I'd say I'm more than a casual ABBA fan, but maybe not enough of one for this audiobook. I enjoyed learning about the member's background and even how the band effected Swedish society and changed Eurovision, but I just felt like it dragged and found the timeline hard to follow.

Honestly, I really struggled with this one. Despite all my absolute love and adoration for ABBA, I just don't think this audiobook was for me. I'm typically a 2.5x-3.5x speed audiobook listener and that just simply wasn't possible for me. The accents were hard for me to understand and I felt like this was just simply a bit boring and monotone. I think I will be trying the physical book though,

This was a really interesting read, especially as it not only dived into the band's history, but the band member's history. Learning various facts about their life was something I wasn't expecting and at the end I wish the author would've spent a little more time on this. At the end of the day, I feel like the pace was a touch slow at times but never to the point I got bored. It also put the ABBA Voyage on my radar, and it may be something I will have to look into.
Actual rating: 3.5/5

eBook - 2 Stars
Well, this was a bit of a disappointment.
Did I learn about ABBA and their lives and music? A little [I WAS today's year old when learned what ABBA stood for ::FACEPALM::], but not nearly enough. I learned a lot about Swedish history, many other bands from Sweden, Eurovision [and how many before and after truly view ABBA], Swedish politics [it was all a bit of a jumbled mess that jumped around a LOT], but precious little about the actual band, and its members, and their magnificent music [I'd have LOVED less chapters about Swedish politics and MUCH MORE about the music and how/why it was written etc].
While some of this was interesting, overall, it was mostly a real disappointment.

Audiobook Narrator - 4 Stars
Ian Hallard is a new-to-me narrator and I'd listen to him again. He does a splendid job with all the Swedish names/cities/language and he DID do a good job overall narrating the book, trying to make it more interesting than it actually was in spots and I am grateful for that. I would absolutely listen to him again.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jan Gradvall, Ian Hallard - Narrator, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

This was unexpectedly a really informative and fun time. But then, I love ABBA. Perhaps someone who doesn't love ABBA would not appreciate this, though it is clear that Jan Gradvall is clearly very steeped in his subject, eats and breathes the history of music. Also, he clearly loooooves ABBA. This book has a nonlinear structure, but for some reason it really worked for me, in fact, it probably retained my interest more than a chronological structure would have. Maybe because "the story of ABBA" is a much more clearly defined topic than other nonfiction books I have read lately that I thought needed better/more structural organization.

I really enjoyed the audio version of this. The narrator's voice was extremely pleasant. I have listened to ABBA Gold like four times this week. And now I reallllly want to go to London and see ABBA Voyage.

Thanks to @stmartinspress for the advance copy and the adorable disco ball keychain!

As someone who fell in love with ABBA’s music as a teen (and still can’t resist belting out “Dancing Queen” at full volume), this deep dive into their legacy was fascinating.

Through exclusive interviews and more than a decade of research, music journalist Jan Gradvall offers a unique look behind the glitter and harmonies. What makes this book stand out is how intimately it captures the personal journeys of Agnetha, Björn, Benny, and Anni-Frid.

Gradvall doesn’t just chronicle ABBA’s rise from Swedish stardom to global phenomenon. He unpacks why their music still resonates today. He weaves together pop history, Swedish culture, and the shifting tides of fame. And yes, the melancholy is very real.

If you’re a lifelong ABBA fan or just curious about the inner workings of iconic pop music, this is a must-read. It’s more than just the story of a band. It’s the story of cultural transformation, emotional endurance, and the enduring magic of a perfectly crafted pop song.

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed by this book. I expected to learn a lot about the history of ABBA (a group I love), but I feel I've learned more about how the Swedish society was before, during and after ABBA. There were a lot of jumps in time (sometimes on the same page), which made it difficult to follow and completely understand the timeline of the group. I can see that there was a lot of research and efforts put in this book, but I still personally feel like there is missing a lot of things about ABBA. Even after finishing the whole book, it still seems unclear how the group formed and broke up (which I think should be two pretty well defined pieces of information).

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

I grew up listening to Abba, dancing around my kitchen with my mom to Dancing Queen, I've seen Mama Mia, both the musical and the movie, at least 100 times. This band holds such a special space in my heart and so many memories that I can't help but feel drawn into their story. Learning more about who they were and where they came from reignited my love of ABBA. It was informative, well written, and extremely interesting. Would recommend.

It's time for a dance queen dance party. This book put me in my feels for no other reason than I miss my mom.

I voluntarily listened to and reviewed an advanced copy of this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Story of ABBA is truly that. This book covers a little bit of everything from the members’ careers individually to the formation of the group and their eventual parting of ways. There’s so much background on each of the members that it’s almost like getting four biographies in one volume. While it’s not a full “tell all” type of book, there is plenty of new behind the scenes info and little tidbits about the members’ personal lives that I was not previously familiar.

Ian Hallard narrates the audio version and does an excellent job keeping the general tone of the book.

Overall, The Story of ABBA was an interesting read. Outside of being a fan of their music, I did not know much of the ABBA backstory but I don’t think you necessarily need to be a super fan to enjoy the book.

DNFing at 37%. Just not engaging and have no desire to continue listening.

Thank you @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the #gifted copy.

This book was definitely interesting but wasn’t as ABBA focused as I thought it would be. It seemed to mostly discuss what was going on it Sweden at the time and the political/musical climate.

Regardless, it was very informative and eye opening about the struggles the band members went through and the impact that ABBA had on the world stage and music as a whole. Did hard ABBA fans should definitely check this one out!!

