Set in the early 2000's, Percy a lover of all things music meets Joe a songwriter and aspiring musician. Joe asks Percy for feedback on one of his songs which initiates a partnership that will last many years. This sets Joe on a path to stardom and ignites new passions in both of them.
This is a story of growth and change in relationships, being true to ourselves and discovering what we really want.
I enjoyed this well-written debut novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Wow!
I loved this book! A 5 star because it enlightened me.
How are these people so in tune to songs? I consider myself a fairly musical person with a good ear, an enjoyment of a wide range of musical genres but I don’t hear, feel, interpret, sense the music or what makes it good or bad like Percy and Joe do. I admit, my decisions about music are based largely on melody and then lyrics, so that might be part of it. But I’m not even close. It’s so amazing, I guess I’ve never really thought about so deeply.
What taste, what a gift, what talent!
I thought the characters were well developed and thought so many of the feelings and situations were so authentic. For instance Joe and Zoe’s relationship of “convenience”. Also Percy’s abusive sexual encounters and her inability to seek justice or share her pain.
One thing that made reading this book so enjoyable were all the song references. I found myself looking up the songs and listening to them while I read the book. And there were so many fun facts about artists thrown in as well. This book was like taking an “intro to indie music” class.
All written by a woman who grew up very close to my hometown.
Wow!
Thank you so much to Holly Brinkley, NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC.

Deep Cuts didn’t grab me right away. It felt a little too self-aware, with music takes that came off more pretentious than profound and characters who seemed emotionally closed off in a way that felt more frustrating than compelling.

Still, it grew on me. The musical references were thoughtful and spanned a wide range of genres, adding real depth to the story. I found myself queuing up songs as I read, which made the experience more engaging. The emotional moments hit, even if the conflict could have been resolved with a bit of honest communication. It wasn’t a standout read, but it had heart and made for a good weekend escape.

Thank you Netgalley!

I really enjoyed the first half of this but struggled with the second half. I didn't think that the MMC showed a lot of growth and I didn't like the way he treated the FMC. Some of the writing style was just honestly not for me, like reading the FMC's university newspaper writings and other essays. I didn't need to read that to appreciate where the characters were going. Secondary characters were great, I actually felt they were more developed than the mains.

Usually I don't care for books that revolve around musicians or the music industry - it's just never grabbed me. But let me just say that WOW. The dynamic between Percy and Joe was mesmerizing and Percy's commitment to her craft was enthralling. The knowledge the author has about music is absolutely insane, it was so, so interesting being presented through fiction. Also I adore the book cover; it is so well done and caught my eye immediately. I will definitely be recommending this book.

For fans of the movie Reality Bites, or the book Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. This early aughts music-centric romance is perfect for those who don't love the "com" part of romcoms.

This book was a very easy(outside of one particular scene) read. Quite captivating and felt very real. I was invested in the main character and her experiences all the way through the book, but I felt no connection to the MMC. There were a few too many niche musical references but maybe that was intentional? Regardless, I enjoyed the experience of reading it, though I would not read it again or specifically recommend.

At first, this felt like a pretentious eyeroll with too many lukewarm music takes and a little too much personal critique disguised as fiction. It quickly grew on me, feeling more authentic to the characters than I had initially expected. I fell in love with them, queuing up songs as I read and appreciating the depth of the references. It isn’t just mainstream pop hits but true deep cuts spanning decades and genres. The story drew me in, making me root for the characters to find their happiness, whether together or apart. Of course, the whole thing could have been resolved with some basic human communication. Why let things fester for so long? Immature, but maybe also realistic. Emotionally, it hits, even pulling a few tears from me. It’s not a life-changing read, but it’s enjoyable and made for a nice Saturday playlist.

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Canada for this book.

Deep Cuts is the story of Percy and Joe — two music-obsessed souls whose relationship is as tangled and chaotic as the songs they love. Told from Percy’s perspective in a bold and immersive second-person narrative, the novel offers an introspective dive into the pop and indie music scene around the Y2K era.

