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hiveretcafe's review
4.0
There's something so incredibly charming and wonderful about Emma Mills' books. The characters are so real and funny and charming and while this one wasn't what I expected, the relationships and friendships between the characters made me cry. I love them.
charlalisterreyna's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5/5
Famous in a Small Town
Emma Mills
This was a cute little story about a teen trying to help raise money for a marching band. Trying to bring a famous person in for a concert.
I enjoyed it but I just felt like some of the story was way too far fetched and drawn out for what it was.
Famous in a Small Town
Emma Mills
This was a cute little story about a teen trying to help raise money for a marching band. Trying to bring a famous person in for a concert.
I enjoyed it but I just felt like some of the story was way too far fetched and drawn out for what it was.
imys's review against another edition
4.0
for some reason it took me rlly long to get into this, but that's the only reason its not 5 stars. i loved this book sm.
gggina13's review
4.0
4.5 stars. The story itself is a 5 but there are some issues with the execution. The layout is formulaic and extremely comparable to the layout of This Adventure Ends. There’s a girl with a found family who is hyper-focused on meeting a goal that’s hers alone who has a crush on a boy who has emotional issues. However that’s kinda what makes both great? The story and little twists in Famous in a Small Town are both so binge-worthy and sweet. Emma Mills can really write a fantastic banter between friends that is so funny and realistic. My main criticisms come in the fact that I don’t think anyone’s physical description was ever laid out. It may be a style choice, a ~these friends could be anybody~ type deal, but I know a lot of people can’t picture a story without descriptions. I’m lucky to be able to but it’s just because I have no imagination lmao. Also the synopsis on the back of the ARC makes a few small plot points seem way bigger than they were which can be confusing. However, the redeeming qualities of this book are so much more important than its small failings and I think this book will be really well-received and loved. I would love to give it 5 stars and I think I could easily if there are any changes before the final copy is released.
ennitsud's review
5.0
this was so freaking cute and sad and i loved the friendships that emma mills writes. i love the inside jokes, the chemistry, that little twist, the romance between some characters—the subtleties that make them so real ;-;
kristenremenar's review
4.0
Realistic YA for high school and middle school. No sex, drugs, or rock-n-roll so can hand to those for whom that might be problematic.
Master class in writing teen dialogue. Funny and sad and a bit of mystery and a great, strong female friendship along with the loves me/loves me not romance.
Master class in writing teen dialogue. Funny and sad and a bit of mystery and a great, strong female friendship along with the loves me/loves me not romance.
joannaautumn's review
5.0
I don’t know what it is with me and gorgeous peach-pink book covers. I see it – I buy it (or read it instantly, in this case).
I don’t even remember clearly how I found the book, just plain browsing on Goodreads. After [b:Black Swan Green|14316|Black Swan Green|David Mitchell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320562118l/14316._SY75_.jpg|2166883] I needed a contemporary that will be a light and easy read. Maybe a bit of funny too. The synopsis seemed to fit the criteria and I dived right in.
I have a notebook where I write down all my comments while reading so that I don’t miss out on something in my reviews, and I am looking in it right now and can’t find a single bad thing about this book. I don’t know really what’s stopping me from giving it a 5-star review. Here are all the things I liked in this book:
Firstly, I am a person who is always reading, always up to reading challenges and such so I like it if I can get really into the book and finish it in about 4 days tops depending on the number of pages and the genre. I got into this book pretty fast, I just couldn’t wait to finish it – but in the best way possible. It got me involved and interested in the plot and characters, I was going through chapters like mad. Plus the book has 320 pages, you don’t even notice when you’re done with it.
The language Emma Mills uses is in one word fitting. It goes very well with the topics she chose to write about in this book. It wasn’t cringey or overly simple nor was it pretentiously complex – it’s a perfect writing style for a YA contemporary novel. The language the characters use fits their age. Some writers do the thing where they make their 16-year-old characters say some things that in my opinion no 16-year-old says. But this isn’t to say that Emma Mills’s characters aren’t complex and intelligent, they are. But they are the type of people you will meet or have already met which takes me to the next point.
