I listened to this audiobook out of curiosity, and overall, it was a good experience. The story has a calm pace and really captures that early 2000s atmosphere — the music references, the blogs, the messaging... it gave me a bit of nostalgia.

The relationship between Percy and Joe has chemistry, and there are some genuinely well-done moments between them, especially when they’re creating music together. I liked that dynamic and how emotions blend into the creative process.

That said, there were times when I felt the story lost its way a little or went in circles. It wasn’t the kind of book that had me hooked from start to finish, but I never felt like giving up on it either. Percy is an interesting character, though at times I felt a bit detached from her.

The narration helped a lot — it felt like listening to a real person, with all the contradictions and insecurities that come with life.

In the end, I’m glad I listened to it. It’s not a new favourite, but it gave me things to think about and had some lovely moments.

Deep Cuts is a tender look at relationships and communication. The narration was also very well done

Loved this 2000s musical memory lane trip and the narrator was perfect. I loved Percy and this is my ideal type of romance - one with another strong topic running through. ❤️

A captivating journey through music and relationships! 'Deep Cuts' hits all the right notes with its vivid characters and nostalgic atmosphere. A truly engaging and heartfelt read.

The only reason I’m giving this two stars and not one is because I wholeheartedly agree with the overarching message of how much music can shape someone and their life, and how sometimes things can only be told and understood through that medium. Music is so deeply entwined in what it means to be human.
I enjoyed some of the “””deep cuts””” the book had to offer, was reminded of some bangers I hadn’t listened to in a while, and I learnt some very fun trivia. I also think the cover is beautiful.

However, the rest fell extremely flat for me. The plot was nonexistent, but that’s not usually an issue for me. I personally adore a character-focused book - if the character is worth focusing on.
I think Percy might be one of the most insufferable protagonists I’ve ever read about. She is self-centred, conceited, patronising, and so unbearably pretentious it began to strain my eyes with how much I was rolling them. I think the aim was for her to fit the genre of ‘girlboss who isn’t bothered if you like her or not’ but I feel it as though this missed the mark. There’s a difference between a female character knowing her worth, being willing to make sacrifices to achieve her goals and ambitions, being ruthless and out for blood, etc. and being a downright bully. There are so many times that Percy belittles others (mostly women!) and she is awful to every person in her life, and expects them to forgive and forget. She’s just Not Like Other Girls, okay?!

She’s a terrible friend, girlfriend, daughter, and it’s always brushed off like, well - that’s just Percy!! There’s a few quips in the story itself that acknowledges what a bad person she is, where she jokes about making money from being a terrible person. So she’s aware of how nasty she is??? And she just keeps doing it??
Also, speaking of her job, the way she just throws everything in her boss’s face and messes so many people around and it’s supposed to be a big moment? Girl, hand in your notice like everyone else, are you that desperate for attention?
This book committed the worst sin of all - made me side with the man over the woman. Joe is a typical indie sleaze musician guy, and is pretty underwritten to say he’s the second main character and love interest. I’m not overly fond of him either but it was just another case of Percy treating everyone like they’re dogshit under her shoe. Does she deserve credit for all the work she did with Joe’s song? Sure, absolutely, but now I don’t want her to have it out of spite.
Also her writing that is supposedly so incredible??? I’ve seen more insightful thinkpieces on a thirteen year old’s stan tumblr. Everything she says is reminiscent of a teenager thinking that they’re soooooo deep and that they’re the first person to ever have a Thought.
I actually found myself enjoying the last chapter, where it leaves off in the story, setting up what is to come etc, but then I’d remember this was happening to Percy and get pissed off. Personally, I think everyone in her life should have no contact with her.

TLDR; The music stuff was fun and clearly the author's passion, but the no plot just vibes doesn’t work when the protagonist deserves jail time. Also, it feels sacrilegious to compare this to Daisy Jones and the Six.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for the Audio ARC. All opinions are my own.

I had such high hope from this plot, I was getting all the vibes of a 4/5 star book and then it ended.

I loved Zoe and Joey and their messy relationship, I loved all the early 2000s music references, I love that we know what year it was in Zoë’s life due to the songs that were coming out in the chats. I loved the music nostalgia I felt while reading this book but I just wanted so much more.

