Honey: A Novel

This debut novel reads very much like a memoir which was an intelligent choice for portraying the coming of age time in the life of a young woman in the 1990's. Seeing the pop culture through Amber's senses, at times I felt grief, anger, anxiety, shame, and more as Amber allowed herself to be manipulated by others in the industry as well as other singers/performers seeking approval from the same audiences. Most of the time reading this book, I felt bad for Amber and how she treated

This was so addictive. I literally couldn’t stop reading and finished it in a weekend. The story follows Amber Young, a girl with a powerful voice who dreams of being recognized for her singing. At the start of the book, she’s just a child desperate to be affirmed that she’s worthy of love. And while she eventually experiences pop music success, she also struggles with the same universal things that girls so often do while growing up. But she does it all under the scrutiny of the public eye.

I grew up in the early 2000s listening to the Britneys, Christinas and Jessicas that dominated female pop culture of the time so I was anticipating some fun nostalgia with reading this book. While it definitely provided that (remember shopping the Delias catalog?!) it also exposed and delved into the gross fascination everyone had with the sexuality and virginity of these young women and how the world felt it was ok to dissect their clothing and dating choices.