Our Take
Honey represents a stunning debut that recontextualizes 90s pop culture through a feminist lens, combining the industry insight of Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid with the coming-of-age complexity of My Education by Susan Choi. Banta's portrayal of the music industry feels both nostalgic and urgent, showing how the exploitation of young female artists in the 90s prefigured many contemporary discussions about consent, agency, and the male gaze. The novel's exploration of fame's psychological toll resonates with readers who appreciated The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, but Banta's focus on the late-90s cultural moment provides unique insights into how that era shaped modern celebrity culture. Amber's journey feels both specific to her historical moment and timeless in its exploration of how young women navigate systems designed to exploit them. Banta succeeds in creating a character who feels fully human rather than a symbol, allowing readers to understand the choices that led to the pop culture narratives we thought we knew. This is essential reading for anyone interested in music industry fiction, feminist retellings of famous stories, or novels that examine how cultural myths are created and who pays the price for our entertainment.