Thank you so much to @netgally and Harper Collins for the audio ARC version

Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley appeared on paper to be just my kind of book. I have a huge love of music and am considered a millennial so I thought I was the perfect audience for this book. However, something went wrong somewhere along the way and I couldn't connect with this book at all. Had it not been for (gratefully!) receiving a copy on NetGalley, I probably would have DNFd it. It's possible that the format (audio) was not the right format for me for this book. I kept zoning in and out and feel like I missed an awful lot of key parts of the plot, but unfortunately, it didn't grip me enough to make the effort to rewind and re-listen.
I definitely think I just wasn't the right person for this book. While I'm a millennial, I'm on the younger end of it so maybe the nostalgia didn't hit as hard for me? I did love being reminded of some of the hits from that time and I'll definitely be listening to the playsuit created to go with the book. I've seen people raving about this book so I do think it had a niche audience and unfortunately that didn't include me on this occasion. I'm sincerely grateful to the publisher for the opportunity to read Deep Cuts as an audiobook.

This book certainly needs no introduction, it is absolutely everywhere at the moment, and rightfully so.

Holly Brickley has nailed her debut novel. There is so much emotion and depth to these characters, I felt like I knew them. Though frustrating, I really enjoyed their complicated and messy relationship. Life and love, especially between friends/colleagues, is chaotic and difficult, and I appreciate how Brickley explored that. So many quotable lines, the cover is top tier, the nostalgia oozes of the page and I am definitely not the only reader anxiously awaiting the news of Brickley's next novel.

Additionally, Jayme Mattler really brought this book to life with their narration. My enjoyment of the novel was 100% enhanced by the audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ALC of Deep Cuts.

Deep Cuts tells the story of a young woman navigating life, love, and loss, all set against a backdrop of music and memories. It delves into some deep emotions and explores how the past shapes the present.
I listened to this one on audio, and while the story itself eventually drew me in, the narrator wasn't exactly my favourite. It took me a good while to really get into the swing of things with this book.
Once I did, though, I have to say I enjoyed it. The music references sprinkled throughout really kept me there, as a bit of a music fan myself. It added a nice layer to the whole thing.
The thing is, while I enjoyed it in the moment, I'm not entirely sure it's a book that'll stick with me down the line. It was grand, but not unforgettable.

Although I am definitely not the target audience for this book (I think I recognised maybe one artist the author wrote about? And had zero thoughts about the songs themselves…), I liked the way in which the author told the story of two young people through their connections to the said music. This is in a way a very slow burning romance between two characters who make mistakes, try to fix them, fail and then try again. It is not overly sentimental and in Percy’s doubts about her own creative talents the author portrays the way in which many female artists see themselves within the music industry.
I liked the narrator though!

I didn’t enjoy Deep Cuts as much as I hoped I would and certainly don’t agree with any comparisons to Daisy Jones & The Six. To be fair, I don’t feel I was the author’s target audience - too old and too British!

On a positive note, the narrator and audio recording were excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK Audio and Borough Press for the audio ARC of Deep Cuts.

I downloaded this less than 2 weeks ago and was in the middle of 3 books at the time. This morning I have gone to listen to this audiobook from the Netgalley app to find it’s been archived and I can’t listen to it 🙄🙄 so dumb and annoying!

I think I am maybe slightly too young to fully appreciate all the musical references in Deep Cuts however that didn't stop me from enjoying this one! I could still fully appreciate Percy's absolute adoration for music and creativity and I loved her feminine rage surrounding her will-they-wont-they relationship with Joe (who, by the way, I despised). The pace was pretty slow but the emotion was palpable and made this story what it was!
If I had written this, I would have given Percy a different ending I think - but with the ending she was given, I would love to see where she ends up, maybe in a decades time.

It gave me real Daisy Jones & The Six vibes, so if you liked that one then maybe you should give this one a go.

I really enjoyed the audio narration of this. Even though it is performed by a solo narrator she uses a variety of voices to personify the different characters which helped bring the story to life and allow me to immerse myself fully.

3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️



✨ my review is basically okay, not for me but I did try to finish:)
New vibe, different kind of story which I never thought I would read.

✨ relationships,toxicity, somehow this book can be more focus on younger generation.
Feeling nostalgic for millennials .


✨ Thankyou for the opportunity to read this arc for a honest review.


❤️shaye.reads

Even if the topic was exactly what I wanted, the realisation was lacking for me. I felt out of it. The college setting and Percy’s & Joe’s meeting created the lore but nothing was here to level up through the story. Everything was blurred into other characters & relationships. It seemed as if it was without any purpose. Did not had empathy for them and felt lost many times. The music stakes was too low & relationships too distilled. It’s a miss because I didn’t get the point even at the end. Unfortunately, I didn’t found it sad or either redempting.

