I am 100% the target audience for this book. I remember vividly watching the Baby One More Time music video in my living room when I was nine. I remember blasting Since U Been Gone in the car on the way to school. I remember hearing Just Dance by Lady Gaga for the first time at a school dance. This book was a delightful trip down memory lane with so much insight not only about the careers of specific pop icons, but with what was going on in the world to correlate with the music scene. There were some things I already knew, but there was a lot of information I didn’t and now looking back at certain career moves and trajectories, some things made a whole lot more sense. Also, I loved the reiteration that pop music is awesome and hating it doesn’t make you deep. If you grew up in the 2000s and were a pop music lover, this one is definitely for you.


Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for the digital reader’s copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine for the ARC! I listen to Nori Princiotti on the Ringer podcast network, and really enjoy her takes on pop culture. When she mentioned that her book was coming out soon, I wanted to read it immediately! This book was an absolute delight! She takes the reader on a nostalgic journey through pop girly music with so much clear reverence for their journeys. Loved this book and read it in a day!

Nora Princiotti — I wasn’t familiar with your game, but now I’m a fan. This might be the first music book I’ve read that truly rivals The Song Machine (my all-time favorite) in its ability to weave a relatively short era of music into a broader cultural context, all while backed by sharp, detailed research. And beyond that, it’s just a fun read—Nora's voice comes through like she’s telling you stories about your favorite pop stars over drinks.

I consider myself more informed than the average person when it comes to the background of the subjects and time period she focused on, yet I still found myself learning new and surprising facts. I cracked this open on a flight and got so hooked I had to finish it the moment I got to my hotel—my vacation could wait. Highly recommend if you grew up around this era of pop music.

I was of mixed opinions as I started Hit Girls. While I was of high school and college age during the Aughts, I was never much of a pop music person. I knew most of these artists more from their cultural impact and tabloid coverage than their music.

Although a bit fangirly for me at times, Princiotti does a good job of detailing the production of the music covered here and the timely elements involved. What I enjoyed most was her examination of how the artists in question changed both the music industry and the nature of celebrity in America.

It’s a worthwhile read for anyone who came of age in the Aughts and/or is a fan of any of these artists. You will no doubt spend hours watching videos on YouTube as a result (because I did).

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine (Random House) for the opportunity to read and review.

Hit Girls by Nora Princiotti--This nostalgic look back at top female pop artists of the first decade of the aughts releases on June 17. Writer and podcaster Princiotti examines the music, culture, and societal influence of artists like Beyonce, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Rhianna, Taylor Swift, and many more. I liked the conversational writing style and the look back at that decade of music. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Hit Girls was a walk down memory lane for me, telling the story of the hit pop stars from the 2000s, which was a huge part of my life. As a tween and teen in the 2000’s, I remember this era all too well.

We learn about Britney’s rise to stardom, her time at the top of the charts as a Pop Princess, and then the rough times she went through, like the infamous 2007 umbrella incident. We journey through Avril Lavigne and how she was trying to find a sound different from the current female pop stars of the time. Ashlee Simpson trying to find her own path that was different from Jessica’s, and her infamous jig on SNL when she was caught lip syncing. We go back to the days of Destiny’s Child, leading to Beyoncé becoming a solo artist, Katy Perry going from a church kid to “I Kissed A Girl” , Rihanna finding her way from Barbados to the top of the charts, and Christina going from a “Genie in a Bottle” to her “Dirrty” days. in 2002, a young 20 something from Texas named Kelly Clarkson won the first season of American Idol, and we learn how she got her smash hit “Since U Been Gone” which other artists turned down, and then how she learned to find her own voice on future albums, We travel to Nashville, where in 2006 we stumble upon a high school junior named Taylor Swift, breaking out into the country world, who would become one of the biggest selling artists of our time, and still on the charts today with hits from all 11 of her albums.

I truly enjoyed this walk down memory lane as I still remember my first Britney, and Christina CDs, listening to much of the music that was mentioned throughout the book, and learning more about the female artists who shaped and inspired me through my tween and teen years, and even artists I listen to today.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine, and Nora Princiotti for this e-arc!

An interesting concept that left me wanting more.
The book would've been better served with a clinical view rather than from the author's opinion.

A little "surface level" for me.
But I am also about 15-20 years passed its demographic

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Nora Princiotti for providing this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As someone who loves all things pop (-culture, -music, ...-corn), this was an obvious read for me. Personally, music is something that is constantly in the background of my daily life. I was an avid J-14 and TigerBeat reader, and my own walls were plastered with posters of my favorite pop stars (minus one Selena Gomez poster my brother confiscated when he was crushing on her as all 14 year old boys did).

