Hit Girls by Nora Princiotti was a great read!
I’m 36 and still have my pop music list of the 2000s!
And I listen to it everyday.
A fun and nostalgic read for anyone who grew up with 2000s pop stars.
This had great insights, was well researched and informed, and was a lot of fun to read.

I love my pop girlies and I am someone who enjoys feeling nostalgic and this book didn’t disappoint! This book tackled allll the eras from Britney to Sabrina Carpenter. I appreciated the way this was structured and that each chapter tackled a different identifying feature of the musical landscape from like 1998-2023, however, I don’t feel like it added much to the conversation.

A lot of this book was the author mentioning big songs/situations we are all probably familiar with, and there would be a fun tidbit here and there, but I was left wanting more. I enjoyed how this started with the author grabbing a copy of Metamorphosis from the Scholastic Book Fair as a kid and there were so many anecdotes I truly enjoyed, but this still fell a bit flat for me.

There were a few things that were new to me - like how Max Martin put together the hits he did and how stars like Ariana Grande complained about lines genuinely not making any sense - but much of this was truly just a recap of the biggest moments our favorite pop-stars had and how it impacted society as a whole. I enjoyed how the author kind of leaned on the feminism of it all, too.

Overall, this was an easy read with some new info I’m glad to now know. If you don’t know much about the evolution of pop music and how our favorite female singers got their big breaks this is definitely worth a read!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine, for this ARC! This is out now!

As a loyal Every Single Album pod listener, I was SO excited to read this one! I usually don't read much non-fiction, but I found this to be a perfect summer non-fiction beach/poolside read. Nora did a wonderful job walking through all the Hit Girls of the early aughts in a way that any music fan will appreciate. I learned so much and really enjoyed hearing more behind-the-scenes tidbits behind some of my favorite songs. Will be recommending this to all my pop girlies!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

An introspective look at the music of the ladies who topped the charts in the early 2000s and the impact they and their music had.

I was older than the author when the music and artists discussed in the book came out, so they weren't as formative for me. However, good music is good, no matter your age, and the ladies discussed in Hit Girls all had some bangers that rocked. They're also pivotal songs that stand out for how they've (mostly) stood the test of time and the impact they had on the music industry in general. It's easy for people to dismiss pop music and artists, but a proper dive into the nuts and bolts of it shows how formative it is to culture in general. Add some background on the artists and the behind-the-scenes details that you didn't really get as much of back then, and you've got an excellent read that will leave you with a greater appreciation of pop music and a killer playlist.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the fun read!

✨ The Vibes ✨
A nostalgic romp through the pop songs that defined the early 2000s

📖 Read if…
✨ Every Single Album is your favorite podcast
✨ Your playlists always include some early 2000s pop
✨ You’re interested in learning about the intersection of pop culture and the music business

I’m a day one Every Single Album listener, so when I heard Nora Princiotti was writing a book about pop music, I immediately added it to my TBR and started counting down the days until I could get my hands on it. And now, I can definitively say it’s going to be one of my favorite books of the year.

One of my favorite things about Every Single Album is how the podcast seamlessly blends fandom and business, discussing fan theories and financials with equal passion and fervor. This style carries over into Hit Girls. Each chapter covers a different artist (sometimes multiple artists) and shows how one laid the foundation for the next, starting with Britney Spears and ending with Olivia Rodrigo. There’s so much information packed into each chapter, from basic history to critical analysis and pop culture references, but the writing remains tight, concise, and digestible.

Additionally, I loved the way Princiotti worked her own voice and asides into each chapter. Those little quips made it feel like I was listening to an episode of Every Single Album (and also made me want to reread the book via the audio). The way she’s able to blend history and fact with personal anecdotes makes for a really entertaining book that is difficult to put down.

Obviously, any pop superfan will eat this book up, but I also think it’s a fantastic introduction to early 2000s pop and the artists that defined that era for anyone who is just starting their pop star journey.

Hit Girls is out June 17. Thanks to Ballentine and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading Hit Girls by Nora Princiotti. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

Names of icons like Britany Spears, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce and Kelly Clarkson are known to many.

Guy by name of Max Martin? Not so much.
His influence with some of these icons is far reaching and how sometimes nonsensical lyrics fit the music was something was unaware of until now. This was an informative read in the making of those songs that have cemented themselves in our minds.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine , via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#HitGirls #NetGalley

I am a late Gen-Xer/early Millenial (whatever we are called) so the early 2000's was a wild time music.

I really appreciated Nora's writing style and her take on the ladies of the 2000's. I learned many things I didn't know. It really gave me a new perspective on the music of these artists.


Thank you to NetGalley, Random Publishing House Ballantine, and Nora Princiotti for this e-ARC. This review is my own opinion.

One of my favorite podcasters wrote a book about the music of the early 2000s? Say less. I’ve been listening to @noraprinciotti on @everysinglealbumpodcast and now on @wereobsessedpod for years, and I’d read just about anything she wrote (maybe not football stuff?), but this book is so firmly in my wheelhouse it was a no-brainer.

And it totally delivered. HIT GIRLS is written with a conversational tone that still had the occasional word I needed to look up. I was excited for whatever the book brought to the table, but I was surprised in a good way by how meaty the musicology analysis got. I’m a classical musician, but I don’t know much about production and have lately been curious about it, so I loved the inside look into the popular music machine and the production teams that helped shape it behind the scenes.

