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Her Fidelity
A very funny confessional novel set in one of the only Australian independent record stores still functioning, if barely. This is High Fidelity with a female gaze.
Kathy has worked at beloved Brisbane indie record store Dusty's Records for half her life. She arrived as a teenager high on her dad’s supply of Led Zeppelin, stayed through her twenties and suddenly thirty is on the horizon and she’s still there, measuring her self-worth by her knowledge of the Velvet Underground’s back catalogue.
Lately, though, cracks have been appearing in Kathy’s comfortable indie bubble. Her friends – feisty Mel, the only other woman employed at Dusty's, and straight-laced Alex, whom Kathy has known since preschool – are growing up and moving on, while she’s stuck in a cycle of record store, pub, repeat, with the rest of the Dusty's music bros. But how do you move forward when you’re stuck in a groove? And what happens when you realise that you’ve been working so hard to be part of the boys’ club that you never stopped to wonder if you should be creating a club of your own?
Her Fidelity is a feminist coming-of-age story for anyone who has ever felt that a song understood them more than their own family, for anyone who has ever felt like the culture they love might not love them back, and for anyone who has ever turned to Stevie Nicks for advice while ignoring the sensible people around them.
Kathy has worked at beloved Brisbane indie record store Dusty's Records for half her life. She arrived as a teenager high on her dad’s supply of Led Zeppelin, stayed through her twenties and suddenly thirty is on the horizon and she’s still there, measuring her self-worth by her knowledge of the Velvet Underground’s back catalogue.
Lately, though, cracks have been appearing in Kathy’s comfortable indie bubble. Her friends – feisty Mel, the only other woman employed at Dusty's, and straight-laced Alex, whom Kathy has known since preschool – are growing up and moving on, while she’s stuck in a cycle of record store, pub, repeat, with the rest of the Dusty's music bros. But how do you move forward when you’re stuck in a groove? And what happens when you realise that you’ve been working so hard to be part of the boys’ club that you never stopped to wonder if you should be creating a club of your own?
Her Fidelity is a feminist coming-of-age story for anyone who has ever felt that a song understood them more than their own family, for anyone who has ever felt like the culture they love might not love them back, and for anyone who has ever turned to Stevie Nicks for advice while ignoring the sensible people around them.
304 pages, Paperback
First published August 16, 2022
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631 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
September 18, 2022
Her Fidelity is a sharp but charming book that I devoured in a single sitting. It was unexpectedly delightful to read a book about someone my age, from my actual home state, in a similar line of work – is there a word that goes beyond relatable?
My full review of Her Fidelity is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
My full review of Her Fidelity is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
October 4, 2022
I was looking forward to reading this so much but was so disappointed.
There’s no discernible plot / passage of time. Every character has their personality and quirks described in the same way (and for no apparent reason). There’s paragraphs of history on characters I don’t care about because nothing’s happened yet except for benign conversations between the characters. And there’s zero atmosphere or ambience which, for book centred on the nostalgia of vinyl, is kinda wild.
Love that the author is calling out the prevalent sexism of the industry and people who worship it, and I’m thrilled that some people are loving this book - but this ain’t for me. Every page was the same and desperately needed better editing. Maybe it gets better halfway through but I just can’t be bothered to find out.
There’s no discernible plot / passage of time. Every character has their personality and quirks described in the same way (and for no apparent reason). There’s paragraphs of history on characters I don’t care about because nothing’s happened yet except for benign conversations between the characters. And there’s zero atmosphere or ambience which, for book centred on the nostalgia of vinyl, is kinda wild.
Love that the author is calling out the prevalent sexism of the industry and people who worship it, and I’m thrilled that some people are loving this book - but this ain’t for me. Every page was the same and desperately needed better editing. Maybe it gets better halfway through but I just can’t be bothered to find out.
December 22, 2022
i wanted to enjoy this book a lot more—yknow, record stores, music, feminism, all that jazz—but as i made my way through it i just found it quite grating... i didn't find myself invested in the main character or their life, or the larger cast of characters, nor did i particularly enjoy the narration... in some parts it definitely felt charming, which is what i suspect it was trying to be, maybe even idiosyncratic & unconventional, but oftentimes that shifted very readily into the realm of insufferability... the writing style & constant pop culture references really got on my nerves quickly — especially the way everything is seemingly cited?
