3.5 overall it was a pretty decent story. The story follows Billie a music lover after getting her degree, to trying to land a job at music label as an A’R executive (her dream job) but instead becomes an assistant that will eventually work her way up. She has the support of her bff and her man but even they begin to question if the job is actually worth it because of the lengths this company goes to suppress black and brown people. But Billie wants to stay at this job to fight for those within to bring more for her community. I loved how the author intertwined the steers of New York with the culture and music. The storytelling was great but I felt that the ending of the book was a bit rushed after all of the buildup. I would still recommend this book to others and can’t wait to see what else this author has under her belt. Grateful for a complimentary copy for my honest book review.

Music has always been important to Billie Grand, and she just landed a coveted A&R assistant role at Lit Music Productions. Initially, it's everything she had ever dreamed of as she works to find the next headliner. There is a dark side to the music industry, as well as microaggressions from white colleagues. Trying to sign her first artist puts her at odds with those she cares about and risks losing herself in the process.

Billie is a hard worker, feeling responsible for others. This is largely because, since age 14, she had to get a part-time job to help pay the bills. She continues to do so, while handling her own bills and needs with friends and her serious boyfriend. Music has been her escape from stress, so finding and signing up talent is her dream job. She throws everything into it, dropping family events, her boyfriend's big moments, and her own needs to chase this dream, bending over backwards to do what her boss wants. The industry chased the next headliner without regard to authenticity because of profits and prestige. Billie sees evidence of double-dealing, cheating artists out of their music, and the many microaggressions from coworkers.

The novel puts you in Billie's shoes from the start. Life in New York City is expensive and hard, but the joys exist, too. The connections are important and help point out the ways that Billie was sacrificing too much of herself and compromising who she wanted to be. Because it's a novel, she can rise above this and make significant changes in the company. It's a dramatic and inspiring finale.

This book was really good! As a reader, I got to be an insider in the music industry and learn all about A&R! While the writing style was conversational and appealing, the story itself told of the rampant racism in the music industry and the inequities faced by Black and Brown artists. Billy was a passionate main character and her character growth as she persevered toward her dreams while sticking to her moral ground was really wonderful to follow. The way she communicated her issues to her mother and boyfriend were mature and admirable, something we don't see that often in novels. I'm excited to see what this author brings us next.

Knowing nothing about careers in the music field this book was very informative. I had respect for Billie as she pursued her dreams and found a way to fast track her goal of finding and promoting new black artists. Knowing that this field is as tough for women, particularly black women, as most others, I was proud of her for creating a plan and sticking to it, in spite of placing her personal life in jeopardy. Amber Oliver gave the reader an inside glimpse of the pitfalls within these companies, leaving me feeling frustrated for those like Billie that work for the love of music instead of the love of money.
Many thanks to Amber Oliver, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this just published book. Great debut novel. Three and a half stars.

When this young woman lands the job of her dreams, she'll find that it's not what she thought and dreamed of. Debut novel by Amber Oliver earns a solid following and a new spot on my TBR.

When The Music Hits by Amber Oliver as not my type of book at all. That being said, it was well done. The characters were well-written and well-rounded. The plot was interesting and in depth. The pacing was good and the conclusion was satisfying. It was about a young black woman, Billie, who had graduated from college and gotten her Masters’ and wanted nothing more than to work in the music industry, ideally a record company where careers could be made. She stayed on top of the music scene and had thousands of followers on Insta and TikTok. She had applied at all the major record companies and been rejected. She came into the last available one as second choice and was amazed, not thrilled, by what the duties of an assistant were. But, she watched and listened and waited for her shot. He boyfriend was a photographer and her best girlfriend a Jill-of-many-trades, wanting to be a journalist. It appeared to be a realistic story of young people starting on their life journeys. It was a good book. If only I was the right person to be reading it.

I was invited to read When the Music Hits by Ballantine Books. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #BallantineBooks #AmberOliver #WhenTheMusicHits

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thank you to Net Galley and Amber Oliver for allowing me to preview this book. This was a solid read. I enjoyed this how as a reader the author fully submerged you into the story. Each scene was vividly detailed and descriptive. Which also was a con for me as well. It seemed as if the author was so determined on setting up the scene that the dialogue was lack luster.

