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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As cute as Mills’ other works, with a bit more dramatic twist.
Mills has become one of my favorite contemporary writers. She’s witty, funny, and creates quirky characters that are lovable.
Though this summary sounds like an easy, lighthearted read, I found it to be anything but. There’s a hidden depth here that slowly unveils itself the nearer we get to the end of the story. One I found to be absolutely heartbreaking.
Sophie and August were adorable. Their friendship was easy from day one. He fit into the group even though they’d know each other all their lives. It’s clear he’s damaged in some way...something happened in his life that upset his whole world. He’s standoffish. And she is a bright light. Someone who loves everyone and only wants the best for them. She has a great family and group of friends.
Sophie comes up with the plan to raise money for the band to make it to the Tournament of Roses Parade. She finds out they’ll be short money and figures the best way is to get the famous singer, Megan Pleasant, to play a concert. And while this is made to seem like the book’s focus, it is so not! It’s more of the group of friends and their history and dynamic. Interspersed through the book are texts with Ciara, Sophie’s older sister. Because of all of this, we get to know these characters as those they’re real people. It truly feels as though they HAVE known each other for 16-17 years.
Brit was my favorite character for most of the book. Her humor is outstanding. And I loved her dedication to her cause. It wasn’t until the end when I realized how volatile she could be that I had to question my feelings. But no one is important. She may seem like she cares about nothing, but it’s clear she does...more than she shows. And in that way, I relate to her.
August’s secret is revealed. And in a shocking twist, so is something we didn’t know about Sophie. I kinda halfheartedly guessed it, but not with any real meaningful way. And once confirmed, I was stunned. Saddened. And then all of her actions made so much more sense.
If you love fun coming-of-age tales, you’ll love this. I enjoyed it, but Foolish Hearts is still my favorite from Emma.
Mills has become one of my favorite contemporary writers. She’s witty, funny, and creates quirky characters that are lovable.
Though this summary sounds like an easy, lighthearted read, I found it to be anything but. There’s a hidden depth here that slowly unveils itself the nearer we get to the end of the story. One I found to be absolutely heartbreaking.
Sophie and August were adorable. Their friendship was easy from day one. He fit into the group even though they’d know each other all their lives. It’s clear he’s damaged in some way...something happened in his life that upset his whole world. He’s standoffish. And she is a bright light. Someone who loves everyone and only wants the best for them. She has a great family and group of friends.
Sophie comes up with the plan to raise money for the band to make it to the Tournament of Roses Parade. She finds out they’ll be short money and figures the best way is to get the famous singer, Megan Pleasant, to play a concert. And while this is made to seem like the book’s focus, it is so not! It’s more of the group of friends and their history and dynamic. Interspersed through the book are texts with Ciara, Sophie’s older sister. Because of all of this, we get to know these characters as those they’re real people. It truly feels as though they HAVE known each other for 16-17 years.
Brit was my favorite character for most of the book. Her humor is outstanding. And I loved her dedication to her cause. It wasn’t until the end when I realized how volatile she could be that I had to question my feelings. But no one is important. She may seem like she cares about nothing, but it’s clear she does...more than she shows. And in that way, I relate to her.
August’s secret is revealed. And in a shocking twist, so is something we didn’t know about Sophie. I kinda halfheartedly guessed it, but not with any real meaningful way. And once confirmed, I was stunned. Saddened. And then all of her actions made so much more sense.
If you love fun coming-of-age tales, you’ll love this. I enjoyed it, but Foolish Hearts is still my favorite from Emma.
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.5 *Full review to come later. Thank you to Netgalley for this review copy*
Merged review:
3.5 Stars
This was my first Emma Mills book and she's definitely a distinct contemporary voice. This was an interesting read indeed. It was heartwarming and definitely had that small town feel. I loved the setting and how the love story unfolded. It tackled a lot of important issues, from grief to guilt and what a family truly is.
This one didn't blow me away, thought the twists at the end did enhance this read for me. It was a good contemporary, but nothing that absolutely blew me away. I think it's a great read if you're in the mood for a solid contemporary, but it won't find a place on my favorites shelf.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*
Merged review:
3.5 Stars
This was my first Emma Mills book and she's definitely a distinct contemporary voice. This was an interesting read indeed. It was heartwarming and definitely had that small town feel. I loved the setting and how the love story unfolded. It tackled a lot of important issues, from grief to guilt and what a family truly is.
This one didn't blow me away, thought the twists at the end did enhance this read for me. It was a good contemporary, but nothing that absolutely blew me away. I think it's a great read if you're in the mood for a solid contemporary, but it won't find a place on my favorites shelf.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*
emotional
funny
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
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book from the beginning until the end. Review to come :’) itsmanzar.wordpress.com & @lostpagesofbook at Instagram
First off, I don't know why this book is called Famous in a Small Town. The "famous" person isn't even really a character. Between that and the synopsis, the book was very misleading - at least to me. And there wasn't really a lot going on.
The blurb talks about Sophie trying to raise money so her band can play out of state. And yes, that's mentioned but wasn't really the plot. It almost seemed like it was added just to give something for Sophie to obsess over. Cause that's what Sophie was - obsessive. She wanted everything perfect and couldn't understand when people didn't share her views. Including her best friend, who was pretty horrible for a majority of the book. She has a shining moment at the end but I didn't feel like that made up for her cattiness the rest of the book.
I found it really hard to get into the book. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and no one seemed to ever want to talk, so the story was filled mostly with inside jokes and short sentences. I get that they have all known each other since birth, but the audience is meeting them for the first time. I just needed more.
The best part of the book for me was August's family. This plot point was the only thing that held substance and emotion. I wished we could have dived more into that family dynamic but it was just kind of glossed over at the end. I will say, this book did hint at serious issues but everything was so superficial that we never really got the feel and the emotion of these issues. A bit of a miss for me.
The blurb talks about Sophie trying to raise money so her band can play out of state. And yes, that's mentioned but wasn't really the plot. It almost seemed like it was added just to give something for Sophie to obsess over. Cause that's what Sophie was - obsessive. She wanted everything perfect and couldn't understand when people didn't share her views. Including her best friend, who was pretty horrible for a majority of the book. She has a shining moment at the end but I didn't feel like that made up for her cattiness the rest of the book.
I found it really hard to get into the book. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and no one seemed to ever want to talk, so the story was filled mostly with inside jokes and short sentences. I get that they have all known each other since birth, but the audience is meeting them for the first time. I just needed more.
The best part of the book for me was August's family. This plot point was the only thing that held substance and emotion. I wished we could have dived more into that family dynamic but it was just kind of glossed over at the end. I will say, this book did hint at serious issues but everything was so superficial that we never really got the feel and the emotion of these issues. A bit of a miss for me.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced