An interesting story of love, friendships, conflict and forgiveness. Emma has a way with words that makes you feel what the characters are experiencing.

This is a book about music, love and tragedy. Parts of it reminded me of A Star Is Born as I was reading it. I liked the characters, even though Jane seemed a bit cold and overly dramatic at times, I couldn't help be a little envious of her and her talent. It did start out a little slow at the beginning but then found myself having a hard time putting it down. All in all a very good story.

This is a book about music, love and tragedy. It reminded me of A Star Is Born. Though similar in theme, Songs in Ursa Major provided a fresh look at young love, the music industry, and its stars. I appreciated the aspects on mental illness that were part of this novel.

Reminiscent of another book I read, Daisy Jones and the Six, Songs in Ursa Major is a deep dive into the story of Janie Q and her band The Breakers. From their first performance, through their breakup and Janie’s journey as a solo artist this story took me on a ride. I love all the detail, but felt at times there was too much metaphorical language. This is a delightful escapist story perfect for Summer.

Songs in Ursa Major is an intriguing novel set in the folk rock world of the late 1960's - early 1970's. It is a leisurely paced novel, but the characters were complex and compelling. I love the time period this book depicts and that added quite a bit to my enjoyment. I recommend this novel especially for fans of ' 60's - 70's music.

Really enjoyed this story the world of the band .The characters are all well written a book that will make a wonderful movie,will be recommending.# netgalley #knopfdoubleday

Overall this was an enjoyable book, with an interesting exploration of the music industry and a highly complex character.

I was very torn on this book, and I had very high hopes, as I love books about musicians. Reading the book, I had a little trouble getting into it as it was moving a little slow for me, I actually stepped away and came back. For the middle portion of the book, I was drawn in, I liked the speed of the book and the storyline did not feel completely predictable. There were choices the lead character makes that make sense for the character, but leave you feeling like if she were your friend, you'd be saying, "What are you thinking?" Then, at the end of the book, I could feel the predictable ending coming, and I was glad when it didn't take the easy way out, however, the ending still left me confused, or at least, not satisfied.

The characters were well defined, and I felt like they remained true to themselves throughout. Hopefully without giving too much away, I did dislike the character arc concerning the main character's mother. It felt like an add on - there were signs along the way, but they were too obscure for me to immediately catch, and while it contributed to the main character, I just felt like there was a better way to introduce/explore that part of the story line.

The story is interesting and kept my attention, I just felt there were little jags here or there that distracted me from loving the book. Give the book a chance, it isn't perfect for me, but it will work for others.

So this definitely needs to be made into a movie. I want to hear these songs and see the relationships play out. Loved Jane's journey and her need to do things her way.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable story about the ups and downs of the music industry and a flashback to the music of the 60's and 70's. In the beginning of the story it had a Woodstock vs A Star Is Born kind of feel to it.
Jane was trying to break into the industry and trying to remain faithful and include her band members that she's been with since school. After the main performer, Jesse , isn't able to appear, she has her chance to take the main stage.
It was entertaining and also covered some difficult times. If you enjoy books from this era and about musicians I think you will like this book.

Both the title and the description of this book called to me that I had to read this one, and once I started I couldn't put it down. The music industry in the 60's and 70's was volatile and make good subject matter. The damaged characters in the book are intriguing and it was engrossing reading about their triumphs and their failures. I cheered for Jane every time she stood up for herself and her music, and despaired as Jesse struggled with his problems despite his fame. The writing style is addictive and enjoyable and the characters are well fleshed out. I found the song lyrics inserted throughout the novel intriguing.

Thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group through Netgalley for an advance copy.

I noticed right away that I was going to be comparing Songs in Ursa Major to Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The similarities are: same time periods in the music industry, shining female star, bands, drugs, and tragic love, and multiple perspectives in the story. Here's the thing though, these stories may have similar vibes, but I personally enjoyed Songs in Ursa Major SO MUCH MORE because I couldn't stand the distracting interview format of Daisy Jones. So, basically, this is the book I wanted when I ordered Daisy Jones last year. I adored the East Coast setting ac well as the setting of the 60s and 70s. I enjoy the rock, classic rock, and folk music of that time. I found this book to be be a cool and smooth journey written vividly enough that I felt like I was there hearing it all live and for the first time. I heard this was based on the relationship between James Taylor and Joni Mitchell and now I want to know more about that! This book worked perfectly for me. If you like the folk music scene, and 60-70s era historical fiction, then this book is for you too. Thank you so much for the opportunity to be an early reader. This was such a great book!

READ THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY - It is soooo good. Burgeoning musicians and their bands have become a popular topic for novels in the past couple of years. DAISY JONES AND THE SIX and UTOPIA are both fabulous examples of this and SONGS IN URSA MAJOR is just as compelling. I fell in love with Jane - her difficult relationship with her mother, her wonderful aunt, her struggles with her self-esteem and her wavering faith in herself as a songwriter and performer. This was such a lovely read that one night, I abandoned all responsibilities and just sat and read it straight through - a truly satisfying experience. I can hardly wait to read Brodie's next book.

A must read for those who loved the book "Daisy Jones and the Six" and the music scene in the late '60s and '70s! I couldn't put this book down anxiously awaiting the outcome of each character's life. The character development was rich and the author explored each of their lives in depth. You will fall in love not only with the story but with the characters who all play an integral part of the story.

From my public review on Goodreads, 4 stars:
A very thorough and interesting story. I’m intrigued by stories about the music world, although prefer when they have some inkling that they could be real, and this story didn’t disappoint (for the most part).

There were times when I didn’t like Jane and thought she was being slightly melodramatic, and there’s a section about 3/4 the way involving a trip that started to feel off-course from the rest of the book, but overall an impressive and engaging debut.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

As a book and music lover, I was excited to receive an advanced copy of Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie from @aaknopf and @netgalley.

