Have you ever read a book & thought that it should be a movie? That’s this book. I could picture everything in my mind & got lost in it, but when it was over I didn’t feel like I truly knew the characters like I usually do when I read a book. With that being said it definitely got the feeling of the 90’s/00’s down. I was suddenly in my early teens again watching MTV & soaking up all the Britney/Justin/Christina drama.

I really enjoyed HONEY. It reminded me of a Taylor Jenkins Reid book, as well as the recent celebrity memoirs that have been coming out over the years (Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, etc). I loved the millennial feel of the book - everything about it made me nostalgic for butterfly clips, Juicy Couture track suits, and CDs spinning in the boom box. I appreciated the inside look of Amber's journey too and how she wasn't afraid to be herself, even if it took a while to get there. I also really liked the character of Gwen! I didn't give this a full 5 stars because I felt the end was rushed (Wikipedia entry); I wanted to see more text of that as opposed to just an internet web entry of how Amber ended up HEA.

I really enjoyed this. I bought into the world, the characters, the stories. It felt alive and realistic. I really appreciated that the writing was rather subtle -- it didn't appear sensationalistic or prurient. For a first novel this was very impressive, and I can foresee quite a nice career for the author. My one point of contention was the cover -- it didn't speak to me, but I got it.

Well done.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

Amber Young wants to be a star. She can sing, and she’s been scouted as a member of a girl band, Cloud9. A boy band is rising to fame around the same time, ETA. Amber originally is part of a girl group but goes out on her own. She is pitched as the bad girl, who is sexy and confident. This story follows Amber’s career from her teens into her twenties.

It is hard to believe this one is a debut novel. I thought it was really well written, paced well, and it was a page turner. I couldn’t want to find out what would happen next. You could really see the parallels from the female pop singers of the late 90s and early 2000s here.

*spoilers*

I loved Amber. She was messy, flawed, heartbroken, confident, sexy, gorgeous, lonely…she made mistakes and plenty of them. She was let down by so many people in her life, but she still kept going for her dream. I felt for her with every rejection, every win, every cast off from Wes. Her friendship with Gwen was so well done. I loved how they cared for each other. I loved Amber’s growth throughout the novel. I also thought her growing relationship with the one person who really, truly believed in her was a nice touch. The paragraph about her attraction to Axel was intense and really gorgeously written.

I fully enjoyed reading this one and encourage you to pick it up! Thank you NetGalley Celadon for the physical copy and eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I grew up in the Britney Spears / Justin Timberlake era and maybe because of that, this book spoke to my soul. I loved the coming of age aspect, the fame, the journey to "making it", and what everything looked like behind the glamour and glitter.

This book gave me Daisy Jones & The Six vibes in the best possible ways. The smattering of lyrics and the inside look behind the scenes at the creative energies, dark side of fame, and sacrifices people in the industry make had me absolutely enthralled.

I loved the character development and while I couldn't relate to any of the characters directly, Banta's writing made them real to me and my heart went out to them. Coming of age in the limelight--even when you think you want it--can't be easy. I was glad that much of the fame and the ugliness that comes with it wasn't glossed over.

I couldn't put this book down. I liked how it was broken up into parts (that went with the parts of a song - cute!), that Amber had such a great character arc, and the relationships these young stars formed. I just kept imagining Britney and Justin and Christina and wondered if their experiences mirrored any of Gwen and Amber's.

It's amazing to me that this book is a debut and I'm really excited to see what Banta comes up with next.

I read this book but if an audio is available, I imagine it would be fantastic to listen to!

Thank you to Celadon and NetGalley for the copy. I definitely recommend!

Wow, I LOVED this book. Amber Young has always wanted to be a star, but she soon learns the price you have to pay for fame. I was genuinely surprised to learn that this is Isabel Banta's debut. Her writing style is so immersive. The way she detailed things made me feel like I was living the story myself. I will be recommending this to every single one of my fellow 90s babies. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book makes me feel luckier than Britney Spears when the guy in the song went and got her the heart of the ocean, because it brought so many amazingly angsty memories of my teen years.

I loved being transported back in time to relive the boyband era in this debut novel, and getting a look behind the curtain at life as a pop star.

As an adult I was moved by the gross over sexualization of the tweens, and think that it’s culturally relevant to look back and sympathize with the girls like Amber who felt they had to put their bodies out there to find success.

