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A review by illstoptheworldandreadwithyou
Honey: A Novel by Isabel Banta
4.25
Honey is a coming-of-age story set in the spotlight surrounding the pop princesses and boy bands in the late 90s and early aughts.
I can see this one especially appealing to millennials and xennials. I really enjoyed the book once it hit its stride.
It will bring you a bit of nostalgia; will stir up memories of watching Star Search, TRL, and choreographed performances, seeing pop culture scandals pasted across the pages of the gossip rags, and reading Rolling Stone; and will take you back to where you were during some of the major historical events of that time period.
It will make you think about how performers—especially young ones—are cast in the roles that others create instead of being portrayed as who they really are, about public perception versus individual autonomy, and about how both the public and the music labels feel as though they have a sense of ownership of and a right to the performers’ lives and their stories.
It gives insight into how music execs took advantage of these young performers and how those performers tried to find agency in their own careers at such a young age.
Honey includes all of this plus a story of friendship, love, and growth.
Complementing Amber's tale are magazine articles, interview clips, and song lyrics. I love when authors add mixed media to enhance stories like that.
The audiobook is narrated by Brittany Pressley, and I firmly believe that her narration can make any book even better. I especially liked her voice and accent for the Scandinavian producer.
The interstitial mixed media sections have a male narrator, where appropriate, and the ones with lyrics include backing song tracks. I highly recommend reading this on audio.
I recommend checking content warnings from a trusted source.
I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.
I can see this one especially appealing to millennials and xennials. I really enjoyed the book once it hit its stride.
It will bring you a bit of nostalgia; will stir up memories of watching Star Search, TRL, and choreographed performances, seeing pop culture scandals pasted across the pages of the gossip rags, and reading Rolling Stone; and will take you back to where you were during some of the major historical events of that time period.
It will make you think about how performers—especially young ones—are cast in the roles that others create instead of being portrayed as who they really are, about public perception versus individual autonomy, and about how both the public and the music labels feel as though they have a sense of ownership of and a right to the performers’ lives and their stories.
It gives insight into how music execs took advantage of these young performers and how those performers tried to find agency in their own careers at such a young age.
Honey includes all of this plus a story of friendship, love, and growth.
Complementing Amber's tale are magazine articles, interview clips, and song lyrics. I love when authors add mixed media to enhance stories like that.
The audiobook is narrated by Brittany Pressley, and I firmly believe that her narration can make any book even better. I especially liked her voice and accent for the Scandinavian producer.
The interstitial mixed media sections have a male narrator, where appropriate, and the ones with lyrics include backing song tracks. I highly recommend reading this on audio.
I recommend checking content warnings from a trusted source.
I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.