This book was such a great look into the complexity of being a child star and how the media can easily manipulate people to hold stars a certain way. I appreciated the way the story mimicked real stars we have watched either be traumatized from being a child star or stars who the media has turned on. I will say this book is not for the faint of heart, as there are so many complex stories of love, loss, trauma, and pain that people need to be careful and read the trigger warnings

While this book is recommended for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six, I'd almost recommend it more for those who enjoyed memoirs by 90s pop icons like Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson. Honey is very reminiscent of the late 90s/early 00s craze of female pop vocalists and boy bands. I graduated HS and entered college during this time, so I remember it all very well!

That said, the character of Amber is very much a melding of the pop singers you may have followed if you were into that. Her kind of secretive boyfriend, Wes, may draw comparisons to Justin Timberlake or Nick Lachay. Gwen, Amber's bestie, is also a mish-mash of pop singers. As you read and Amber gets a little bit older (think early 20s), you can see her start to mature. In fact, I had to remind myself that she really wasn't that old....and then the book feels very much like a cautionary tale of sorts.

I did enjoy listening to this book (and I also had an early release print version through Book of the Month), so I could hear and see some of the things such as the song lyrics, the Wikipedia page at the end, and so forth. I liked these inclusions in the audio version. I think it definitely enhanced the story for me. I was very frustrated by the ending in the sense that the book just sort of stops. You can draw your own conclusions from the Wikipedia entry as to how Amber's life turned out. I felt like her character was really becoming multidimensional and the story wrapped up quicker than I anticipated. So, I'd probably land on a solid 3.5 stars/rounded to 4 for a debut novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed Honey! I found the journey of Amber Young's leap to fame a fun take on many of our favorite artists today. The writing style and narration aged with the character as she grows, which I found to be a fresh take. With so many different love interests throughout the novel, I was at the edge of my seat to see who would be the endgame. One of my favorite reads of this year!

This book fell flat to me, which I am super bummed about. I was excited to have a new pop star fiction novel in my docket when reading the description and seeing it compared to Daisy Jones & The Six. And yet, it was not that. The beginning was intriguing, showing our main character's rise to childhood stardom, but once the love interest came in, it fell apart for me plot-wise. The 'spicy' scenes were well written and helped the plot, which is a rare plus. Overall, easy read, nothing to write home about, which I am upset about.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio and Goodreads Giveaway for gifting me a physical, digital and audio ARC of this debut novel by Isabel Banta, perfectly narrated by a favorite, Brittany Pressley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

In 1997, Amber is discovered at a school talent show. Before long, she gets the chance of a lifetime - to join girl group Cloud9 in Los Angeles. She and fellow singer, Gwen, become friends, along with Wes, a member of boy band ETA. As she eventually goes out on her own, she discovers more and more of the bad side of fame.

This was a total immersion of a book, made more so by my access to all the book's forms. The audiobook was so wonderful and I would definitely suggest that - there was music in the background accompanying the song lyrics and it just put you back into that era. This was a real coming-of-age story that felt real, much in the way that Daisy Jones and the Six did, plus this will give you Brittany Spears vibes. It's nostalgic and will take you back in time. You would like to hope society has changed since #MeToo broke, but... A wonderful debut - can't wait to read more from this author.

