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poorsapadvocate's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? No
4.5
What a sweet story this was. This book absolutely feels like a summer trip to your favorite theme park or county fair. As someone who has had family work at theme parks, I have seen firsthand how having the magic revealed to you and having to put up with spoiled guests all day can ruin your enjoyment. But Emmett never falters on his dreams no matter how many obstacles are in his way. And Luke is the perfect counterpart to that, someone who has had his dreams dashed but learns to open himself up and pursue his dreams in earnest. He is cynical, but he's not without hope. The two's chemistry is also pitch-perfect. The problems that arise in their relationship are perfectly natural considering that Luke fears coming out in the middle of the deep south, and Kennedy does a perfect job balancing just how much understanding but also frustration Emmett has about having to hide his boyfriend from the world. And when the two are allowed to hide from the world, their romance is sweeter than a Dole Whip. Unfortunately, there is one thing that brings this book down quite a bit for me. Without giving too much away, I saw the twist coming a mile away. I saw the twist coming by chapter 2, before there was even a plot to twist. And maybe that was the point. I'm not a big romance person, so if I see a twist coming that means it is a Tennessee Tornado-sized spiro-loop. Admittedly, there is no way Emmett and Luke could have known that, but it does make the whole A-plot feel kind of forced, especially with the way Emmett's story unfurls. By the time the twist finally does comes, there is very little time to wrap up all remaining plot-lines, especially Luke's. If I could give this book a 4.5, I would. But I prefer to scale up my reviews if I find myself with a half rating, and I think this book should be read. This is the perfect book to read during you summer road trips or while waiting in line for your favorite attractions.
Content Warnings
Minor: Chronic illness and Homophobia
piperclover's review
This was actually pretty good but I just fell out of it and couldn't stay invested enough once it hit the upswing in the plot. The characters were cute and the story was interesting and ill definitely try again in a few weeks
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-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
4.0
Emmett's dream is to become country's biggest gay superstar. Which is difficult when you're a teenager living in Illinois. So when a summer opportunity came up to perform at Wanda World in Tennessee, Emmett jumps at the chance. After all, Wanda Jean Stubbs is one of country music's biggest stars and Emmett's idol. It's the perfect opportunity to get discovered.
Oppositely, Luke hates country music. Given his family's history with country music, Luke knows how much pain the fame can bring. But as his mom's medical bills continue to build up, he takes a job at Wanda World for the summer. It's there he meets Emmett, and there are sparks. And maybe something more?
Thanks to NetGalley and HaperCollins for an advanced copy of this to review! From the description, I thought this seemed like a great summer romance, and I was correct! If you're looking for a book to add to your Pride Month TBR, this one definitely fits the bill.
Luke and Emmett live very different lives, but I loved the dynamic together. Neither of them were really looking for a summer romance. However, it unfolds naturally between them. Right from their first meeting, you're rooting for them. Even if it wasn't necessarily the meet cute that you were expecting. It was awkward and teenager-like and I found it so endearing.
There's also a bit of mystery and intrigue with Luke's family history, and it added another element to the romance. Plus, Wanda was just a great character, and if you're a fan of Dolly Parton at all, you're sure to love her. Honestly, if you like country music in any capacity, you'll find a lot to love here. And if you don't like country music, the characters are sure to still pull you in.
All in all, if you're looking for a fun romance to add to your TBR this summer, definitely pick this one up!
Oppositely, Luke hates country music. Given his family's history with country music, Luke knows how much pain the fame can bring. But as his mom's medical bills continue to build up, he takes a job at Wanda World for the summer. It's there he meets Emmett, and there are sparks. And maybe something more?
Thanks to NetGalley and HaperCollins for an advanced copy of this to review! From the description, I thought this seemed like a great summer romance, and I was correct! If you're looking for a book to add to your Pride Month TBR, this one definitely fits the bill.
Luke and Emmett live very different lives, but I loved the dynamic together. Neither of them were really looking for a summer romance. However, it unfolds naturally between them. Right from their first meeting, you're rooting for them. Even if it wasn't necessarily the meet cute that you were expecting. It was awkward and teenager-like and I found it so endearing.
There's also a bit of mystery and intrigue with Luke's family history, and it added another element to the romance. Plus, Wanda was just a great character, and if you're a fan of Dolly Parton at all, you're sure to love her. Honestly, if you like country music in any capacity, you'll find a lot to love here. And if you don't like country music, the characters are sure to still pull you in.
All in all, if you're looking for a fun romance to add to your TBR this summer, definitely pick this one up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual content and Terminal illness
Minor: Outing
thelovelylibrarylady's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? No
3.0
I am always cautious when I am reading an author's debut novel, even more so when that novel falls under the YA genre. It is hard to write YA and sometimes it can take a few stories for an author to get comfortable with it. A Little Bit Country is not a bad book by any means. The story itself is pretty creative and unique. However, the writing was not great. Kennedy, the author, tackled too many storylines and characters for a 350-page book. With that being said I would give his writing another chance in the future because I feel like he has more to bring to the LGBTQ+ fiction genre at the YA level.
(PUB DATE: 05/31/2022)
(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)
(PUB DATE: 05/31/2022)
(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Homophobia and Religious bigotry
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours, Netgalley, and Harper Collins for an arc of this book.
Emmett is looking to become country's biggest gay music star and moves to Jackson Hollow for a summer job at a country-singer-themed amusement park to try and make his dreams come true. There he meets Luke, working at a restaurant and hiding so many parts of himself from his mom to save her from hurt. They come up with a plan for Emmett to use Luke's nana's old lyrics to get ahead and get Luke money for his family.
