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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I find it very difficult to understand the hype on this one. I found the dialogue incredibly clunky and awkward and it pulled me out of it regularly. I also found the plot to be… completely implausible. Football player turned country singer turned chef and he was not only great at all of them but also seemed to passionately love all of them. The FMC was a Mary sue to the point that they even point out her perfections in the book. Every struggle seemed to be overcome within a chapter with no long term consequences. I don’t know… I’m baffled people love it 🤷♀️
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief
Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity
Minor: Mass/school shootings
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
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
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Colton Gentry's Third Act
by Jeff Zentner
4 out of 5 stars
When country music star Colton Gentry speaks out against guns at his concert, he is exiled from the country music scene. He heads back to his hometown looking for a new start.
This was solidly a four-star read that may even creep into the 4.5 star category. I was quite impressed with 95% of the book. I expected a fluffy romance, but some real issues were explored. The author is really great at writing tension. Having my own best friend killed by gun violence, though a completely different situation, I could relate to Colton's feelings and his meltdown.
As always when discussing guns and the laws surrounding them, there is a bit of a political tone in the book. I felt like the author did justice to sharing both sides with a particular scene that was touching, though there was still clearly a leaning toward tougher gun laws.
There were a couple of racy sex scenes that really didn't fit the overall tone of the book. Ultimately, they were part of the reason I went from a five-star rating to a four. The other reason for the drop was the ending. It seemed rushed and predictable. It lacked the emotion of the rest of the book. There were also parts of the book where Colton is extremely needy, and I think that was overwritten.
Overall, I would recommend this book to country music fans, people who love to read about cooking, and those who love a touching romance.
Trigger warning: alcoholism
by Jeff Zentner
4 out of 5 stars
When country music star Colton Gentry speaks out against guns at his concert, he is exiled from the country music scene. He heads back to his hometown looking for a new start.
This was solidly a four-star read that may even creep into the 4.5 star category. I was quite impressed with 95% of the book. I expected a fluffy romance, but some real issues were explored. The author is really great at writing tension. Having my own best friend killed by gun violence, though a completely different situation, I could relate to Colton's feelings and his meltdown.
As always when discussing guns and the laws surrounding them, there is a bit of a political tone in the book. I felt like the author did justice to sharing both sides with a particular scene that was touching, though there was still clearly a leaning toward tougher gun laws.
There were a couple of racy sex scenes that really didn't fit the overall tone of the book. Ultimately, they were part of the reason I went from a five-star rating to a four. The other reason for the drop was the ending. It seemed rushed and predictable. It lacked the emotion of the rest of the book. There were also parts of the book where Colton is extremely needy, and I think that was overwritten.
Overall, I would recommend this book to country music fans, people who love to read about cooking, and those who love a touching romance.
Trigger warning: alcoholism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
pleasantly surprised that i liked this - finally a book club romance choice that i don’t dislike and it’s written by a MAN of all people (both the publisher and storygraph not listing this as romance and just as literary fiction is crazy to me this is so clearly a romance)
felt that the characters genuinely loved each other so i liked their interactions a lot and i liked reading about colton dealing with his alcoholism. i won’t lie tho i did not fully read the synopsis so learning that most of this book took place around a restaurant was a shock LMAO
critiques are that colton’s witticisms were a little annoying at times and the messaging on gun control was so very on the nose and the situation at the restaurant was resolved unrealistically i feel. parts of the middle also dragged just a little bit
felt that the characters genuinely loved each other so i liked their interactions a lot and i liked reading about colton dealing with his alcoholism. i won’t lie tho i did not fully read the synopsis so learning that most of this book took place around a restaurant was a shock LMAO
critiques are that colton’s witticisms were a little annoying at times and the messaging on gun control was so very on the nose and the situation at the restaurant was resolved unrealistically i feel. parts of the middle also dragged just a little bit
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn’t know much about this book or author before I read it. I choose to read a lot of my books based on their covers and I didn’t have many expectations based on this one.
For some reason I didn’t connect with any of the characters so they seemed a little bland. Or I guess I wasn’t necessarily rooting for any of them. But other than that I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would!
The second chance romance was well done. I thought the MMC’s addiction was portrayed well. Overall I liked the story and feel it was well written!
4 stars
For some reason I didn’t connect with any of the characters so they seemed a little bland. Or I guess I wasn’t necessarily rooting for any of them. But other than that I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would!
The second chance romance was well done. I thought the MMC’s addiction was portrayed well. Overall I liked the story and feel it was well written!
4 stars