”Girls carry sex on their bodies.”
Honey is a coming-of-age novel about a young girl, Amber Young, who just wants to be a successful singer. We follow her as she grows up in Hollywood in the late 90s/early 2000s. We meet other singers and follow their stories through Amber. This is a story about Hollywood, about how society perceives girls/women, and how we treat both starlets and girls.
I love that the way this book sweeps you up into the action, I was quickly absorbed into Amber’s story and invested in who she was and what she was doing. We watch her rise to fame and all that entails.
The forefront of this book felt like a critique on how society frames women. How there is a picture painted for how women should act, whether they truly act like that or not. How everything for women is black and white. Women are either too slutty or prudes, too loud and outspoken or too mousey, too much or too little. Never enough either way.
I especially appreciated being touched on was how we pit successful women against each other, oftentimes the society we live in fabricates lies designed to tear them apart, and to create that discourse that women are already stereotyped to have in their blood. I think about all the women, both famous and not, that had zero issues with each other- or even liked each other- but were torn apart by how society thinks women act… Not about the truth of relationships or how they actually act. Gwen and Amber’s relationship was so interesting for that reason. I also liked how we got to touch on Gwen’s experience as a queer woman in the music industry in the 2000s, and how we peaked into her life in a way that didn’t overshadow the main plot of the book.
While this book was a work of fiction, it felt all too real for both the music industry, and how everyday women move throughout their lives. It felt like an important conversation to have about how we treat women and how we are perceived. It brought up many topics that I did not expect, but appreciated. This is a story about how women are forced to pick themselves apart in society, and how we find success and peace despite that constant picking. How women are treated differently from men in ever facet of our lives. How exhausting it all can be, but how we move past that exhaustion and cultivate friendships and relationships outside of it.
The only thing that was off about the book or a miss was the lyrics included throughout the book, and how the audiobook added music that did not match the prose of the lyrics at all. I felt that this portion did not add much to the book, but it was not particularly annoying either. It just simply was there in a book that, otherwise, felt very driven in its details.
Overall, this book exceeded my expectations. It left an impression on me and left me thinking about all the topics ahead, and I would recommend it to anyone.
***Thanks to Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio through NetGalley for providing me an ARC for my honest review!***

As someone who is a teen in the late 90s this book was eye-opening for me. Think of Brittany Christina, Jessica , Mandy, and all the other princesses of the time, this is a fictional behind-the-scenes of what their lives may have been.

Amber is nothing teenager from New Jersey with big dreams for her future. She’s discovered at a school talent show and eventually lands the role in part of a girl group. Eventually, she leaves the group following her friend Gwen to go solo.

Throughout this process she meets slimy people, has to deal with the reality of who she is versus who the press portray her to be, and figure out what she wants from life.

It kind of shows how gross it was for the press to be so intrusive about young women, sexuality, and sex lives in the 90s and early aughts. The characters in this book are dwindled down to nothing but the stereotypes by the press, but we get to see the conflict people they really are.

Highly recommend for any of my contemporaries.

You can’t read the synopsis of Honey without thinking of Britney Spears. I was a young teenager when she became a household name. I wasn’t even a fan (I wasn’t allowed to listen to her music 😂), but I remember the constant rumors about her and the grown men on news channels arguing over whether or not she’d had a boob job and speculating on the status of her virginity. I remember how weird it made me feel about my own body, my own sexuality, and my own right to privacy when it came to those things.

Honey touches on those topics and more through the eyes of Amber Young, a teen pop star, as she rises from mediocrity to the kind of fame she’s always dreamed of. Although most of us have never been pop stars, many of us have been over-sexualized, treated like we are just our bodies, and it’s easy to relate to the way Amber feels when she’s treated that way by men. Part of me wishes Isabel Banta had gone a little deeper when it comes to the concepts of misogyny and exploitation in the music industry. There were instances of these things throughout the book, but it felt like they were just stated as facts rather than truly explored. But either way, I’m glad that the 90’s pop star experience wasn’t completely glossed over and glamorized.

While Amber deals with the disgusting problematic behavior of the men around her (and society in general), she also deals with a lot of internal struggle, including her desperate need to feel loved, and I imagine readers will relate to that very strongly. I enjoyed Amber’s journey and I like that the book covered the entirety of it. The inclusion of Amber’s friend and fellow pop star Gwen’s journey as well, though we didn’t get to see as much of it, was an excellent choice.

Of course, I want to talk about the audiobook, which was fantastic. Honey is written in first-person from Amber’s POV and the narrator, Brittany Pressley, either has the perfect voice or used the perfect voice for Amber. The lyrics to a few of Amber’s singles are in the book, and one of my favorite things about the audiobook is that when Pressley read the lyrics, there was pop music playing in the background. The music was different for each song and was really cool! It added so much to the listening experience, and to the book as a whole. I was fully immersed, even bobbing my head to the music a little. Because of this, I’m fully convinced the audio version is the best way to read Honey.

The plot of this was so promising and I think I may have hyped it up a bit too much in my head.

The pacing of this book felt so awkward. At times it felt like a memoir of a stranger, other times it was slow and other times it felt too fast. I felt like I couldn't get a grasp on what emotions I was meant to be feeling because I was so discombobulated with the pacing.

