her home, shortly before he died? She’s listening to a 5-year anniversary tribute, when she notices a new neighbor moving in next door. Could it be the singer’s widow? Yes, it is.

That’s as far as I got. While this has high reviews on goodreads, it was extremely YA to me in tone and storyline. I couldn’t get into the writing.

THE LIGHTNING BOTTLES is a great read, especially for fans of grunge 90s rock. If you are not a fan of that musical era, then you might still enjoy the novel, but it might not hit your sweet spot in quite the same way. This story is steeped with musical references and embued with a true love of music.

I understand the comparisons to Daisy Jones and the Six, but to me, this story does not quite measure up in terms of the character development. That does not mean, however, that this isn't a thoroughly enjoyable read because it definitely is.

The pacing is a tiny bit slow, in part because the author wants to tell the reader things versus just getting on with the story. Hence a 4-star rating from me versus a 5.

The novel does a great job with the unresolved mystery element and in exploring the price of fame. The back and forth in time is handled expertly.

As is often the case with books about successful musicians, the author also tackles the issue of addiction.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in this review are completely my own.

I love a rock and roll saga, and this surely was one. Gut punch in several places, covers addiction in a respectable way for fiction, and really zeroes in on music and what it means to us beautifully. Free advanced copy from Netgalley, book publishes 9/24

The Lightning Bottles, a grunge-rock duo, were phenomenally popular for not only their music, but also their tumultuous romance and other tabloid-worthy habits. But the music world is left in complete shock when Elijah Hart, the beloved lead singer, suddenly goes missing while the two are alone at a remote cottage. Five years after his disappearance, his partner, wife and lead writer for the band, Jane Pyre, is still misunderstood, angry and reviled (seen by many as responsible for Elijah’s fate). While trying to isolate herself from society in a small German village, Jane unwittingly moves next door to a teenage super-fan who may have a key to a hidden code that unlocks the mystery of Elijah’s whereabouts. The nostalgia of the Seattle grunge scene is compelling and the behind the scenes peek at this fictional rockstar lifestyle is voyeuristically entertaining. Add to the mix Jane’s struggle as a talented, opinionated female in the music industry and Stapley has created a hit single!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this book in advance of it's release on September 24, 2024!
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3.5 rounded up! Marketed as a book for lovers of Daisy Jones and The Six, I was immediately interested in this book. DJATS changed my brain chemistry and is one of the books that turned me back into a reader as an adult. Needless to say my expectations were high and they were satisfied for the most part. I enjoyed the musical elements of this book as a major music fan myself. I found myself highlighting those descriptions about the way music connects to people as well as the lines about young love. What I found to be unlike DJATS is how strongly I felt about the love story at the core of the story. The love story between the two main characters of the fictional band is one of young love mixed with the struggles of fame, desire to be known and addiction which is not unlike DJATS but I found myself not rooting for them at times which with Daisy and Billy in Daisy Jones I truly did root for them almost throughout the entire book despite my best judgment. I think it part it was due to the fact we are in Jane's head and her existence for almost all the book and knew less about Elijah until the story itself demanded more information which at that point our loyalties lie elsewhere. It's also think their relationship was unfortunately easier to write off as a teenage trauma bond at certain points. Structurally I think the backstory should have been prioritized from the beginning and then the current day could have been worked in because I feel that way it would have given readers a better idea of what is going on and I think Jane's backstory is strong enough to be introduced sooner. I struggled with the back and forth timelines during the middle of the book but thought it to be pretty solid and effective as the action started to really come into play. Overall, I have no super strong qualms, I liked the book enough and found the commentary regarding the press' treatment of women musicians to be poignant and relevant.

What happened to Elijah, lead singer of The Lightning Bottles? Can Jane, his wife and partner in the group, along with Hen, find out the truth by following a series of clues throughout Europe? This book goes back and forth in time, charting the success of the Lightning Bottles and also Jane and Hen's hunt for clues.

I think the story is good, but the writing is just---not that good. Very dry and dull, almost like a book report and not a book. I wanted to like it so much, but it just didn't do it for me.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the free copy for review!

After reading the blurb for this book, I was already hooked. This book combined 90s rock n roll, an all-encompassing love story, an unsolved mystery, and the downfalls of fame. The main characters both have strong personalities and their own struggles. Going back and forth between the early 90s and late 90s, it gives you peeks into the childhoods & rise to fame of The Lightning Bottles while you also follow Hen & Jane on their excursions in present day. I enjoyed how this book gave you insight to how the experience of fame isn’t always what it’s made out to be.

I recommend to those who liked Daisy Jones & The Six. This is a more angsty version but includes the struggles of addiction and how artists pour their soul into the music making progress.

i...uh...didn't make it past the first few chapters. there's a HUGE "coincidence" at the very beginning that i simply could not get past. i wanted to like this so much, as i'm a huge music fan, but it seemed trite to me...maybe more YA than adult. totally DNF.

p. s. thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an electronic advanced readers copy of this novel.

