This 90’s rock and roll story had many layers to it. It definitely brought to mind Daisy Jones and the Six vibes! It’s a love story with all the things you would think of happening in the 90’s rock and roll band era. The Lightning Bottles’ journey was one of love, loss, angst, music, and the nightlife.

I did really enjoy following the previous flashback years seeing Jane and Elijah’s journey of how they started from chatting online discussing their love of music to becoming so much more. It was interesting and felt very real reading about the struggles they faced being in the band, the band life and things I’m sure many rock bands faced and/or possibly still face today. While following their previous years journey together, it also felt like a little bit of a mystery following Jane in the present day as she seeks to find out what happened to missing love, Elijah. I loved her neighbor and superfan of The Lightning Bottles, Hen. I don’t know what I expected from this one, but I didn’t expect what I got from the story, but either way I liked it.

To me, this book read more like a young adult novel, which partially took away from my enjoyment based on my initial expectations. I think there’s a very specific audience for this read, and it will resonate most with those who have a deep love for the 80s-90s grunge scene. As a millennial who loves that era of music, I found that the book’s nostalgia only works if you’re into a very particular part of the grunge and rock world. While there are plenty of clear pop culture references, some of them might be lesser-known to wider audiences.

The teen angst in this book is through the roof, and it leans into a Romeo and Juliet vibe. Jane, the rebellious protagonist, is a young girl finding herself, pursuing a forbidden love, and diving into an adventure she never anticipated. After meeting Elijah online, she embarks on a journey into passion, heartbreak, stardom, and addiction. While I didn’t connect much with the characters themselves, I think the way the author captures the sacrifice that comes with celebrity, along with the dedication it takes to achieve, maintain, and fall from fame, is where the book succeeds most.

The character Hen, who is clearly meant as an homage to the fangirls of that time and the lingering effects of those power ballads, felt somewhat random to me. While her presence added to the nostalgia, her appearance in the story seemed out of place. Ultimately, I think it was the nostalgia and the depiction of the music industry’s depth that carried this book for me. If you’re not into that specific grunge music scene or don’t appreciate stories steeped in youthful rebellion, this book may not hit the mark. But for fans of that time period, it could offer a very different experience.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon&Schuster for the chance to read this digital arc.

This book was brilliant. Pure perfection.

I don’t want to say too much about it because it is a book you just need to experience.

You get two timelines. One is Jane and Elijah’s love story along with their rise to fame in their band called Lightning Bottles. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking. The second timeline is 5 years later. It’s about a girl named Hen who is a big Lightning Bottles fan. She has found a secret with no one to tell it too until Jane moves in next door.

This book is everything. The amount of grief and pain in this but also hope and resilience is incredible. There’s so many 90s alternative rock references and also the pitfalls of being a female musician. There’s so many sad examples of how fame can bring out the worst in people and not everyone survives it. It feels very nostalgic and like you’re reading about real people so it brings out even more emotion. I loved Jane and Elijah with all their flaws so so much. I was dying to see what would become of them.

I highly recommend this book if you enjoy books about music and the perils of fame.
5/5 stars, I loved it so much. I already want to reread it. Thank you Simon Books for a copy of this book.

The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley is a gripping, nostalgic and very entertaining.
I just loved this book!
What is there not to love here? We have 90s rock n roll, a love story and unsolved mystery!
Yes please! The story is remarkably compelling; I did not want to put this one down.
Fast-paced, skillfully crafted and beautifully written, this book had me staying up late, and getting up early.
If you enjoyed Lucky, you’ll love her newest book!

Thank You NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

As a 90’s kid, the premise of this book immediately drew me in through my nostalgia for those simpler times. This book, however, quickly and shockingly reminded me that the rose colored glasses I’ve been wearing are exactly that. The Lightning Bottles brought me back to the angsty, dark part of the 90’s that you don’t see in the new trends making the decade “cool” again.

I was initially drawn to the setting, and stayed for the unforgettable story! Jane and her unlikely roadtrip buddy, Hen, embark on a road trip to solve the mysterious disappearance of Jane’s former boyfriend (lead singer of the 90’s band “The Lightning Bottles”), long presumed dead. What unfurls is an adventure full of mystery, heartbreak, and a beautiful ode to the rock ‘n’ roll music of the decade.

This novel is perfect for mystery lovers, music lovers, 90’s lovers, and everyone in between! I foresee myself rereading it, and I don’t do that often. A must-read!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the gifted ARC!