I love the cover, I think it is super eye catching, and I do think others will enjoy this one more than me. Looking forward to sharing my review on my instagram followers!!

Thank you to Celadon for allowing me to be a part of this readalong, and to MacMillan Audio for an ALC as well.

I enjoyed this book set in the world of pop music. In the 1990s Amber becomes a part of Cloud9, an all girl pop group. It's her dream but it doesn't take long for it to realize this dream comes at a price.

This is told from Amber's point of view, and we get different timelines with the 1990s and then the 2000s with older Amber. The audio was well done and made it feel almost autobiographical.

I feel like it gave a very realistic view of the way things were for young women in pop groups in this time period. A sadly realistic view.

It was well written and I couldn't help but be cheering for Amber and she navigates life.

Review: "Honey" by Isabel Banta

Rating: 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and Isabel Banta for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

As a millennial, the premise of "Honey" immediately grabbed my attention. It brought back memories of my favorite stars from that era: Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and NSYNC. Isabel Banta does a commendable job capturing the spirit of the late '90s and early 2000s, a time defined by the meteoric rise of pop icons.

The story centers on Amber Young, an iconic pop star whose career mirrors those of real-life celebrities from that era. I enjoyed the nostalgic trip down memory lane, but I found myself not as riveted as I had hoped. The book didn't quite maintain my interest throughout, and I occasionally felt bored.

One of my main critiques is that the author missed an opportunity to delve deeper into Amber's backstory. I wanted to see more of her challenges, heartbreaks, and the journey that led to her career. This aspect felt underdeveloped and left me wanting more substance.

The book attempts to highlight the misogyny prevalent in the music industry and how the media pitted popular artists against each other, creating unnecessary drama. This is an important theme, and Banta touches on it effectively at times. However, I wish the narrative had focused more on these issues rather than leaning heavily into relationships and sex. A deeper exploration of the industry's darker side would have made for a more compelling and insightful read.

That said, the multimedia aspect of the audiobook, including web articles, magazine quizzes, and song lyrics, added an interesting layer to the story. The high production value, especially with Brittany Pressley's narration and the inclusion of song tracks, made the audiobook experience enjoyable.

In conclusion, "Honey" by Isabel Banta is an interesting read for anyone nostalgic for the pop culture of the late '90s and early 2000s. While it has its strengths, it falls short of fully exploring the complexities of its protagonist and the music industry. Thank you again to NetGalley, Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and Isabel Banta for this early reading opportunity.

My review for Honey will be posted to my Instagram by the day of publication, 6/25/24. My Instagram: instagram.com/kissandtalewithpattie

My review is already on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/8701092-pattie-fore

I have super mixed feelings on Isabel Banta's book Honey. Although there were parts of the book that really bothered me (the inclusion of the lyrics took me out of the story every time), overall, I really did enjoy this book. I totally understand why people are making a connection between this novel and Daisy Jones, same to the connection with Britney Spears. As a person who would run to turn on TRL after school, the late 90s is a peak setting for me. In fact, I wish we had been able to sit with Amber in her slow rise to fame a bit longer. Overall, I did really enjoy this book and I think lovers of pop music of a certain age, would as well.
I was gifted access to the audio version of this book through Net Galley. The narrator did a great job and as mentioned, the only part I wasn't a fan of was the including of the lyrics.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity.

3.5 stars rounded up

This book was fine; it wasn’t good, it wasn’t bad, it was just fine. The premise was definitely intriguing to me as someone who is very into music and pop culture but that’s kind of where my intrigue stopped. I didn’t really like Amber and I just felt like I kept reading the same information from her over and over again. Story itself aside, the audiobook was very well done and I really enjoyed the excerpts from interviews, songs, etc.

Much thanks goes to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook!

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will say that I didn't like this. I Heard so many amazing things and I wanted to like this but omg. I just couldn't. This book feels like one of those celebrities memoirs just instead a very awkwardly paced fiction novel. The writing was great but the pacing just broke it for me.

