I have loved ABBA for as long as I can remember-I am always ecstatic when I feel and hear and see the ripples of their music, influence, and cultural influences. Was I obsessed with A*Teens as a pre-teen? You bet. Do I love Mama Mia (and did I just rewatch it because I'm still and forever hooked, ahem)? YEP. Did I adore the 1994 cult classic Muriel's Wedding where (abbbbsolute queen) Toni Collette plays socially awkward Muriel who is obsessed with ABBA? Ummmmm heck yeah.

This book is very highly researched, meticulous, and very dense. It may not be for a more casual fan, but it is a beautiful tribute to one of the most influential bands of the 20th century. I do not proclaim to be a complete ABBA superfan that knows every single detail, and because of that, The Story of ABBA: Melancholy Undercover had me a little lost a few times. Not to say that it isn't worthwhile-but I recognize that I was out of my depth with the deep cuts in Jan Gradvall's written tribute.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my review.

I had high expectations of this book. Unfortunately it did not live up to those expectations. It had its good bit, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time.
Unfortunately I was not fond of the narrator, which made it hard to focus on the story.

This was informative! Really far reaching, going back to the roots of each performer in ABBA. In some ways, this was also a folly—it felt too detailed to the point of slowing down the pace dramatically. I learned about their grandparents and beyond, which I’m not sure was necessary.

While it wasn’t always clear to me what direction the biography was going, I enjoyed learning nonetheless.

I really enjoyed learning about all of the history behind ABBA. Knowing of ABBA as a band I'v never taken the time to really learn about their backstory!

In terms of the format of this Audio book, it was quite long which given the amount of history and information there was to share makes sense however in a lot of other audio books of a similar format, as a way to break things up we often get to hear songs or clips or the artists music to help add to the audio and break of the monotony of longer audio books such as this.

Overall a great book!

I had to DNF this which breaks my heart. I feel like this has incredibly little to do with ABBA, and more to do with the musical and social reforms in Sweden. I grew up listening to ABBA with my dad, but never really knew anything about the group members and I don't think this book is the one I'd recommend to anyone who also wanted to know.

There's incredibly little chronology. About 40% of the way in, and we've only had the early life of Frida and her humble beginnings; nothing for Agnetha, Bjorn or Benny. One minute ABBA are international stars, the next they're getting ready for their Eurovision performance, but then they're going on an indefinite hiatus, but also they're all first meeting each other. To top it all off, throw in some random paragraphs of the social and political events of Sweden, but also Norway cause that's where Frida is from.

Much too confusing! Audiobooks are good background noise that shouldn't take up so much brainpower. I feel like I need a cork board with red string to understand everything being thrown at me.

I considered myself a casual ABBA fan. I'm not made of stone. After listening to "The Story of ABBA," I am now a super fan of ABBA as artists. If you want a book with stories of sex, drugs, tantrums and drama, this is not the book for you. The author tells us about each of the ABBAs (and the 5th member, Stig) childhood and background stories and how they were each in their own successful musicians before becoming a group. What I appreciated the most from this book is that the writer takes the time to explain what Swedish culture, politics, music and media was like early and mid 20th century and for some of Europe as well. Without this context, it's difficult to understand how groundbreaking ABBA is and their influence over so many musicians and artists.

The narrator does a great job. As someone who does not speak Swedish, I appreciated hearing the words in their original language before they were spoken in English. What I really liked about listening to the audiobook is that I was able to pause, listen to the song the book was talking about, and then going back and listening to the section again.

If you consider yourself a fan of good music, you'll read this book.

#TheStoryofABBA #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this. I grew up with ABBA, and this book is very informative. The structure is not completely chronological, and at times I was unsure at the time of the described events. ABBA’s members are private people and it was obvious that this book was interested in presenting facts without speculation which is something I liked. There were moments where I lacked the knowledge of Swedish music references, but that’s more of a me problem. All in all, I learned a lot of trivia and tidbits of ABBA’s music development and how they inspired so many people from Australia to Latin America to Vietnam, as they continue to be a major musical influence.

