Thank you to NetGalley, author Marissa Stapley, and Simon & Schuster for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Eh lol. I was really intrigued by the premise of The Lightning Bottles, but for me, the execution fell flat. I enjoyed Stapley's intro note about the women of the 90s that inspired her, and I did overall enjoy the pacing of the story. I think there was great commentary on the unfair treatment of men vs women, especially in the 90s music scene. There's a lot of behavior highlighted in the industry that is still prevalent, so I liked that Stapley was not afraid to call it out. Jane is a compelling character, but Hen and Eli just did not do it for me. I don't think Hen added anything to the story other than being a connecting point, and Eli and Jane's relationship was just very melodramatic as a whole. It was a bit predictable, and even though this was a short read, I wasn't hooked. If you like books about fictional musicians, maybe give it a shot and see if it works for you better than it did for me!

Love the book cover, love this story!
Set in the 1990's, when the fictional husband-wife duo the "Lightning Bottles" took the music scene by storm, this is a coming-of-age story, a love story, a love & loss story, and perhaps a story of redemption. From early on, Janet feels music in her blood but her religious mother disapproves of her genre of choice. Janet meets Elijah in an AOL chatroom in 1991 and just before her 18th birthday, she leaves home, reinvents herself as Jane Pyre, and sets out from her small Ontario hometown to join Elijah in Seattle. The story that follows chronicles the breakup of Elijah's Seattle band and his friendship with his best friend, Kim, Jane and Elijah's rise to stardom, and their struggles with alcohol and drugs, leading to Elijah's disappearance into the sea off the cost of Iceland. That timeline alternates with one starting up 5 years after Elijah is pronounced dead, when Jane moves to the German countryside and discovers that her neighbor, Hen, is not only a Lightning Bottles fan, but this teenage girl ended up with a souvenir from the duo's last concert that she thinks is a clue, that Elijah isn't dead. Hen and Jane set out across Europe on a kind of treasure hunt to follow the clues. This book is well written and the pacing is great. The characters are so multidimensional that I felt like I was reading about real people and was very invested in the outcome of the story.

I can’t remember the last book that made me cry this much; simultaneously, I can’t remember the last book to remind me of how long ago my teenage years were.

This book is historical fiction, for pete’s sake, and I almost wanted to protest and say it’s contemporary fiction! But no, folks, 1994 was thirty years ago, and this book largely takes place over the course of the 1990s.

Marissa Stapley has written a book I (as a Gen-Xer) didn’t know I needed, but as soon as I started reading the introduction and the dedication I knew this was a book I had been searching for my whole adult life but didn’t quite realize it. This book is filled with all my love for the female grunge and alternative musicians of the 90s who were hidden behind men because no one was going to take them seriously, surrounded by bands they didn’t know because labels refused to market female artists alone, played only late at night on MTV or the radio because their videos were too controversial (if they got played at all), and relegated to side stages at music festivals because of course no one wants to see female headliners. It also saw and recognized my rage for every female musician who’s ever been blamed for a man’s bad behavior or setbacks in music (and that doesn’t just apply to the 90s).

This book is historical in setting, but more of a suspense mystery and rockstar romance in feel. It’s dual timelines: the present (in which Jane is searching Europe for Elijah with a Lightning Bottles fan) feels more like a suspense mystery, while the past timeline narrative definitely has more of a rockstar romance feel as Jane and Elijah fall in love, become famous together, and then fall apart when the cost becomes too high for either of them.

Jane and Elijah aren’t based on any single rock star couple but seem to be an amalgam of so many of them: Kurt and Courtney, Mick and Marianne, John and Yoko, and probably more. They’re also undoubtedly filled with Stapley’s wishes and dreams for all of those rock stars who never got a chance to see what being at the top might be like due to the added perils fame brings along with it if you don’t have a good support network under you.

I’m not a fan of the genre label “women’s fiction”. I don’t like much of anything that implies that anything involving women should be segregated for any reason…especially when it’s art. I can’t deny that The Lightning Bottles is primarily a book about women and the way we navigate the world and our relationships, though. It’s present in the way Jane presents herself, the way she talks, in how she makes herself smaller while out in the world, and how she’s terrified to do anything that will cause Elijah to leave. If Elijah is a people pleaser (and he really is), then Jane is a fixer.

