“How many different ways is it possible to break each other’s heart” -- and mine?

This perfectly titled debut novel by Holley Brickley was an emotional rollercoaster, and I’m still trying to recover.

Though this is a relatively short book, it packs a punch. It tackles powerful topics like grief, family trauma, alcoholism, sexual assault, gentrification, and LGBT issues. The book was full of musical references, and that the author has created a Spotify playlist with all the songs in the story, which as a music lover I was thrilled to "discover".

Both main characters were very flawed — just like real people — and their struggles to find balance in their careers and in each other’s lives felt raw and authentic. Their chemistry was palpable from the beginning & you can't help to want to root for them. The side characters were very lovable and more mature than the main characters, they kept the main characters in check and often times I found myself siding with them. Because let me tell you they will get on your nerves!

The storytelling was vivid and engaging, capturing the gut-wrenching longing I felt as I followed their journey.

Part of me wonders if they’ll actually make it... Years of wasted opportunities because neither of them could just take a break and go to therapy. I mean, c’mon, it could've saved so much TIME & drama! But hey, just like them, we’re all just stumbling through this wild world trying to figure it all out.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (4/5)

Special thanks to NetGalley for the eARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I just don’t think this was for me

The comparison to Daisy Jones initially pulled me in but I didn’t feel any of the same enjoyment
It seemed to go on and on and the music stuff was a bit too much
I didn’t connect with any characters

This was an enjoyable listen, well narrated, and easy to follow. The narration flowed well and flawlessly.

The story itself of music was fantastic and takes you to another level of mixing books with music if your a fan of both, then you're likely to enjoy this. When Percy meets Joe, she wants to help him with his music, given that they are both in the same creative flow. However, personal feelings do get in the way at times, and these things have to be addressed. Can Percy and Joe put these things aside in order to make good music and work well together and accomplish the dreams they have??

In other reviews, there was mention of Daisy Jones and the Six however personally I didn't see the correlation apart from the fact that both are about music, giving them a similar direction. This was a different era and a different feel to it for me both enjoyable but different!

With thanks to Netgalley & Harper Collins for this ELC in return for an honest review.

The Audiobook was spoken very vell, and i really enjoyed listening to it. It´s a great book and i´m looking forward to hear more from the autor.

If you are looking for a romance novel then look no further. This is a fantastic 'will they/won't they' and the sexual charge in the book was palpable! I did especially like the ending and really had no idea which way it would go.

We follow the friendship of Percy and Joe as they meet in their early 20s and develop a shared bond over music. Percy helps Joe write and edit songs and is clearly her muse and inspiration. The chemistry between them on the music sheets is clear, but will it transfer to 'between the sheets' (sorry, but also not sorry)? You will have to read the book and find out.

Deep Cuts took me right back to my early 20s when I wasted way too much time trying to impress loser male musicians who thought they were God’s gift to the world. While some readers might find that kind of toxic, chaotic energy intriguing, for me, it was like reliving a bad dream.

The story wasn’t just uncomfortable—it felt like emotional whiplash, and not in a good way. Every single one of the main characters was insufferable, and not in that compelling, love-to-hate-them kind of way. I genuinely couldn’t stand them, which made it impossible to feel invested in the story. Maybe it’ll resonate with people who find that messy dynamic entertaining, but for me, it just felt like a collection of bad memories I’d rather forget.

Struggling to rate this. Rating is more like 3.5.

Deep Cuts opens in an engaging way, immediately introducing us to our main character, her passion for music, and how a chance encounter at college has the potential to impact you for the rest of your life—for better or worse. There is an addictive giddiness in talking about your passions, and it's the same to watch someone talk about theirs; the way their eyes light up and they come alive. It's captivating. It's like this for Percy and Joe as they talk music. Brickley dissects real songs and music history, such as the relationship between Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell, while also discussing Joe's fictional lyrics. Music, and its power, is such a large presence in Deep Cuts that it feels like a third character.

The way Percy and Joe work together feels like a real relationship. They each have their own unique personalities, complete with strengths and weaknesses, though they are not as fleshed out as I'd have liked. As everything happens from Percy's point of view, we spend the most time with her and her thoughts. She's a likeable character with her fair share of realistic flaws, which will be relatable to some and not others— though the latter group may find her unenjoyably unlikeable. Percy comes off as well-versed in music and confident in her opinions, but she lacks confidence when putting herself out there in any professional capacity for songwriting, self-conscious of her lack of musical talent and whether being a music critic is an art form of its own. This internal conflict reads well and creates an authentic character.

Brickley is good at examining the themes of the nature of talent, obsession, and belonging as her characters battle their passions, egos, and jealousies. The setting of the 2000s, moving through the music and technology of that time and prior, is really cool and evokes a powerful nostalgia for anyone who grew up during that time. The audiobook narrator, Jayme Mattler, is also excellent, completely aiding the reading experience and bringing Percy to life.