During the infancy of the internet, Jane finds community with others through a bulletin board about music. There she meets Elijah. They move from the internet to calls to letters. Though the bulletin board messages were my favorite! Then they meet and it’s lightning! Soaring with the Seattle music scene, they fall in love with each other and music. The story is at its heart a love story, but there is so much more added to the mix that the book is great for even those people who are not romance fans! I loved the character development and how everyone’s stories intertwined throughout the book. I loved the timely musical and cultural references. If anything, it was a love note to the times that Jane and Elijah were a part of the music scene! Definitely a story that will pull you out of your world and into theirs!

Thanks to Simon Books for my #gifted copy in addition to NetGalley access in exchange for my honest opinion. Funnily enough, I found a Canadian edition of the author’s previous release (and @reesebookclub pick) Lucky in the Little Free Library near the house where I was dogsitting this weekend. I will have to read Lucky soon, because I really enjoyed The Lightning Bottles!
If you’re a fan of music and musicians (especially behind the scenes type of stuff) and the early 90s Seattle grunge music scene, I think you will enjoy this one. The Lightning Bottles is kind of like Daisy Jones and the Six but updated for the early 90s with an underlying mystery tying the story together. I loved the references to real musicians and tried to determine who the fictional ones were supposed to represent. If you weren’t alive in the early 90s or don’t care much for that musical scene, I still think this can be enjoyed. The story is well written, and even though it hops back and forth in time and locations, it is clear what is happening when and where. I would go to set the book down and take a break but then I’d see when/where the next chapter was taking place and decide to keep reading - just one more chapter! I read this in a couple of long sessions this weekend, including staying up way too late to read as much as I could last night. Oops! The Lightning Bottles will be available tomorrow everywhere and I definitely think you should check it out!

You know those books that have you from the first page? The ones that you both can't put down but also don't want to end? Where the story and the characters captivate you? The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley was just that book for me - and it is out in the world for all of us to bask in TODAY!

The Lightning Bottles - Elijah and Jane - were one of the great, though misunderstood, bands. Elijah's voice was the stuff of legends. But Jane was polarizing - easy to hate and to blame the mistakes on. And she became public enemy when Elijah disapeared and later was declared dead.

It's five years later, and Jane is still trying escape the public eye. She has moved to a farmhouse in Germany, hoping to live off the grid. Yet when the neighbor girl Hen shows up with a theory that Elijah is both alive and leaving clues through street art, she doesn't know what to think.

We learn about Elijah and Jane's past - their meeting, theeir rise to fame, how they fell in love, and ultimately fell in part - as Jane and Hen roadtrip throughout Europe. It is a raw, nuanced look at fame, addiction, how easy it is for those put on pedastals to fall. Not to mention the misogyny.

I loved this one. It felt unlike anything I've read before. Bravo, Marissa!!! Big thanks to my friends at NetGalley and Simon & Schuster who let me get my hands on this one early!! It is not to be missed

I sincerely enjoyed Stapley's previous book "Lucky" and so I went into this one excitedly. Unfortunately, this plot just didn't stick the landing with me.

I've never been into Rock & roll and this book read a lot like a VH1 Behind the scenes. Musicians who start off with good intentions, get caught up in stardom ,lose their way in drugs and alcohol and ultimately crash and burn. That's half of the book; the other half is one of those musicians, Jane, of the duo The Lightening Bottles and the neighbor she just met Hen, solving the mystery of what happened to the Lightening Bottles' other half, Elijah. Except it really isn't' a mystery to solve so much as hopping from one point to another in quick succession.

There is a ton of activity in this book to move the plot forward, as well as characters and relationships, but none of it really seems to sink in. By the end, I don't think you'll remember most of it.

Also thrown in is allegations of plagiarism from a previous bandmate. It takes up SO MUCH of the plot that you will be sick of it halfway through.

The ending is very sweet however. Very moving and restorative, almost unusually so considering most of the book.

If you've ever wanted a front row seat to the rise and fall of rockers - this book is for you. Otherwise, read "Lucky"

* Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an eARC of this book*

4.5 stars - This book is exactly what I wanted "Daisy Jones and the Six" to be. It has the behind-the-scenes drama of a rock band and a love story, but there is an intriguing backstory that made this much more interesting than that novel. I loved that this was set in the 1990s, which is when I first started getting obsessed with music. I also appreciated the whole emo/grunge music scene that's illustrated in this. The story did feel a tad predictable (especially towards the end), but I really enjoyed these characters. They genuinely felt like real people that I wanted to follow along on their journey.