— see: "you know, every other time I've worn [this shirt] the best I've gotten is guys sniggering like beavis and butt-head (original series, 1993–1997) while they stare directly at my tits"; "i really want to watch face/off (1997)"; "i shoved the calendar under the counter, and proceeded to ad-lib like i was auditioning for whose line is it anyway? (1998–2007); "and yet, seeing the mask fall away to reveal the more violent side of patrick bateman (american psycho, bret easton ellis, 1991), made me feel oddly vindicated"; and worst of all, "andy as mute as if he'd been jinxed with a silencio charm (harry potter book series, 1997–2007)", if you make a harry potter reference in your published novel in the year 2022 i'm stealing something out of your house!!!! also the obligatory comment that nobody talks like this in real life—i dare you to say something like "twilight, open parentheses, two thousand and eight, close parentheses," in actual human conversation —
this occurs basically every other page and it becomes really distracting and frankly annoying... it takes away from the story and whatever else the book is trying to say & pop culture references are not a suitable substitute for substance! i understand and even appreciate/enjoy all the music references but the oversaturation of all the other pop culture just got tiresome. the prose was okay, the humour was there i guess, the tone was cynical, the commentary on sexism was also there throughout but overall it didn't feel like it had a ton to express, apart from that working in a record store is nothing like empire records (1995) & i just simply didn't really enjoy reading it.
— see: "you know, every other time I've worn [this shirt] the best I've gotten is guys sniggering like beavis and butt-head (original series, 1993–1997) while they stare directly at my tits"; "i really want to watch face/off (1997)"; "i shoved the calendar under the counter, and proceeded to ad-lib like i was auditioning for whose line is it anyway? (1998–2007); "and yet, seeing the mask fall away to reveal the more violent side of patrick bateman (american psycho, bret easton ellis, 1991), made me feel oddly vindicated"; and worst of all, "andy as mute as if he'd been jinxed with a silencio charm (harry potter book series, 1997–2007)", if you make a harry potter reference in your published novel in the year 2022 i'm stealing something out of your house!!!! also the obligatory comment that nobody talks like this in real life—i dare you to say something like "twilight, open parentheses, two thousand and eight, close parentheses," in actual human conversation —
this occurs basically every other page and it becomes really distracting and frankly annoying... it takes away from the story and whatever else the book is trying to say & pop culture references are not a suitable substitute for substance! i understand and even appreciate/enjoy all the music references but the oversaturation of all the other pop culture just got tiresome. the prose was okay, the humour was there i guess, the tone was cynical, the commentary on sexism was also there throughout but overall it didn't feel like it had a ton to express, apart from that working in a record store is nothing like empire records (1995) & i just simply didn't really enjoy reading it.
September 10, 2022
Loved it! An incredible coming of age of 30 story that I felt I could see myself in the character in so many ways. Loved every minute of it
December 6, 2022
Any book that has Darren Hayes appear to offer life advice is fine by me
October 11, 2022
This was pleasantly enjoyable but I don’t think it brought anything too unique to what was a fairly predictable storyline. The dialogue was quite naively clunky too, which meant her great online diatribe didn’t ring quite true. 2 1/2 stars
November 15, 2022
It just tries too hard to be cool and clever and witty and pop-culturey. None of the characters are likeable and there’s very little plot.
August 20, 2022
Her Fidelity is a unique spin on the coming-of-age story. Think a late bloomer in the MeToo era in the setting of record store – there’s rampant sexism, annoying customers and the realisation that your friends aren’t necessarily going to grow at the same pace. They are just some of the conundrums facing almost 30 Kathy.
Kathy works in a record store in Brisbane’s CBD and has done since before leaving school. It’s the old school kind of record store – plenty of dust, stacks of stock and a semblance of order until you run into an employee who seems to have been there for decades. I think every city has that type of store and it’s up to your own personal bravery whether you dare to ask the staff whether they have what you want for fear of your music taste being haughtily shot down. Dusty’s Records is just like that (Beyonce free zone), and Kathy and Mel are the only women who work there. Mel is older and knows how to deflect the male colleagues’ sexist ways, but Kathy tends to get entangled on drinking nights and fall into their expectations (e.g., cleaning the worst of the shop). Kathy, Mel and Kathy’s school friend Alex are great friends outside of work and they’ve always had each other’s backs. But then Mel decides she wants a change and Alex is manoeuvring her career and life as a mother. They want different things, and it shocks Kathy to the core. She’s not comfortable with change, but perhaps it’s time to take stock of her own life.