This book was brittle, almost fragile in a way. I cried and I got angry and I was emotional in a heart-sick way for all the female artists who were lost or forgotten in favor of men who didn’t deserve the praise heaped on them. At the same time, I’m heart-sore for all those rock stars who fell prey to addiction and their personal demons in an era when party drugs could be found in every bar and club and you could buy heroin at almost every house party. Everyone was sick and everyone was sad. In this book, I found some solace for my teenage self.

I was provided a copy of this title by the publisher and author via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Historical Fiction/Mystery/Rockstar Romance/Suspense Mystery/Women’s Fiction

Mystery • Litfic • 90s Rock • Soul Mates
Pub Date • 24 September 2024

Happy publication day! Thank you @simonbooks for the free ARC. #simonbooksbuddy

This book is a love letter to the 90s, the era of mixtapes, early internet chat rooms, radio call-in shows, layered t-shirts and flannels, and of course, the rise of grunge rock. It hit me like a wave of nostalgia.

I remember when Kurt Cobain committed suicide and the surreal feeling that it wasn’t happening, that maybe it wasn’t true, because no one wanted it to be true.

This sets the stage for this fictional mystery, following Jane, a washed out musician and song writer, and Hen, her 17 year-old German amateur detective neighbor. Using dual timelines, Stanley brings to life the cost of the pressure to succeed, the drugs and alcohol toxicity as a way to escape and numb the pain, and the misogyny and gender discrimination that is rampant in the entertainment industry.

This is also a romantic love story between two musicians who were both misunderstood, one beloved while the the other vilified, akin to John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

The book has several original lyrics/songs that I thought I’d love to hear actually sung out loud and played to music.

As a kid growing up in the 90s this one has my stamp of approval.

*The Lightning Bottles* by Marissa Stapley offers an intense and thought-provoking exploration of fame, addiction, and the darker side of the music industry. The mystery surrounding Elijah's disappearance kept me intrigued throughout, though the heavy themes of addiction made it a tough read at times. Stapley doesn’t shy away from the brutal realities of substance abuse, and for readers who have personal experiences with addiction, this portrayal might feel especially raw and unflinching. If not, the emotional weight of the story may be less impactful.

Jane Pyre’s character shines as a misunderstood artist and a woman navigating the misogyny of the music world—a clear nod to the experiences of real-life musicians like Sinead O'Connor. The feminist undertones, particularly the way Jane is vilified while her male counterpart is idolized, resonated with me and added a deeper layer to the narrative.

While the emotional intensity and darker subject matter made this book a challenge at times, the cross-continent road trip with Hen, the fan-turned-ally, offered some lighter moments and a fresh perspective on Jane's past. The musical backdrop and the complex dynamics of fame create a compelling and thought-provoking story that stays with you long after the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of the book.

Title:  The Lightning Bottles  
Author: Marissa Stapley         
Genre: Historical fiction      
Rating: 4 out of 5

Jane Pyre was once one half of one of the most famous rock ‘n’ roll duos in the world, The Lightning Bottles. Years later, she’s perhaps the most hated (and least understood) woman in music. She was never as popular with fans as her bandmate (and soulmate) Elijah—even if Jane was the one who wrote the songs that catapulted The Lightning Bottles to instant, dizzying fame, first in the Seattle grunge scene, and then around the world. But then Elijah disappeared, and everything came crashing down. Even now, years after Elijah vanished, Jane is universally blamed and reviled by the public. In an attempt to get some peace and quiet, Jane rents a house in a remote part of Germany where she knows she won’t be disturbed. But on the day she arrives, she’s confronted by her new next-door neighbor, a sullen teenaged girl named Hen who just so happens to be a Lightning Bottles superfan—and who claims to have a piece of information that might solve the mystery of what happened to Elijah, and whether he is, in fact, still alive and leaving messages for Jane after all these years.

This started off a little bit slowly, but I kept reading because it was fascinating, and I’m glad I did! Okay, I do have a problem with this being called historical fiction, because it’s set in the ‘90s, and I graduated high school in 1995, so that makes me feel really old, but that’s my problem!

The setting was well-done and felt authentic to the ‘90s, and I really enjoyed all the musical references. Jane was slow to warm up to, but she grew on me. I never really felt a connection with Elijah, but I didn’t dislike him or anything. This was a solid read!

