Nerding out together should be added as the sixth love language. Seriously, there’s no better feeling than trudging through small talks until you hear the briefest mention of that one, special thing. For Percy Marks, that special thing is songs, but not just on a casual what’s your favorite song level — she examines the mechanics of songs in Deep Cuts.
Deep Cuts— by Holly Brickley, published February 2025 — tells of Percy Marks, a music nerd who meets songwriter Joe Morrow in a campus bar. The journey follows her through her twenties as she jumps across the country and is defined by the songs — new and old — that inform her life. As Percy grows, Joe evolves, too, from a quiet student to a confident frontman.
Originally starting as a friendship, Percy and Joe’s relationship goes back and forth through friends, dating, professional partnership, and all the nuances in between. However, lurking under the surface, obsession and jealousy mar the relationship, and Deep Cuts examines the insecurities that haunt Percy’s relationship with Joe and her career.
Although Joe achieves fame with his songs, Percy is active behind the scenes as both an editor and songwriter in her own right. Despite Percy and Joe’s mutual love and obsession with the craft of music, Joe’s success overshadows Percy’s blooming talent, destabilizing their relationship, both professional and romantic.
Percy and Joe’s romance is a rocky, slow-burn that was fascinating to read as a woman about the same age as Percy at the start of the novel. The relationship is not linear, but it reflects the struggle of coming to age in a shifting world while balancing it with another person’s coming to age, especially when it seems that the other person is achieving their dreams faster.
Since Percy is almost completely devoted to songs, it’s not surprising that Deep Cuts is littered with references and in-depth analyses of music. Even if you don’t recognize the songs, you can listen along to the companion playlist and close the novel with enough recommendations to become a music nerd like Percy.
Less than 300 pages, Deep Cuts captures almost a decade of Percy’s life, yet the novel remains focused amid the messy backdrop. Perfect for fans of Sally Rooney’s Normal People, the novel contains romance that is engaging with all its rough edges and persistence. The ending is satisfying and reflective, and it’s an exciting start for Holly Brickley’s author career.
Looking for other great reads? Check these delectable romance reads and reviews for all types.
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Zina Mona
Zina Mona is a writer and student from Texas. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in the Trinity Review and 34 Orchard. She studies literature and economics, but in her free time, she loves watching Audrey Hepburn movies.
Visit her website to read more!
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