Kathy is a multifaceted character, combining bravado and sarcasm with someone who genuinely doesn’t like change and lets the people around her know, often to her detriment. Occasionally she comes across as very self-centred and selfish, mainly in response to her friends’ actions for change and growth. However, this is an opportunity for Kathy to grow too however reluctantly. For me, this is when her character became more likeable as Kathy made some difficult decisions and saw them through. Wise woman Mel is a great foil to Kathy’s immaturity and inexperience. Her words may come across as harsh at times to Kathy, but Mel was definitely a character worth listening to. Kathy’s other friend Alex was not as detailed (we get some background that they practically grew up together because of Alex’s mother). Her struggles are relegated to the background and as the narrative is Kathy in the first person, that’s understandable.
Her Fidelity as you might expect contains a lot of music references, as well as other pop culture (TV shows like Dawson’s Creek right through to movies such as Wayne’s World). This was fun, although having the year of every album, series and movie in brackets did seem a little pretentious at times as if Kathy’s showing off. Later in the novel, Kathy’s pop culture takes a hit when she realises that she’s not up with the cool young kids who listen to FKA Twigs and Beyonce but rather stuck in a music rut from history, influenced by her male colleagues. To stay one of the gang, she had to fit in with their tastes (not all bad, but definitely not open to newcomers or non-rock and roll). This is another type of coming of age for Kathy – realising that she’s free to like what she wants and be vocal about it too. The story culminates in Kathy growing in confidence and finding her own way, perhaps influenced by a certain Australian celebrity, perhaps not. The ending is uplifting, resulting in a read that charts a character’s growth.
Thank you to Penguin for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
Kathy works in a record store in Brisbane’s CBD and has done since before leaving school. It’s the old school kind of record store – plenty of dust, stacks of stock and a semblance of order until you run into an employee who seems to have been there for decades. I think every city has that type of store and it’s up to your own personal bravery whether you dare to ask the staff whether they have what you want for fear of your music taste being haughtily shot down. Dusty’s Records is just like that (Beyonce free zone), and Kathy and Mel are the only women who work there. Mel is older and knows how to deflect the male colleagues’ sexist ways, but Kathy tends to get entangled on drinking nights and fall into their expectations (e.g., cleaning the worst of the shop). Kathy, Mel and Kathy’s school friend Alex are great friends outside of work and they’ve always had each other’s backs. But then Mel decides she wants a change and Alex is manoeuvring her career and life as a mother. They want different things, and it shocks Kathy to the core. She’s not comfortable with change, but perhaps it’s time to take stock of her own life.
Kathy is a multifaceted character, combining bravado and sarcasm with someone who genuinely doesn’t like change and lets the people around her know, often to her detriment. Occasionally she comes across as very self-centred and selfish, mainly in response to her friends’ actions for change and growth. However, this is an opportunity for Kathy to grow too however reluctantly. For me, this is when her character became more likeable as Kathy made some difficult decisions and saw them through. Wise woman Mel is a great foil to Kathy’s immaturity and inexperience. Her words may come across as harsh at times to Kathy, but Mel was definitely a character worth listening to. Kathy’s other friend Alex was not as detailed (we get some background that they practically grew up together because of Alex’s mother). Her struggles are relegated to the background and as the narrative is Kathy in the first person, that’s understandable.
Her Fidelity as you might expect contains a lot of music references, as well as other pop culture (TV shows like Dawson’s Creek right through to movies such as Wayne’s World). This was fun, although having the year of every album, series and movie in brackets did seem a little pretentious at times as if Kathy’s showing off. Later in the novel, Kathy’s pop culture takes a hit when she realises that she’s not up with the cool young kids who listen to FKA Twigs and Beyonce but rather stuck in a music rut from history, influenced by her male colleagues. To stay one of the gang, she had to fit in with their tastes (not all bad, but definitely not open to newcomers or non-rock and roll). This is another type of coming of age for Kathy – realising that she’s free to like what she wants and be vocal about it too. The story culminates in Kathy growing in confidence and finding her own way, perhaps influenced by a certain Australian celebrity, perhaps not. The ending is uplifting, resulting in a read that charts a character’s growth.