This was very cute. I will be the first to say that I know so very little about country music that I actually wasn't sure if Wanda Jean Stubbs was a real person or not at first. But that didn't matter. Luke and Emmett were both very cute characters and I enjoyed the journey.
This dealt with some big themes about coming out and religious bigotry and being yourself in a small town. I definitely enjoyed the ride!
Emmett is looking to become country's biggest gay music star and moves to Jackson Hollow for a summer job at a country-singer-themed amusement park to try and make his dreams come true. There he meets Luke, working at a restaurant and hiding so many parts of himself from his mom to save her from hurt. They come up with a plan for Emmett to use Luke's nana's old lyrics to get ahead and get Luke money for his family.
This was very cute. I will be the first to say that I know so very little about country music that I actually wasn't sure if Wanda Jean Stubbs was a real person or not at first. But that didn't matter. Luke and Emmett were both very cute characters and I enjoyed the journey.
This dealt with some big themes about coming out and religious bigotry and being yourself in a small town. I definitely enjoyed the ride!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Outing
aiyam's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
4.5
This book is just so cute. The setting is adorable, the characters are sweet, and the overall vibe of the book is love above all else.
Luke and Emmet are a match made in heaven. The rough, world on his shoulders country boy falling for the city boy with big dreams of being a music star is a story I didn't know I needed until now. The southern aesthetic, recipes, and culture truly make this book unique. I'm begging y'all, we need more queer southern stories, this book was just so good.
The story is centered around finding yourself, figuring out who you are with and without outside influence. It's a coming of age novel but it manages to avoid a lot of the tired clichés. I really loved Luke's development, and his relationship with his mother as it progressed across the book. His dreams of being a chef contrasted with the reality of needing to support his family is such a relatable storyline and I felt that it was very realistic and well done.
Kennedy wrote such a gorgeous love story, I will absolutely be on the lookout for more books from this author. I especially recommend this story to anyone who loves Dolly Parton, the parallels between her and Wanda Jean are so fun.
Luke and Emmet are a match made in heaven. The rough, world on his shoulders country boy falling for the city boy with big dreams of being a music star is a story I didn't know I needed until now. The southern aesthetic, recipes, and culture truly make this book unique. I'm begging y'all, we need more queer southern stories, this book was just so good.
The story is centered around finding yourself, figuring out who you are with and without outside influence. It's a coming of age novel but it manages to avoid a lot of the tired clichés. I really loved Luke's development, and his relationship with his mother as it progressed across the book. His dreams of being a chef contrasted with the reality of needing to support his family is such a relatable storyline and I felt that it was very realistic and well done.
Kennedy wrote such a gorgeous love story, I will absolutely be on the lookout for more books from this author. I especially recommend this story to anyone who loves Dolly Parton, the parallels between her and Wanda Jean are so fun.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
bookstarbri's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.75
My favorite thing is when you’ve been really looking forward to a book for months and when you finally get your hands on it, it matches all of your expectations and more and you just wanna hold onto the book and never let it go :’)
This book was so much fun. A lot of the romances I prefer when reading are slow burn, and though this wasn't slow burn, I still appreciated the progression of Luke and Emmett's relationship. I love them both dearly but I think Luke was my favorite character throughout this whole book. He was the sweetest borderline grumpy cowboy who just wanted to help his family. However, I adored Emmett so much because he was the dreamer who Luke really needed. They balanced each other and I liked seeing how they subtly changed in positive ways because of one another's influence.
Having lived in a rural, Southern environment, I related a lot to the Southern "aesthetic" used in this book. I thought that was really well done. Especially being a secret country-music lover I really related to that and I LOVED the original lyrics in this book especially the few we get that are entirely Emmett's. I appreciated so much in this book especially when it didn't go in directions I thought it would. A lot of things I predicted, but a lot of things surprised me (in the best way). But I especially loved the storyline about Wanda Jean and her past that we got. I won't spoil it, but I'm happy that it went the way it did.
A Little Bit Country made me so happy and it was such a breath of fresh air and sweet romance. Its themes centering around identity and being who you are openly and wanting to share yourself with the world was gorgeous. There were so many important themes in here and with a Dollywood-esque setting, what's not to love about this book?
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This book was so much fun. A lot of the romances I prefer when reading are slow burn, and though this wasn't slow burn, I still appreciated the progression of Luke and Emmett's relationship. I love them both dearly but I think Luke was my favorite character throughout this whole book. He was the sweetest borderline grumpy cowboy who just wanted to help his family. However, I adored Emmett so much because he was the dreamer who Luke really needed. They balanced each other and I liked seeing how they subtly changed in positive ways because of one another's influence.
Having lived in a rural, Southern environment, I related a lot to the Southern "aesthetic" used in this book. I thought that was really well done. Especially being a secret country-music lover I really related to that and I LOVED the original lyrics in this book especially the few we get that are entirely Emmett's. I appreciated so much in this book especially when it didn't go in directions I thought it would. A lot of things I predicted, but a lot of things surprised me (in the best way). But I especially loved the storyline about Wanda Jean and her past that we got. I won't spoil it, but I'm happy that it went the way it did.
A Little Bit Country made me so happy and it was such a breath of fresh air and sweet romance. Its themes centering around identity and being who you are openly and wanting to share yourself with the world was gorgeous. There were so many important themes in here and with a Dollywood-esque setting, what's not to love about this book?
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
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