Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for a copy of Sarah Priscus’ novel, Groupies.

The year is 1977 and Faun Novak needs a change. Her mother has recently passed away and feeling no ties to her midwestern home, Faun heads for Los Angeles, to live with her high school best-friend Josie. Josie has recently dropped out of college to focus her efforts on dating mega rockstar Cal Holiday, frontman for the group Holiday Sun. Josie’s life seems so glamorous and carefree that Faun wants to be a part of her world. Josie coaches Faun in all aspects of what it means to be a groupie, and soon Faun is initiated, finding herself in a small inner circle of woman who give all of their energy to supporting the band that they love.

The lifestyle is intoxicating and Faun quickly gets wrapped up in parties, drugs, and relationships with loose boundaries. As a groupie, her primary job is to keep the men of Holiday Sun happy, running errands and bolstering their egos. However, Faun has her own ambitions. She dreams of being a photographer and carries a Polaroid camera everywhere she goes, casually documenting candid moments with the band. When she begins to realize that Holiday Sun and the associated groupies don’t have her best interests at heart, Faun decides to sell her polaroids to the tabloids, a move that not only threatens her friendship with Josie, but puts Josie’s life in danger.

Oh this book…I finished it last night and I’m left with very mixed feelings. On the positive, it is an easy and compelling read. I loved the seventies Los Angeles setting and the faux glamour of the rock and roll lifestyle. Groupies has many similarities to Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones and the Six. Priscus does a great job with pacing. The story grows increasingly dark, and just as Faun becomes disenchanted with the parties, so does the reader.

Faun and Josie, along with the other “groupies” ring true as young women figuring out their lives. I do not believe that a main character has to be likable as a requirement, Faun is NOT likable, but she is relatable. I understood her moves and her self-centered world view. The story takes a very unexpected turn in the final third, setting Faun up for a transition out of late adolescence. This story build works well.

My issue with Groupies was the slowness in which the characters change. Faun and the rest of the female characters are fairly vapid throughout and the story ends with many of them still stuck in the groupie lifestyle. Faun’s shift occurs very late in the story, maybe in the final ten percent, and the catalyst is primarily due to a shocking situation that happens to Josie. I guess it just feels like the female characters make the choice to service the men, even when they are treated poorly or see other women being abused. The women rarely make active choices outside of being of service to the band. It’s a depressing situation and I think this vibe, which likely was intentional, made me feel cynical and angry.

Even after writing this review, I don’t feel like I’ve sorted out my emotions regarding Groupies. I didn’t dislike the writing or the general story, so much as I disliked the vibe. I can’t remember the last time I had this situation occur with a book. I would definitely read future works by Priscus, but Groupies left me in a funny state of mind. One additional comment thought, is I’ve engaged in a lively discussion regarding Groupies on Instagram and many people loved it. So while it might not have been exactly my cup of tea, I would not hesitate to recommend it. It’s also awesome to support Priscus as a debut author!