Thank you to Penguin for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
January 2, 2023
excellent pop culture references (bonus points for the dendy cinema shoutout) and insight into the (not-so) ‘empire records’ lifestyle …. yet features an insufferable-whitefeminist-notlikeothergirls-millennial as the main character???
May 18, 2023
As a girl who grew up in Brisbane making a nuisance of herself in record stores, Her Fidelity should have struck a chord. I anticipated being swept away in a Sliding Doors alternate reality of how life would have evolved on the other side of the record store counter.
Pollock writes in the Prologue, the movie Empire Records is a fairytale with its camaraderie between music savant co-workers kicking against the pricks of commercial corporate greed. However, it is precisely the heart, soul and charm of Empire Records that Her Fidelity lacks. Further, it fails to fulfil the hype of the testimonials which describe it variously as “a hilariously acute tale of self-becoming and a feminist future”, “brimming with heart and humour”, “[f]orensically sharp and ridiculously funny”. One testimonial states “I found myself caring for the characters in the story as though they were my friends”.
My reaction to the novel was the polar opposite. It barely raised a giggle and I barely cared a whit about the characters; particularly, the protagonist, Kathy. Kathy represents the most insurmountable of the novel’s shortcomings.
Kathy is a whining, self-involved slacker. She lacks confidence yet suffers from a superiority complex. She is brimming with superficial insights and observations about co-workers, customers and society. Her idea of a feminist in the workplace is someone who refuses to vacuum floors or go on coffee runs. With the exception of her friendships with Alex and Mel, her relationships are shallow.
The problem is Kathy’s limited perspective becomes the reader’s limited perspective. Pollock, like many contemporary authors, populates her novel with caricatures. Almost every man in Kathy’s orbit is hell-bent on her disempowerment. The cantankerous misogynist boss, the mute misogynist and sexually harassing misogynist co-workers, the threatening misogynist customer, the anonymous violating misogynist in a concert crowd and the deceiving irresponsible misogynist one night stand. The three BFFs even create a competition of sorts, Bastard Bingo, to determine who suffers the most heinous outrage by a male perpetrator.
On the flipside, women are supportive members of the sisterhood yet no less clichéd. Mel is the mentoring sage older woman who is, of course, a lesbian. Alex is the over-achieving superwoman. Jarrah is the multi-talented independent woman. Michelle is the emerging fan-girl.
Returning again to Empire Records or High Fidelity, for that matter, what made them awesome was the veneration of music. They accurately depict the dorky obsessiveness of music fans. By contrast, the record store setting in Her Fidelity seems irrelevant. By tweaking the scenery, Kathy could work in any industry because the novel is only ostensibly about music. Inhale deeply and smell burning bras. The emphasis on sexism drowns out the music. Yes, records stores were boys’ clubs and, yes, the reasons were sexist. Men were discerning fonts of knowledge and expertise. Women, poor lambs, were screeching teenyboppers or scheming groupies. Whatever, never mind!
Independent record stores are becoming as extinct as their sexist attitudes but mainstream music stores teem with female employees. What remains a gendered stereotype in popular culture is the “male” immersed in the minutia of music super-fandom. Outsiders regard super-fans negatively but super-fans deflect slings and arrows because fandom is central to their identity.
Kathy, I wanted you to be a torchbearer for female obsessive-compulsive super-fans. I had high expectations you would become a role model for generations of girls loitering in record stores. Damn it, Kathy, I wanted to relate to you like I had to Rob from High Fidelity. I was profoundly disappointed you were more immersed in the minutia of every man who done you wrong than the minutia of music.
In conclusion, I feel misled because Her Fidelity suggested a feminised High Fidelity. I feel cheated because I stumbled unawares into a #MeToo quagmire of a poor poor pitiful me whine-fest. I feel disillusioned because Kathy and Mel are so lame and uninspired they name their independent record store, Rebel Girl Records. A word of advice, Kathy, indifference is kryptonite. Continue ruminating about those A-holes, Kathy, and they retain their super-powers while you remain their bitch. Get over it!
