Welcome to Litsy!

#unpopularopinion: I couldn‘t get past page 30.
I really wanted to like this book, as I love music and the time period, but nothing hooked me. Then I got to the first sex scene. Yes, sex scene in under 50 pages, and not a sexy scene either. It seems like others liked the audio, so maybe I‘ll give that a try sometime 🤷🏻‍♀️

I had high hopes for this one… I enjoyed the music and book references but that‘s about it. For the most part I listened to it. It would have been a little better if the narrator would have tried to sing the songs instead of just reading the lyrics with music playing… it‘s a pretty cover though 💗 💿 🤷🏻‍♀️

#LitsyLoveReads

Starting this one tonight! I need a break from the creepy kid thrillers even though I love them 🖤 💿

Lil Bit is really in to America‘s Got Talent! I think she‘s eyeing Terry Crews 😹😹 👀

#CatsofLitsy 😻
#BOTM

4⭐
PROS⇩
-The narration was performed fantastically
-I liked how it read like a memoir
-This one was easy to follow, which was a nice change since I seemed to be so confused by a lot of plots, lately.
CONS⇩
-It was a tad sluggish in the middle to the end…although it helped that I listened to it.
-The love shenanigans were a tad OTT

I often hesitate picking up a novel placed in the music industry because years ago I gave all my feels to DJ&TS and am convinced I have little left for another story. But it didn‘t take long to really get into this. It felt real and I wouldn‘t be surprised to learn that although the characters are fictional, the particulars happened to factual folk in the music industry. I also appreciated good people were baked into this story, as well.

Surprisingly, I loved this. I like that the author gave these singers a rich interior life while pointing out the pitfalls of celebrity in the early 00s.

Amber and Gwen meet in a girl group that quickly disbands. Gwen finds immediate success, but Amber‘s road is rockier. The girls try to maintain friendship and support through the pitfalls of young fame. Amber is seen as too sexy and boy-crazy while Gwen struggles with her sexual orientation.

I loved this book, it was beautifully written, a sugary bittersweet coming of age story full of dreamy introspective prose. Just what I needed 🌸💕 #BOTM

Additionally, I not only forgot to post my June #BOTM, but also I did not read any of these last month.

Unique but a bit monotonous

https://reecaspieces.com/2024/06/26/honey-by-isabel-banta-audiobookreview-macmil...

Happy Release Day! I had high expectations for this book as a pop nerd and I‘m over the moon the author exceeded them! While at its heart this is a depiction of a pop star in the 90‘s (shades of Britney/Christina/Justin/Max Martin abound), the central focus was really on exploring female sexuality and the media narrative microscoping it.

I‘m a little over halfway thru with this ARC that arrives on shelves on Tuesday here in the States.

It‘s easily the best modern music business fiction novel I‘ve read - and I‘ve read a lot. Also as a millennial pop nerd, I‘m tough to impress when it comes to this topic.

Overall I thought this was a good debut book but I wasn‘t overwhelmed. The plot was good & overall flow of the story. Banta did a good job of showing the Hollywood side of the music industry.

Amber Young, the main character, is trying to break into the music industry. Her story showcases how she is exploited & over-sexualized. This is a sad story with characters reminiscent of the 90s pop stars. A good debut novel.

Book 119 of the year.

My afternoon view. I have a rare day off and am sitting by the pool reading.

I‘m so excited to crack into this ARC! I‘ve been excited about it for months - as a music nerd & 90s pop/boyband aficionado, I hope it lives up to the hype. 💿🤞🏻🎶

🍯 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐃𝐫𝐨𝐩 📀

I deposited a copy of 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲, by 𝐈𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚, in this 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 here in Lodi, Ca, courtesy of 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬. The coming-of-age story of a young singer's struggle to fulfill her dream & navigate the pitfalls of success in the pop music industry in the late 1990s & early 2000s is, per author Emma Straub, a “sexy swagger of a debut.“

#BookHaul #BOTM

Tux is happy with our June book selections! What did you choose?!

#Adayinthelifeoftux 🖤😻🤍

#LitsyLove

This debut novel has a fly on the wall feel, as if we were looking in on the events that happened at that time. But instead of the world we got from the press and the publicists, we get an insider look at the music industry, the talent that fed it and the success and damage done in the process. Image, backstory, and marketing all carefully crafted to push the narrative that the label was looking for, regardless of the collateral damage caused.

I haven‘t heard much about Honey, but the reviews looked good. Threw a few backlogged #tbr books in that I‘ve been wanting to read as well. I love when #botm books come out early!

Can‘t wait to get my June #botm box! Plus, one was free because it‘s my birthday month! 🥳

A fun, coming of age gossipy, fictional read set in the music industry of the late 90's and early 2000's. A talented songstress from New Jersey is whisked to stardom after joining a short-lived girl group and becomes a successful solo artist but must manage the pratfalls of exploitation and abuse in the entertainment field. An homage to the Britneys, Christinas, and Rhiannas of the era, this Jeanette McCurdy style storytelling pulls you in!

Perfect summer read a debut by Isabel Banta coming of age story following the rise of pop star Amber Young.Thanks #celadonbooks.