Thank you NetGally and Macmillan audio for an advanced copy of this audio book. I was truly expecting something more with this book, I went into this expecting Y2K vibes and unfortunately it didn’t deliver. This story is about the rise and fall (and plateau?)of a young pop star. If they didn’t mention the year and the locations every chapter you really couldn’t place this is a period piece. The atmosphere, characters and drama felt super flat and I found the song lyrics super cringy and the audio made it worse. I honestly think had I had to physically read this I would have definitely DNFed this.

I listened to this on audiobook and enjoyed the narrator but this just wasn’t for me. Maybe it was too “young” for me. It’s not a YA but just revolves around the teen/young adult world of stardom. I can see teen girls loving it.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I had a hard time keeping interested. The narration was good, but I still had to make myself finish it.

Thank you, NetGalley for the advanced audiobook copy in exchange for my honest review!

2.5
This book had a lot of potential I'm just not thrilled with the execution. It had all the makings of other favorites of mine such as Daisy Jones and similar brash writing to Dolly Alderton yet it fell flat on every occasion.

the graphic sex scenes were unnecessary and honestly confusingly placed at times, I was also unsure of her age throughout the book which morally was a bit iffy. I feel like comparing this to Daisy Jones only in the way that every character has flaws, sex, drugs, and an industry that abuses them. The characters in Honey lack substance and even the main girl infuriated me with her decisions. I couldn't see the driving forces as clearly as I wished. TJR has beautiful prose and quotable language, I couldn't tell you a singular quote from this book.

I also feel as if this was a gross caricature of the life of a pop star in the early 90's, and even maybe a more flowery version as well. I feel like there wasn't enough reality in the fans' reactions. It followed a very lackluster "Hannah Montana to Miley" transition of career. I wish I loved this more.

I loved the performance of the voice actor and the sound effects of news reports, blog posts, music blurbs, etc.

once again I thank NetGalley for the advanced audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review!

The cover of Honey drew me in. If you are a Gen X-er and grew up watching MTV and TRL, give this book a go. I longed for a Daisy Jones-like read, but this is more of a nostalgiac insider’s view of 90’s girl band, friendships, and relationship drama instead.

I thought the narrator gave the story a great vibe.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley ALC.

It reminded me of a fiction version of Britney Spear's memoir with some additional pieces added in or changed. This made it seem like the author lacked creativity and it won't be able to break through the saturated market of books about early 2000s musicians.

In my opinion it didn't really end. Rather than giving us a chapter or two to wrap up the book, we just got an article that told us what happened and where things ended. It seemed like after getting through the whole book, the ending was an after thought.

Ugh, such an interesting premise but I couldn't connect with the main character. I felt we were just going through the motions and plot points without any attachment to any of the characters. We were stuck at arm's length throughout the book.

Honey tells the story of Amber Young, a girl coming of age in the 90s trying to make it in the music industry. She gets the opportunity to join the girl group Cloud9 and takes it, beginning her journey to stardom. One of the other girls, Gwen Morris, goes solo, encouraging Amber to take the leap as well. The book navigates Amber growing up in the public eye, navigating her sexuality, and trying to make and maintain her relationships. The writing of this book was really beautiful. The song lyrics weren't always the best, but there were sections told through interviews and newspaper articles that did a good job of juxtaposing how the public felt about Amber versus how she felt about herself. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did an excellent job. This will be a great read for anyone who was big into pop music in the 90s or enjoys books about celebrity.

As someone who lived through this time period, idolized those women who grew up in the industry, and watched as the public combed through their personal lives and littered news stands with heartbreaking gossip, I expected this book to embody that pain. It didn't. I do think that Isabel Banta is an author to watch. She has a beautiful way of using language to portray heart wrenching experiences. I loved how she took pieces of each pop star's life, it was nostalgic. However, knowing what some of those women went through and how damaged it left them, this book was a little too dreamy for me. A lot of the pain and trauma were brushed over. She touched on a lot of really difficult circumstances, but there wasn't a lot of depth to it. I am definitely looking forward to seeing what Banta explores next as she continues her writing journey.

3.5 stars.

