I really enjoyed this novel about a young woman's rise to pop-music stardom in the late 1900s, early 2000s.

Amber Young doesn't have much going for her as a kid: Her dad left when she was a baby and started a new family, her mother has a drinking problem, and her grades aren't great. But, she can sing.

We go along for the ride as she experiences the hallmarks we've read about in real life: the sexual exploitation of young girls, competition with fellow young singers, first love with the member of the boy band she tours with, how she's portrayed in the media vs. her real personality, etc. It's interesting, emotional, and juicy. Amber deals with a roller coaster of issues which can, at times, weigh the narrative down. But her true friendship with her main singing competition and her connection to a producer do bring moments of joy and profundity.

While I did read parts of the eARC, I’d suggest listening to the audio because you get different narrators giving you entertainment “reports” throughout Amber’s narration. It's a neat feature. Banta's done a great job with this debut!

If you love the Britney, Justin, Christina, Jessica of it all, check this one out!