“This age. It feels like walking barefoot on wood, every encounter a splinter that will remain embedded for years . . . We are all mortified to be alive. We are still-adjusting worlds—tectonic plates shaking in place, sometimes submerging, pushing up, up, up, only to crumble on the surface.”

This is definitely for the elder millennials who were preteens and teens during the late 90s. We who remember the Britney vs. Christina vs. Jessica Simpson lol. Definitely evocative, but the writing style wasn’t for me, and I feel like it was missing some detail that would have made it richer.

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.

This was really boring and nothing was really fleshed out. I didn’t feel like I was reading about a pop star; just an angsty teen relationship with way too much focus on their encounters. I didn’t feel like I was getting to know the characters; they were all flat and one dimensional. Interesting concept but not the best execution.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honey follows Amber Young, a girl who rises to fame in the late 90s and focuses on the highs and lows of her career from the late 90s through the early 2000s.

My only compliment is that I really enjoyed getting little reminders of what it was like to be a little girl who was a fan of pop stars in the early 2000s. Let’s move on.

I LOVE books about fictional celebrities. Now that I think about it I don’t think there’s any other book about a fictional celebrity I’ve ever disliked. That just makes the aspects of this book that I disliked especially irritating. It’s truly astonishing to me how uncreative Honey is. It feels like a book I’ve read 1,000 times before. Yes that could be because I’ve read a lot of books about fictional celebrities, but each of those books managed to have something, SOMETHING, interesting and unique about them. Amber was a hollow shell of a character. I can’t name one single personality trait she had. For a portion of the story that’s somewhat intentional, but the reader is supposed to watch her grow out of that. How can a POP STAR be so boring? This is a very character focused book, but it’s hard to describe it as such when there’s nothing to the main character. I believe Isabel Banta attempted to address the fact that female pop stars aren’t really able to “win” when they decide how they want to express their sexuality, but the way she handled that topic felt shallow. She tried to address the pressure that a young girl who has hardly had a sex life might face to exaggerate her sexual experience. It felt shallow. Amber’s extremely complicated relationship with her mother could’ve been addressed. That would’ve been interesting. But of course it wasn’t. Lastly, the way the ending was handled irritated me and felt lazy. I could go on. But I just want this review to be over.

Reading this book felt like eating cotton candy. At first it seemed like it could be a substantial amount of “food” but it melted away into nothingness as soon as I tried to consume it. The important difference here is that I love cotton candy.

I hope this is clear already: I do not recommend this book.

This book is perfect for fans of the late 1990s and early 2000s pop music: think Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Mandy Moore, Christina Aguilara, Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, etc. As with many things from that era, the music is back for a new generation to appreciate it. This young adult book, Honey, tells the story of a young pop artist looking to break out from her “girl group” and achieve pop stardom on her own. Naturally, she gets involved with someone from a boy group, and for those of us that lived through the time, you wonder how close this book is to the truth of some of these pop stars.

As a young adult novel, I thought this book really pushed the boundaries. I know teens read about sex and are sexually active, yet I thought this writing was more New Adult than YA because of how sexually active and explicit some scenes were. I’m not a prude, but since Young Adult is geared to 12 – 18-year-olds, I wouldn’t recommend this book for those on the younger age group.

The other issue I had was that none of the characters were particularly likable or had redeeming qualities. On the one hand, it shows that the writing is good if it can produce emotions, but I like to find one positive protagonist in my books. There were none in this book.

Why should you read this book? | "Natasha's Review" Quiz (2024)

1. You're at the store and are immediately drawn by the hot pink cover of "Honey". You read the back and take it to the cash register because:
a. you're drawn to the main character, Amber Young, and her ambitions to be a popstar.
b. you heard that maybe, possibly, probably there is a lot of romance involved.
c. you're obsessed with 90's and 2000's pop music and celebrities and want to watch as Amber tries to save her image.
d. you just really love the cover.

2. You sit down to read the book, and you're super connected to it because:
a. Gwen, Amber's best friend, is your superhero, and you love their friendship.
b. you're rooting for the romance. Will Wes be the one?
c. you love the media's fabricated drama surrounding Amber's life.
d. the pink cover just makes you happy.

3. When you finish the book, what's going to stick with you the most?
a. the way Amber grown from the beginning to end.
b. Amber's relationships with both Wes and Axel. You just really love romance.
c. all the drama Amber and real life 90's popstars went through.
d. did you know the CD's on the hardcopy are shiny?

Mostly a's: You should read this book because you'll enjoy seeing Amber's slow rise to fame. You'll get a glimpse into what it was like to be a popstar during this time period, and see how this character goes through it all. You might be surprised at the outcome, and you'll probably enjoy the way it reads like a memoir!

Mostly b's: You should read this book because you're all about the romance! No spoilers, but Amber goes through a few relationships throughout the book. As she finds herself, she also realizes what sticks and what doesn't. She's on a path to find a healthy relationship, but getting there is a slippery slope.

