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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
3.5 stars. This book was really, really good. The characters felt realistic and each had their own distinctive personality. I never got confused about who was speaking because each character had a strong enough voice that you knew who was talking. Our main character is 100% a flawed and realistic teenager. She makes mistakes and goes through trials and tribulations. August was honestly such a sweet love interest and he actually had some depth to him. I think he deserves a book on his own because there are so many things I want to know about him. he was far more interesting than Sophie which isn't always a bad thing. Sophie is a refreshing character in YA. She's not arrogant or cocky like some female characters, is strong in ways other than physical and USES HER BRAIN. I love her.
I think the portrayal of teenagers was done well here. There was no use of slang which could make this become outdated and it wasn't like the author was forcing down the fact that they were teenagers. Every YA contemporary NEEDS to take notes from Emma Mills here. She gets it!
As for the plot, I think the ending was a bit rushed and somethings just didn't settle right with me. It wasn't exactly bad but I do think we could have spent more time on the ending. My favorite part of the plot was certainly the middle. There was tons of character growth during this point and it never slagged or was dull. A little note: this is less about a crazy adventure to get Megan Pleasant and more about teenagers growing up and figuring things out. It has some darker elements which I was not expecting but 100% made the story more complex and interesting.
I enjoyed learning more about Acadia, Meagan Pleasant and I like the little glimpses of town life we got. I hope Emma Mills writes in this town/about these characters again because the story was so well written. I may pick up more of Emma's books if she has any! I have high hopes for this author and I'm not a huge contemporary fan :)
I think the portrayal of teenagers was done well here. There was no use of slang which could make this become outdated and it wasn't like the author was forcing down the fact that they were teenagers. Every YA contemporary NEEDS to take notes from Emma Mills here. She gets it!
As for the plot, I think the ending was a bit rushed and somethings just didn't settle right with me. It wasn't exactly bad but I do think we could have spent more time on the ending. My favorite part of the plot was certainly the middle. There was tons of character growth during this point and it never slagged or was dull. A little note: this is less about a crazy adventure to get Megan Pleasant and more about teenagers growing up and figuring things out. It has some darker elements which I was not expecting but 100% made the story more complex and interesting.
I enjoyed learning more about Acadia, Meagan Pleasant and I like the little glimpses of town life we got. I hope Emma Mills writes in this town/about these characters again because the story was so well written. I may pick up more of Emma's books if she has any! I have high hopes for this author and I'm not a huge contemporary fan :)
4.5 stars. I love the feeling I get from reading Emma Mills' books. They are the classic YA type -- set late in high school, with the future barrelling toward you -- but they are so sweet and heartfelt and personally relatable. I love the finely-drawn, complex friendships in all of Mills' work, but especially here. I did tear up a few times in this book, which I stayed up late to finish after checking it out from the library after going to the gym today. I didn't see the main plot twist coming at all, either!
This was the last Emma Mills book I had in my TBR pile and I am kinda sad now. I just love her books and this might be my favorite? At the very least it’s on par with This adventure ends which I just fell in love with in the first page. This had the same feel, that tight knit friendship group that I just love. The characters man. The characters in her books just continue to be some of my favorite ever, I always connect so hard with them and they always make me feel all the things.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I usually love Emma Mills but this falls flat for me. Maybe I have grown up and become jaded but I didn’t love this. The main character, Sophie is relatable in her grief but at the same time difficult to love. She experiences little to no character growth but people around her act like she does. Her friends keep saying that she is the world’s most loving and caring person but I don’t see it. She is in her own head to the point she makes this great statement “There isn’t racism in Arcadia” a statement our main character never apologizes for even addresses. If you are a straight white girl who lives in a small town, and the world revolves around you this is the book for you. If you’re anyone else I’d skip it.
I was prepared to like this book, but it never really felt like it got off the ground for me. It's a great case-study in friendship, but it never felt like much of anything happened. And then everything sort of wrapped up too quickly at the end. So, maybe the pacing just needed to be evened out? There also felt like there were too many characters; it was hard to care about them without really ever getting to know them. Like Brit, I have no idea who she is, but I was supposed to care about her reaction to her brother's injury, which had an entire backstory I feel like i didn't really understand. Also: do I like August? I'm pretty sure I don't. He's a dick for MOST of the book. And Megan? WTF. That whole storyline was WEIRD. And wrapped up completely absurdly.
This book was as great as I expected it to be. Seriously, if you haven’t read a book by Emma Mills, you’re missing out. They all have a magical touch, almost as if it were a fantasy—but they’re not. They’re all contemporary and have the most wonderful friendships. This book was everything I needed her newest book to be. I loved it so much.
*** 2.5 STARS ***
I listened to the audiobook of Famous in a Small Town and it was a very quick and easy read but I unfortunately, had my problems with this novel.
Firstly, there were so many characters in this book that were introduced right in the first few chapters and it just took me so long to learn to distinguish between them. Furthermore, I also felt like the plot of this book was a bit all over the place. The premise of Famous in a Small Town is that the female main character Sophie is part of her High School's marching band which has been selected to march in the Rose Parade in Los Angeles. But to get there, they need to raise money and so Sophie has the idea to convince country singer Megan Pleasant - who grew up in Acadia just as Sophie but turned her back on the town when she became famous - to give a concert during their fundraising festival. However, all of that moved into the background quite quickly and was only occasionally mentioned. Instead, the novel mostly was about the story of the new guy August that had just moved to town and his relationship with Sophie and so overall, it just wasn't a very gripping and interesting read.
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I listened to the audiobook of Famous in a Small Town and it was a very quick and easy read but I unfortunately, had my problems with this novel.
Firstly, there were so many characters in this book that were introduced right in the first few chapters and it just took me so long to learn to distinguish between them. Furthermore, I also felt like the plot of this book was a bit all over the place. The premise of Famous in a Small Town is that the female main character Sophie is part of her High School's marching band which has been selected to march in the Rose Parade in Los Angeles. But to get there, they need to raise money and so Sophie has the idea to convince country singer Megan Pleasant - who grew up in Acadia just as Sophie but turned her back on the town when she became famous - to give a concert during their fundraising festival. However, all of that moved into the background quite quickly and was only occasionally mentioned. Instead, the novel mostly was about the story of the new guy August that had just moved to town and his relationship with Sophie and so overall, it just wasn't a very gripping and interesting read.
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This is my second Emma Mills book, and I loved it. It was funny, poignant, and the characters felt like real people. Like friends. It was a great book to read while traveling.