Honey

By: Isabel Banta

“Sometimes a song sounds exactly the way you want your life to feel. Sometimes it makes you believe you can change it.”

In 1997, Amber Young received an opportunity of a lifetime, a chance to be in an all girl singing group, Cloud9. Being surrounded by some uber talented people Gwen Morris and Wes Kingston, she ventures out on her own as a solo artist. She isn’t quite Gwen, or another famous female singer, Savannah; she is the “sexy” one. She is exploited for her looks and for any drama that may surround her. As she comes into her own, she tries to take control of the direction of her career, and her life. She just has to stumble a few times to make her way.

I love music, and I really enjoy pop music. I grew up in the era of Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Backstreet Boys, etc… So when I saw what this book was about, I was so excited to read it! While I have some working knowledge of how not glamorous that life is, it’s always interesting to read about. And there was a part in there where Amber said as much as she loves making music, it is a job, and it is hard. It’s not all glitz and glam and money. I appreciated that sentiment.

As debut novel, this was great! The author did a great job depicting all of the struggles that female artists go through. From the way that they are viewed by the clothes they wear, the things that they say, and who they hang around with to trying to stand up for themselves to make sure that their career is going in the direction they want it to.

Was Amber likeable ALL the time? No. Was she a little morally gray? Yes. But it make it more realistic. You’re never going to like someone 100% of the time.

Overall, an enjoyable book!

If you’re interested, check it out here.