Though I was really looking forward to this one I found myself a bit disappointed. @tenderbench does a great job summing it up in her review, but I just wanted MORE. More from the MC, more from the writing. I wanted to feel more gritty yearning. There was just something lacking here. Though I do think Banta is a talented writer, this did feel like a debut. I think she's still finding her footing. The best part of the book was Amber's sessions with her producer. It's the most alive part of the whole novel and had the most depth. While part of this was on purpose - the rest of Amber's life/relationships are pretty shallow (aside from one female friend), the writing itself also felt shallow. But these parts I wanted to get lost into! Also the social commentary, while appreciated and important, stuck out and didn't feel woven in, they felt obvious. There was some random tense switches from first to omniscient that brought me out of the narrative. Much of the dialogue felt boring and a little pointless. Amber claims to be desperate but her desperation is missing and her personality felt very one note and flat. I did appreciate the female friendship and exploration of sexuality.

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.

Honey by Isabel Banta ARC review

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I really had a lot of trouble rating this book. It really made me think about the music industry as a whole. I believe that this author is incredibly talented to have created such a complex pop star book! I also enjoyed the nostalgia that this gave me!

This book follows Amber Young and her journey growing up in music industry and in the public eye. Her journey is far from smooth and is filled with predatory people. It’s almost scary how realistic this book seems at times. What I wasn’t crazy about were the slow parts. But I do recommend reading this book!

It’s out now!

Thank you Celadon books for the ARC

This was a fun nostalgic romp for me as a 90s baby!! Some bits in the middle dragged on a bit for my taste but I also might have just recently oversaturated myself with books about early 2000s/90s popstars, which is entirely my own fault haha. Overall very enjoyable read, great experience! I look forward to any future works by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley for this free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited to read this book. 90/2000’s nostalgia is right up my alley. Unfortunately, this book fell a little flat for me.
Honey follows the story of Amber Young as she begins her journeys into the music business. The story is fiction but is told as a biopic. Amber’s story progresses as she moves from girl band member into her solo career all while navigating her coming of age story.
I didn’t find the story to be very entertaining or engaging. It didn’t leave me wanting more. I did like the nostalgia factor but I feel like it could have been done better.

I devoured this book, even more than I thought I would. This story captures everything I could have wanted from a nostalgic 2000s rise to stardom -- the fame, the success, the glamor, the love triangles, it’s all there.

What’s also there is the tension of the expectations placed on Amber juxtaposed with the star she wants to be -- her over-sexualization to fill a “market niche” at the time, the rooms full of men deciding what young girls want to hear from her, the constant battles to write her own music -- Amber’s journey captures so much of what we’ve come to know about the experience of the pop stars we grew up with.

Most of all, though, I was drawn in by the writing. I’m in awe of Isabel Banta’s work, and I can’t believe this is a debut. The characters were well rounded and the story was juicy, I couldn’t put it down!

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.

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

A debut novel by Isabel Banta, Honey follows the tumultuous career of the rising fictional pop star Amber Young in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.⁣
I was a young adult in the 90s but I absolutely remember a time where pop music and very young musicians topped the charts & appeared on TRL on a daily basis. So many things went sideways in the music industry during this time, and Honey touches on a lot of it. ⁣ This books reads like YA but has several steamy scenes and adult issues. There is also a Celadon Books Honey Mixtape playlist on Spotify and I enjoyed listening to that companion soundtrack!

A very solid debut! As a young adult myself in the 90’s and music being a huge influence and main activity in my life, this book was very nostalgic to me and I enjoyed it immensely! Looking forward to seeing what’s next from this author.

This nostalgic story follows Amber Young as she manages becoming an adult while also becoming a pop sensation. The writing was absolutely beautiful. The characters were interesting and fun and real. The story was well told, captivating, and allowed me to self reflect on my own understanding and interaction with celebrity culture. The coming of age commentary felt so real and genuine in a way I don’t feel many others capture.

This book really shocked me. I was fully anticipating being hit with a heavy dose of nostalgia as a person who grew up listening to Britney, Christina, Jessica, and Mandy and crushing on various boy band members. I was pleasantly surprised to realize this book is so much more than that.

Will you appreciate it a bit more if you grew up in that era? I think so. But really, our FMC Amber is so relatable to any female out there. This book reads almost like a behind the scenes look at the music industry, and stylistically reminded me of Daisy Jones and the Six, which I LOVED. We see themes of gender imbalance, sexuality, femininity, failure, power, friendship, relationships, and insecurity. I wouldn’t say these topics are deeply explored, but it’s enough to make an impact and give this book so much more substance than I had expected.

I found this to be a really well written debut novel. I was thoroughly entertained while also being emotionally impacted. I look forward to seeing what Isabel Banta does next!

Thank you Celadon Books, NetGalley, and the author for the gifted copies.

