Is there a genre of fiction books about fictitious rock bands/singers with a behind-the-scenes feels? I really hope there is. After reading The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes by Elissa Sloan, and Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, I fell in love with reading about the going-ons of these bands. I can add Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie to this list, as I fell in love with Janie Q and The Breakers!

The year is 1969, and the Bayleen Island Folk Fest is abuzz with one name: Jesse Reid. Tall and soft-spoken, with eyes blue as stone-washed denim, Jesse Reid’s intricate guitar riffs and supple baritone are poised to tip from fame to legend with this one headlining performance. That is, until his motorcycle crashes on the way to the show.

Jane Quinn is a Bayleen Island local whose music flows as naturally as her long blond hair. When she and her bandmates are asked to play in Jesse Reid’s place at the festival, it almost doesn’t seem real. But Jane plants her bare feet on the Main Stage and delivers the performance of a lifetime, stopping Jesse’s disappointed fans in their tracks: A star is born.

Jesse stays on the island to recover from his near-fatal accident and he strikes up a friendship with Jane, coaching her through the production of her first record. As Jane contends with the music industry’s sexism, Jesse becomes her advocate, and what starts as a shared calling soon becomes a passionate love affair. On tour with Jesse, Jane is so captivated by the giant stadiums, the late nights, the wild parties, and the media attention, that she is blind-sided when she stumbles on the dark secret beneath Jesse’s music. With nowhere to turn, Jane must reckon with the shadows of her own past; what follows is the birth of one of most iconic albums of all time.

Shot through with the lyrics, the icons, the lore, the adrenaline of the early 70s music scene, Songs in Ursa Major pulses with romantic longing and asks the question so many female artists must face: What are we willing to sacrifice for our dreams?

This book is Emma Brodie’s debut novel, and it was an amazing read. From meeting the Breakers, and learning about Jane’s rise within the music industry in the late 60’s and 70’s was so interesting to me, I could not stop turning the pages. We get to see Jane’s struggles with her getting to know Jesse Reid and how it impacts her place in the biz. As she rises to a level of superstardom, we are there when all of her relationships change, and how she handles them.

Every now and again, the POV of the story would change, and we would see an incident from the POV of a music producer, or a photographer. These instances worked very well in the story and really enhanced what was going on in the story. A few trigger warnings: drug use, addiction and mental health concerns.

I have read that this story is loosely based on the love affair between James Taylor and Joni Mitchell. If this is true, then I need to look up more about this! My only complaint about this book was that the ending wrapped everything up to where there will never be a sequel. That made me sad, as I would love to visit this world again!

If this is Emma Brodie’s debut novel, I cannot wait to see what else can come from her! I give this one 5/5 stars!