Joe is a musician, Percy helps with lyrics, and together they blur the lines between friends, lovers, collaborators, and rivals. It’s a story about music, friendship, love, ambition, and jealousy — all set to the soundtrack of a generation.

As someone whose life has always been shaped by music, I felt nostalgic at times, but even I found parts of the book overwhelming with music references. It walks a fine line between immersive and indulgent, and how much you enjoy that will likely depend on your own connection to music history.

It reminded me more of High Fidelity than Daisy Jones & The Six — a story less about the glamorous rise of a band, and more about the messy, obsessive relationships that form around music itself.

I’m curious to see how the rumored film adaptation will capture this — especially with Saoirse Ronan and Austin Butler reportedly attached. That casting feels pitch-perfect, and I’ll definitely be watching when it comes out.

Overall, Deep Cuts is a unique debut with a lot to say about music as memory, as obsession, and as a language we use to define our relationships — for better or worse.

4.5 stars
Deep Cuts is like hanging out in a record shop, listening to banter. I may not know exactly who is being referenced, but it feels hip and cool just to be around.
Deep Cuts is just this - a smart, contemporary love story of the relationship between Joe and Percy.
Thank you to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for my eARC for review!
Boy meets girl in a bar, they bond over their love of music. Joe makes music, Percy does not - but knows what she likes and has a gift for how to make music better.
Relationships, not so much.
This is author Holly Brickley's first novel, and she's Canadian-born by way of B.C. If this is what she's done with her debut, I absolutely cannot wait to read whatever it is she writes next. Deep Cuts is that good.
There's also a Spotify playlist of every accompanying song you need to keep up with the references in the story!
Recommended!
Released on Feb. 25.

From analyzing songs to writing lyrics, Percy finds herself kickstarting a partnership with Joe as the two collab to write music over the years. Percy and Joe are MESSY -- it was very push and pull but in an intoxicatingly toxic sense. The vibes of Deep Cuts gives off gungey underground music world mixed with college kids who have an obsession with listening and creating music. It was interesting to see the mix of friendships, relationships, love for music, and a feeling of drifting throughout the years. This book explores various deep cuts of music (lesser known songs) while also reminding me of an early 2000s version Daisy Jones and the Six with a sprinkle of Normal People. Not sure if this book is for me but I can see others enjoying it.

Thanks NetGalley and Penguin Random Canada for the arc!

God. What a gorgeous novel. I inhaled it in one sitting, and immediately went back to re-read certain passages. I can't believe it's a debut, and I cannot wait to see what this author does next. (I also heard they're making it into a movie? With Saooirse Ronan? And Austin Butler? I need to be at an advanced screening like right now oh my god).

The best way I can describe Deep Cuts is as a perfect cross between the love of music and the harsh realities of musical ambition you get from Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, with the messy relationships and emotional resonance of Conversations with Friends (or maybe even Normal People) by Sally Rooney. I just know the booktok girlies are going to eat this up and I cannot wait for the edits.

Set against the backdrop of Berkeley’s campus in the early 2000s, Deep Cuts is more than just a love story between two people; it’s a love story between characters and their craft, their ambitions, and themselves. Percy Marks, a music-obsessed twentysomething, has strong opinions about every song and genre under the sun but none of the natural musical talent to back it up. Enter Joe Morrow (Joey), an aspiring musician with enough raw talent and charisma to pull in any audience, but who has not yet tapped into his full potential. The two meet one night at a bar, where Joey's admiration for Percy's musical insight leads him to ask her for help moulding his lyrics into something better. What follows is a decades-long on-and-off partnership filled with that undeniable will-they-won’t-they tension. Can they work together to create the elusive perfect track? Can their artistic partnership evolve into something more? The emphasis on the intimacy of creative partnership in particular made sure that Percy and Joey were not a cliche, and I was in awe of it.