This story is a deeply passionate love letter to music and the profound connection two individuals share with it, bordering on obsession. It is not a typical romance, but it is full of love, both between the characters and with music. The story is densely packed with references, analysis, and opinions on music through the 90s and 2000s, woven into almost every conversation and anecdote. Anyone looking for a love and coming-of-age(ish) story centered around music might love this, especially if you were a teenager/young adult in the 90s and early 2000s, this book will give you that does of nostalgia. I really appreciated how the characters also felt like real people making real people decisions, meaning they were flawed and not always rational but still, most of the time, made sense to their characters.

It wasn't a perfect book for me though, the biggest gripe being that while I did feel that musical nostalgia at times, the song title and artist references grew to be a bit too much the further we got into the story and that made it lose its charm a little, but all in all a solid read, I would recommend it.

I listened to the audiobook mostly (I did buy the book to follow along for the majority of it though) and liked the narrator, I felt their voice fit the narrator's well and was enjoyable to listen to.

Deep Cuts is an emotionally raw and deeply impactful read. The story carries a weight that’s hitting hard with its intensity and relatability. At times, it feels like a gut punch. While I’m still unsure how I feel about it, one thing is certain: this book leaves an impression. It’s a deeply personal and thought-provoking read that resonates in some rather unexpected ways.

I love music (although not in the deeply analytical way that Percy does 😂) and I like an angsty book, so I had high hopes for Deep Cuts. Mostly, it delivered. I loved the music references, even if I didn’t agree with all of Percy’s observations (Songs in the Key of Life is one of my favourite albums and I won’t hear a bad word said about it!), I found myself hooked from the start, and I thought the pacing was perfect. I also enjoyed how it ended. However, it didn’t hit quite as hard as I would have liked it to (hence a 4⭐️ and not a 5⭐️) and I think that was attributable to Percy and Joe.

I can absolutely get behind an imperfect protagonist and often find that they’re the most interesting characters to follow. Still, Percy wasn’t always the easiest to root for - how can someone who is so critical of others describes cutting bangs as one of the “most subtly powerful decisions of my life.”?! And I had very conflicting feelings about her relationship with Joe (which was, I think, the point, but part of me still would have loved his POV so that I could have understood his motivations). This sentence from Joe really struck me as being very reflective of their relationship:

“Percy, have you ever noticed that talking to most people is boring? Easier than this, but boring.”

Nothing is ever simple with them, yet they can’t help but gravitate towards each other and no one else will ever live up to their ideals (especially Percy’s perspective of Joe).

While I found Percy at times to be immature and self-sabotaging, I did feel like we saw some character growth from her as the story progressed (even if I would have liked to have seen more), and I’m glad we saw the evolution of her relationship with Zoe. I’m not sure that we saw any character growth from Joe, which is another reason I would’ve liked his POV.

While this might sound quite critical of a book I’ve rated 4⭐️, I think that was also part of the beauty of it, that I felt connected enough to the story and the characters (even if I didn’t always like them) to have strong feelings about them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC of this book.

I wanted to love this book (music-driven stories are usually a favourite), but something didn’t quite click. While the nostalgia and insight into songwriting were engaging, the characters left me cold. Percy’s role in the creative process was interesting, but I struggled to connect with her, and the constant miscommunication with Joe felt more frustrating than compelling. Their dynamic never seemed to evolve, making it hard to stay fully invested.

That said, the writing is sharp, the music references hit the right notes, and the audiobook was a highlight. The narrators brought the story to life, adding depth to the emotional beats in a way that made the experience more immersive. I enjoyed parts of it, but it didn’t leave the lasting impact I was hoping for. If you love stories about music and collaboration, it’s still worth checking out - especially in audio format.

This is a story that really leans into the importance of how music makes you feel, what it feels like to find words that someone else has written for your own thoughts and experiences. Some of the musical references were lost on me, but I enjoyed it all the same, and I’ll be searching what I don’t know out!
This book is such a good time capsule for the 00s. Even just the thought of a CD being burned and feeling like you can’t message someone as soon as you see them come online on MSN took me back to such a specific time of my life.
Jayme’s read is wonderful, she brings such a lovely energy and a great tone that felt like such a good match for Percy. It feels like we’re listening to an older, wiser woman recounting her younger days, reflective with a touch of nostalgia, which is where comparison to Daisy Jones & The Six fits best for me. There were also echos of Normal People, so this is one I’d recommend for the music obsessed literary fiction girls.