Deep Cuts
Published on 26. March 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-0-00-869586-6 (ISBN)
Description
It was the love story of the decade...
Or it should have been
------------------------------------------------
SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM A24 STARRING SAOIRSE RONAN AND AUSTIN BUTLER
'Tender as a ballad and pleasurable as a pop song' COCO MELLORS
'Clever and heart-wrenching and addictive' MIRANDA COWLEY HELLER
'An incredibly special book' BETH O'LEARY
------------------------------------------------
The first time Joe plays Percy one of his songs in his college room in 2000, she instantly realises three things:
One, she is watching a star in the making.
Two, she can shape his music into something extraordinary.
Three, she will always be on the sidelines.
She swallows her jealousy and throws herself into collaboration, transforming Joe's songs into indie hits with her blistering critiques.
But there's an undercurrent to the music they're making - something undeniably electric, hurtling towards love. And then, almost inevitably, towards heartbreak.
As Joe steps into the spotlight, can Percy bear to watch on in silence?
And can he exist there without her?
Deep Cuts is an irresistible novel about passion and obsession, love and longing and, above all, our need to be heard.
-------------------------------------------------------
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING...
'The best debut novel I've ever read' ?????
'I need this book to come out so I can talk to at least one person about it!! Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow meets Normal People, with all the nostalgia of Almost Famous and High Fidelity' ?????
'You need to add this to your TBR. Just trust me on this, ok?' ?????
'I can't believe this book is a debut novel because of how good it is. I felt a mixture of Sally Rooney with Gabrielle Zevin and it was delicious' ?????
'I love it with all my heart, I'm super sad it's over and I will be insufferable when it's out' ?????
'I wish I could have written this book. I'm jealous of people who haven't yet read this book' ?????
'This is an absolutely breathtaking debut. I cannot hammer that home enough' ?????
'I can't believe this is a debut! It's perfect for fans of One Day and Daisy Jones & The Six ... This one hit me hard'?????
-------------------------------------------------------
Or it should have been
------------------------------------------------
SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM A24 STARRING SAOIRSE RONAN AND AUSTIN BUTLER
'Tender as a ballad and pleasurable as a pop song' COCO MELLORS
'Clever and heart-wrenching and addictive' MIRANDA COWLEY HELLER
'An incredibly special book' BETH O'LEARY
------------------------------------------------
The first time Joe plays Percy one of his songs in his college room in 2000, she instantly realises three things:
One, she is watching a star in the making.
Two, she can shape his music into something extraordinary.
Three, she will always be on the sidelines.
She swallows her jealousy and throws herself into collaboration, transforming Joe's songs into indie hits with her blistering critiques.
But there's an undercurrent to the music they're making - something undeniably electric, hurtling towards love. And then, almost inevitably, towards heartbreak.
As Joe steps into the spotlight, can Percy bear to watch on in silence?
And can he exist there without her?
Deep Cuts is an irresistible novel about passion and obsession, love and longing and, above all, our need to be heard.
-------------------------------------------------------
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING...
'The best debut novel I've ever read' ?????
'I need this book to come out so I can talk to at least one person about it!! Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow meets Normal People, with all the nostalgia of Almost Famous and High Fidelity' ?????
'You need to add this to your TBR. Just trust me on this, ok?' ?????
'I can't believe this book is a debut novel because of how good it is. I felt a mixture of Sally Rooney with Gabrielle Zevin and it was delicious' ?????
'I love it with all my heart, I'm super sad it's over and I will be insufferable when it's out' ?????
'I wish I could have written this book. I'm jealous of people who haven't yet read this book' ?????
'This is an absolutely breathtaking debut. I cannot hammer that home enough' ?????
'I can't believe this is a debut! It's perfect for fans of One Day and Daisy Jones & The Six ... This one hit me hard'?????
-------------------------------------------------------
Reviews / Votes
'Tender as a ballad and pleasurable as a pop song... both a nostalgic romp into the indie sleaze era of the early aughts and a timeless love story of creative collaboration, competition and ambition' Coco Mellors'Clever and heart-wrenching and addictive, the kind of novel that grabs you in an instant and takes you reeling through its pages' Miranda Cowley Heller
'Clever, nostalgic, and deeply geeky... a literary indie-pop classic - brilliantly constructed, with a raw, heartfelt energy that captures an era' Florence Knapp
'Raw and lyrical and so evocative of its time and place... like High Fidelity for the indie sleaze era' Bobby Palmer
'Holly Brickley spins us through a whirling disco of sound' The Times
'A pitch perfect novel... brimming with tension, lyricism and passion, with a searing poignancy that will keep you hooked' Glamour
'A beautiful love story' Stylist
'Smart, swoony and imbued with youthful yearning' Mail Online
'Will engender a rush of recognition in music lovers' Guardian
'Dazzling' Elle
'Obsessed' Cosmo
'Addictive' Good Housekeeping
'A must-read' Red
'I find it hard to remember the last time I found a novel so relatable and enjoyable' Gillian McAllister
'An incredibly special book, one of the best I've read in a very long time' Beth O'Leary
'Warm, nostalgic, totally engrossing. I loved this novel' Liz Moore
'Every writer knows the highest compliment is envy: I wish I'd written that. Deep Cuts is a joy: fizzy, moving, endlessly smart... So: I wish I'd written that. The other person I'm envious of is you, because you're about to read this deeply wonderful book' Claire Dederer
'A blockbuster... Cool, sexy, smart and pithy - this is the love story you've been waiting for' Lucy Clarke
'I'd never really identified with the phrase "screaming, crying, throwing up" before I read, and fell head over heels in love with this incredible novel ... Can you tell I'm obsessed?' The Bookseller, Book of the Month, March 2025
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 127 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
198 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-869586-6 (9780008695866)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Person
Holly Brickley studied English at UC Berkeley and received an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University. Originally from Hope, British Columbia, she now lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and their two daughters. Deep Cuts is her debut novel.