And of course, I loved learning more about the hit girls themselves—I’m an unabashed pop culture fanatic, and this book starts the year I started middle school and ends the year I gave birth to my first child, effectively spanning my adolescence and early adulthood in a neat and nostalgic package.

If you enjoy pop culture, you’ll find something here and learn something new. If you want to go deeper with how music works, I think you’ll find it here too. HIT GIRLS was a delightful and nostalgic journey into what is to me the golden era of pop music.

I think what I enjoyed was reading about music I chose to listen to in the early 2000s. Like the author this was around the time I started to picked what I listed to vs what my parents would choose. Some of the stuff I already knew but a lot was new to me and interesting because I have always been a music nerd.

Glad the publisher and NetGalley sent this to me to read. It’s a quick read and very interesting!

Absolutely obsessed with it, I love pop music and the trip down memory lane with the musicians I largely still listen to on a regular basis. As a millennial woman it reads like an a well researched conversation with a friend over the divas we loved. Absolutely will be buying the hard copy of it to read again.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I recently discovered the podcast Every Single Album, which Nora Princiotti cohosts, and while I had requested this book prior, it gave me a solid idea of her expertise on the subject of pop music going in. And with the podcast covering largely more “modern” (or trending) topics, I liked how this book looks back on 2000s pop and how it influenced the music industry as we know it. As a Swiftie, my favorite was obviously the chapter on Taylor Swift and how Taylor used social media to cultivate a relationship with her fan base. But reminiscing about how pivotal Britney was for late 90s-early 2000s pop, as well as the other acts that rose at that time, like Avril and her counter cultural influence, Beyoncé, and more, was really fascinating. I also love how it focuses on the successes, while also critiquing the dark side, like the media circus around Britney in the mid-2000s, or how Ashlee Simpson’s career fell apart due to her missteps trying to carve out a career for herself independent of her sister, and following the disastrous SNL lip-synching incident.
This was a lot of fun, and a great overview of 2000s pop, from a retrospective lens. I’d recommend it to fans of pop music who want an overview of the history of the genre.

This was a great dive into the pop music of the 2000s (give or take a couple of years on either side) and the influences on the music and artists, and their influence on culture. This had great insights, was well researched and informed, and was a lot of fun to read.

This was a very interesting read that showcased many of my favourite female artists and how their career began and in some cases weathered the storm of being current and popular over decades.

Hit Girls by Nora Princiotti is a Time Machine to the pop girls that defined my teenage years! This was such a fun and nostalgic read and I would recommend it to any pop music lover. I am a long time listener to Nora’s podcast Every Single Album, so I knew this book would include the same type of research and fun facts that are always present on the podcast. I loved the format of the book and that most chapters focused on a a single “it girl” to really focus on their contribution to pop music as a whole. I loved this book and will be recommending it to all my friends!

As a “Zenial” Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, and Beyoncé were just coming up and becoming big names as I was in college. This book was a trip into a time machine. A millennial pop-loving will fan girl over this book.
- If you read this, you must read while blasting music by artists mentioned. (mandatory…okay maybe not totally mandatory)
- If you love this, you should listen to Nora Princiotti’s podcast “Every Single Album”

Thank you, Ballantine Books and NetGalley! #HitGirls #NetGalley

As a millennial pop girlie, it felt like this book was written for me. I grew up listening to Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Lady Gaga, and most of the other artists covered in this book, so it was interesting to read about the cultural impact these artists had on pop music.

This book is incredibly well researched, and while there was information that I did already know, I also learned a lot. It was fascinating to learn more about how pop music affected not only the pop genre, but music as a whole.

Thank you to Ballantine for an early copy of this book!
Pub date: 7/1/25

This one was fun! As someone who grew up in the 90’s and loved(still loves) pop music, I really enjoyed this! It mentioned some of my all time favorites!!

This book felt like it was specifically written for me. I’m a couple of years older than Nora, but every reference hit. It’s like a lovely nostalgia-filled trip through my formative years, and I highly recommend this to any Millennial girl who might want to experience the same. Loved the conversational writing style and really everything about this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a candid review.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: 🎶 Non-Fiction
Recommend:✅

As a millennial pop culture girlie, I absolutely adored this book. I found Nora Princiotti by listening to her podcast “Every Single Album” in which her and her cohost, Nathan Hubbard, go through artists entire discography one album at a time. I was confident I would like this book, but I didn’t count on it being so hilarious and insightful.

“Hit Girls” focuses on the early 2000s in pop culture, more specifically the female pop stars that shaped the decade in music. Each chapter focuses on one star, Britney, Kelly, Christina, Beyoncé and more but also weaves together how they influenced each other and the people behind the scenes that shaped them. As someone who lived through it, there was a lot I already knew but it’s peppered with fun anecdotes I didn’t and Nora truly had me cackling and thinking back to who I was when I was first consuming this music.

This may not be a book you sit down and read front to back like I did and its be equally enjoyable taking your time reading a chapter a day in between other stuff.

You’ll love this book if you love:
✅Pop Girlies
✅Music History
✅Early 2000s Pop Culture