While I may not have learned any new information from this, it was fun to see how pop evolved during my formative years. While the media and record label execs may have tried to make the women of the early aughts fit into a size-0 mold, it became clear that their own talents and styles couldn't be contained. Think of how boring listening to the radio would be if every single song sounded exactly the same! Variety is the spice of life, and a musical evolution is the way to avoid monotony and boredom.

Fun, quick, easy to read - with All Out 2000s playing in the background, obviously.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read!

I think as a typical millennial who has been deep in the pop star trenches ever since my first spice girl poster took over my childhood bedroom, this book was a great way to see how the music shaped the world I grew up in.

I think way too often we dismiss women in pop culture as a trend or as a would-be reality show. When realistically, their impact changes how we live and how we experience pop culture. I liked seeing their impact taken in a fully grown-up manner. Really evaluating how they shifted the industry with every decision and every new endeavor.

As a millennial pop-loving mom who still listens to Britney and Taylor daily, this book felt like it was written for me. Hit Girls is a nostalgic, thoughtful, and brilliantly researched celebration of the pop girls who shaped a generation—and my playlists.

Nora Princiotti’s writing is sharp, funny, and so smart. She masterfully connects the cultural dots, bringing us right back to the unforgettable era of low-rise jeans, teen magazines, TRL, and the rise of internet fandom. It was a wonderful trip down memory lane and a love letter to the power of pop music and the girls who ruled it.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books and Netgalley, for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

this was an era that I grew up in and was excited to read about my favorite time-period of pop music. I enjoyed the way Nora Princiotti wrote this and was engaged with what was happening in this. It was well researched and left me wanting to read more from Nora Princiotti. I learned a lot from this book and thought it was everything that I was looking for.

I grew up on 90s-early 2000s Country music on the radio, before getting my first albums, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, N*Sync, Christina Aguilera. Britney Spears was my first solo artist concert, actually. I had been to a country music festival at the tender age of like seven or eight, but Britney Spears was the first person I got to see on stage performing with set pieces and the fancy lights. I loved it. I'm also a few years older than Princiotti, which meant that every cultural touchstone she mentioned was one that I remember equally as well. We have different songs that maybe form the basis of our obsession with various stars, but neither of us remember the first time we heard Taylor Swift and we're both sad about it because she rules large in both of our lives. But in saying all of that, what I loved about this book is that it's a real examination of the evolution of pop music and, more specifically, how pop music changed.

It's interesting too because I feel as though the thesis of this book is, at least in part, that we've lowered the strict genre guidelines in the last two decades, but then I think about Cowboy Carter and how much people resisted Beyoncé making a country album. But, as per usual, racism has a part to play. And that's not something Princiotti shies away from, although she's careful when she indicates if something is not within her wheelhouse to really cover. But in terms of pointing out the influence of R&B and hip hop on pop music? She covers it. In terms of talking about how the paparazzi were absolutely horrendous in the early 2000s, she makes interesting notes about how much easier it was for white celebrities to break through to be a "star" with paparazzi attention, whereas for Black artists it typically wasn't easy. And then there's Beyoncé.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I'm just rambling through the various things that I really liked about this book, but I did enjoy it! Sometimes it felt a little more academic and dry than what you might expect, but also, I had the best time listening to the music of my tween and teen years while reading along. It was a blast. I would now like Princiotti to release an additional book covering the years of 2010-2020 and the evolution of pop music, which she does touch on in her concluding chapter. It's just that, as per usual, I'd like more.

Hit Girls comes from the heart of a true fan. Nora Princiotti grew up in the “aughts” and lived through the takeover of the music industry but icons like Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Rhianna and Lindsey Lohan. The book is a seamless combination of history, musical analysis, celebrity gossip and personal reflection. That she manages to get all this into such a short book is a bit miraculous….but it also makes the book accessible and easy to read. Unlike some other pop culture books, there is no fluff here. Everything is thoroughly researched, supported by insider interviews, and finds the overarching truths as well as the juicy details. And she makes an excellent case for the fact that the internet is the way it is today because of Taylor Swift.

Being just slightly (ahem) over the age when I might have followed this music closely, I probably didn’t relate to it as deeply as I might have. But I do think that music lovers who spent their high school years with these women and their music will find a lot to like.

