Reviews with content warning for Eating disorder - The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes

Cassidy Holmes became famous taking part in a casting show. She didn’t win.
Later she joined “Gloss” - a girl band and global phenomenon. She made her drama come true and paid the price for it. She worked hard until she left the band in the middle of a tour - without giving a reason.
Now, she died by suicide.
Her former bandmates come together, dealing with their grief, unraveling their past, trying to find answers to their questions.
The story follows the remaining band members after Cassidy’s death and tells Cassidy’s story from her rise and fall in the public eye.
I really enjoyed the book because it shines a light on all the different aspects of being famous, living in the public eye and the individual prices the band members have to pay. I really enjoyed learning about the different lives of the four girls and would have loved to learn more about them.
The story is heavy, tense and sad. It covers many difficult topics and might be triggering for some. Still, it is a really good and necessary story.

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pandapuffs's review

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challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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feliciatarantino's review

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3.5

While this book had a really interesting concept, I honestly just felt that Elissa R. Sloan tried to take on too much at once. For such a short book, there was so many sub-plots and the fact that it was told from all four Gloss members' perspectives, including their future perspectives, made it hard to follow. Granted, there were some really interesting subjects tackled in this book, which I think made it a very timely critique on the power structure in Hollywood, and how that often exploits young women trying to make it big.

Was this comparable to Daisy Jones and the Six? No. I think if you go into it without that expectation, or that comparison, then you're probably much better off and you may enjoy this more.

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