As I read this story about two folk singers navigating the music industry in the 1970s, I had to keep reminding myself these deeply-flawed characters weren’t real. Emma Brodie does an incredible job bringing each character to life, and with each turned page, I found myself rooting for every single one of them to find peace, happiness, and fulfillment in their own stories.

This intimate novel was easy to fall in love with, and I read it in less than 24 hours, eager to see how the story ended. It included all the makings of an epic love story with fame, family, struggle, tragedy, and triumph.

Songs in Ursa Major weaves storytelling and music together beautifully, leaving the reader with a lyrical tale sure to stick with the reader after the last page is turned. If you loved A Star is Born, this book is for you.

From the description, i thought this book sounded like the movie, A Star is Born, which is great. The opening with Jesse not singing at music festival and local Jane Quinn takes the stage in his place and wins over the disgruntled crowd, was awesome. It had you rooting for Jane and excited when she did good. But the rest of the book didn't deliver for me after that.

Right off the bat, we were introduced to way more people than it's possible to keep track of, and that was the way through the whole book. We were told the bus drivers name to the music moguls, most of which weren't necessary to know for the story. It just confused things, in my opinion

Another issue for me, was that there was no buildup of the story...Jane sang in the festival and suddenly was making a record and a rock star. Same with the love story between Jane and Jesse, they met a couple times and were instantly a couple.

There were too many mentions of details about recording the songs, possibly a musician or producer might find interesting but it just slowed the story down for me. There were several pages discussing how they found just the right obscure instrument to tap in one song....none of this was necessary.

Janes family secret wasn't that big of a secret or that interesting. I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. I wanted to like it, but I just honestly didn't.

This book will have you reaching for the record player...or Spotify playlist. Emma Brodie has a masterful way of developing characters that are untouchable and oh so relatable at the same time. This page-turner feels like a part of music history. An incredible debut book that at times reminded me of Taylor Jenkins Reid's "Daisy Jones and the Six" with the poetic song lyrics and relationship dynamics at play in a high-profile band.

I am a complete sucker for all 60's and 70's music and fashion and this book seamlessly combines both in the tale of a young woman from a small town convinced her music is enough to make her a star.

The book is a great read with not only an interesting romance, but a great take on women's liberation at a time very few people took women, even stars, seriously.

I loved the main characters, June and Jesse, but also June's band and family.

Obvious comparisons will be made to Daisy Jones, but this book, while sharing a time period and topic, is very much about Jane and her growth. I loved Daisy, and I loved this book also.

A great read.

I am glad I took the chance to request this book as I really had fun engaging in the journey that Jane took to learn about her talents and to find herself in music and writing lyrics. This book has a lot of potential to be a sleeper Summer hit, I hope that music lovers and fiction lovers find this book and take the chance on this charming, but with hidden depth, story. I would round up to 4.25 as once I got to the real strengths of the writing, where there are lyrics and an intimacy with Jane's talent that is compelling, I truly saw some specialness to this book. Thank you NetGalley and Knopff for early access to this book.

For me the strengths of the story, and writing and character development, come about 1/3 into the book, once Jane gets the chance to fight for her first solo contract and album. Reading that part of the book I felt the writing come to life in ways it had not earlier. This does not mean the early part was not good, it was fine, but I felt a new energy once Jane I suppose found her chance and her voice. When she was learning to speak about what she wanted for her album. her first small performance of that in progress work... yes! I was sad to put the book down by that point and was eager to see where the story would go, even though I could sense the patterns of misogyny and problems coming. I appreciate in fact the persistent weaving of a strong woman, women in fact as her family support was thoughtfully developed, against a past and present issue of misogyny and problematic relationships in music and folk music. Current familiarity with and attention to these themes in current news and social media experiences does not mean that they are not important to still highlight and present to readers and I thought this was done well without being heavy handed.

This was a quick, engaging, and intimate book and I really appreciate a writer who includes lyrics when writing a story about a singer song writer. I look forward to more writing from Emma Brodie and appreciate the chance to support this debut.

When Jesse, a popular musician, fails to appear at the island's music fest, Jane and her garage band, the Breakers, step in. She is a natural, and wins over the crowd. Opportunity arises, and her band begins touring with Jesse's. A romance develops alongside their careers. We see the glory and underbelly of the music industry (the story is set in the 1970s) as Jane, a preternaturally gifted singer and musician, matures and decides who she wants to be and how much she's willing to sacrifice. Jesse is even more gifted than Jane, if that’s possible, but his demons are greater as well.

Jane's mother is absent, and this is a mystery. Allegedly she ran off when Jane was a child. This shapes Jane, who lives in a rustic old Victorian with her surly, pregnant cousin, her aunt, and her grandmother. At the beginning of the novel, we learn that in Jane’s family, the women don’t marry. This is like another story line that seemed present only to support the fact that Jane was independent, but other than that, it didn’t play a big role.

The author does a great job of showing us what it was like in those times, with the sexism and misogyny, the drug abuse and sexual freedom. The whole Laurel canyon / Los Angeles music scene allows us to imagine being around when Joni Mitchell, Crosby Stills & Nash, and others were just getting started. In fact, some have opined that Jane is a representation of Joni, who was notoriously independent.

The writing is really good. The author is an artist. I’d give examples but I was reading a pre-publication copy so can’t give specific quotes, but take my word for it. She’s stunningly adept at describing moods, thoughts, and music, her knowledge of which was so in-depth, I wondered if she was related to a musical celebrity. To that end, I read the Acknowledgements, half expecting her to thank her dad or mom, insert famous name here. But no. Emma Brodie appears to just be a very gifted author, and I hope we’ll see many more works from her in the future.