5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Lightning Bottles follows Jane Pyre, once part of the famous rock duo The Lightning Bottles. She now may be one of the most hated women in music, she never connected with her fans and now they blame her for her bandmate, and husband, Elijah's disappearance years ago. Jane rents a house in remote Germany to find some peace and quiet, but instead meets who new neighbor Hen, a huge fan of The Lightning Bottles, who claims to have clues about what happened to Elijah. The story intertwines their journey with flashbacks to the beginning of The Lightning Bottles and their journey through fame and what it cost them.

I was hooked on this story from the first chapter. I loved the romance between Jane and Elijah from the beginning, their journey was so unique, and it was so hard at times, but at the end of the day they truly loved each other. Jane was such a complex character, she was far from perfect, but that is why I liked her so much. She had to deal with misogyny from the beginning of her career and she kept going despite it. The mystery elements were interesting, and I loved how Hen was able to help Jane in their journey. I really enjoyed the 90s music setting in the story and getting a look into the struggles that came with being in the music industry.

Mystery books are usually not my favorite, but I loved this story so much! There were so many interesting aspects, and I would definitely recommend reading this story.

I loved this book! It is gripping, nostalgic, evoked emotion, and had me smiling with all the musical references. I had a hard time putting this book down as I was fully invested in the characters, their music, their relationships, their challenges, their fights, and their love. This book gave me all the feels and then some!

Jane (Janet) and Elijah met online when Elijah answered one of Jane's posts. They communicated online, through phone calls, and eventually through letters when they were teenagers. Jane's mother was not having it, so Jane ran away from home. She traveled from her home in Canada all the way to Seattle to be with Elijah. They are young, in love, and share a love of music! Things are not easy as his friends see her as a threat and let her know how they feel about her. But love conquers all and soon Jane and Elijah find themselves on top of the rock 'n' roll world as the hot duo the 'Lightning Bottles.' Jane writes the songs while Elijah is the singer. He is handsome, charismatic, and captures the hearts of their fans. Jane is quiet, reserved, misunderstood, hated, and maligned by fans and critics alike.

Years later when Elijah goes missing, Jane finds herself alone, misunderstood, and trying to pick up the pieces. When her teenage next-door neighbor, Hen, arrives claiming to have some information on Elijah that might help Jane, Jane begins a walk down memory lane in hopes of getting to the truth.

Oh, how I loved the nostalgia and memories that this book brought up. I enjoyed the characters, even the unlikeable ones. I loved the angst, the jealousy, the love, the drama, and the music. I found myself rooting for both Jane and Elijah as they delt with fame, addiction, jealousy, the music industry, their relationship, and loss.

I enjoyed how this book is told in the present and through flashbacks from their teenage years to the skyrocketing fame. This book is about falling in love, making music, the cost of fame, addiction, and friendship. Whew! What a journey this book took me and the characters on while entertaining and thrilling me.

Marissa Stapley nailed the 90’s music scene. She also did a great job creating characters which I cared about. I felt their pain, their loss, their longing, their frustration, their love, their hope, their drive, and their need to create music.

Wonderfully written, moving, nostalgic, and gripping.

Highly Recommend.

4.5⭐
Engrossing tale of the rise and disastrous fall of a rock duo. After the disappearance Elijah Hart 5 years ago in a boating accident in Iceland, his partner/wife Jane solidified her reputation as the most hated woman in rock. Now she wears disguises, moving to a remote farm in Germany to hide. Told in flashbacks, the connection of two music nerds hundreds of miles apart , first in a chatroom, then as penpals with furtive calls metamorphed into soulmates. Now another young music nerd, Hen, thinks she has found clues proving Elijah isn't dead and wants Jane to follow the clues with her. The path from joyous creativity to addiction is riveting and horrifying when it's two characters you have come to care so much for. Found myself not wanting to put the book down even to sleep. This one will stay with me.

4+ stars!

“She’s chasing the beating of her own heart, the core of her existence, with no clue how to find it or if she ever will.”

In the haze of a up-all-night reading session, I feel that I have finally found a true match for my beloved Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau. On the surface this one may seem like just another “rock stars go off the rails” narrative. It is not.