POSTSCRIPT:
Pollock’s insertion of bracketed years after every popular culture reference irritated me to the brink of endurance. It is distracting and serves no purpose whatsoever. Anyone unfamiliar with references will not be enlightened by citing relevant years. Further, readers are unlikely to be so fascinated they rush to Google relieved they can narrow searches by year. If you absolutely must expand on references, do so in footnotes.
Pollock writes in the Prologue, the movie Empire Records is a fairytale with its camaraderie between music savant co-workers kicking against the pricks of commercial corporate greed. However, it is precisely the heart, soul and charm of Empire Records that Her Fidelity lacks. Further, it fails to fulfil the hype of the testimonials which describe it variously as “a hilariously acute tale of self-becoming and a feminist future”, “brimming with heart and humour”, “[f]orensically sharp and ridiculously funny”. One testimonial states “I found myself caring for the characters in the story as though they were my friends”.
My reaction to the novel was the polar opposite. It barely raised a giggle and I barely cared a whit about the characters; particularly, the protagonist, Kathy. Kathy represents the most insurmountable of the novel’s shortcomings.
Kathy is a whining, self-involved slacker. She lacks confidence yet suffers from a superiority complex. She is brimming with superficial insights and observations about co-workers, customers and society. Her idea of a feminist in the workplace is someone who refuses to vacuum floors or go on coffee runs. With the exception of her friendships with Alex and Mel, her relationships are shallow.
The problem is Kathy’s limited perspective becomes the reader’s limited perspective. Pollock, like many contemporary authors, populates her novel with caricatures. Almost every man in Kathy’s orbit is hell-bent on her disempowerment. The cantankerous misogynist boss, the mute misogynist and sexually harassing misogynist co-workers, the threatening misogynist customer, the anonymous violating misogynist in a concert crowd and the deceiving irresponsible misogynist one night stand. The three BFFs even create a competition of sorts, Bastard Bingo, to determine who suffers the most heinous outrage by a male perpetrator.
On the flipside, women are supportive members of the sisterhood yet no less clichéd. Mel is the mentoring sage older woman who is, of course, a lesbian. Alex is the over-achieving superwoman. Jarrah is the multi-talented independent woman. Michelle is the emerging fan-girl.
Returning again to Empire Records or High Fidelity, for that matter, what made them awesome was the veneration of music. They accurately depict the dorky obsessiveness of music fans. By contrast, the record store setting in Her Fidelity seems irrelevant. By tweaking the scenery, Kathy could work in any industry because the novel is only ostensibly about music. Inhale deeply and smell burning bras. The emphasis on sexism drowns out the music. Yes, records stores were boys’ clubs and, yes, the reasons were sexist. Men were discerning fonts of knowledge and expertise. Women, poor lambs, were screeching teenyboppers or scheming groupies. Whatever, never mind!
Independent record stores are becoming as extinct as their sexist attitudes but mainstream music stores teem with female employees. What remains a gendered stereotype in popular culture is the “male” immersed in the minutia of music super-fandom. Outsiders regard super-fans negatively but super-fans deflect slings and arrows because fandom is central to their identity.
Kathy, I wanted you to be a torchbearer for female obsessive-compulsive super-fans. I had high expectations you would become a role model for generations of girls loitering in record stores. Damn it, Kathy, I wanted to relate to you like I had to Rob from High Fidelity. I was profoundly disappointed you were more immersed in the minutia of every man who done you wrong than the minutia of music.
In conclusion, I feel misled because Her Fidelity suggested a feminised High Fidelity. I feel cheated because I stumbled unawares into a #MeToo quagmire of a poor poor pitiful me whine-fest. I feel disillusioned because Kathy and Mel are so lame and uninspired they name their independent record store, Rebel Girl Records. A word of advice, Kathy, indifference is kryptonite. Continue ruminating about those A-holes, Kathy, and they retain their super-powers while you remain their bitch. Get over it!
POSTSCRIPT:
Pollock’s insertion of bracketed years after every popular culture reference irritated me to the brink of endurance. It is distracting and serves no purpose whatsoever. Anyone unfamiliar with references will not be enlightened by citing relevant years. Further, readers are unlikely to be so fascinated they rush to Google relieved they can narrow searches by year. If you absolutely must expand on references, do so in footnotes.