The book's biggest flaw is that it lacks depth when it comes to Percy and Joe's relationship. It started off exceptional, but fades completely as the two characters end up separated for some time. With a lack of further pivotal scenes between Percy and Joe, Brickley fails to maintain the irresistible and electric passion these two characters are supposed to share. Their dysfunctional relationship doesn't reach the heights and complexities of, say, Normal People's Marianne and Connell. It's a shame because Brickley does capture this at the beginning, it just gets lost. With that in mind, the book's climax and ending are underwhelming and Percy's character development isn't that great either. This story needs a protagonist that grows way more than Percy did and it's frustrating that we didn't get that from her. Ultimately, Deep Cuts is an addictive read (or listen) that falls a little short. I am interested to see what Brickley writes next.

I was intrigued to read this book having seen it compared to Daisy Jones and the Six, which I loved. I'm sad to say, I found it to be absolutely nothing like it.

The book is based around Joe, a songwriter, and Percy, a girl who wants to be his muse, but is really just his critic and sounding board. I found both of the main characters to be one dimensional and unlikeable. Joe was arrogant and conceited, but Percy, I just felt like I didn't know at all, aside from her critiques and suggestions to Joe. The pace was slow and there was so much filler, I was just bored. I kept going and really tried to connect to the characters and their story, but with so little character development, it was hard going. I wanted to plough through to the end in case something amazing happened, but around 80% through, I realised that I didn't care.

I must mention though that there were some brilliant music references, which I enjoyed.

I am absolutely an outlier on this book as it has so many amazing reviews, so don't just take my word for it, check out some other reviews and then decide if it's for you.

2 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Holly Brickley and Harper Collins for an ARC in return for an honest review.

After reading the blurb, I was really looking forward to this. Sadly the read did not quite live up to my expectations and despite being very well-written, I was so disappointed to not be able to connect with the characters.

My rating of this book is more a reflection of me not being the right type of reader for this particular book rather than the quality of the writing itself.
Whilst I enjoyed the exploration of the dynamic of the 'creatives in a relationship' there was a huge focus on analysing Indie music which I just couldn't connect with.
Ideal for those who enjoyed 'Daisy Jones and the Six' and 'Tomorrow, and tomorrow and tomorrow.'
I am grateful to the publishers and Netgalley for an advanced listener copy of this well narrated audiobook.

Deep Cuts follows the story of Percy an aspiring writer and her relationship with Joe , as they navigate their lives from college to their late twenties. I really enjoyed the start of the novel, and Brickley made some great societal observations. For the most part I really enjoyed the trope of using a song to reflect the mood of the chapter. Being a Brit Pop fan, I particularly enjoyed the Mis-shapes chapter (Jarvis Cocker is my God) . Given the timeline of the book Percy is roughly a year or two younger than me .A lot of her cultural references were the same ones I had in my youth; and I did find myself quite frustrated with her stupidity at times. Were we so all self-obsessed in the 90's and noughties? I read a wide range of books including the occasional YA and I kept getting annoyed at how immature Percy was , it's the first book I have ever read that truly made me feel old.
The book has had a lot of hype , pre-publication and comparisons have been drawn with all sorts of books, some of which there isnt really any correlation other than having a music theme . There are 2 peripheral best friend characters Zoe and Noemie, and whilst I liked both characters there didn't seem to much to much to differentiate between the two, so to a certain extent Noemie was superfluous . The ending of the book bothered me, the penultimate chapter should have been the last one.
I really enjoyed the narration, which is unusual for me when the narrator is North American , she had a good range of voices for the different characters in the book.
Normally if a book annoyed me as much as Deep Cuts has it would be a 2 star read but Brickley does have a real talent for writing and there were parts of the book I really enjoyed. I just wished Percy had spent a lot less time mooning after Joe .

My Taylor Jenkins Reid loving heart really enjoyed this. Definitely going to recommend this to Malibu Rising and Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow lovers. I couldn’t put this book down. So lucky to have gotten the audiobook and listened throughout the whole day. The writing was so good, i loved the character study and development.

Daisy Jones and the Six fans, this is for you!
Messy, coming-of-age, critical, chaotic.
How many different ways is it even possible for the same two people to break each other’s hearts?

The 2000s, Percy falls into the orbit of couple Joe and Zoe. Joe understands her like no one else does - offering musical insights that she feels in her soul. Zoe is the best friend anyone could ask for.
Joe is a musician and Percy helps him with his songs until the fallout drives them apart.

<b>I like how this blog is about the way music inhabits and shapes every part of the life, not just emotional but physical too. This is not something that happens with other art forms, no? One does not typically read books or observe an abstract canvas while dancing or having sex—we can only think about them while doing these things, which is not the same because the art is not as present. You’re right it is a power both beautiful and scary but mostly beautiful.
</b>
Honestly, I think this was a case of really not for me. This has raving reviews so I know it will reach its audience.

Most of this book was critical conversations about music, lyrics, bridges, chords, melodies, etc. I am not picky with my music and an entire book about people being snobby about music just isn’t for me.

The characters were all toxic and mean and self-absorbed. Basically, to me this felt like a more technical version of Daisy Jones and the Six.

<b>Now, no matter how much she smiles or claps, her eyes harden when he sings. She wants to be the only one. She wants him as her deep cut, a B-side unearthed from a rarities bin, proof of her own specialness because she's the one who discovered it, because she doesn't know how to sing her own damn song.</b>

Physical arc gifted by Harper Collins.