"Honey" by Isabel Banta will make any 90s/early aughts kid reminisce and bask in the nostalgia of a bygone era of TRL, Y2K, 9/11, pop culture frenzies... or it will make you frustrated that it doesn't quite go far enough. It will remind you of the continual media circus Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, the Backstreet Boys, Usher, and *NSYNC went through as many things that happen in this book are dramatized versions of real-life events that happened during my youth. It is all about first loves, coming-of-age, popularity, the limelight, insecurities, fiction versus reality, friendship, attraction, bodily autonomy, and music. It feels all too real to the experiences myself and many young girls went through during the late nineties and early 2000s when a size four was considered "plus size" and when men gleefully made countdown websites dedicated to young stars who would be turning eighteen. This book shines a spotlight on these dark times in a compelling way. Amber has always wanted to be a star, to get the attention she so desperately craves but does not get from her mother. The beginning of the story is quite enticing and gripped me thoroughly, but it all peters out towards the middle-end of the book. I particularly loved the conversation about having kids, the reasons women feel like they have to have them even if they know in their soul they don't want them. There is also an interesting bit about how mothers hate Amber because she is seen as a role model, which she never asked for, and how the media manipulates everything to sell more magazines/newspapers/get more clicks online. Amber struggles to remain herself, to keep her bodily autonomy, to reclaim who she is and how she looks, when everything else is against her. Honestly, Banta could have set this in 2024 and the result would be the same because very little has changed since the 90s. I also liked the radio/magazine interviews, TV clips, and music performances sprinkles throughout the book. It helps break up the monotony of Amber continually making and performing music, the drama between her and Wes, and her friendship with Gwen. There is a lot to like about this book, though it can feel a little repetitive at times. Definitely worth checking out for those of us who remember this timeframe. Finally, I loved Brittany Pressley's narration. She is one of my favorite audiobook narrators, and she perfectly encapsulates the 2000s-era pop stars depicted in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Isabel Banta, Celadon Books, and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary ARC/ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

This was a look at the life of a pop queen from the 90s. There were some nsfw scenes and I found the characters relatively unlikeable. I just think this book wasn’t my cup of tea.

This really, really had me in the first two thirds. I loved the arcs Amber had with Wes and Gwen, but the story lines that ultimately were with Axel unfortunately were very predictable and I feel like could have been more captivating. I also wish the songs were actually sung by the narrator instead of read flatly over a tune.
Overall I had a good time with this book, but the last bit fell flat for me.

I grew up in the 90s, so this book felt incredibly nostalgic. I loved how the female friendship was so central to the story. I don’t know if that is how it really was with pop stars, but I like to think it was. It’s just crazy how the girls were put in such small boxes, and treated like garbage. I really felt for the girls, and couldn’t stand the guys.

This book could’ve gone on for thousands of pages and I would’ve been happy. Such an introspective and unique way of looking at a rising pop stars life in the early 2000s. I felt so drawn to Amber as a character and found the narrative so captivating. I really enjoyed how the audiobook was done and how the narrators voice reflected a lot of the emotion's Amber experienced. The articles and music sections were also portrayed well.

Thank you Netgalley and Celadon Books for the advanced readers copy.

This book was honestly just okay. I LOVE late 90s/y2k nostalgia and I feel like nothing of impact really happened in this novel. In some ways it was simply a romance which isn't my jam. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This definitely hits the mark for a nostalgia read; however, I think I was looking for a bit more feminist charge due to the description. I didn’t feel like there was a lot of reclaiming the narrative being done, and reading this was a bit uncomfortable b/c I was just stewing in the emotions and frustrations I had during the late nineties/early aughts without getting a payoff. I wish the characters had been a bit meatier.

This book had all the makings of a great book. It gave off Daisy Jones vibes. However it fell drastically short in my opinion.

I feel like this book had a lot of potential.
I didn’t hate it but I can’t say I loved it either.
As a product of the 2000’s I was really excited to read this and feel all the nostalgia. That didn’t really happen. Though we were told what the year was throughout, I feel like that was the only clue into what time period the story was taking place.
I thought the story was compelling and I kept listening waiting for it to grip me, but I feel like it never got there.
It was also very graphic at times which was probably how it was for the 2000’s pop star princesses but not super fun to read.
Amber is discovered in her school talent show and auditions to be in the girl group cloud 9. After she realizes the group isn’t going anywhere she explores the world of the solo artist. This book follows her through the experience of battling the pop world in the late 90’s early 2000’s.
Again, so much potential but I feel like it fell flat.
Thank you Netgalley for the AAC.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. Amber felt very one dimensional and the book lacked the shimmer of nostalgia that I was hoping for. Aside from the mention of frosted tips, it didn't really feel like it was set in the 1990's. The overall tone was just a lot more dull than I was expecting.

Are you a glass-half-empty person? or glass-half-full?

I think that’ll be the litmus test for whether you like this book.

For me, as a dyed-in-the-ish pessimist, it fell flat.

I mean, there was nothing WRONG with the book.
Everything was…fine.

The characters were fine.
The plot was fine.
The settings were fine.
The sessy-times were fine.

…and when the book ended?
That was fine, too.

Thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Macmillan Audio for this ARC.