Marissa Stapley is a bestselling author. The Lightning Bottles is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.)

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Marissa Stapley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Jane and Elijah met when they were teenagers, communicating through the very basic internet available. Neither were happy and they connected immediately. When they finally met in person, it was magical on all levels - personal and then professional, as Jane wrote sons that Elijah sang. They got the big break they were dreaming of and became famous. But fame comes at a steep price. Elijah disappears, presumed dead, and Jane becomes hated around the world. She retreats to the solitude of Germany, only to be discovered by a teenage neighbor who claims to have proof that Elijah is still alive.

I loved this book! If you liked Daisy Jones and the Six, this is the perfect book for you. Taking place in the 1990s, when internet was in its infancy, and the Seattle grunge scene was taking over the airways, it's nostalgic in all the best ways. Told in the present as the neighbor, Hen, convinces Jane to go on an investigative trip, with flashbacks to Jane and Elijah's story. It definitely shows the dark side of the music business, as well as the prevalent drug culture and addiction battles. The characters are the best part though - I connected with them right away, felt their angst and struggles, and rooted for them throughout the book. This is a must read!

Jane and Elijah form the indie rock band The Lightning Bottles. They met online and started writing music together in the 1990's and started to get noticed during the rise of "Seattle grunge", even though that was not entirely the sound they were aiming for. Jane writes most of the songs and Elijah is a charismatic frontman. But alcohol, drugs, old friends, and fame are hard on the couple and Elijah goes missing and is presumed dead (this is in the opening, and it goes back and forth). When a teen fan helps Jane to see some street art that reminds her of Elijah, she comes to believe he might not be death after all and might be trying to get her to find him.

This is very loosely based on the relationship between Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love. It is about a musician couple and their relationship with each other and the public. I loved the dual timelines and the hint of a mystery element as to what happened to Elijah. I thought the character development was so good and the way the story was set up was so well done. I was really pleasantly surprised by this book (given that I'd read Stapley's previous book Lucky and thought it was just mediocre.) I'm so glad I gave this one a chance. If you like fictionized books about musicians like Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie or Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, you'll probably like this one. I liked that it was propulsive with a touch of gritty and it struck just the right balance for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

This enjoyable musical novel follows fictional band The Lightning Bottles, composed of young couple Jane and Eli. Told from Jane’s perspective, the past storyline in the book runs from Jane and Eli meeting online in 1989 as teenagers, through meeting up for real, their meteoric rise as an alternative rock band and descent, until 1994 when Eli goes missing and is presumed dead. Alternating with the reveal of the past are chapters set in 1999, when Jane moves in to a remote house in Germany - only to be discovered by her 17 year old neighbor Hen, a super fan, who ends up leading them on a search to find out what really happened to Eli.

This book just did such a good job of transporting me back to the 1990s and the music scene back then. Jane and Eli are clearly inspired a little bit by Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain, but they’re also very much their own characters, and I can see all the other musical influences from that time in their music and the music of other fictional people on the music scene who they encounter. Also loved the subtle feminist message of the way Jane not only gets no credit for her songwriting but is also mistakenly viewed as a villain by the media and the public. And I was just really invested in her story from start to finish, and read this one quickly.

I also really enjoyed Marissa Stapley’s last book, Lucky, and look forward to checking out both her backlist and whatever she writes in the future.

I have a complex mess of mixed thoughts.

THE LIGHTNING BOTTLES is well written and will be exactly the right book for lots of readers. But it wasn't at all what I was expecting.

First, the content has a strong YA vibe. Much of the story is told via a past timeline, where we get to know Jane and Elijah as teenagers. Lots of YA (melo)drama, which isn't my thing.

I didn't need endless pages of their burgeoning love story to understand their connection. I would have preferred more time with them as adults, as their career took off and they faced the challenges of fame. I felt this aspect was underdeveloped and rushed.

Then we get to the heart of the story, the “cross-continent road trip” referenced in the synopsis. I'm going to be vague because of spoilers, but I did not understand the point of it all. I mean, just, why? It was too much unnecessary subterfuge and reliance on chance.

I saw the ending coming early on, so I wasn't surprised by anything.

But this is my cranky-old-lady opinion. The story excels at showing how women in music are often vilified and blamed when their male counterparts fall off the figurative cliff. It's worth reading if the topic appeals to you.

