Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills Published by Henry Holt and Company (BYR) on January 15, 2019
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Social Themes, Friendship
Pages: 288
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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For Sophie, small town life has never felt small. With her four best friends—loving, infuriating, and all she could ever ask for—she can weather any storm. But when Sophie’s beloved Acadia High School marching band is selected to march in the upcoming Rose Parade, it’s her job to get them all the way to LA. Her plan? To persuade country singer Megan Pleasant, their Midwestern town’s only claim to fame, to come back to Acadia to headline a fundraising festival.
The only problem is that Megan has very publicly sworn never to return.
What ensues is a journey filled with long-kept secrets, hidden heartbreaks, and revelations that could change everything—along with a possible fifth best friend: a new guy with a magnetic smile and secrets of his own.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Why Did I Read?
There are certain YA contemporary authors that are auto-buys for me, which is a little rare because I typically don’t gravitate toward YA contemp nearly as much so when I say one is an auto-buy, it’s serious business! Emma Mills is one of those authors! She writes the best, real, genuine friendships and stories and I love her! This was a must.
My Thoughts:
Sophie has lived in this small town her whole life and she loves it – she loves her friends, her school and her life there. Sometimes it’s nice to read about someone who actually enjoys her small town world. It’s refreshing and something a little different from the “getting out of the small town” plots. Anyway, Emma Mills writes the most captivating friendships and relationships. That’s what makes her books so riveting and real. They make me care for the characters and in this one, I was completely rooting for Sophie and her cause to get enough funds for her marching band to go to the Rose Parade.
Sophie is a very determined character and I really admired how much work she was willing to go to because of her passion for the things she loved! This is a character driven story though with the focus on Sophie and newcomer to town, August. From the start, the two gravitate toward each other and I really loved them together and their push and pull!
The part of the plot involving the music star isn’t as central to the story as the synopsis may make it seem which I actually liked. As much as I like that trope, it’s been done a lot. Instead, this plot line served more to advance the depth of what we knew of the secondary characters which I appreciated and really enjoyed! Once again, Emma Mills fleshes out these solid relationships.
This one was a bit more emotional than her previous books. This isn’t a bad thing at all, but it definitely caught me off guard.
In Short…
If you enjoy entrancing YA contemporary stories, don’t miss out on Emma Mills! She’s on my list of top go-to authors for the genre and while I think I enjoyed her others more, Famous In A Small Town was still fantastic and a must read! Friendships and depth abound — another heartfelt contemporary that I highly recommend!
My Rating:
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