The characters are just great. I liked the whole cast of them. Not loved like I love the whole cast of [b:Little Women|1934|Little Women|Louisa May Alcott|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562690475l/1934._SY75_.jpg|3244642] but hey, I liked the whole cast. And I usually like a few characters in a book. Maybe four max. But this rarely happens for me so I had to put it as a point here. Also, for me to like a main female character in a YA contemporary – a rarity.
The romance didn’t annoy me??? What have I become? I found the romance aspects of the book cute and was cheering for them to get together. This was the biggest surprise for me. Times change, right?
This book is funny. You know how a lot of YA books are labelled as funny and relatable. This one was funny and relatable. I laughed for some parts of this book aloud. And there’s nothing I like more than if a book makes me laugh and feel like I am in on the joke.
Did I just find the perfect light and funny YA contemporary writer??? I sure hope so because I am onto reading the second Emma Mills book I have. Fingers crossed.
I don’t even remember clearly how I found the book, just plain browsing on Goodreads. After [b:Black Swan Green|14316|Black Swan Green|David Mitchell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320562118l/14316._SY75_.jpg|2166883] I needed a contemporary that will be a light and easy read. Maybe a bit of funny too. The synopsis seemed to fit the criteria and I dived right in.
I have a notebook where I write down all my comments while reading so that I don’t miss out on something in my reviews, and I am looking in it right now and can’t find a single bad thing about this book. I don’t know really what’s stopping me from giving it a 5-star review. Here are all the things I liked in this book:
Firstly, I am a person who is always reading, always up to reading challenges and such so I like it if I can get really into the book and finish it in about 4 days tops depending on the number of pages and the genre. I got into this book pretty fast, I just couldn’t wait to finish it – but in the best way possible. It got me involved and interested in the plot and characters, I was going through chapters like mad. Plus the book has 320 pages, you don’t even notice when you’re done with it.
The language Emma Mills uses is in one word fitting. It goes very well with the topics she chose to write about in this book. It wasn’t cringey or overly simple nor was it pretentiously complex – it’s a perfect writing style for a YA contemporary novel. The language the characters use fits their age. Some writers do the thing where they make their 16-year-old characters say some things that in my opinion no 16-year-old says. But this isn’t to say that Emma Mills’s characters aren’t complex and intelligent, they are. But they are the type of people you will meet or have already met which takes me to the next point.
The characters are just great. I liked the whole cast of them. Not loved like I love the whole cast of [b:Little Women|1934|Little Women|Louisa May Alcott|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562690475l/1934._SY75_.jpg|3244642] but hey, I liked the whole cast. And I usually like a few characters in a book. Maybe four max. But this rarely happens for me so I had to put it as a point here. Also, for me to like a main female character in a YA contemporary – a rarity.
The romance didn’t annoy me??? What have I become? I found the romance aspects of the book cute and was cheering for them to get together. This was the biggest surprise for me. Times change, right?
This book is funny. You know how a lot of YA books are labelled as funny and relatable. This one was funny and relatable. I laughed for some parts of this book aloud. And there’s nothing I like more than if a book makes me laugh and feel like I am in on the joke.
Did I just find the perfect light and funny YA contemporary writer??? I sure hope so because I am onto reading the second Emma Mills book I have. Fingers crossed.
kismazsola's review
3.0
I still love how Emma Mills can write about everyday people, places and situations. What I didn't really like about this particular book is the drama...there was way too much of it. Still an OK read, but no rereads in the future, for sure.
shewritesspicybooks's review
3.0
3.5 stars.
I really do love being able to start my year off with an Emma Mills story—it’s just a good start to the year.
This story has its ups and downs, but it’s a sweet story of teen romance and friendship. Just what you want, sometimes.
I really do love being able to start my year off with an Emma Mills story—it’s just a good start to the year.
This story has its ups and downs, but it’s a sweet story of teen romance and friendship. Just what you want, sometimes.
sam's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0