Overall, I really enjoyed this! I enjoyed the double timeline and how the story unfolded forward and backwards. I looooved Jane as a main character and feel that she was developed as an unlikeable female character in the best way that points to the double standard of representation, judgement, and expectation for women in media: I felt that the pacing of the middle of the book was a little off and the downward spiral in the middle felt like it went on for a long time, but was satisfied with the ending. I loved the story in the artwork as well, Adam and the Rib as a perfect representation of the story. Fun and fast paced!

I also really love this cover

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Books for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley is a must read for music fans. The story follows Jane Pyre-half of the worlds once most famous rock ‘n’ roll duos-as she goes on a journey to find out what happened to the love of her life all those nights ago in Europe. With her curious music loving teenage neighbor along for the ride the two of them follow clues to try and piece together what happened to Elijah-the man with the angel voice.

I loved this book! From the moment I started reading it I was hooked. The first night I stay up after midnight captivated by this story of music and star crossed love. I really liked how Stapley wove together past and present timelines. The writing was well done, the influence of the authors love for music was ingrained in the pages and I loved the song lyrics from the Lightning Bottles. The love story of Jane and Elijah gives Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love vibes. It has a powerful view into the true gravity of what it means to step into the life of fame, rock ‘n’ roll and constant public scrutiny.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked this book. It seemed very relevant. It is the 90's and Jane is living with her very over protective mother who wants her to only play music in the church band. Jane is the moderator of a chat board and soon meets Elijah. They strike up a friendship and one day, Jane has had enough and leaves and goes to Elijah's home in Seattle.

They soon discover they make wonderful music together. Elijah's old bandmates are not so happy. Soon they become a huge success which takes its toll on them. To get out of the spotlight, Jane and Elijah got to Iceland for a vacation. Elijah goes missing and when his clothes and boat wash ashore is is assumed he is dead.

Fast forward to present day and Jane goes to a remote town in Germany to get away from it all. She meets Hen, the young girl from next door, who has a secret. Jane and Hen set off to figure what this secret means.

I loved the intersecting timelines and how a few people stay contestant in their lives. The story was well told and I felt connected the Jane.

4.5/5 stars

This was so beautiful and such a unique story. I absolutely loved Elijah and Jane and their serendipitous connection. For fans of Daisy Jones, those who love found family, and love the 90s music scene...this will be a big hit for you!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

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The Lightning Bottles
Author: Marissa Stapley
Source: NetGalley
Publication Date: September 24, 2024

Happy Publication Day to author Marissa Stapley on releasing her novel, The Lightning Bottles. This story is set in the early 90’s rock world, and the two leading characters are singers and lovers Elijah and Jane. Their ascent into rock and roll superstardom is speedy, and Grammys abound even though they are fighting a lawsuit over one song’s copy-write. People don’t like Jane for apparently little reason other than she doesn’t smile enough. With success comes drugs, alcohol, bad behavior, and all the typical rock star expectations. In the end, Elijah disappears and five years later is feared dead until…Jane meets a super fan of The Lightning Bottles, and Hen, the fan, convinces Jane to search for Elijah. I had issues with the book: 1) I thought the story was a bit similar to Daisy Jones & The Six; (2) heavy misogynist undertones, but I also wasn’t a big fan of the Jane character 3) the chance that this odd girl, might have a clue to finding the missing & presumed dead mega rock star, Elijah was a stretch, and finally, (4) the fact that all I could think was this story was a wee bit too close to Kurt & Courtney. It was good, but it didn’t rock my world. Pardon the pun. @simonandschuster #TheLightningBottles @NetGalley #rockandroll #jealousy #fate #love #loss #fiction #namedropping #music #mystery
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I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel.
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#book #books #bookAddict #BooksOfInstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #reader #booklove #bookreader #bookreviewer #bookish

FINALLY!!! A novel about the music industry that actually captured my attention from start to finish. I inhaled this book. The Lightning Bottles brought back so much 90's nostalgia. I needed this book, thank you Marissa Stapley! 🙌

AT first it took me a bit to get into the story and connect with the characters. However, a few chapters into the book, once I connected to Jane, I thoroughly ended up enjoying this!! Such a fantastic fiction book with great themes of feminism and the double standards female rockstars have faced throughout history. I loved how the author's note made it clear that this book was meant to reflect a lot of what the most famous rockstars of her time went through, the double standards, and just overall how difficult it was to be a woman at the time. I felt like there were a lot of similarities to Daisy Jones & the Six but in a way this was a darker story.

