A propulsive, layered novel about the meteoric rise of a legendary pop star and the secret she’s kept hidden for fifteen years, for fans of Megan Abbott and Daisy Jones & the Six…
Everyone in the world knows Dylan Read, or has at least heard her music: Since releasing her début album her senior year of high school, Dylan’s been a fixture on country and pop radio and in the celebrity discourse. A prodigiously-talented singer-songwriter, Dylan is defined by both her confessional lyricism and her good-girl image—a combination that’s kept her fans close, the label happy, and the media fed.
But the truth is that there’s one thing Dylan’s never explicitly written about before: Her childhood best friend Kelsey vanished when they were both in high school, shortly before Dylan became famous. Now, as Dylan’s at the height of her career, Kelsey’s body is found at the bottom of their hometown lake—forcing Dylan to return to the place they grew up, and to reckon with secrets that have stayed buried for decades.
Immersive, page-turning, and psychologically astute, Once More From The Top is a riveting and keenly observant novel about friendship, ambition, and the cost of fame.
"Emily Layden has written a rock and roll thriller drenched in love, humanity, and the ferocious power of female friendships." — Jessica Anya Blau, author of Mary Jane
"Lyrical, graceful, utterly propulsive, in Once More From The Top Emily Layden charts the meteoric rise of American megastar Dylan Read. With her effortless, confessional prose, Layden draws back the curtain of fame, asking us to consider how much female celebrities in particular have to sacrifice in the name of ambition, how much we expect them to reveal, or, in Dylan’s case, conceal. Both an origin story and a fable, the last notes of this compulsive novel played in my head long after I’d put it down." — Ellie Eaton, author of The Divines
“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 juicy mystery filled with gossip—and music you can almost hear." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A powerhouse....Megan Abbott fans will devour this." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A perfect, lyrical gut-punch that probes desire and ambition, what it means to be a ‘good girl’ and the necessary armor that requires…At once fast-paced and richly textured, Once More From The Top is one of the most significant works about the creative process, memory, friendship, and coming-of-age that I’ve ever read." — Rachel Kapelke-Dale, author of The Ballerinas
"In Once More From The Top, Emily Layden has crafted 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 Copestenke. The prose sings and the secrets simmer in this atmospheric, powerful novel." — Katie Bishop, author of The Girls of Summer