Reviews with content warning for Drug use - Songs in Ursa Major

I enjoyed the experience of reading this book a lot, but I believe the author has more growing to do in their writing. Important events were not described in action but only after the fact, and some events were vague and only became clear later. This made the themes not come across as clearly as they could have. That is a shame, as I really liked the message this book wanted to bring across, about women in music and how much a womans reputation depends on her relationship, as well as dealing with mental health, describing schizophrenia and addiction. On top of that a healthy dose of music that i could feel vibrating through the pages, and this book came alive before my eyes.

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sholcomb's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

very similar to daisy jones. loved the family aspect and the plot was good. too many metaphors, hard to remember details sometimes, slow start

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cowboylikeb's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense

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

4.0

Perfect for those riding the 70s fictional rock roller coaster that is Daisy Jones and perfect for those who wanted to like Daisy but struggled with the interview format. But it's so much more than that! Ursa Major branches off in unexpected ways and ended most in a satisfying manner. I truly enjoyed this debut and look forward to her next book, whatever it may be.

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deedeeroo's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

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lilianmelanie's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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jdawg1's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

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shanno_h0's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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eviecheesepuff's review

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dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Let’s set the scene ✨it’s 1969✨ you're in a Jesse Reid concert…but a band you’ve never heard of comes on stage. You’re upset and about to leave. Then the singer opens her mouth and…well, now you’re glad you're here to witness the birth of a legend. That is Jane Quinn and she doesn’t know yet, but this won’t be the last time her fate and Jesse Reid’s gets intertwined.

Look 👀 the blurb says that this is a love story. It's so much more. Don’t get me wrong! There is a love story in here but a very bittersweet and turbulent one. So if you’re looking for a sweet rom-com this is NOT it fam! 😭

Our mc Jane is a firecracker with no filter. This makes it hard for her to navigate the music world of sexism she’s thrown into. That was definitely my favorite theme in here👩‍🎤

Mental illness was a very big part of the story. I really liked how the author portrayed dealing with addiction and the boundaries you must set in order to heal from it. It was written in a really kind and understanding manner, which was lovely to see.

We also have some LGBTQ+ representation. We stand!

A lot of people are comparing this book to Daisy Jones and the Six and tbh the vibe is definitely matched but there are differences.
DJATS is a beautifully knitted story. The characters...I didn’t really like as people... but I was drawn to them by their flaws and personalities throughout the interviews.
Songs In Ursa Major is the opposite, I like the characters and I want them to thrive but the storytelling is not as impactful.

The songs however…are amazing. I need these songs to be recorded in real life so I can listen to them ❤️

Lessons learned

- Be more like Jane and do not lower your standards because society thinks you should. You know what you want, go out there and get it.

-Appreciate the family that stays instead of dwelling on those who left.

notes

- Inspired by the affair between Joni Mitchell & James Taylor BUT in my head ✨ Harry Styles & Victoria De Angelis ✨ were cast as the mcs. Not even sorry…

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