2.2k reviews for:

Deep Cuts

Holly Brickley

3.83 AVERAGE

lighthearted reflective fast-paced
emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The characters feel real and flawed. Enjoyed this very much.
hopeful informative medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book tells the story of Percy Marks, starting with her in college in the early 2000s and it progresses through her post-grad life.  

All with the backdrop of the music of her life - and with her love, Joe Morrow, ever present physically and in her thoughts.  

And as much as the nostalgia resonated with me as someone who also came of age in the 2000s…

This novel is just pretentious as hell.  The fact that Percy Marks isn’t even her real name just reeks of 2000s music fangirl ego and annoying, cloying angst.  Joe is literally the worst man ever - in fact - they are both so insufferable with their music and inability to maturely process their feelings…

“We can’t separate music and songwriting from our love…” Boo hoo.  Grow up.  

I would generally appreciate the convention of using song titles for chapter titles - but again - since they are “deep cuts” - they carry little weight and add even more to the “I am better than you and my feelings are more important because I don’t listen to mainstream music” feel of the entire thing.  

Joe and Percy are so toxic for each other - and their behavior is wholly childish - even as they approach their 30s.  

When you have a story where loves cross paths through different lifestyle moments - you don’t expect it to be because a millennial woman can’t move on and pretty much stalks this guy wherever he goes - because she just can’t shake him. 

But the him in this case is an uncaring, selfish artsy music type who clearly sleeps with anything that gives him attention.  And doesn’t give Percy any songwriting credit, but she’s still pining over him as if it’s healthy.  

I’ll end this review with one of my favorite Family Guy gags - 

It insists upon itself.  
emotional
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

holy shit i did not expect to love this as much as i did. it was more lit fic than romance but the slow burn, the yearning, HIT. this book was incredible and sappy and frustrating and heartbreaking. i don’t even fw music like you’d assume this book would require but it was a nice mix of obscure songs i’ll never hear and obvious choices i knew. literally can’t think of one negative thing to say about this.