Honey by Isabel Banta

As a teen of the 1990s, I was interested in the premise of Isabel Banta’s debut, Honey. I wasn’t much of a pop music fan, ignoring the Britneys and the Christinas and the boy bands, but I love nostalgia. So, I used a Book of the Month credit for Honey with its tacitly sexual cover and read.

Summary of Honey (No Spoilers)

Amber Young has a gorgeous voice and dreams of escaping her distant, alcoholic mom and the boredom of her New Jersey life to become a recording artist. Even after a chance at Star Search, she pushes for her voice to be heard. Finally, with a shot at being part of a girls’ group, Cloud9, all Amber’s dreams may be coming true. What follows is Amber’s journey from young teen lip syncing into a hairbrush to her choices that may or may not give her all she thinks she desires.

What I Enjoyed About Honey

Honey wasn’t a standout read for me, but I did enjoy enough to keep me reading.

• The parallels to what we’ve since learned about this late 90s female pop stars (Britney, Jessica Simpson, etc.) and their experiences coming up in the business
• The inclusion of song lyrics, articles, even emails, which gave the book layers beyond Amber’s singular point of view
• The lack of stereotypes because while Ms. Banta showed some of the underbelly of the Hollywood and/or w industry, she didn’t use many of the stereotypes like propositioned teens, stars losing money to corrupt managers, and over-the-top stage moms.

What I Wish Was Different About Honey

Amber is a well-shaped, fully developed character through most of the books. I wanted to read more about the second half of her journey as I think her coming-up story could have been shortened without losing any of the meaning. This includes some of her interactions with men.

It’s clear that Amber’s desire is to be loved. But Ms. Banta’s focus on the romantic relationships stretched out too long for me. I would have liked to read more about Amber’s determination and connection to the music.

My Final Thoughts About Honey

Twenty-plus years later, we know a lot more about pop star fever and how those young teens needed support just as much as they shepherding from one venue to the next. Honey paints a strong fictional picture of what that life may have been like for a girl with a gorgeous voice and a dream. This wasn’t my favorite book, but I appreciate it for its strengths and am glad I read it.