January 10, 2023
Her Fidelity was a fun and fresh perspective on the rock aficionado narrative and vibe that we normally get from stories about record stores and music-bros, giving light to a woman's perspective of working in the record industry. What I liked about this book was how strong Kathy's character was, even though I reaaallly didn't like her. She was so annoying! But I think that's mostly the point.
The music name drops and pop cultural references were so irritating, but again - sort of to the point of the book! And the frequency of them contrasted with Kathy's complete lack of knowledge about contemporary pop icons like Beyonce.
I thought the character's growth was fun, but sort of predictable? I love the general trend away from elevating "I'm not like other girls" mindsets and validating women's judgement of cultural assets like music, but it was done in a bit of a basic way here. Still really fun and nicely cathartic to go through, but it just didn't offer me any super new insights. I also found the romance a bit meh, it didn't really sell me on why they liked each other? Same with the friendship with Alex, but Mel I loved.
Overall this was fun and a quick and easy read. I liked it, didn't love it, and would recommend to those who like Empire Records and High Fidelity and records/rock culture in general, or coming of age stories for people in their late 20s! Not one I'll shout from the rooftops about, but a solidly enjoyable book.
The music name drops and pop cultural references were so irritating, but again - sort of to the point of the book! And the frequency of them contrasted with Kathy's complete lack of knowledge about contemporary pop icons like Beyonce.
I thought the character's growth was fun, but sort of predictable? I love the general trend away from elevating "I'm not like other girls" mindsets and validating women's judgement of cultural assets like music, but it was done in a bit of a basic way here. Still really fun and nicely cathartic to go through, but it just didn't offer me any super new insights. I also found the romance a bit meh, it didn't really sell me on why they liked each other? Same with the friendship with Alex, but Mel I loved.
Overall this was fun and a quick and easy read. I liked it, didn't love it, and would recommend to those who like Empire Records and High Fidelity and records/rock culture in general, or coming of age stories for people in their late 20s! Not one I'll shout from the rooftops about, but a solidly enjoyable book.
October 5, 2022
Holy moly is this novel a breath of fresh air!
I was SO INVESTED in the wacky bumblings of our main protagonist Kathy - she was deeply unapologetically flawed but also so uniquely wholesome and almost naive in the way she tackled aspects of her life, a stark contrast to the weathered old men and hardened women she surrounded herself with.
Her Fidelity was a book about making it in a "man's world"; working through feelings of inadequacy and gender biase and figuring out the type of human you would ultimately like to be when all is said and done. I love that so much of this was related back to music or delivered through the interactions of her colleagues and the customers of the record shop - it really added something extra relatable to the novel for me!
But mostly.... This book was FUNNY. Kathy is so quick witted and precocious and the way she views and reacts to her surroundings had me in stitches! I loved the goofy games that she played with her good friends, the way she tottered through her love life and the overwhelming (albeit exasperated) support she continuously received from her mum and dad.
Her Fidelity is the type of beautifully structured wholesome novel that makes you feel like a better person for having read it, and I suspect Pollock will become an auto-buy author for me in the future.
I was SO INVESTED in the wacky bumblings of our main protagonist Kathy - she was deeply unapologetically flawed but also so uniquely wholesome and almost naive in the way she tackled aspects of her life, a stark contrast to the weathered old men and hardened women she surrounded herself with.
Her Fidelity was a book about making it in a "man's world"; working through feelings of inadequacy and gender biase and figuring out the type of human you would ultimately like to be when all is said and done. I love that so much of this was related back to music or delivered through the interactions of her colleagues and the customers of the record shop - it really added something extra relatable to the novel for me!
But mostly.... This book was FUNNY. Kathy is so quick witted and precocious and the way she views and reacts to her surroundings had me in stitches! I loved the goofy games that she played with her good friends, the way she tottered through her love life and the overwhelming (albeit exasperated) support she continuously received from her mum and dad.
Her Fidelity is the type of beautifully structured wholesome novel that makes you feel like a better person for having read it, and I suspect Pollock will become an auto-buy author for me in the future.
March 12, 2023
I'm tempted to bump this up because it was all my uni brain could process this week but here we are.
This book has a flawed female character. This is not an inherently bad thing. What lets itself down for me is that all Kathy's frustrating traits seem seeped into the prose, making it very hard to separate character flaws with writing flaws. I noticed a general lack of faith in the audience to connect the dots at any point. References and emotional beats were often explained one or two notches too far.
