Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley (with spoilers)

I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but I’m not really a “music person,” and it definitely showed while I was reading this book. Sure, I listen to music and enjoy it, but only on a surface level. This book, however, dives deep into musical details I honestly couldn’t be bothered to understand. Even from a writer’s perspective, it didn’t give me much. Percy is undeniably a good writer (and songwriter), and she’s clearly passionate about music—enough to write about it despite her own insecurities about her talent. Maybe in another life I could’ve related to her, but not in this one.

Joe, on the other hand, was a loser from the beginning. I think we can all agree on that. He struggled in school, relied heavily on his long-term girlfriend just to get by, and although he had the trauma of losing his mother and dealing with his father’s alcoholism, he was still… a loser. And later on, possibly a cheater.

The story itself follows the familiar “will-they-won’t-they” romance trope, but it’s also more than that. It explores music, grief, alcoholism, passion, talent, pretty much all of the above. I went into this book completely unaware that it was going to be so music-focused. When I finally realized it, I also noticed the cover actually resembles an album or vinyl sleeve. Makes sense in hindsight.

The biggest plot twist for me was the hotel scene. Was I surprised they got together? Kind of, yeah. Probably because the book is only told from Percy’s point of view, and Joe never really showed any romantic interest in her, at least nothing beyond friendship. He even made it clear the night after his first show, didn’t he? And honestly, the complete disregard for Percy’s serious relationship, plus Joe hiding his own relationship(s), felt like a major dick move.

There were a lot of characters in this book—some important, some forgettable, some I skimmed through—but I did like that Percy (and Joe, I guess) eventually mended things with Zoe. I’ll admit I still don’t fully understand how their fallout even happened. I reread that part several times. But Zoe was good to her, even from the start.

Overall, aside from not being interested in the technical side of music (probably because I just couldn’t relate), I’d say the writing was definitely immersive, and the ending was genuinely satisfying.