Kayla McCrae has been working towards a cover with Rolling Stone magazine for years, and her boss finally gives her one; a story with Lexi Mayhem, one of the biggest pop stars of all time. Kayla goes to meet Lexi, even likes her, but when looking into Lexi's past, she discovers the tragic death of another rising star who came up on the club scene with Lexi. Lexi doesn't want to talk about it, so there must be more to it, right?

I liked how it alternated between Ava and Kayla's POVs. It was cool to find out what happened to Ava as Kayla was piecing it together as well. I think it was a little slow in places, and a lot of red herrings are thrown in to keep you guessing. The plot twist was a little disappointing and I thought the motive was pretty weak.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A superb fast paced thriller. I absolutely loved the story and couldn’t stop reading it. It’s perfect for all readers, especially thriller lovers.

To me this book was like a mixture of Daisy Jones & the Six, Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo with a little murder mystery mixed in... Perfect!

I read this book in 2 sitting and I loved it. I found it engrossing and although I don't think the twist was that great, I still think it really pulled you in and made you want to keep reading.

This book was exactly in my wheelhouse. Two women on the verge of becoming rock stars in the mid-aughts until one of them, Ava Arcana, plunges to her death and the other goes off to become a legend. I liked how the story alternated between the timelines of the journalist investigating the story and Ava’s experiences leading up to her death. There were multiple possibilities for what might have happened to her so I wondered if we’d find out at the end. I am glad to report that we were not left hanging and all is revealed in the fullness of time. I did decide to ding it by one star because there were too many weird similarities between Ava and Kayla— best friend betrayal, the drugging of the best friends, both women having a relationship with the same man, etc. I also think a lot of the drama at the end could have been avoided if Kayla had just gone back to talk to Ava’s mother again. But I guess we needed the big dramatic ending for everything to be tied up in a bow (and on tape recorder). I haven’t read this author’s other works but I will check them out now!
*Thanks to Lake Union publishing and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

If you loved Daisy Jones and the Six and Almost Famous, The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana is for you.

The book is told from the perspective of Ava in the 1990s and a present day journalist writing a puff piece on a pop princess and songwriter. While researching, Ava's story comes to light and takes over the story.

I loved this book which is full of rock and roll and friendship and betrayal and how hard it is to be talented best friends without jealousy.

The mystery is pretty thin, but the characterization of Ava and Lexi, the present day star, make this a great read. Would definitely recommend to anyone who ever loved music or felt a song spoke directly to them.

The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana by Jennifer Banash is about a music journalist and her investigation into a pop star.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Lake Union Publishing and #NetGalley. Thank you to the publishers, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Twisted, dark and fantastic overall.

An engrossing read about a music journalist, Kayla, who stumbles upon a mystery while writing a "puff piece" about a music superstar, Lexi Mayhem.

Not much is known about Lexi Mayhem's career beginnings. When Kayla sees a video of a young Lexi with her arms wrapped around another young woman, Ava, who looks just like her she is intrigued. When she finds out that Ava died tragically at the age of 22, she senses there is more to the story. Would someone like Lexi let anything or anyone get in their way of success? Kayla is determined to find out...

This was great - there was a lot of suspense throughout as Kayla got deeper into her reporting and investigation. The story unfolds from two perspectives - one in 2019 told from Kayla's point of view and the other in 2005 told from Ava's point of view. There is a lot to enjoy if you are interested in music, mysteries, journalism, ambition, and the cost of fame.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Good effort but was quite slow at points think I was expecting too much I had visions of Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo meets a true crime podcast. Good concept/plot but didn’t make me want to keep reading into the night

A fantastic story about the rise and fall of being a pop star. With a little bit of true crime to it. I really enjoyed this, however I wish it didn’t move so slow at times.

this was such a great concept for a novel, I really enjoyed getting to know Kayla McCray and her struggles. This was written really well and was what I wanted based on the description. The rest of the characters worked well and I thoroughly enjoyed what I read.

"She’s jealous. She’s jealous of me. Of Jamie and me. Of everything. “Lexi,” I said when I could speak again. “It’s not like that. What happened between Jamie and me . . .” My voice trailed off. The easy banter between Lexi and myself was gone now. Every word, every sentence, drove us further apart."