There was around three too many storylines going on in quick succession, meaning none of them really got the development or resolution they needed. A lot of the takes on issues like misogyny or drinking culture felt a little half baked as well. I think with better editing and focus this could have been really effective but unfortunately it just wasnt.
I appreciate the lack of mental effort required for this one and I'm glad I've finally finished a book again but overall definitely not my fave.
This book has a flawed female character. This is not an inherently bad thing. What lets itself down for me is that all Kathy's frustrating traits seem seeped into the prose, making it very hard to separate character flaws with writing flaws. I noticed a general lack of faith in the audience to connect the dots at any point. References and emotional beats were often explained one or two notches too far.
There was around three too many storylines going on in quick succession, meaning none of them really got the development or resolution they needed. A lot of the takes on issues like misogyny or drinking culture felt a little half baked as well. I think with better editing and focus this could have been really effective but unfortunately it just wasnt.
I appreciate the lack of mental effort required for this one and I'm glad I've finally finished a book again but overall definitely not my fave.
May 12, 2025
This was a fun and quick read. If you're after a charming story and want to learn a ton about music along the way, Her Fidelity delivers.
The core challenge, I think, is that writing cool characters is hard. Kathy, as the protagonist, is likeable and easy to root for, but being referential and sarcastic doesn’t automatically make you iconic. There were moments where it felt like the book was trying a bit too hard to make her feel effortlessly cool.
That said, it’s a cool Aussie story set in a world we don’t often see—told by someone who probably wouldn’t have always had the space to tell this story. That perspective alone makes it worth picking up.
The core challenge, I think, is that writing cool characters is hard. Kathy, as the protagonist, is likeable and easy to root for, but being referential and sarcastic doesn’t automatically make you iconic. There were moments where it felt like the book was trying a bit too hard to make her feel effortlessly cool.
That said, it’s a cool Aussie story set in a world we don’t often see—told by someone who probably wouldn’t have always had the space to tell this story. That perspective alone makes it worth picking up.
January 3, 2023
3.5 stars.
It took awhile to get used to the writing style, in particular the zero use of speech marks. Once I had my head around that it was fine.
The 3 main characters were great with lovely little cameos from Kathy's parents.
A little frustrating how horrid some of her co-workers. How did this record shop turn a profit? I liked how it touched on relevant issues and is trying to break down barriers e.g. misogyny.
I also loved that it was set in Brisbane, it's great to read novels from my area.
Overall an interesting read and decent plot.
It took awhile to get used to the writing style, in particular the zero use of speech marks. Once I had my head around that it was fine.
The 3 main characters were great with lovely little cameos from Kathy's parents.
A little frustrating how horrid some of her co-workers. How did this record shop turn a profit? I liked how it touched on relevant issues and is trying to break down barriers e.g. misogyny.
I also loved that it was set in Brisbane, it's great to read novels from my area.
Overall an interesting read and decent plot.
September 30, 2024
A very enjoyable read. Her Fidelity follows a girl working in the very male dominated music industry, juggling her way through her mid twenties and keeping herself afloat. I really enjoyed her character development in this, going from a careless friend into an aware and present one.
I loved the pop culture references and reading about what it’s like in my dream job.
I loved the pop culture references and reading about what it’s like in my dream job.
March 9, 2023
I really enjoyed the pop culture references, Brisbane connections and character relatability that were skilfully woven into the narrative. They brought many a smile during reading! While, for me, it took a wee while for the book to gain momentum - I am glad I continued as I was really invested in the last quarter of the book and was left pondering about what happened next.
June 22, 2023
Hey I'm an old guy now but was young once and it's almost comforting to know nothing changes in the world of the record shop except the volume of customers. Kind of Bridget Jones in a frumpy Brisbane setting - fun, insightful. Good read after a hard day.
November 20, 2023
Might push it to a 3.5 stars. Solid, easy read, but in the end there wasn’t that much that happened?? No real fall out from the social media debacle and a shiny bow on the end to keep it short and sweet felt unoriginal.
September 30, 2024
I very much enjoyed the story but thought it was lazy of the author to not put parts that are spoken in quotation marks. Made it confusing at time to know whether someone was speaking or whether it was the author’s thoughts/memory of an event.