I have always been a fan of ABBA and their music, and while this audiobook was full of information, something was just missing. While the book does give into the history of some of ABBA's most known hits, I feel like there could have been even more songs backstories explored. The history of each member of the group is explored, but those stories are so bounced around.

I’ve loved ABBA since I was little, thanks to my pappy. I have so many memories of us screaming dancing queen in his car on our way to whatever adventure we were going on. I requested this because of that. I loved it, and will definitely be getting a copy for my pappy as well so he can read it when it releases! Thank you Netgalley!

This book is probably darker than you expect it to be. It explores what has gone on not just in the lives of the band but also in the wider world, what influenced their music and how their music has influenced the world. I learned a lot of interesting things about 20th century Swedish history, I liked the book a lot, and definately recommend giving it a read.

such an interesting read! i had honestly not heard much about Abba aside from Mamma Mia and Eurovision, so this was a super cool deep dive into each of the members and the surrounding artists and time around them. i really enjoyed listening to this. very informative

There were so many really interesting historical facts and relationships within the music industry exposed, as well as the personal histories of ABBA members. I really enjoyed the well-researched content. The layout of this was a bit confusing in that it bounced around a lot and I felt it could’ve ended a couple chapters before it actually did. I don’t think the narrator added anything special to the material beyond the well pronounced Swedish words that I would not have known how to say. He was a little flat for me.

Are you ready for an ABBA adventure? This well researched and extremely well written biography of ABA takes you through the ups, downs, and turn arounds of the ABBA experience. A must read for any music lover!

Fascinating account of the music group ABBA. I began reading this book because I knew almost nothing about the history of ABBA and was curious about how they came to be together to create so many amazing songs. This story told the life of not only each band member, but of their careers together and apart. This was very interesting and informative.

The narrator was wonderful and I really enjoyed reading about ABBA’s career and personal lives. I am now going to listen to their songs with a deeper understanding of their music.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. I will definitely recommend this book to all of my music loving reader friends. #NetGalley #TheStoryOfABBA @Macmillan.Audio @MacmillanAudio

Great for not only fans of the band but anybody who body loves the genre. The information was than deeper just your typical biography. I learned more about euro pop and dance music than I've ever known! If you like ABBA this is a must listen

ABBA is great
I would say this is more a book on Swedish pop music and the music industry, and birds, more than a timeline of ABBA. This isn't a personal, tabloidy tale of the band, it's a very thorough kind of companion piece I would say ... I dunno I really liked it and the insight and now I'm watching t the A Teens lol

**The Story of ABBA: Melancholy Undercover by Jan Gradvall**
**Narrator: 5⭐️ | Biography Details: 3⭐️**

This unauthorized biography of ABBA by journalist Jan Gradvall offers an intriguing look at the legendary pop group, pulling together information from a wide array of sources. While the narration was excellent—engaging and well-paced—the content itself sometimes felt more like an academic paper than a cohesive book.

As a longtime ABBA fan, I appreciated the unique angles and lesser-known facts, but I occasionally found the structure confusing. At times, it was hard to tell whether the focus was on the group itself or on their fans, which disrupted the flow and made it harder to stay engaged.

Still, despite those frustrations, I think fellow ABBA fans will find value in this audiobook. It offers a different perspective and highlights the cultural impact of the band in interesting ways.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have always loved ABBA but didn’t know very much about the group. It was really fun to hear the stories behind some of my favorite songs and how beloved they were across the world. It was very interesting to learn about the individuals background and the groups start but as other readers have said it is more of a compilation of stories and not linear. I was looking for a little more “story”. Also a little hard to follow because there were so many specifically Swedish references - cities, streets, folklore which were not obvious to the typical American reader/listener. The narrator was excellent.



Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

A cozy read that focused deeply into the life and works of one of my fave bands of all time. It wa refreshing to see this take on ABBA. Even as a longtime fan, I learnt many new details. A wonderful audiobook to listen while driving.

This is a solid biography of a beloved and influential band. It will appeal most to people who are familiar with the bank's specific music rather than just their hits and overall impact. The narration is smooth though clearly not voiced by a Swedish speaker