Mostly c's: You should read this book because you'll love all the messy parts. From the media fabricating feuds and villainizing Amber for just existing to Amber's actual life that is far from perfect, you'll be along for the ride.

Mostly d's: Yeah, the cover is just really cool.

More than one letter: There's so much to take away from this book! If you're intrigued by it in any way, I recommend giving it a try.

Thanks so much to Celadon Books for the gifted copy!

I really wanted to love this book, the description was so up my alley but it fell flat. I think the characters could have been thought through a bit more, they left me not really caring about what they did or how it affected their past and present, and while I think the conflict that was set up made sense in the book if was a little more realistic and I cared more about the characters I think this could have made this book a 4-star read.

As someone who grew up with the 90s/early 00s pop music, I was intrigued by this. However this book fell a little flat for me as I felt there could've been more of the pop references and I just didn't feel like I was immersed in that world with Amber. The characters were missing some depth as well.

Honey by Isabel Banta

We follow Amber Young who is a rising pop star set in the 90s-00s and her fellow industry friends. I was very excited to read this book but unfortunately I just couldn’t vibe with the characters. Amber and Wes were very much giving Brittney & JT and I couldn’t bring myself to care about them. The story fell flat for me and didn’t read as a coming of age story and the song portions were not my fav. The most compelling part of this novel was Amber’s relationship with her mother and I kind of wanted more of that. I think Banta did a great job portraying the toxicity of the music industry and the media especially for women during that time, If you are a fan of TJR you will definitely enjoy this one. Many thanks to Celadon Books & NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I started this book, I was worried I’d be getting a retelling of Britney Spears’s memoir, but fortunately I was wrong. While the novel does pull a lot from the world that Britney comes from, ultimately this story packs in so much more than just a look early 2000s pop girlies. I was more than pleasantly surprised to find out that this is a book that champions and prioritizes female friendships along with letting Amber guide us through her sexual transformation and coming of age in a way I found extremely real and relatable. I had deep love and investment in our characters (particularly Amber, Gwen, and Axel) and got to enjoy the fun and glorious ride Banta creates of a “late 90s/early 00s period piece” with the authenticity of someone who lived through it and the perspective of someone who can see its flaws.

This was slow burn for me. While I enjoyed Amber’s journey, I would have loved more references to 90s music. Did this impact the story? Not at all. The story was engaging and well-written, with a good pulse of what it might like in stardom. A little heavy on the similes, though, which pulled me out of the story. 4 ⭐️for an interesting read.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ARC of Honey in exchange for an honest and independent review.

Honey is a coming of age story that follows a fictional pop superstar, Amber Young, through her six or so years as she slowly comes into her own at the center of public opinion, all the while changing and morphing as the music industry sees fit. I couldn't help but draw numerous parallels between Honey and The Woman in Me by Britney Spears, which I do think speaks deeply to the pressures put on kids and teens in the music and entertainment industry, especially today. At it's core, it's incredibly sickening and God only knows how anyone comes out on the other side of that industry fully intact or even remotely sane or undamaged.

Amber spends her entire early years looking for love and belonging in a sea of people that are unfortunately banking on her success for their own personal gains. As a woman in the music industry, Amber grows to find her own voice and identity despite those that are trying to push her down and rise above her or squash her creativity and self worth. In this business, its all to easy to stand on the shoulders of others and call yourself tall.

While the overarching theme that this novel speaks to is true and surely justified, I really struggled with maintaining interest throughout the book. I just felt that there was something missing in the plot line that usually keeps me coming back for more or that I simply cannot put it down. I understand that this novel centers around growth, self discovery, and discovering that you are in fact enough, but it just wasn't enough of a premise to keep the storyline alive for me. As much as I wish it was, that just wasn't the case here. While this star studded Hollywood trope isn't usually my cup of tea, I was hoping this one would be different. Sadly, I still don't enjoy the Hollywood trope and this one just falls a little flat for me. If you were a fan of The Woman in Me, then I'm sure you will take interest in this one. As it happens, I wasn't a fan of Britney's work either, so I'm not entirely shocked I didn't love this one.

Am I way off base here or is there a bigger picture that I'm just missing? Let me know and give it a read to see for yourself!

(Thanks to @CeladonBooks #gifted.) 📀𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗬📀by debut author Isabel Banta came to me through Celadon’s Read Together Initiative. Together with @thebookishcamper, @themomwithabook and @drealooks_atbooks we traveled through this book a chunk at a time. I don’t do a lot of read-alongs, so it was fun to participate in this one.⁣
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𝘏𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 is an ode to female singers of the 90’s, with its main character, Amber Young, very much reminding me of Britney Spears. Throughout the story Amber fights hard for the singing career she’s always wanted. Sadly, doing so means giving up much of her personal life and taking on a sort of “sex kitten” persona foisted on her by the higher ups.⁣
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I thought this was a really solid, fun debut, that sometimes had a bit of a YA feel to it. It’s perfect for those who came of age in the 90’s or are fans of music from that era. Amber and her contemporaries will take you right back there and you’ll be rooting for her as you go.