May 14, 2025
This was a nice story about growing up and maturing however I didn’t love the writing style of it. I’m not sure what the meaning behind no quotation marks was but I honestly hated it aha
I did like the themes in this book tho and it was a pretty easy read.
I did like the themes in this book tho and it was a pretty easy read.
December 3, 2023
dnf at like 100 pages. high hopes because i love high fidelity - both the book and zoe kravitz’s remake - so bad but the main character was insufferable and the prose was hilariously bad
May 19, 2025
the writing style with (2022 - 2023) inserted after every pop culture reference was irritating.
October 30, 2022
FINALLY a good coming of age story for people in their late 20s - 4.5 stars, i loved 😍
February 26, 2023
i dnfed this i couldnt be bothered i was so disinterested and the characters were insufferable but im still counting it toward my reading goal bc i make my own rules
August 14, 2022
This book had me at Empire Records, IYKYK.
Kathy has worked at Dusty’s Records for half her life. She started as a teenager after finding her fathers love for Led Zeppelin. Her high school job turned into her twenty’s and then suddenly her thirty’s are on her horizon and she’s stuck in a rut, measuring her self worth.
Kathy’s safe little circle has started to show its cracks. Her ride or die friend are growing up and moving on and Kathy’s feet are stuck in the same cycle of work, pub and repeat with some self loathing and terrible choices in men.
A story about learning to fly when you’re not ready too, taking the jump not knowing how you’ll land but knowing the people around you will catch you if you fall or help mend the broken.
The song references are 10/10, it gives you 2022 Empire Records vibes. It’s hilarious and relatable and a great Aussie read. It’s in stores August 16th, if you loved Empire Records this one’s for you.
Kathy has worked at Dusty’s Records for half her life. She started as a teenager after finding her fathers love for Led Zeppelin. Her high school job turned into her twenty’s and then suddenly her thirty’s are on her horizon and she’s stuck in a rut, measuring her self worth.
Kathy’s safe little circle has started to show its cracks. Her ride or die friend are growing up and moving on and Kathy’s feet are stuck in the same cycle of work, pub and repeat with some self loathing and terrible choices in men.
A story about learning to fly when you’re not ready too, taking the jump not knowing how you’ll land but knowing the people around you will catch you if you fall or help mend the broken.
The song references are 10/10, it gives you 2022 Empire Records vibes. It’s hilarious and relatable and a great Aussie read. It’s in stores August 16th, if you loved Empire Records this one’s for you.
October 22, 2022
A brilliant debut novel that hints of more great reads to come. This is a book that explores friendship, relationships and misogyny through the dusty lens of of a record shop. It’s a great read especially for anyone who has spent too much time either working in a vinyl record shop or frequenting one.
December 23, 2022
This sounded like it would be a homage to Nick Hornby's "High Fidelity" from a female perspective. It was that, but it didn't live up to those lofty ambitions. There was hardly any plot; the characters tended to blur into one another; and I didn't find it funny or the prose all that interesting.
September 29, 2022
LIKE
My uncle worked with Kath at Rocking Horse records in Brisbane (I don't think any of the Dusty's employee characters were based on him thankfully) for many years and recommended her book to me knowing I was definitely the target market.
I devoured it. Kathy as a narrator is funny, precocious, flawed but deeply likeable. I loved all the pop culture references and while I'm not works-in-a-record-store level into music I really enjoyed all the music chat.
Overall, just a really lovely easy read about figuring life out in your late 20's, female friendship, navigating ambient sexism.
My uncle worked with Kath at Rocking Horse records in Brisbane (I don't think any of the Dusty's employee characters were based on him thankfully) for many years and recommended her book to me knowing I was definitely the target market.
I devoured it. Kathy as a narrator is funny, precocious, flawed but deeply likeable. I loved all the pop culture references and while I'm not works-in-a-record-store level into music I really enjoyed all the music chat.
Overall, just a really lovely easy read about figuring life out in your late 20's, female friendship, navigating ambient sexism.
February 12, 2024
Unreadable. I rarely don’t finish a book but this one i struggles to keep picking back up. Parts don’t make sense because for some reason all the “taking marks” are missing. Makes it hard to know what is dialogue and what is a regular sentence. Ridiculous way to do it and makes it difficult to follow.
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