What I liked most: The characters! Oh my god the characters! Percy and Joey (and Zoe, you'll meet her eventually and she's my favourite) are self-centred and vibrant and insufferable and intense and so, so relateable. I adored them. Speaking from experience, everyone is a little annoying and little pretentious when they're in college, and this book captures that "i can totally do what you're doing but better" feeling everyone feels, even for a little bit. That feeling that you're a little bit smarter than everyone around you, even whe imposter syndrome is closing in. Every character felt exactly like someone you'd see around at your campus bar or library, and I saw pieces of people I know even in the background characters. I also loved the writing. Like I said, I really can't believe this is a debut. There were so many lines that took my breath away, and the dialogue felt natural and honest. I loved the prose so much I did something I almost never do: I bought a physical copy to annotate and put on my shelf, even though it has deckled edges. I hate deckled edges.

What surprised me: The immersiveness (is that a word? idk) and depth that the lyrics, significant cultural shifts (eg. the pre-digital to digital music industry), and pop-culture references brought to the story, even though I recognized almost none of them. I was not old enough to be tuned into any form of media or news in the 2000s - let alone the indie music scene - and still, I saw how the timeline of current events and musical trends didn't just serve as a backdrop to the romance - they actively and inextricably shaped the way Percy, Joey, and Zoe interacted with the world and with one another. The scenes surrounding 9/11 were especially evocative; while I was not lucid enough to experience 9/11 in real time (i was like 2), the scenes mirrored my own experiences witnessing more recent watershed moments, like Manchester Arena bombing, the Pulse nightclub mass shooting, or the California wildfires. The book is sectioned out into chapters that are titled after songs, and so you can put together a soundtrack for the novel as you read. All of the songs were new to me, so seeking them out was a fun and unique way of tracking the passage of time throughout the novel. Look up the playlist if you can! There were probably some references or plays on words I didn't pick up on, and that's okay.

The only thing that kept this from being a perfect 5 stars was the pacing in the back-half of the novel: a few scenes (especially surrounding Percy's trendsetting job) could have been tightened or cut altogether without losing any of the character depth, in my opinion. Those scenes lost my attention, just a little. A few emotional threads - relationships between certain characters, etc - are left unexplored and without resolution, and probably could have been cut too.

All in all, this was a beautiful little book and I'm really looking forward to whatever Holly Brickley does next.

Percy Marks has no talent for music, just lots of opinions about it, but can’t stop herself from overanalyzing a song playing on the jukebox. The guy beside her at the bar, fellow student Joe Morrow, is a songwriter and asks Percy for feedback on one of his songs.

I wish I had seen that this book was being compared to Daisy Jones and the Six before I grabbed it from Netgalley because I didn't like Daisy Jones very much at all. I actually liked Deep Cuts a bit better but a lot of it didn't mean much to me. I'm not a music geek, especially not of music from the early 2000s, but surprisingly I recognized quite a few of the songs and the names of some of the singers/songwriters but the narrative sometimes got too bogged down in what the song was actually about only to end up back at square one: "We are all just writing about ourselves." The blurb led me to believe that Joe and Percy formed a long-lasting partnership but I sure didn't see that. They collaborated a bit early on in the book but then they always seemed to be mad at each other and she eventually got credit as a co-writer many years later. To be honest, I didn't really like either of them and didn't care whether they got together or not. This book is supposedly less than 300 pages but it took me forever to read. Granted there's been a lot going on in my life to distract me from reading but still ... ! Lots of readers loved this so take my review with a grain of salt. I'd give this 2.5 Stars rounded up because the writing was good even though it didn't speak to me.

TW: Sexual assault at a music festival.

Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this debut novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: February 25, 2025

✨ARC REVIEW✨

Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley (OUT NOW)

3.5⭐️

If I was going to attempt to describe this book in one word, it would be: cool. Deep Cuts is perfectly angsty and so effortlessly smart - I definitely enjoyed it!

The strength of this story really comes from the characters who all frankly, have their own shit to work through… and who doesn’t in their early 20’s??Their journeys stumbling through life as young, ambitious people was relatable at times but also extremely thought provoking. I found myself shaking my head a lot in the early parts of the book 😂 but I also spent a lot of time asking: what would I have done differently?

Hindsight is always 20/20.