The Lightning Bottles follows Jane Pyre's journey around Europe, trying to piece together where the great love of her life disappeared to. You follow Jane and learn about her past, how she lived a very remote and sad life, how she found Elijah when she was younger, their tumultuous relationship, and how they became The Lightning Bottles, one of the most famous rock bands at the time. We get to explore the double standards of Jane being the primary writer for the band, the jealously that the men around her feel, especially in the industry, and the grace they give to Elijah when he is dealing with addiction and the struggles of fame.

This book is dark at times, most of the main characters struggle with addiction throughout the story, and are grieving people from their lives before becoming famous. Jane has to deal with a lot of this trauma on her own, which drives her further away from Elijah and further towards alcohol. I felt so much empathy for Jane and really became angry at the way that the world treated such a talented, caring woman.

I really loved the way the author weaved this story, making me feel connected to the characters and the underlying mystery! Definitely great for fans of DJ&TS and historical fiction! Thank you to Simon Books for providing me with this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

I started this book with some trepidation. I was interested in the plot from what I knew in advance, but I also wondered if this was going to be just-another-rock-n-roll book. It is, and I was wrong, because this book is so much more than that. The setting is a perfect vehicle for the story that unfolds, and the characters leap off the pages in the capable hands of Marissa Stapley. I was engaged in this story of discovery all the way through, and you will be too.

Good glory, I so enjoyed THE LIGHTNING BOTTLES by Marissa Stapley. Her vivid depiction of the grunge ,music scene in Seattle and the nascent career of a duo finally going stratospheric successful when the beloved partner disappears without a trace, was a privileged view into an extraordinary world. I especially loved accompanying Jane Pyre on her quest to be left alone and forgotten and yet moving across the world lands her next door to a super fan claiming to have proof that Jane's soulmate and partner is not dead, propelling them on a road trip full of twists, turns, and fascinating misadventures. I deeply enjoyed inhabiting the world that Stapley created and living in the world of musicians and rabid fans. I received a copy of the book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased opinions.

The Lightning Bottles is a novel about a fictional alternative rock duo that finds both success and despair in the ’90s music era.

Before they were famous, Jane and Elijah were just two teenagers exchanging messages, letters, and phone calls in 1989, musing about life and music. Jane was an isolated girl in a strict Canadian household, while Elijah was a high school dropout playing music with his friends in Seattle. When they finally come together after Jane turns 18, their lives are more difficult than she imagined while dreaming alone in her room in Canada. She feels shut out of Elijah’s musical life by his bandmate, Kim, and is naive about the amount of drugs flowing through Seattle’s music scene in 1990. When tragedy strikes, they make a messy exit and head to Los Angeles to make music on their own, but they can’t completely leave behind Kim or Elijah’s issues with drugs.

They quickly find success with a powerful group of songs written by Jane, but misogyny in rock music is rampant, and they agree to let Elijah take credit for her work. Despite his demons, Elijah’s angelic voice paints him as a sensitive soul ready to be saved, while Jane is portrayed as his scowling and difficult guitarist. This reputation follows them across continents as they continue to tour in support of their albums, but the stress of fame and lawsuits by Elijah’s former bandmates, including Kim, spin them further into their separate addictions and away from each other.

Eventually, a desperate Elijah takes a rowboat out into the cold waters of Iceland and is never seen again. With her husband and musical partner presumed dead, Jane must face life without him and conquer her own demons. But five years later, a German teenager (Hen), living next door to her rented house, shows Jane a piece of her past that leads her to a series of graffiti street art memorializing her private life with Elijah. Jane starts to question if he’s really gone or if he’s been waiting for her to find him again.

The Lightning Bottles is a complicated love story set against the backdrop of the early ’90s music scene. It’s easy to imagine this band existing alongside actual bands of the time, and the author makes it feel real and authentic. I loved how she gave Jane a thoughtful and introverted personality, which could easily be misconstrued by the public as angry and controlling. The bare-bones depiction of their spiral into addiction is heartbreaking but realistic for the era and their chosen career. I really enjoyed this unique love story and look forward to reading more from Marissa Stapley.