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drakoulis's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful debut book by Brian D. Kennedy!
Sweet, heartwarming and atmospheric, with an underlying sadness and anger, A Little Bit Country is a wonderful story of chasing your dreams, following your passion, resisting the pressure of your family, accepting yourself and finding love.
I'm not a fan of country music, or of the small-town American South, but this didn't make the book any less enjoyable for me. The writing is spot-on, and I especially loved Emmett's chapters.
A Little Bit Country also touches heavier themes like poverty, unemployment, chronic illness, discrimination in the music industry, past and present homophobia - fans of Sophie Gonzales will love this book.
It made me angry when reading some of Luke's chapters - not at him, but at parents who never care to give their kids the impression that they are safe to be themselves around them. It's not enough to be accepting, you have to somehow show your kid that you are.
The romance is really sweet and swoony, and I also loved the determination of both boys to chase their dreams. There is also a bittersweet backstory which reminds us that the world used to be a very cruel place.
Overall, Emmett and Luke's story is one of the best books of 2022 and I can't wait to read Brian Kennedy's next story!
Sweet, heartwarming and atmospheric, with an underlying sadness and anger, A Little Bit Country is a wonderful story of chasing your dreams, following your passion, resisting the pressure of your family, accepting yourself and finding love.
I'm not a fan of country music, or of the small-town American South, but this didn't make the book any less enjoyable for me. The writing is spot-on, and I especially loved Emmett's chapters.
A Little Bit Country also touches heavier themes like poverty, unemployment, chronic illness, discrimination in the music industry, past and present homophobia - fans of Sophie Gonzales will love this book.
It made me angry when reading some of Luke's chapters - not at him, but at parents who never care to give their kids the impression that they are safe to be themselves around them. It's not enough to be accepting, you have to somehow show your kid that you are.
The romance is really sweet and swoony, and I also loved the determination of both boys to chase their dreams. There is also a bittersweet backstory which reminds us that the world used to be a very cruel place.
Overall, Emmett and Luke's story is one of the best books of 2022 and I can't wait to read Brian Kennedy's next story!
sunrae_booknook's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Glad I didn’t dnf this because for a minute there I was very concerned about how cool everyone one was with plagiarism
katiebarr's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
realjjconnell's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
pbraue13's review against another edition
5.0
This book is so sweet and tickled that little country-loving, Dolly Parton fan that lives in my heart. In fact, the way I would describe this book is it is as if Dolly Parton wrote, produced, wrote music for, and starred in an LGBT romance. With that this story felt so real to me, especially Luke’s side of the story dealing with his internalized homophobia and detecting his mom’s micro aggressions and Emmett’s passion for his music and music as an art form. By the end I was grinning ear to ear. I can’t recommend it enough.
jeremeyhwrites's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
jhna04's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
delz's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A Little Bit Country is just the sweetest. Emmett is gay, out, and dreams of a country music career. Luke is gay, but very much in the closet. Emmett lives in Chicago, but for the summer he’s gotten a job in the Jamboree at Wanda World in Jackson Hollow, Tennessee. Luke is working at a factory job for the summer. There he’s tormented by his homophobic coworkers. As fate would have it Luke’s Ex girlfriend let’s him know there’s a job for him at a restaurant in Wanda World, so that’s how Luke and Emmett end up working at the same place for the summer. Luke has to work there in secret because Wanda Jean Stubbs and his family have history. He’s not sure of the extent of the quarrel between his family and Wanda, but he’s never been allowed to go to Wanda World, or even to listen to country music. The boys meet and there is definite attraction, but there are also obstacles the two need to work out. This is a really good story with characters you will fall in love with.