Honey covers an extensive range of topics such as the objectification and the unfair treatment of women by the media, how society often sows dissension between women, the contradictory standards for both men and women, misogyny, the power of dynamics, and so much more.

My 90's heart LOVED this book. Beautiful

Wow this book had a lot to it. I think it really highlighted how controlling recording companies can be, how sometimes an artist is not allowed to be themselves, how sometimes they don’t even know themselves—especially when they start so young, and how the media creates this divide where it’s hard to tell what’s the truth.

All things considered, Amber did nothing different than what a college student may do, but because she was on such a pedestal and the media was spinning a different tale about Gwen and Wes, she was vilified. It makes you wonder just how often this actually happens. I’m sure we’ve all had the thought of “that relationship seems manufactured or like a PR stunt” but we never actually know.

Amber learned her lessons with Wes. I don’t think he was necessarily a bad guy. Sure his decisions sucked, but I think he really did care for her. He just loved the fame more. What he did to her was the fame equivalent of getting effed over by a “player”. But Amber’s need to be loved and Wes’ whole mess created a toxic secret relationship, especially with the third member in their relationship: the media.

I loved the subtle romance that brewed between her and Axel. That felt healthy. Yes he was her producer but he was young enough and also learning. But he was always receptive to her thoughts and believed in her. Amber as a result also slowly blossomed and became more comfortable in just being herself and taking more of a hold on her career.

The book really does have you watch her as she grows up in the industry, and how easily the tides change. One day you’re hated, the next day you’re loved. There’s no use trying to be someone you’re not— it just leads to a lot of unhappiness. In the beginning, she was a very moldable and impressionable doll, who just wanted to make it big and she did whatever they told her to. But these were also her most tragic days. She became more happy when she grabbed tighter to the reins of her life.

Thank you to Celadon Books for the review copy!

Thank you Celadon and NetGalley! Growing up during the time referenced in this book was such throwback. I really enjoyed it.

AMAZING!

This book is a book I have long desired to read. I am a 95 baby and growing up Pop Culture was and still is everything to me. I love the way Isabel wrote these characters. I love the mentions of the magazine articles and the interviews on missed tv shows. This was a different read from the norm and I think that when a celebrity trope is a books theme this is how it should be written. Can’t wait to buy on release day!!

Thank you to the publisher, Celadon Books, and Netgalley for providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

This was a really great read! Perfect for fans of Britney Spears and the general 90s/2000s pop scene. I really enjoyed the story and thought the MC was really well written. Her motivations were not what you usually see when the author wants you to root for someone, but I found her really interesting and easy to empathize with. It was super interesting to have the juxtaposition of the three pop girls who were occupying slightly different spaces and therefore marketed and made out to be so different. I also love a book with mixed media, and throughly enjoyed the added in Genius and Wikipedia pages, as well as the interviews and other add ins.

I don't really have anything negative to say about this book. It wasn't five stars, but that's to no fault of the author IMO.

Highly recommend!

reading about a coming of age story about a pop star in the 90s/early 2000s was so mesmerizing and magnetic, it captivated my attention immediately, i liked how well developed amber was and the last few chapters of the book were my favourite bc i finally saw amber grow up, wished we could’ve seen more from her during that stage of her life, i do feel like there was a lot of filler chapters and the story lines that i wanted to go further didn’t and the were a lot of side story lines that didn’t get enough attention

4.75 Stars

I wasn’t too sure about this book in the beginning, as I found the writing to be a little weird at first, but as I read more I became addicted. I devoured this book, I am obsessed with pop girls of the late 90s and early 2000s, and this book gave me all the vibes, but also how painful and difficult it was to be a woman during this time. This book was phenomenal, everyone should definitely check it out!

First things first: this was such a good book and I was throughly impressed with it, especially for a debut! I live a far different life compared to that of the main character Amber, who is growing up in the white hot spotlight of the 90s/00s pop scene with all eyes on her but the triumphs and struggles of girlhood are universal, whether you’re famous or not. The writing was gorgeous and raw, the story simultaneously beautiful and painful all at once and overall a book that makes you think about it long after you finished the last page. You’re gonna want to put Isabel Banta on your radar if this is how good she can write from the get go. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!

This book has all the ingredients for something that should really be up my alley: Millennial nostalgia, pop culture, coming of age, but something just didn't work for me. It felt like the author came up with the pop culture references then built the story around them, rather than the other way around. Not for me.

