Once More From The Top

A propulsive novel about music, coming of age and the cost of fame, for fans of Megan Abbott and Daisy Jones and the Six

'The secrets simmer in this atmospheric, powerful novel' Katie Bishop, author of The Girls of Summer

Dylan Read, the legendary country pop star, has spent fifteen years learning to craft the perfect good girl image. But Dylan is privately haunted by the loss of her best friend Kelsey, who went missing the year before Dylan’s meteoric rise to fame.

When Kelsey’s body is found at the bottom of a New England lake where they grew up, Dylan is drawn back to her home town where she must revisit their ill-fated teenage friendship and reckon with secrets that have stayed hidden for decades…

Reviews

'Lyrical, graceful, utterly propulsive' Ellie Eaton, author of The Divines

'A propulsive and clever mystery where the complications of ambition, fame and female friendship are as compelling as the question of what exactly happened to Kelsey. The prose sings and the secrets simmer in this atmospheric, powerful novel' Katie Bishop, author of The Girls of Summer

'A deliciously insider-y peek into the music industry and fame. Layden has a gift for making the world and her characters feel wonderfully real. You won’t be able to put it down' Rufi Thorpe, author of Margo's Got Money Troubles

'A perfect, lyrical gut-punch, this novel propels the reader to an incredible conclusion that is at once unexpected and inevitable. Fast-paced, richly textured and impossible to put down' Rachel Kapelke-Dale, author of The Ballerinas

‘A Taylor Swift–esque pop star is blindsided by the discovery of her high school best friend’s corpse in this powerhouse sophomore effort from Layden. Authentic characters and lyrical first-person narration bestow the proceedings with dimension, drama, and drive. Megan Abbott fans will devour this’ Starred review in Publisher’s Weekly

‘A juicy mystery filled with gossip—and music you can almost hear’ Starred Kirkus review

‘Sincere, poignant and moving’ Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Daisy Jones and the Six on All Girls

'The pages turn fast’ Kate Elizabeth Russell, author of My Dark Vanessa on All Girls

About the author

Emily Layden works in TV development and is the author of the 2021 novel All Girls. A graduate of Stanford University, her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Marie Claire, The Billfold, and Runner's World. Once More from the Top is her second novel.