I really wanted to love it! It just was a little too dense on the music writing and I hate to even say that.

This was a highly enjoyable book, smart and warm and well paced. The main characters were likable and I enjoyed the story line of college friends finding each other through music and their lasting connection. The book was excellent in the way the plot remained focused on the lead female character, and how the lead male character was present throughout, without falling into typical "romance" tropes. The growth and maturity of the characters was present in the writing style and made for a fully realistic "coming of age" story arc. Plus the deep dives into the songs were all interesting.

It's intimidating to write a review for such a beautifully written book. It's the best debut novel I've ever read. I honestly wouldn't change a thing about it.

Deep Cuts follows Percy through her college years and throughout her 20's. In college, she meets Joe. Joe is an aspiring musician and Percy has a passion for music and writing. While their relationship is the most captivating part of the book, it was really refreshing that it didn't take over Percy's whole life and identity. The way music is woven into the book is so unique and well done.

Fans of Sally Rooney will love this one. Go into it without learning too much about it. Look up the book playlist to listen to while you read!

I could not believe this was a debut novel. It was amazing! I loved Joe, Percy, and Zoe. They were infuriating at times, as many people in their early 20's are. But you fall in love with them nonetheless. The setting was so nostalgic and really brought me back to the early 2000's. A beautiful story about how music continues to connect us.

Great relationship story well told, but even more impressive is the “telling” of the creative process of music, music fandom, and the ways in which we all grow and mature from college years through young adulthood. Perce and Joe are flawed, but you will enjoy them and root for them anyway.

And how can you not love a book that comes with its own built in playlist!

This was sooo good!!! Any book that mentions Hamm’s beer, Tori Amos and Fiona Apple has my vote of approval. Percy is such an interesting character. I felt her loneliness despite her strength. The friendships, the exploration of music and possible romantic connection make this an easy one to promote!

I know next to nothing about music, but in this heart breaking, soul searching, novel of discovery you don’t need to. Percy has some bad habits, but the ability to identify what makes great music isn’t one of them. Joe is a Peter Pan never grow up musician. There’s quite a little dance that goes on between the two set to the back drop of various songs and life experiences. Going into this novel I had widely different opinions than coming out of this novel. There is just something about it that hooks you. I don’t know if it’s the early 00’s nostalgia or what but Deep Cuts cuts deep.

Debut author Holly Brickley’s Deep Cuts will surely find a wide audience with those who like:
College/post-college coming-of-age novels
Music, music, music…and then more music
Nostalgia for the early 2000s
And don’t mind:
Ridiculous new adult romantic entanglements
A lot of musings about music
Personally, I liked it. While the romantic life of twenty-somethings falls widely outside my interest zone Brickley managed to keep me engaged with her sharp, witty writing and entertaining main character.

Came for the will they won't they between Percy and Joe but stayed for the friendship between Percy and Zoe. I loved the way that this long term female friendship grounds both of the characters and quietly drives a lot of the novel's plot. The writing was good and the references were fun-this was a great read.

Unfortunately not for me. I believe there will be fans of this though, so will probably purchase a copy for the collection.

Thank you to Netgalley, Crown Publishing, and Holly Brickley for the ARC in exchange for a honest review!

First, I want to say that this is an absolutely breathtaking debut. I cannot hammer that home enough. Breathtaking. I truly cannot wait to see what else falls out of the beautiful mind of Holly Brickley. I will standing by with semi-there patience, Holly, for any future books you produce.

Her writing is so classic, so perfectly detailed and touching. Nostalgic, like walking into a place you used to inhabit when you were younger. Her characters feel fully-formed and real to the point where this nearly could be a lost memoir of some indie music nerd from the early twenty first century. Maybe it is. I will not rule it out. And the music? Both fictional and not, they were incredibly picked and done. Someone on Spotify created a playlist and I listened to it while I read (I'm now obsessed with The Beach Boys' "Surf's Up' album). The songwriting scenes between Percy and Joe quite literally made me tear up; an experience so rare and foreign to me that I'm more likely to run into Brian Wilson himself on the street than achieve it.

As a "High Fidelity" fanatic, this book is in what I dubbed (with great inspiration from John Cusack's Rob Gordon, of course) "my desert island all time list." It's the love child of "Just Kids" by Patti Smith and "Cold War" (2018) by Paweł Pawlikowski; from the same vein as earlier mentioned "High Fidelity" (2000) and the tremulous affairs of McCartney/Lennon, Lindsey Buckingham/Stevie Nicks, Gerry Goffin/Carole King.

For any music nerd who is not so musically inclined, such as myself, this book is for you. This book is a mirror of us. For any fan of heart melting fictional relationships, I truly cannot recommend this enough. The world needs this book and its characters. I need to own it physically, immediately.

🎵🎤CALLING ALL MUSIC LOVERS 🎶🎼

This book was nothing short of amazing. “Deep Cuts” take on a new meaning (you’ll understand as it’s explained in the beginning of the book) and it has such an incredible play on words.

The way the characters in this book are transformed by music feels surreal as sometimes I feel like I can relate. Analyzing songs, thinking of ways it can be better, and sometimes even thinking of a certain someone when you hear a song.

Deep Cuts cuts deep. 🎧

HUGE thank you to @netgalley and @crownpublishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley

This is the book for anyone who feels deeply and music and songwriting. The feelings behind songs and the way the music makes you feel and transports you. I love music, but I honestly don’t pay as much attention to the lyrics. This book makes you pay attention to both and I feel like I learned a lot about the construction of a great song! If you liked Daisy Jones and the Six you will love this.

Percy is in college at Berkley and is a nerdy music aficionado without any musical talent. Her great love is dissecting songs but even her colleagues at the record store don’t share the same interests or passion. Until she meets Joe, an aspiring musician who is like her musical soul mate. Except he is in a longterm relationship with Zoe. Percy and Joe have a symbiotic relationship that feeds off of each others ideas and makes Joe’s songs so much better. The three form a friendship despite the mutual attraction between Joe and Percy, or perhaps because of it.

The story follows the careers and friendships of the three as they leave college. Joe embarks on his music career, Zoe pursues activism and Percy sets out to be a writer. She struggles to find her voice and can’t let go of her passion for Joe. The relationship between the three are interesting and unexpected. I loved the connection between Joe and Zoe and her family and the respect she had for him.

This is a love story wrapped up in music and songs. I loved how Percy’s stories are told through songs. “Songs gave me a window into a magical life…if I listened hard enough it would show me how to get it right.” She is such a vulnerable and loveable character. There is a perfect song for every moment in life.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the chance of an early read. This book doesn’t come out until February 2025 so keep your eye out.

Wow - I loved this so much! It is an enthralling love story and also a moving exploration of ambition, jealousy, missed opportunities, and undeniable connection.

Percy loves music and wishes she had musical talent. Instead, she has impeccable taste and strong opinions on seemingly every song ever written. She knows not everyone is thrilled to hear her thoughts but one night, she meets someone who can’t wait to hear more. Joe is an aspiring singer and songwriter and he feels an instant kinship with Percy. They become friends and then something more complicated. Over the next eight years, we follow Percy as she tries to figure out what her version of happiness looks like.

The chemistry between Percy and Joe is palpable and I alternated between rooting for them and being frustrated with them and their choices. There is something so compelling about Percy and her struggle with wanting something so much (whether it is a career, another talent, or relationship) and not quite being able to achieve it. Percy’s taste in music is unsurprisingly excellent and I found myself playing some of the songs mentioned throughout the novel as I was reading.

I read the last chapter so slowly as I did not want the story to end and immediately wanted to start reading it again. Highly recommended!

Thank you very much to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful debut.