Readers are dropped into the world of the 1990’s west coast alternative music scene, framed by Elijah and Jane, the members of the band The Lightning Bottles. The dazzling love for each other and rise to fame is not without disasters, and ends abruptly. We catch up with Jane years later as she travels across Europe in search of answers. In a remote German town she crosses paths with a teenage super fan who offers clues and a fresh perspective about her quest. Hen is often the only adult in the room and she was the star of the novel for me.

The subtle concept of how fans project their hopes and dreams, insecurity and vitriol onto celebrities is a compelling angle to view the subject of how stardom competes with privacy. Chat room messages, letters, lyrics and street art all add a creative texture amplifying the basic premise of a presumably simple love story I thoroughly enjoyed.

Many thanks to Simon and Schuster Publishing and Net Galley for the early copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

WOW. Just…wow. I’m not sure any review I write could do this book justice, but I’ll try. I thought The Lightning Bottles was absolutely incredible. A story of love, music, addiction and grief, Marissa Stapley has done something truly special here. Jane, Elijah and Hen completely captured my heart. I loved seeing Jane and Elijah’s love story and also their rise and fall in the 90’s music world. The double standards of the music industry and media for men and women will absolutely infuriate you because we still see it today. What women are villainized and seen as shrews for, men are indulged and seen as geniuses for. It also highlights the para social relationships fans have with artists and how damaging those can be. This book broke my heart and put it back together so many times. During the few times I had to put the book down because responsibilities, I found myself constantly thinking about it. I think readers who enjoyed books like Daisy Jones and the Six and The People We Keep will really enjoy this one. I’m so happy I read it. Jane, Elijah and Hen will stick with me for a very long time.
CW: drug use, alcoholism, death of a parent, religious trauma, grief

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced digital readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advance reading copy (arc) of this book from Netgalley.com in return for a fair review. I requested this book because I wanted a change of pace. I have read very few books about the world of rock music so I hoped this one would be a good start. Unfortunately, the story fell apart early on. The two main characters, Jane Pyre and Elijah Hart, were just not likeable or sympathetic. They seem to create their own problems (drugs, alcohol, etc.) despite their obvious talent. Evidently, this is what happens in the world of Grammy winners (at least this book gives that impression). When Jane Pyre moves to Germany after her husband's mysterious disappearance, she takes a home next door to a young teenager named Hen (short for Henrietta). It just so happens that this young girl has all the clues as to where her husband may be--if he isn't dead. Very far-fetched and hard to believe. I found especially annoying all of these cartoons that Elijah drew--Adam and The Rib. Evidently, he was Adam and Jane was The Rib. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. Just not my cup of tea.

⚡️A rockstar love story, reimagined. Oh, the way this book took ahold of me— thank you so much @simonandschuster. ‘The Lightning Bottles’ is out Tuesday and I highly recommend you check it out!

⚡️ This is a ‘what could have been’ story loosely based on Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love with all the 90’s Seattle grunge vibes and a behind-the-curtain look at the music industry and the high price of fame at a young age.

⚡️ This book is told through dual timelines: one telling the story of two teens falling in love through music and realizing their wildest dreams, only to have them come crashing down. I loved Stapley’s portrayal of the female half of this duo, and her double-standard filled portrayal by the media. The other timeline features a young fan and so accurately portrays what music can mean, and how we get wrapped up in the stars we idolize and adore.

⚡️ Time after time we are told not to believe everything we read or hear about celebrities and this haunting novel proves that point once again.

⚡️ I devoured this book in two days. I was immersed in the story and simply didn’t want to put it down. It’s out Tuesday, and I hope you pick it up too! Have I convinced you to put it on your TBR?

⚡️ One note: this has been tagged as a mystery and a thriller on Goodreads but I would disagree with that. It reads as a piece of contemporary adult fiction to me!

Author Marissa Stapley propels readers on a whirlwind ride down an emotional, nostalgic rock'n'roll memory lane in THE LIGHTNING BOTTLES, carrying them back to the '90's Seattle Grunge scene with the music and all the drama associated with rock bands and their loyal legion of fans. Woven in is an intriguing mystery - the story of a rock legend who's been missing and presumed dead for five years, and his music and life partner, the woman fans love to hate, left behind to grieve and work through the guilt consuming her, wondering where it all went wrong and what really happened to her soulmate that fateful night she sent him away.

