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A review by anabel_unker
Honey by Isabel Banta
5.0
*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*
She is, as she will insist in every interview, just an ordinary girl. But America has a way of making its own gods. It revels in it. It lights the bonfire and watches the flames lick the sacrifice.
Amber Young, is another pretty face from another small town. She isn't exceptional at dancing, or making people laugh-- she's known in her hometown for her singing voice and her boobs. However, the opportunity of a lifetime strikes when she's given the chance to join Cloud9, a girl-group band based in LA; and from there, Amber drives her career faster and further than she ever imagined possible. Branded a sex-symbol by her record label, Amber grapples with her budding sexuality on display for all of America to feast upon and struggles to connect with the revolving door of people in her life.
Brassy and sassy, HONEY by Isabel Banta sheds light on the music industry in the late 90s/early 2000s-- specifically its treatment and exploitation of young pop stars. HONEY also explores mysongny, America's ironic treatment of famous women (be sexy and risky on camera but HOW DARE YOU be caught actually having sex in a consensual relationship), the corrupt and often stalkerish behavior of paparazzi and the consumption/judgement of unconsensual photographs. This book tackles a lot-- but it never felt overwhelming or preachy. This is Amber's story, told through Amber's eyes and mind and heart.
Amber is young, ("so, so young" as she calls herself) and is forced to grow up on display; but her naivety is never really lost throughout the course of the story-- something I think is incredibly realistic for stars that shoot into fame at a young age, but could be off putting for some readers because her decisions aren't "mature". However, her journey from teenager pop star to something more was moving. HONEY was a book I picked up and couldn't put back down.
She is, as she will insist in every interview, just an ordinary girl. But America has a way of making its own gods. It revels in it. It lights the bonfire and watches the flames lick the sacrifice.
Amber Young, is another pretty face from another small town. She isn't exceptional at dancing, or making people laugh-- she's known in her hometown for her singing voice and her boobs. However, the opportunity of a lifetime strikes when she's given the chance to join Cloud9, a girl-group band based in LA; and from there, Amber drives her career faster and further than she ever imagined possible. Branded a sex-symbol by her record label, Amber grapples with her budding sexuality on display for all of America to feast upon and struggles to connect with the revolving door of people in her life.
Brassy and sassy, HONEY by Isabel Banta sheds light on the music industry in the late 90s/early 2000s-- specifically its treatment and exploitation of young pop stars. HONEY also explores mysongny, America's ironic treatment of famous women (be sexy and risky on camera but HOW DARE YOU be caught actually having sex in a consensual relationship), the corrupt and often stalkerish behavior of paparazzi and the consumption/judgement of unconsensual photographs. This book tackles a lot-- but it never felt overwhelming or preachy. This is Amber's story, told through Amber's eyes and mind and heart.
Amber is young, ("so, so young" as she calls herself) and is forced to grow up on display; but her naivety is never really lost throughout the course of the story-- something I think is incredibly realistic for stars that shoot into fame at a young age, but could be off putting for some readers because her decisions aren't "mature". However, her journey from teenager pop star to something more was moving. HONEY was a book I picked up and couldn't put back down.