First off thank you to the author and publisher for the chance to read an ARC of this novel.

I enjoyed it for sure but hoped for more. In places I felt like it was taking itself almost too seriously. I felt like the characters were not very dimensional and there was something just.. .missing

I love the premise, love the voice of the book leaning more towards a memoir but the execution for me was not 100%.

4.5 stars rounded up. What a beautiful debut novel by Isabel Banta!

Honey follows Amber Young, a rising pop-star in the 90’s, and the treatment of females during this time period. This novel touches on all of the things we remember were wrong with the 90s (and early 00s): objectification of females, sexualization of minors, diet culture, double standards, horrible industry standards. It really includes it all in a way that is understandable to those who have no experienced it. Banta did a wonderful job of 'showing us' and not 'telling us'. The writing and characterization was beautiful to read. I appreciated the snippets of lyrics, Wikis ect that were peppered throughout.

I have two gripes with this novel that prevented it from being an actual 5 star read for me. The ending of the relationship with Wes felt incomplete. I am unsure if this was purposeful, as the relationship really relied on the whims of others, but I did not enjoy it. The novel all around also read a bit slow to me. In the end the pace of this novel just made me slow down my pace of reading and appreciate the book more.

I would absolutely recommend this novel, especially to elder millennial such as me. The mental time-travel was a bit of ride and made me thankful for many of the social changes that exist today!

I’m guessing this is a reference to what could have been with Britney and Christina if the real world weren’t the real world.

In HONEY the year is 1997 and the biggest break ever comes Amber Young, aspiring child star’s way. She gets an offer to join girl group Cloud9. She bond with fellow group member Gwen Morris and also catches up with Wes Kingston, a boy band member she met (and lost to) on “Star Search.”

Then Amber and Gwen both go solo, but while her career gets bigger the rest of her life suffers. How to have a life, a real life, as a mega star? Is it even possible?

First off, is this YA? At first I thought it was, but there’s a lot of explicit sex, plus I don’t know that YAs of today would be as interested in the girl groups/boy bands of yesteryear (unless they are Korean) so maybe not.

Also, a lot of purple prose here. I think the writer really could have used a better editor if this is being marketed widely.

Overall, if the lives of these starlets, both male and female are anything like what is portrayed here….where do they find the energy? Because it sounds pretty miserable. And you would have to have a fair degree of narcissism, and maybe, and I mean no shade here, not be too, too intelligent? Because life is really just a never ending hamster wheel and you kind of need to be able to sleepwalk through it, plus be able to handle people being incredibly negative about you much of the time. The money is nice, though!

I liked what the author was trying to do here, but it definitely could have been better written.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!! I was raised by pop music and gossip rags and clearly Isabel Banta was, too. Honey embraces the pop-y, gossipy parts (ie magazine quizzes and Genius entries) of pop stardom but also explores the pathos of Amber and her female friendships in particular. I also loved how (sorry) unapologetic (sorry) she is about her sexuality, which was (sorry) empowering (sorry) to read about, again, as someone who grew up seeing Britney and Xtina being slut shamed. What if girls just like having sex???? A great summer read - time to go listen to some Tove Lo girlies!!!

I love a good book about musicians, so I was pretty confident I was going to like this book before I even started it. As a 90s kid, I wish this was closer to what really happened with all the pop stars we idolized during this time, but I enjoyed that the book was a sort of "what if" scenario. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not for the male characters to be very one-dimensional (even Axel for me), to contrast the vibrant female characters in Gwen and Amber, but that's what it felt like to me. I also could have done without Amber and Axel getting together at the end of the novel. I would have been just as happy with them remaining friends, opening a record label together, anything that wasn't romantic. After the build-up throughout the novel, I kind of just wanted Amber to choose herself and not play into the "men and women can't just be friends" stereotype that exists.

Bring on the nostalgia!! I devoured this book!

I loved everything about this story, from the way it rang so true to female artists and boy bands that I grew up with to the genuine feelings of loneliness and worry that impact a much wider population when coming of age.

Our story follows Amber Young, who I found very easy to bond and empathize with. I loved the way the story focused on how the spotlight can impact a young female artist. Readers are exposed not just to how the industry interacts with Amber, but also with her competition and the differences between how male artists are perceived.

I loved Banta’s writing and how vivid this story felt from the emotions to the musical performances.

🎧: Highly recommend the audio version!

Wow! Opening a book about the bubblegum pop era, I expected a fun, light read. I got so much more than that. Honey was beautifully written and truly did justice not only to the hyper-sexualization of teen idols in the aughts, but the tone it set for women for years to come. For decades now we have lived under the impossible standard of being sexy enough but not too sexy, not virginal but not slutty. Honey was not only nostalgic in a lovely way for those y2k years many of us grew up during, but it delivered a powerful message about how impossible it has been to be a woman for decades. I truly hope Isabel Banta has more in the works for us, because she will be an auto-read author for me going forward.