Overall for a debut novel this story kept my attention and kept me wanting to know more. Im a lover of music so to be dropped into the raw behind the scenes world of music was a treat. I’m looking forward to the authors future novels.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Amber Oliver, and Random House Publishing-- Ballentine for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

An enjoyable read! I love books about the music industry, and this was an interesting one. I was impressed by Oliver's knowledge of artists; there were several less mainstream artists that I enjoy name-dropped throughout, and I immediately wanted to look up others based off of her description. It really helped to set the tone of the novel and emphasize Billie's passion and talent. I thought Oliver's writing was SO descriptive and was the highlight of the novel for me. Her characters were so dimensional, and I wish that Samirah was an actual musician that I could see/listen to! The story was engaging, if a little typical, and I was mostly hooked in. I do think that by the halfway mark, some plot points got a bit repetitive, and this book did feel a lot longer than its actual length. I could see where the ending was headed, and I wasn't surprised by the events that occurred, which wasn't a bad think but also didn't have me fully hooked in. I don't think the romance aspect added much to the story, but I did enjoy Billie's working relationship with Nina. If you enjoy reading about music and the music industry and are looking for a book with great writing, I recommend giving this a shot.

Really enjoyable summer read, a debut I would recommend for its fast pace, its cast of characters, and its deep love for music, the Bronx, and championing Black artists.

FMC Billie is fierce, driven, and holding it together in a world that constantly tries to tell her she’s not enough. From a shady workplace to the weight of family burdens, she pushes forward, even when rejection keeps knocking. I loved Lucas’ character and how supportive he was of Billie. Another piece I loved was how the author paints every scene with such vivid descriptions, it took me right back to humid summers and hard truths. Some characters (😮‍💨 Marvin, Connor and Michael) seriously had me rolling my eyes, but I was rooting for Billie the whole way. Although… there were times Billie also made me want to shake her.

The audiobook read by Ashley Hobbs was also well done. Each character was clearly in the forefront even with only one narrator!

I do feel as though the end wrapped up really quickly. There was also one aspect towards the end that felt a bit unrealistic, but that’s me being nitpicking! Overall I did enjoy the book and it makes me wonder if the industry is or can be like this irl.

Amber Oliver’s When the Music Hits doesn’t just pull back the curtain—it yanks it off the rod. Set in the heart of New York’s music scene, this debut pulses with grit, ambition, and hard truths wrapped in sharp prose and crackling dialogue.

The premise may sound familiar: a Black woman finally lands her dream job at a powerhouse record label—only to find the dream is laced with gaslighting, power plays, and industry rot. But Oliver, raised between Harlem and the Bronx, doesn’t play it safe. She writes like someone who’s lived it, seen it, and refuses to water it down.

Every detail feels intentional—from the cutthroat boardrooms to the passive-aggressive emails that hit a little too close to home. The tension simmers as the protagonist realizes that “making it” often comes at the cost of authenticity—and that success in the spotlight can demand silence in the shadows.

It’s sharp, it’s honest, and it asks the right questions: What does it mean to succeed in a system built to break you? And how much of yourself are you willing to leave at the door?

Bold, timely, and fiercely real—this is the kind of debut that makes you sit up, pay attention, and look forward to what Oliver does next.

I love the cover of the book. Very eye catching! I thought the story was solid, There are fewer books than you’d think set in the music industry especially in the business side than you’d expect. That made the book more compelling than it might have been in another setting.

I felt like the main character was a little too naive and the ending too predictable but it was a pleasant read. It would be a good vacation book.

This was a coming of age debut set in New York City that sees Billie, young Black woman trying to break into the music industry as an A&R exec only to discover the record label where she finally lands an assistant job, isn't as great as she had hoped. The book felt a lot like a mix between the movie Brown sugar and The devil wears Prada and was a bit too slow moving for my taste. Overall it was just an okay read for me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a coming of age debut set in New York City that sees Billie, young Black woman trying to break into the music industry as an A&R exec only to discover the record label where she finally lands an assistant job, isn't as great as she had hoped. The book felt a lot like a mix between the movie Brown sugar and The devil wears Prada and was a bit too slow moving for my taste. Overall it was just an okay read for me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review.

When the Music Hits by Amber Oliver is the book I’ve needed for years! A young woman trying to work her way up in the music industry, in that sweet spot between musical creativity and the business side. That’s exactly what I wanted to do with my career. This sense of harmony made it easy for me to fall into When the Music Hits initially, but the engrossing storytelling is what kept me hooked until the end.

Billie has just graduated with her master’s degree in Music, and she’s determined to get a job in A&R at a record label. After doing her own thing for a while, she’s built up credibility and connections. She finally lands a position as an assistant at Lit, but she’s already trying to scope out artists the label can sign. Over the course of a year, Billie must determine where she fits, as a Black woman, at an overwhelmingly white label with a not so pristine reputation.