Many thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

From Beyoncé and Britney Spears to Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and more, Princiotti breaks down the major players and their impact with humor, heart, and a deep appreciation for the genre. While the book doesn’t necessarily unearth new information or shocking revelations, it’s not really trying to. Hit Girls thrives in its nostalgic glow, inviting readers to revisit the music, the moments, and the memories with fresh eyes.

I enjoyed the authors writing style, it feels like catching up with a pop savvy best friend; casual, funny, and full of enthusiasm. It’s as if you’re sitting on the couch together, reminiscing about middle school dances, CD booklets, and the MTV Video Music Awards. The tone is light, fun, and totally bingeable, perfect for anyone who wants a joyful, slightly sparkly break from heavier reads.

Hit Girls might not offer groundbreaking insight, but it doesn’t need to. It’s a celebration, not a thesis, and for fans of 2000s pop, it hits all the right notes.

a hilarious, yet informative look at how pop culture icons have paved the way for music and changed culture. i had no idea about the backstories behind some of the songs that have shaped who i am today. perfect for fans of the book one in a millennial or the podcast be there in five!

This gave me all the nostalgic feels! The author does a great job explaining how pop music ruled the world in the late nineties and early 2000’s. She focuses on female artists like Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, and many more. I loved the section about Ashlee Simpson. I remember vividly her lip syncing controversy on SNL. Even though the chapters about Jennifer Lopez and Taylor Swift (not my cup of tea) were not my favorite, this is still a well written and fun retrospective on the importance of female pop artists.

As a 1997 baby, I grew up in the early aughts. The pop stars that Princiotti writes about in this book are the artists I grew up listening to, from CDs in my parents' cars, to buying on iTunes for my iPod nano, to Spotify streaming. That being said, I was young when Ashlee Simpson flubbed on SNL. Britney Spears shaving her head is a core childhood memory. Princiotti brings to light all of the producers and writers behind the top hits of the early 2000s, and I learned a ton. Princiotti's personal touches about middle school dances and sleepovers and the music of her adolescence was so incredibly relatable.

"Hit Girls" is a fun yet education read introducing readers to the way pop music evolved through the 2000s, told through the stories of stars like Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift and the ways they rose to fame. You can definitely tell the author has a podcast -- but that's not a bad thing! She writes like she talks, which makes a subject like the reflection on the evolution of a music genre (which can be difficult for some, including myself, to parse through and understand) easy to digest and enjoy. I think the audiobook for this, if narrated by Nora, has potential to be even more fun and engaging than this was. This isn't my typical read, but I had a good time reading it and feel like I have a much better understanding of how the pop music industry as we know it came to be, as well as the incredible women who helped make it that way.

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

“Hit Girls,” by Nora Princiotti, is a non-fiction book about the “pop” queens of the early 2000s. I have to admit, I’ve listened to a number of the artists mentioned in this book - but as I was a new parent during most of this time (when my song listening was more snatches of radio and lots of kids songs) - I did a lot of YouTube consulting as a) I didn’t recognize a number of songs by their titles, and b) I realized I’d only heard a handful of the songs Ms. Princiotti mentioned. I did find the music discussions (mechanical bits) rather interesting. I’ve never listened to Ms. Princiotti’s podcast, but she seems to write like she was speaking directly to the reader over a cup of coffee. I found this an interesting read - however, I’d point out that music is so cyclical that I wished that there had been a discussion (even a few paragraphs) out of the 2000s about the 1950s/1960s as people went from solo singers to having groups and the groups dissolving … it’s rather interesting. I think if you remember the music - pop! - from the early 2000s, this would be a great trip down memory lane.

I was so excited to get an ARC of this one. I've been a fan of Princiotti's podcast for years, and her conversational style comes through in her writing. Reading this book felt like having a chat with a best friend, but one who was schooling you on topics you thought you knew a lot about. I appreciated her liberal citations, as well. I came away from this one having added a bunch of new books to my list, and for a subject matter that's easy to take as trite without further examination, the clear amount of research Princiotti did into this takes it from what could be a Buzzfeed listicle to a serious cultural history of a time period that's only just starting to get critical attention now that we're (disturbingly) 20 years out. Building on the work she does in her podcast--where she intermingles her personal experiences with the music and artist with chart data, historical context, and industry trends--Princiotti pulls back the curtain on some of the most impactful hitmakers of the early aughts to show how they informed culture in ways that are especially resonant in the present day.