This story follows Amber Young as she goes through the journey of becoming a pop star in the 90’s and early 2000’s. It’s a beautifully written book about the fire of wanting to make it in the music industry and the downfalls of what many young women have experienced while trying to make a name for themselves.
I could feel that she was drawn to Wes and that it wouldn’t turn into a good situation for her. Wes comes across as if he really cared for her at first but in the end I think he was selfish.
Her friendship with Gwen is so captivating and I really loved the relationship the two of them shared.
This book had just the right amount of drama to keep me reading.
I enjoyed following her transformations throughout the years and felt like it was a very realistic description of what it would be like to rise to fame during those times.
Overall I really loved the plot, the writing and the characters and gave this book 4 stars.

This book was a marvel, and it's even more impressive considering this is a debut! I thank Net Galley for allowing to discover it through the Spring Buzz book where I got to read its first couple of chapters and I fell in love with the story immediately!

It was fascinatibg to read about Amber Yound ans her rise to fame in tje late 90s which threw me back in the day when I was a fan of girls like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera and I related to Amber and her teenage sensation friend Gwen. They met when they were pi ked to be part of a new band, Cloud9. They both ledt the groupe before it became a thing. Instead they focused in becoming solo artists. Amber's rise to success was a bumpy ride, beibg compared to other young female artists. She kept being torn to shreds for being comfortable with her sexuality, for wearing skimpy outfits, for being seen with this or that young male artists (Wes particularly who was a member of boy band ETA). I love the way this book was crafted: we get to travel places around the world with Amber, we read lyrics and CD booklets like we did 20+ years ago every time we were getting our hands on a new album. I do miss those booklets..).

The coming of age of this lost young lady who had zero confidence was beautiful to read. Learning to accept herself and realize she is worth it, she is talented, she is beautiful person, and she should stop waste her time with men who are not worthy of her. Many can relate to her growth, to the mistakes she made,.. and the ending was chef's kiss. I shed a tear or two, I have to admit.

It’s hard to believe this well-written story is Isabel Banta’s debut novel. Much like her novel’s protagonist, Banta clearly has immense talent.

Honey tells the story of Amber Young, an aspiring singer who comes into her own in the bubblegum pop era of the late 90s/ early oughts. The many referenced bands and pop stars may be fictional, but it’s an impressive time-capsule that really takes you back to that era in our culture, as they fit right in. Interspersed in the narrative, there are numerous press releases, interviews, song lyrics and wiki pages that really add to the feel.

I enjoyed this story, and found myself rooting for Amber, both in her career and in her equally tumultuous personal life, watching her grow and change along the way.

Thank you Isabel Banta, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was my most highly anticipated release of 2024, so thank you Celadon for the advanced reader copy!

I read this in 24 hours and the nostalgia of the late 90s/early 2000s pop stardom was delicious. I thought this book would read more like a singular pop-star, but instead it was kind of a character study of multiple pop stars at the time merged into multiple characters. Amber, the main character, felt like a cross between Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson, which also made a lot of sense after reading that Open Book by JS was mentioned in the acknowledgements.

This read like a memoir in many ways, and the writing was vivid and immersive. I genuinely felt transported back to that time when female pop-stars were pitted against each other and the status of their virginity was more important than their safety, privacy, or wellbeing.

This story hit a lot of strong points which is best expressed by this quote: “America has a way of making its own gods. It revels in it. It lights the bonfire and watches the flames ick the sacrifice. The so-called ordinary girl becomes a walking advertisement for albums and collectible tour merchandise for tabloids and perfumes. She’s immortal and, simultaneously, tragically mortal.” (This is an arc so quotes can change upon publication, but I feel like this one won’t be touched due to its sheer brilliance)

I loved the music references, the parallels to real life situations that happened with these stars, and that this author decided to make this a collective story verses focusing on only one pop star. All of the characters felt like they were inspired by multiple stars, and it was really cool, kind of like finding Easter eggs like “oh! This sounds like what happened to ____” but she doesn’t make it obvious or a direct match, which I thought was really unique and smart of her to do.

I think if you loved The Daydreams by Laura Hankin or The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo this will be a winner for you because I kept thinking about both of those books while reading this one!

This story did feel a little disjointed at times and I would have liked for some parts to have lasted longer/been fleshed out. To put it simply, I just wanted more.

Either way, I thought this was an honest, entertaining, thoughtful, and captivating story about what pop stars experienced 20 years ago. What a gorgeous debut! 👏🏻


Thank you NetGalley & Celadon for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!