Honey is a buzzy coming-of-age novel that tracks the rise of a pop princess, amber, in the late 1990s/early 2000s. The story is told in parts of a song-(first verse, chorus, second verse, reprise, outro) and moves between following amber in narrative form and the lyrics of her popular songs. Amber is very reminiscent to of Britney Spears when she first debuted on the scene and had her meteoric rise. Amber faces mysogism, slut-shaming, media scrutiny while trying to establish herself as a serious artist in the industry.

This book is a quick read that deftly captures what it was like to witness the rise of the pop stars during the teen pop craze.

While this doesn’t really add anything to the narrative or the genre of the musical fiction that has been coming out since dairy jones, it’s a fun read great for the summer!

Thanks to the publisher for the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sorry to say, this was not an enjoyable read. The storyline itself had so much potential, I love all things in the 90s/2000s music world, but the execution fell short. I didn’t connect with the main character (or any of the characters for that matter), and felt the entire story could have used a lot more depth overall. Probably should have DNFd.

Five, five, five stars!!!!! Such a fun and interesting read. Amber’s character was so interesting and such a brain to be in while recounting something most people only witnesses through photos or a television screen. The depiction of the late 90’s/early 2000’s music scene was both glamorous and depressing, especially when inspiration from Britney’s career is brought to mind. It was hard and so uncomfortable and sad at times to read her experiences, but doubly uplifting when Amber got something everyone knew she deserved. Loved it so much and each character was something worth reading about.

Wow. This book really showcased all of the glamor, and dark sides, to the pop phenomenon of the 90's. As someone who grew up in that decade it was a nostalgic and bittersweet read. It was an interesting read but I had a hard time staying completely invested. Still, giving it a worthwhile 4 stars.

As a millennial, I eagerly anticipated the nostalgic journey this book promised to offer. Yet, to my dismay, it fell short of sparking any significant emotion within me.

The narrative is set during my teenage years, but it felt like the author wasn’t even alive during this iconic era. The book failed to capture the vibrant pop culture or the towering stature of teenage pop idols of those years. If ETA was the most popular or even just a popular boy band of that period, they wouldn't have had a moment's peace from their adoring, fanatical fans. Even talking about TRL was dull and TRL defined what was popular (even as a Canadian without access to TRL - I knew how influential it was). I could see how Banta was trying to represent each ‘personality’ of pop princesses (for me, Savannah = Mandy Moore, Gwen = Britney, Amber = Christina/Jessica) but ultimately it was just narcissistic teenage drama.

The characters, especially Amber, struck me as superficial and lacked depth. The repeated focus on Amber's breasts, especially at a young age, give me major ick right away.

I managed to read through half of the book, hoping it would improve. But, the narrative failed to draw me in or make me care for the characters or their stories. I reluctantly put the book down, unable to muster the enthusiasm to continue.

Thank you Celadon Books for providing this eARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.

Okay, so I liked this, even though it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.

It sort of brings together all the Britney, Christina, Mandy Moore, Jessica Simpson stories of the 90’s. ETA is very Nsync with Wes feeling like Justin Timberlake.

It’s got a VH1 behind the music feel. The main character starts on star search, (like all the kids stars did back then). But the story was very dark and moody. While the writing was beautiful, I felt like Amber was very detached? Like things were happening to her but she seemed very separated from her story, if that makes sense.

I think because this book made me feel nostalgic is why I liked it so much 😂. My one issue? The lyrics. I cannot with song lyrics in books for songs that don’t exist. I cannot connect to a song I can’t listen to. I skipped past every set of song lyrics because it’s cringe 😂. I don’t know if everyone feels this way or if it’s just me.

Overall though, I liked this one. It wasn’t amazing, but if you grew up in the 90’s it’s a nice throwback.

Thank you @netgalley and @celadonbooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

“Honey”, by Isabel Banta, was a story that reached into my heart and wouldn’t let go. I could not stop reading this coming of age story. The author writes about fame in the music industry like she intricately knows about it, and she does it so well by describing the effects of men, gender roles, and patriarchy on the women trying to make it to the top. I look forward to reading her next book. This was unputdownable. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the arc of this wonderful novel.

Happy Pub Day to Honey!
I love stories about regular people rising to fame, and if it’s fame in the late 90´s-early 2000’s music industry, all the better! I really enjoyed following along on Amber’s journey as she was first ignored by her family, then manipulated by the industry, tried to be what her fans wanted, and then finally came into her own and learned to love herself & became confident in her work. I loved the little peeks into that world—the touring, the awards shows, the performing, and even the actual production of the albums. The book was also commentary on how people, especially young women, are packaged as commodities for the public’s consumption and the record label’s profit. Definitely gave Britney Spears vibes.
I do wish there had been a little more of an ending though…more about what Honey did with her fame, once she had truly arrived.

I am obsessed with anything 90s/00s so I was so excited to read this! I loved all the gossip magazines growing up and this book really showed what the pop stars had to deal with. You also get to read a story about a girl going through friendship, relationships and sexuality all while in the music industry. I also thought the cover was perfect!