Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me from Success

'So relatable, so poignant, so emotionally intense, it's an irresistible rush of a book.' -- Rolling Stone 'A great memoir requires an extraordinary life story and the ability to write it. Miki has been blessed with both. Compelling. Funny. Vivid. 4/5' -- Mojo 'This is quite the revelation ... infinitely superior to the average rock autobiography ... the most candid, full-disclosure demystification of the indie scene you'll ever read. This is special, a superbly written book about a vanished world and so much more. 5/5' -- Record Collector 'A beautifully written memoir.' -- Stylist 'A remarkable, revelatory memoir.' -- Will Hodgkinson, The Times 'Fiercely honest and emotionally acute ... Fingers Crossed breaks the mould of music memoir ... Berenyi's writing is characterised by arch humour and a delight in the absurd.' -- Fiona Sturgess, The Guardian 'Fingers Crossed provides a salutary corrective to a much mythologised musical era; it's often extremely funny. But it's also a nuanced portrait of personal survival.' -- Kitty Empire, The Observer 'Intelligent and searingly candid.' -- Grazia 'Miki writes beautifully with soul and humour. A brilliant, engaging read. 8/10' -- Classic Rock 'I felt like I was on the rollercoaster with Miki, from making mixtapes with her school friends to the wild dream of making it as a pop star. It's a gripping and delightful read even as, without an ounce of self-pity the bright energy of Miki's star is always tailed by darkness - the neglect and worse of an abusive childhood and the misogyny and exploitation that hangs like a pall over the Britpop years. A thrilling, moving and essential book for anyone who grew up in love with pop music.' -- Samira Ahmed 'Extremely colourful and dramatic.' -- Mark Ellen 'Brave and forthright. It instils in you the thing most necessary from a musician's memoir: the urgent need to play the records again.' -- John Niven 'This is extraordinarily good. A memoir that reads like a novel, full of vivid characters, wild highs and lows and brutal honesty. And it's the single best thing I've read on the sexism and toxicity at the heart of Britpop.' -- Matt Osman, Suede 'A tumultuous childhood and chaotic coming of age propel Miki in to the famously stable world of rock and roll. Beautifully and movingly written, this is a hugely entertaining read.' -- Shaun Keaveny 'Miki tells it like it was, warts and all. Most of it's warts actually.' -- Steve Rippon, Lush 'A powerful, emotional journey intensely well told. All other autobiographies should be judged against it.' * Louder than War * 'Honest and brilliantly written.' * We Are Cult * 'Few autobiographies depict the highs and lows with quite the merciless clarity as Fingers Crossed.' * The Monocle * 'A great life story combined with excellent recall and refreshingly honest writing is a bonus when it comes to any memoir, but the superb Fingers Crossed achieves brownie points by delivering details with real dexterity.' * Irish Times * 'A really incredible book.' -- Skin, Skunk Anansie '*****' * The Sun * 'By far the best music memoir of 2022. An utterly riveting peek into an extraordinary early life.' -- i-Paper 'You will laugh, you will cry, you might never, ever form a band.' -- Virgin Radio

Miki Eleonora Berenyi is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist best known as a member of the alternative-rock band Lush. She is currently a member of Piroshka, who released their second album in July 2021.