What I Liked:
- Illuminating the music business, specifically A&R. As someone who has a master’s degree in Music Business, I can affirm: It is hard to get into the music industry. Billie is actually aiming for the same career I initially wanted to do (A&R), and she’s a real go-getter. I admire her so much for her ambition and passion. It was also fun to read about so many of the inner-workings within the music industry, from masters rights to licensing to the horrors of a 360 deal.
- Love of music! Beyond the business, Billie also has a deep love for music and knowledge of not only what sounds good, but how to achieve that sound. Most music-related books I’ve read focus on the musicians making and performing music, though often not in very much depth. Here, however, we gets lots of the nitty gritty details, including some of the music creation. I also love how Billie constantly references specific artists and songs, from comparisons for new talent she’s scouting to simply setting the backdrop for her day-to-day life.
- Tackling racism in the music industry. Billie is a Black woman from the Bronx, and when she gets hired at Lit, she quickly finds she’s one of only three people of color there. She also learns of the extreme disparity in how signed talent are treated and paid, invariably based on race. While Billie sees the racism in her own company (and the industry at large), she’s aiming to bring positive change from within. She can be the one helping sign Black and brown artists and getting them better deals. But is she supporting a system that’s too rotten? And maybe a bigger takedown is needed, too?
- Is it selling out? A source of contention comes from Billie’s boyfriend, Lucas, an idealist who aims to make his own career without relying on anyone. He’s all about community and authenticity, and he questions Billie’s commitment to her job. Has she sold out? Is she betraying her Black community in working there? Or is she on the right path to change from within?
- Mentorship: women of color helping each other up. Billie soon finds an ally in Nina, an A&R rep at the company. It’s a problematic industry in so many ways, but I liked that Billie found someone she could learn from in her career. All in all, I loved seeing how Billie had a network of support, both in work and in her personal life.

Final Thoughts
When the Music Hits is a powerful debut for anyone who loves music and the music industry. It weaves in themes of career ambition, creativity, and tackling racism, while grounding the novel with Billie’s circle of family and friends. I enjoyed accompanying Billie as she takes the first steps into her dream job. This book may especially resonate with readers of color, but I believe white readers can glean many valuable lessons from it, too. Regardless, this is a must-read for music fans.

DNF…not a fan of the writing style. It felt more like info dumping than the story actually making any progress. The characters seemed underdeveloped too.

A behind the scene look. Raw. Real. Rhythmically authentic. This story pulls back the curtain on the music industry’s heart and shadows. As Billie struggles to chase her dream, one question haunts her: Is it still what she wants?

I am sorry to say that I did not connect with this story at all.

The writing style felt very stilted to me - lots of showing, rather than telling, with very minimal character development or plot. There were also a lot of really specific details about music and dialogue that just did not do anything for me or to further the book. I felt myself skimming the pages to just see where the plot ended up. It read more like a series of diary entries almost (not literally --but just in the sense that it was "Billie did this", "they said that", "Billie went here", etc.

Billie, the main character, seemed very naïve and I just didn't buy into her character. The ending was predictable and not high stakes. I loved the many themes of this book: coming-of-age, cultural and racial struggles, corruption and unfairness/bias in the music industry, choosing one's career/self vs relationships. Unfortunately, none of these themes every had enough depth for me to truly connect to them.

I would recommend this book to a younger (early 20s) audience and to those that would be very interested in reading about the ins-and-outs of the music industry.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this eARC.

Amber Oliver's "When The Music Hits" is an outstanding debut novel. This beautifully crafted story delves into the intricacies of black families, the journey of self-discovery, and the profound impact of friendships and relationships.

Oliver’s writing is both heartfelt and authentic, painting vivid portraits of characters that feel genuine and relatable. The narrative gracefully weaves themes of identity and belonging, exploring how music becomes a powerful backdrop for personal growth and connection.

What stands out is the author’s ability to capture the essence of family dynamics and the complexities of relationships with sincerity and depth. The friendships portrayed are heartfelt, illustrating how they shape and support us through life’s challenges.

"When The Music Hits" is more than just a novel; it's an emotional journey that resonates long after the final page. Amber Oliver has set a high bar with this debut, and I eagerly look forward to her future works.

This is a well-written book for fans of women’s fiction. Unfortunately, it’s too angsty and depressing for me. I’m not the target audience.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.