THE LIGHTNING BOTTLES opens with a young German teen, Hen, listening to the music of her all-time favorite band, The Lightning Bottles, on the eve of the five-year anniversary of the tragic disappearance of the group's star singer, Elijah Hart, who allegedly died in a drug-induced haze in the frigid Icelandic waters though his body was never recovered. The current whereabouts of his band and soulmate Jane Pyre, who is the unrecognized genius behind the group's famous lyrics, are unknown as she disappeared shortly thereafter to grieve, rehab and escape the ire of angry fans who blame her for Elijah's demise. It’s imperative Hen contact Jane because she has a secret, a clue about Elijah's disappearance. Imagine Hen's shock when she realizes the woman moving into the isolated property next door is none other than the despised woman herself, Jane. When Jane catches a girl spying on her, Hen shares her secret, and the despondent woman and teen fan embark on a trip that carries them and readers across a continent in a frantic search for the truth about Elijah’s disappearance. What they discover will either save or finish destroying a fragile, disillusioned, heartbroken Jane.

Unfolding through highly effective past/present chapters, THE LIGHTNING BOTTLES allows readers to experience Jane and Elijah's rocky journey first-hand from the early days to the day he disappeared in Jane’s own words as she relays their tragic ill-fated story to Hen. In the present, readers travel with Jane and Hen as they follow clues that carry them back to the places where main events occurred in Jane and Elijah's lives. The pace escalates as they go through the motions setting a desolate tone that soaks through the pages like the tears shed over the lyrics of heartbreaking songs woven throughout. While Jane and Hen carry the story, there’s a strong support cast adding another intriguing layer to the plot line. What happened to Elijah? Did he die in the icy sea off Iceland as believed? Or is he out there somewhere, alone and scared waiting for Jane to save him yet again?
Stapley takes readers on a highly atmospheric, hauntingly beautiful, yet painful trip paying homage to the world of rock'n'roll, capturing the power and essence of the music scene in the '90's - the music, fame, parties, addiction, groupies. Greed and jealousy, along with the endless drug and alcohol induced days and nights, took its toll creating toxic working relationships. The author's expert ability to weave a dark mystery into this story takes it to another level as does the emphasis on themes of misogyny, inequality in the workplace (especially the music industry) and the blistering cost of fame on both individuals and those who love them.

THE LIGHTNING BOTTLES is an epic, brilliantly rendered, character driven mystery and ode to music. A story of fated love, jealousy, guilt, pain and loss. A time when stars rose and fell quickly, and music was everything. A visual masterpiece, this book would be fantastic on the big screen. Highly recommended to fans of star-crossed romance, mysteries and ole time rock'n'roll.

The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley is a poignant love story set against the backdrop of 90s rock 'n' roll, exploring the intoxicating highs and devastating lows of fame. Jane and Elijah are inseparable, both united by their love for music. As teenagers, they rise to stardom, but the pressures of success reveal cracks in their relationship. One is hailed as a genius, while the other is labeled manipulative. Then, without warning, one of them vanishes.

I devoured this book, much more than I anticipated. It’s not just a love story—it’s also a gripping mystery. Stapley masterfully exposes the misogyny, inequality, and destructive forces of addiction that plague the music industry. She also shines a light on the complicated role fans play in the lives of musicians.

Jane’s character, in particular, tugged at my heartstrings. I’m still not convinced that Elijah truly deserved her.

Thank you, Simon and Schuster, for providing me with this book.

Content Warnings: Drugs, alcohol, loss, grief, addiction, mention of overdose.

I was born in 1996, which means I literally missed out on the Seattle grunge movement and the entire cultural shift it started. Reading this book felt like I’d been there from the very beginning! We follow Jane and Elijah’s journey to fame from their start as awkward teenagers in a chatroom to winning Album of the Year at the Grammys. And like any true rock and roll stars, Jane and Elijah struggle with balancing their party lifestyle and their mental, emotional, and physical health.
The story is told in two timelines. We get the entire timeline of The Lightning Bottles’ road to fame, and we also spend time with Jane, 5 years after Elijah disappeared. This twist was the most interesting part for me, and I was fully invested in Jane & Hen’s search for the truth.
Stapley’s writing is really what set this book apart for me. I’ve read a few similar books recently, and the narration always left me feeling a little disconnected. Jane’s character was so strongly developed from the first few pages, and set the tone perfectly for the rest of the book. Contrasting her with Hen was more interesting than using Elijah, and really kept my attention focused.
I’d recommend this book to anyone obsessed with the 90’s alt music scene, Courtney Love, Sinead O’Connor, or the concept of life after fame. It’s also a good option if you’re looking for something nostalgic with grit and mystery.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the gifted advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!