3.5 stars rounded up. If you were a teenager in the late '90s or early aughts, you will recognize many of the characters in this book. Britney, Jessica, Xtina, *NSYNC, even the acclaimed producer Max Martin -- their counterparts can all be found in the pages of Honey: the story of iconic pop star Amber Young, her rise to fame, and the scandals and achievements that shaped her career.

Isabel Banta gets a lot right in her debut novel. She perfectly captures the culture of the late 1990s and early 2000s, largely defined by the feverish, meteoric rise of girl groups and boy bands. Through Amber (who reminded me of both Britney and Xtina at different times through the story) and her counterparts, Gwen and Savannah, Banta explores the artifices of fame, the never-satisfied need for recognition and success, the struggles of being cast in a public persona that doesn't quite fit, the role of public opinion in shaping a career, and what it feels like to live your dream while also lacking anything real and true. There's a lot of interesting commentary surrounding the ways these pop icons were exploited and oversexualized -- but also how they were underestimated, denied agency and often respect in the industry.

I loved the multimedia aspect of the book, which includes web articles, magazine articles and quizzes (man, those quizzes were nostalgic!), and song lyrics. The audiobook, read by Brittany Pressley, has a high production value that includes several song tracks, overlaid with spoken lyrics.

All that said, however, the plot of Honey largely felt like a missed opportunity. I felt like there was a more interesting story to tell about these characters, rather than just casting them as players in a love affair that was supposedly "scandalous." I felt that Banta got to the heart of who Amber was, but never quite excavated the complexities of her relationships with the other characters.

But wow, was Honey ever a fun trip down memory lane for me -- and also a book that made me think about those back-in-the-day pop icons in a completely different light than I was capable of as a 15-year-old girl obsessed with the Backstreet Boys. Thank you to Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for the early reading opportunity.

IMMEDIATELY felt The Ex-Hex vibes, which I LOVED. To my surprise, the audiobook narrator for The Spellshop is also Caitlin Davies!

The Spellshop had me at “Caz, the sentient spider plant” and the rest was history!! In all seriousness, The Spellshop is totally adorable and was right up my alley. After a rebellion in their land, Kiela and Caz save as many books, specifically spell books, from the library as they can carry before the library goes up in flames. Theres only one problem, possession of spell books and unauthorized spell casting is illegal. To escape, they travel to Kiela’s home island and bunker down in her parents abandoned home. The duo must find a way to hide the spellbooks, figure out how to make a living, fix the cottage, and keep the locals from getting too close. That is, until Kiela falls back in love with her home, and the handsome neighbor, and starts using minor spells to heal the land.

The Spellshop is such a fun read and I hope there will be more of this series in the future!

Honestly so ready for spooky season after this read!

Thank you NetGalley, TOR Publishing, MacMillan Audio, and Sarah Beth Durst for the ARC of The Spellshop in exchange for an honest review!

First off, many thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book as an audio ARC! I greatly appreciate it!
This book was fine. Just fine. I'm sure it's great for some folks, but for me, it was just okay. I was expecting something fun and wild and electrifying, but nah, it's just some pop star doing basic pop star things. The potential was there, but nah. It wasn't a bad book by any means, it just wasn't what I was hoping for.
My stomach literally dropped when our main character, Amber, is suddenly getting all boy crazy when she spends the first several chapters of the book fawning over another girl. This is the third book I've read this year that starts off giving sapphic energy just to give in and be heterosexual after all. It's immensely frustrating.
Three out of five stars for Honey.

Honey follows Amber who is trying to become a pop star in the late 90’s/early 00’s. It’s a fun nostalgic ride through the boy band/solo girl era reminiscent of *NSYNC, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera amongst others.

I enjoyed following Amber and thought the audiobook was well done. The commentary on sexualization of young women and the emphasis on purity of females was on point. I do wish the characters were a bit more fleshed out overall and especially wish the songs in the audiobook were sung instead of spoken over music. Overall I had a good time with this work and would broadly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

I didn't care for the characters or the storyline, but as a 90's baby it gave me so much nostalgia and I ate it up.

A pop-star coming of age fiction debut set in the late 90s. This was perfect for fans of singers like Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore and was fantastic on audio narrated by my FAV, Brittany Pressley. Heartfelt and interspersed with fun news clips that really enhanced the audio experience. I will definitely keep an eye out for more by this new writer. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!