Anyone who followed the 1990s Grunge/Alternative music scene will definitely enjoy this book. Jane Pyre was the female half of the wildly successful The Lightning Bottles, which she formed with her boyfriend, then husband Elijah. They met in her music AOL chatroom and bonded over playing music. Raised in a religious family, Jane sets off to Seattle to meet Elijah to start her career. After leaving his initial band to form The Lightning Bottles, Elijah is touted as the creative genius and soulful leader of the group - although it's Jane's writing and their collaboration that has made them so successful.

The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley is a well written and very entertaining novel. It details the meteoric rise and drug ridden fall of many of these grunge musicians from the 1990s. Taking place in both 1999 and in the past, it details the connection the two musicians had and the viewpoint of a teenage fan who was lucky enough to see their last show in Berlin, before Elijah drowned in Iceland and is convinced that Elijah is still alive.

This book was so good! Maybe it's because I lived through that time, but I really enjoyed reading it.

The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley is a captivating mystery novel that pays homage to the grunge era. The premise is both intriguing and engaging: imagine if Courtney Love embarked on a journey through Europe with her tech-savvy neighbor to unravel the mysteries surrounding Kurt's death. While the similarities to Kurt and Courtney are not identical, the story keep me on the edge of my seat.

My thanks to Net Galley and Simon and Shuster for this arc.

What would you do as a teen if the widow of a supposed dead rock star moves next door to and you have information he still may be alive? Thats what Hen does when she befriends Jane Pyre and they embark on a girl's road trip.to find the truth.

Story is on 2 timelines. When Elijah and Jane meet in a chat room and achieve stardom, and present time with Hen.

I love the historical references:
1. Jane and Elijah = Curt and Courtney
2. Concert on the record company roof= The Beatles on the Apple Building
3. Singer tearing up St Francis pic=Sinead O Connor ripping up pic of Pope on Saturday Night Live
4. Dead rock star sending message = 80s film Eddie and the Cruisers

Really recommend for music fans.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC. This book is a story of a grunge type band ( fictitious) in Seattle in the early 90's. It traces the start of the group- The Lightning Bottles, from their meeting in a chat room online, to their getting together , falling in love, achieving stardom and the fallout from it. When we first meet, Janet is living in Canada, with a super religious, restrictive mother. Elijah is in Seattle, in a band with his friends. They meet in a chat room and talk about music. Janet runs away when she turns 18, and travels to meet Elijah. They fall in love and form their own band. In 1994, Elijah , in the throes of addiction, is missing and presumed dead. While deemed a suicide, Janet, now Jane, is blamed by fans and media for not being supportive enough of Elijah. The second story line is set in Germany in 1999. Hen is about to turn 18 and is a big fan of the Lightning Bottles. Her mother has mental health issues and does not want to leave the house. Hen saw the last concert the Lightning Bottles in 1994 and has reason to believe that Elijah is not dead. I do not want to give away any spoilers, but the story lines go back and forth in time. It is not hard to follow, but it does bounce around a bit.It mixes real rock stars ( Bono) with fake, ( a stand in for Sinead O'Conner). It is rough and harsh and happy and exciting. It had me pretty much reading it straight thru, with some good twists and turns.It is very much for music lovers.

Music soothes the soul, gives you life long memories and tells stories that we are too afraid to tell ourselves. This book was impossible to put down and I found myself reading short passages as often as I could because Jane and Elijah’s emotional story kept me wanting more. Jane and Elijah were always meant to be together; they were soulmates, two halves of the same whole, like the lyrics and melody of a perfect song. Love, passion, and heartache fueled their creative juices which resulted in deep and personal lyrics that changed their lives forever. The more they wrote, the busier they became but all was not rosy in their real world. They were both battling personal demons that made it hard to leave the temptations behind. I cried when Elijah was struggling and I prayed that Jane could save him from the darkness.

Their haunting lyrics portrayed a relationship that was passionate and sweet, intense and sensuous.Their team of “advisors” thought they knew what was best for their future, and Jane and Elijah begrudgingly had to go along with them. Too many late nights, too much to drink and too many blinding bright lights brought an end to the happiness they had when they first met. Jane mourned for Elijah’s soul, and would never be the same without him. When she met a young girl, Hen, with an unbelievable story to tell, Jane thought she was losing her mind. Hen reminded Jane of her younger self; full of dreams, excitement and the desire to be free. What transpired was a spiritual and magical friendship as they took off on an adventure to find the truth about what really happened all those years ago. What will they find on their magical mystery tour as they follow the clues to an unknown conclusion?

Jane Pyre and Elijah Hart found each other across a fledgling internet as teenagers bonding over their shared love of music. When they form a band and are rocketed to fame, Jane's dream of her lyrics and Elijah's voice reaching the masses has come true. But there's often a cost to fame and Jane soon realizes it as the press helps create a public hatred for her while fueling Elijah's demons.