Ultimately, the growth of the characters is what kept me invested here as I did find myself wishing for more conflict/action to keep things moving towards the middle of the book! I also needed a few more genuine moments between the two MC’s early on in their relationship to make their connection seem believable… it felt like more of an infatuation than anything substantial to me which quite honestly could have been the point but it didn’t fully work for me.

I’ve heard Deep Cuts being compared to Daisy Jones and while yes, it does have some similarities (toxic relationship, strong ties to music) I would argue that this book is much more focused on the characters themselves and how they are navigating their lives as 20 somethings in the early 2000’s and less on navigating the music industry itself.

A very strong debut that I would recommend to friends who enjoy slower paced books that are mainly character driven!

Thanks to @penguinrandomca @doubledayca and @netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review! DEEP CUTS is available NOW!

I adored this book: the writing feels sophisticated and comforting at the same time, perfect for telling this story. I liked how the music and the romance had equal stakes, as well: it gave the love story some substance. The pacing was also great. Thrilled to see this has been optioned.

This novel felt super nostalgic to me. I loved how music was used to represent the current moods of the characters. I liked that even though this was a literary novel (a genre I don't normally read) it was still easy to picture and imagine the events unfolding happening in real life. It is a coming of age story. It is a story about finding one's voice and learning how to grow into yourself, becoming strong and dependent. Enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for giving me an ARC copy to read and give my honest review.

A very promising debut and an author I look forward to reading more of her work in the future. In Deep Cuts, aspiring musician Percy Marks meets songwriter Joe Morrow at a bar, leading to a partnership that lasts for years. Their relationship, though passionate, also brings ego-crushing challenges, leaving Percy to wonder if Joe is worth holding onto. 4/5 stars

Deep Cuts
By Holly Brickley

As the description states, the main character, Percy, has lots of opinions about music and can’t stop herself from overanalyzing a song. She meets Joe Morrow, a songwriter, and he eventually asks her to listen to some of his stuff. They collaborate and Joe’s songs improve.

Their partnership will span years, ignite passions, and set Joe on a path to indie-rock stardom. But it also bruises Joe’s ego, and traps Percy in a role she resents. Moving from college to Brooklyn bars to San Francisco dance floors, Percy and Joe drift in and out of each others’ lives, grow, mature and try to find their path.

The story follows Percy’s development from immature, insecure college student to a more hardened magazine writer and “trend recruiter”. The book includes some of her articles and musings about various music and I really wish there were a soundtrack to go with the book! It would have been fascinating to follow along and hear the songs with Percy’s interpretation.

Percy is, like many college age girls, rather insecure, socially awkward and a bit shy, despite all her opinionated musings about music. She never has much luck, romantically, and even has a bad sexual experience that affects her for years. We can really feel the psychological impact and guilt that taints her future growth as a person.

I loved this book! It was fresh, young, hip, and cool. I identified with the theme of college explorations and parties, and trying to be cool while looking for a soulmate. The book had a satisfactory, is somewhat rushed ending. I would have liked to savour Percy’s discovery of peace and contentment for just a little longer, after having followed her soulless years, rooting for her all the while…. That being said, I highly recommend this book if you love coming of age stories, that are well-written, believable and fresh. If you’re a music aficionado, so much the better!

This was an excellent, music centred romance that was wonderfully nostalgic, fun and heartfelt. The characters grew and evolved together, making their friendships and relationships feel truly connected and genuine throughout the book and connected to each song chosen. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the digital arc! 4/5

When I saw Deep Cuts described as similar to Daisy Jones & The Six, I was immediately intrigued and went in expecting to absolutely love it. Unfortunately I found myself struggling to connect with the story and despising the main characters.

One of my biggest challenges was the sheer amount of music history. The book is full of references to artists and songs that it overpowered the actual story.

My other issue was with the main characters, Percy and Joe. Their relationship was toxic and co-dependent, spiraling in a way that made it hard to cheer for them. Percy, despite insisting she wasn’t a music snob, often came across as insufferable, while Joe’s ego made it hard to like him. I found myself indifferent to whether they ended up together—something that made it difficult to stay invested in their journey.

If you’re a music lover with knowledge of indie rock, you may find this book more enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada and Double Day for an eARC.