This book is well-researched and well-written. It covers a lot more than just the story of ABBA, using their songs and careers as a springboard for other pop music references and placing them in context during different historical events. I enjoyed listening to this on a recent road trip, but it wasn't the intimate look at ABBA the group that I was expecting.

It was obvious right from the very beginning that this was a book written with love and care. Though there is a fair amount of namedropping, it feels more like a chat between friends than a stretch. In addition to the warm tone and seemingly intimate details the author shared, it seemed like a celebration of ABBA as people rather than as icons. I learned a lot, and I do have a better appreciation for their music too. I'd also add that the narrator of the audiobook does this tone and its implications justice. The narration is heartfelt to the point that I would have believed it was the author reading the work if I didn't know better.

One of my favourite aspects was the midway point. I can't turn off the little part of my brain that thinks about structure, even in nonfiction, and I knew right away we were at the midpoint when we were talking about the gay community. I would have personally liked more time dedicated to the community's love of the band throughout history, but I thought that this chapter, including other outcasts and countercultures, was so exciting and well-written. Especially where it was placed in the book, it was hard-hitting and emotionally effective.

The only thing I'd like to see is more organization between the chapters. The book is in some very rough chronological order, but it's certainly not a rule. As a result, I'd also say the best readers for this book are the folks who grew up with ABBA and lived through their rise to fame. I was able to appreciate the stories as a twenty-something Canadian, but I did find myself reaching for some aspects of Swedish history and '70s pop culture. A good instance would be the references to Sweden changing the driving direction. This was fully explained in a later chapter, but snippets were dropped in before that. This is also true of the Eurovision win. I did have to do a bit of "playing along" before things were fully explained, which was sometimes charming and sometimes frustrating.

Overall, I'd recommend this book. It's one that I think my self-proclaimed disco-lover of a mom would love.

With love and thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

Reading challenge category – 2025 Hoffbensen: Anna: something Swedish or related to vikings

I really like ABBA's music, so I expected to enjoy this book. While it did have the story of ABBA, it also had the story of each individual person before and after the band, and so many details about areas of Sweden. I feel like it was just marketed wrong.

Great book for any die hard ABBA fan.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

✨ The Vibes ✨
A look behind the scenes of one of the world’s most successful bands

📖 Read if…
✨ You love a good music biography
✨ Mamma Mia is your favorite musical
✨You’re an ABBA superfan

I’ll be honest, most of my ABBA knowledge comes from Mamma Mia, so I was eager to learn more about the band behind the iconic songs, and Jan Gradvall’s new biography is a great way for both new and longtime fans to learn more about the band.

The Story of ABBA blends exclusive interviews with the band with a more traditional biography format. I personally enjoyed this because hearing directly from the band was balanced by the more objective biography sections, which made all of the information shared feel very well-rounded. I also thought that the way the basic historical facts and events were presented alongside anecdotes about the cultural impact of ABBA was a great way to illustrate the impact of music and art.

As a theater fan, I of course loved the brief insights into Benny and Björn’s experience writing Chess and how that gave the group some hesitancy when conversations around an ABBA musical began. The chapters covering the development of Mamma Mia were also fascinating and really shed light on how the musical has helped to cement the legacy of ABBA around the world.

I read most of this book via audio (which is sometimes my preferred way to consume nonfiction) and I found the narration to be pleasant to listen to. Given that part of the book consists of recent interviews with the band members, I thought those sections flowed especially well through the audio format, but the entire book is a really easy listen.

No matter what format you use to read this book, you can’t go wrong. The Story of ABBA is out June 17. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies in exchange for an honest review.

As a lifelong ABBA fan, I was intrigued when I saw the title of this book, and that it would detail how ABBA came to be the world renowned group with hits such as Dancing Queen and Mamma Mia!

ABBA has always been an important part of my life, with “Dancing Queen” being a a song I used on a very special day in my life. I remember my Mom buying ABBA Gold at Borders Books, and listening to the album on repeat at home, and in the car throughout my childhood. From seeing the musical Mamma Mia, to both movies, and seeing ABBA Voyage on a trip to London a couple summers ago, it’s safe to say, I’m a pretty big ABBA fan.

I enjoyed the parts of the book that told the story about ABBA, the members, Eurovision, and how several songs and albums came to be. Unfortunately, the book was not done in a chronological order and I felt it jumped around a bit too much at times, and also had some fluff in the book that didn’t necessarily pertain to the band specifically, but more to either Sweden, or the music industry. It was interesting to learn more about the band and heir history, but I felt it could have been shorter and wish there were certain parts in order, since I would read a chapter, think it would lead to the following part, and not find out about what actually happened until several chapters later.

Thank you for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Disjointed and overstuffed with random subject matter. The author really beat it in that the members of ABBA keep to themselves and are very private- maybe that is a sign to skip writing a book about them. I did learn some interesting facts but I think maybe 20% was directly related to ABBA and the rest was the musical/political climate of the times. I hate to write a “bad” review but I’m disappointed I really can’t even sit down at dinner and spread some interesting info about the band because I mentally clocked out so hard. I’m a college drop out and this felt like going back and studying a textbook 🥴

The Story of ABBA Melancholy Undercover by Jan Gradvall
Audio Version
Overall Grade: C+
Information: C- (so little about ABBA. More about other people, many random people I would never know.)
Writing/Organization: B
Narration: B
Best Aspect: The beginning.
Worst Aspect: The rest.
Recommend: Sadly, No.

I love ABBA so when I saw "The Story of ABBA" audiobook I knew I had to give it a listen!

The beginning of the book really pulled me in and I was enthralled. As the book went on it lost a bit of that but it was still enjoyable and I really loved learning more about the band with such catchy songs!

Big thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my ALC!