DNF @ 30%. Don't listen to the Daisy Jones & The Six comparisons for this, they are not apt. Not every book about music and musicians has to be the next Daisy Jones and The Six. The people I do think this is going to appeal to are the literary fiction girlies. The ones who don't mind characters that make me, personally, want to roll my eyes into the back of my head. I just really don't want to read a book about a woman's contributions to a man's work being completely undermined while the woman, fundamentally, does very little about it. What I will say in praise is that I really liked the narrator. She had a wonderful voice and did a great job of differentiating between the characters. But the actual meat and potatoes of the novel just wasn't for me.

yes ? omg
I have so many things to say but I don't know where to start, and anyway idk how to explain with actual words.
But the "hurting oneself in order to be creative" alter my brain chemistry

thank you so much netgalley for the copies

This was amazing, and it took me by surprise. I didn't expect to be hooked as quick and as strong to Percy, Joe and even Zoe.
Holly is writing characters the way Taylor Jenkins Reid does : they're raw, damaged, unperfect, they feel so damn real!
It's the kind of book that makes you want to double check if it's not a real story.
And I know its been compared to "Daisy Jones and the Six", probably because of the music part of the story, but I find it close to TJR writing in general. Just to be clear, I mean it as a really nice compliment!
This is a very strong debut!
I listened to the audiobook and the voices were really nice, In retrospect, I wish I could have read the book and listened to the playlist in parallel though, for the atmosphere.

*Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for access to the audiobook against an honest review.*

This was every inch a piece of me, for someone who always has a song playing in her mind I appreciated every second of this story, a book for music lovers.

A whole story centred around music and lyrics, the way music makes you feel the memories it invokes, I was immediately captured by Percy and Joey.

Percy and Joey set out as people you know to nod to at college, they discover a shared love of music at the college bar, and Percy hopes, a little bit more. But with Joey being with Zoe (who both love Bowie) Percy settles for friendship, she helps Joey with his lyrics, the layout of his songs and the trio rub along nicely. But when Joey and Zoe split, Percy has a chance, but Joey can’t take that chance, Percy isn’t just his friend, she writes his lyrics, and his star is about to rise!

Meanwhile, how will Percy cope with her boys rise to the top, and again, what about the lyrics?!

I absolutely loved every minute of this, I’ve seen a lot of comparisons to Daisy Jones, I kind of feel this is a bit unfair, this is a title that totally holds its own, it’s enough, it’s excellent!

The narration was excellent 🎧

Huge thanks to Harper Collins Audio via NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧

First, thanks for the ALC!

Unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. I did appreciated the music focused concept, but the story fell flat for me. I struggled to engage with the story and found the FMC unlikeable.

Thank you for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. ・❥・

A Music Lovers Dream! I loved every single second!

In Deep Cuts we follow Percy, a music lover from a small town, as she navigates her friendships and relationships throughout the early 2000’s.
Percy meets Joe, an extremely talented musician, and she soon realises Joe is destined to be a star. Joe notices Percy’s love for music and asks for her opinion on a song he is written and from this, a relationship centred around Joes music is born.



I can’t even begin to describe how much I enjoyed this book. As a music lover, I was hooked straight away and once I found the Spotify playlist to accompany the book too, I genuinely don’t think I have enjoyed a reading experience more.

Truly a music lovers dream!


I can’t wait to recommend and buy this for all of my fellow music fanatic friends and I will be thinking about this book for a long time

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Colin’s and Holly Brockley for this arc

I absolutely loved the narration of this book too. I thought it was extremely well paced and loved the emotion given by the narrator

This is truly an INCREDIBLE book! It's so captivating, engaging and unlike anything I've read before.

If Lily King's Writers & Lovers, Daisy Jones & The Six and Normal People had a child, this would be it!

Deep Cuts follows Percy Marks and the ups and downs of her life as a music lover and writer, as well as her relationship (in its many different forms) with Joe, a musician she meets when they're both studying at Berkley, in 2000. Their connection felt like a mix between Marianne and Connel's and Daisy and Billy's - raw, inevitable and, at times, toxic. Their relationship - a mix of friendship and romantic love - was magnetic and messy, and I just wanted more and more of it.

I adored the way the author talks about music. I didn't know most of the songs mentioned in the book, but I was still able to really connect with the commentary about them during the novel and felt like all of them meshed so well with Percy's journey. I would definitely recommend reading this book while listening to the novel's playlist, as every chapter is the name of a song, and they sometimes even matched how long it took me to read each given chapter, which was just perfect. Holly Brickley's writing felt incredibly immersive, and I just didn't want to leave that world.

I don't usually reread books, but Deep Cuts begs to be experienced once more, so I am so happy I was also able to get the audiobook version of the novel through NetGalley. The fact that this is a debut is just astonishing; it means I'll have to read anything Holly Brickley writes from now on.

If you love stories about music, messy relationships and journeys of self-discovery like I do, then this one is for you! I'll be raving about this book any chance I get!

Thank you so much to Harper Collins UK Audio, Borough Press and NetGalley for the ALC!