When Elijah disappears and the vitriol toward Jane reaches a fever-pitch, she retreats to a new home in rural Germany only to discover a teenage Lightning Bottles superfan next door, who is convinced that Elijah is still alive and wants to help Jane find him.

This book captured my heart early on when detailing the letters that Jane and Elijah were sending to each other. The fictional parallels to what was happening in the real 90's music scene was fantastic. Even though I could hear the songs in my head, I personally would LOVE for this story to become a movie/tv show to hear them outside of my head as well. Thank you to netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the e-book copy in advance #TheLightningBottles #NetGalley.

3.5 stars. I'm a sucker for novels about musicians, and The Lightning Bottles offers an engaging Gen X version of the genre whose tropes include the power of music, the perils of fame, and the sexism of the music industry. Using a mix of real and fictional musicians (Courtney Love and Michael Stipe are name dropped, but for some reason Sinead O'Connor and Kurt Cobain are represented by thinly veiled versions of themselves), Stapley captures that confusing time in 1990s Seattle when musicians wanted to be well known enough to be appreciated for their art, but not so famous that they could be accused of selling out.

The arcs of talented, naive musician Jane and the charismatic but emotionally fragile Elijah are largely predictable, down to Elijah's jealous best friend and the Yoko Onofication of Jane. But the involvement of Hen, a lonely teenaged German fan, who encounters Jane five years after the Lightning Bottles' disastrous breakup, provides an interesting, fresh note. And the mystery of Elijah's fate is less obvious; I'm still not sure how I feel about the resolution.

The Lightning Bottles may not be striking enough to be adapted into a star-studded TV series like Daisy Jones & The Six. But it's enjoyable on its own, less flashy terms. And the song lyrics are only slightly cringe.

ARC received from Net Galley and publisher in exchange for objective review.

This is a delightful read that grabs you from the first page. Stapley's storytelling is engaging, weaving a tale that is both heartwarming and thought-provoking. The characters are well-developed, and their journeys feel authentic and relatable. While the plot is mostly satisfying, there are a few moments that feel a bit predictable. Overall, it's an enjoyable book that I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a good story.

This book was all I could have hoped for—I love fictional celebrity stories, and this one had both the 90s and a hint of mystery!

The plot revolves around the mystery of what actually happened when Elijah disappeared and it is handled in a way that makes you want to keep turning pages as you grow to love the characters more and more. I liked how the two timelines let us comprehend what they had gone through.

I was immediately engrossed in Jane and Elijah's romance since they were such likable characters. They battled each other as well as their own flaws. Jane's difficulties in particular struck a chord since she was a woman living in a society that was out to denigrate and loathe her. Jane is a fantastic character, and it was simple to feel sorry for and support her.

Apart of the romance and mystery this book takes you on a journey with this young couple and how they learnt to negotiate stardom, despite its harsh themes of drug use and suicide. The pervasive misogyny in the music business has been explored, shedding light on the challenges faced by female musicians in the process of creating their art.

This intriguing book captivated me right away, and if you enjoy 90s music as much as I do, you will be too. Without a doubt, I'll be reading more of this author's work soon.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

A quick look into the grunge/alt rock time frame featuring a young couple that make up The Lightning Bottles ala Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain. The very best part of The Lightning Bottles was Jane being reviled by fellow musicians, the recording industry to include her own label, and the fans - the overall accuracy of that moment in musical history is painfully spot on.

Jane and Elijah meet online, her from Canada, him from Seattle, Washington. They eventually meet up while still teenagers. This creates a YA vibe. But on the other hand, for those that lived through the 90's music scene there is a nostalgia here too.

The thing here is Elijah is the voice, musician, and face of the band while Jane is the writer and musician which is how she wants it. But Elijah is the one the public and press fall in love with. He is the one forgiven each and every bad behavior. In fact, in equal measures Jane is reviled and held responsible for Elijah. As in basically all music stories, drugs and alcohol take over until tragedy happens.

Fast forward 5 years and Jane is trying her best to hide from the public post disappearance of her husband Elijah. Moving to Germany's countryside, Jane finds herself inexplicably next door to a 17-year-old Lightning Bottles superfan name Hen. A connection between the two has them searching out clues to find what every happened to Elijah. The connection between the two women is tenuous for me as a reader but the adulation of a fan rings true.

The rest is told in a back and forth timeline from Elijah and Jane meeting to Elijah's disappearance and the addictions that ultimately destroy the band, music, and marriage. In the other timeline we read about Hen and Jane's following cryptic messages pointing to Elijah being alive or someone wanting them to think so.

The Lightning Bottles will appeal to fans of the grunge and alt rock genesis of the 90's who also enjoy a mystery wrapped up in a love story.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Books for an advanced readers copy electronically via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.