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A review by mfumarolo
Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills
4.0
Oh this book! Just what I was needing on a bitterly cold winter weekend. First of all, this is a little thing, but thank you Emma Mills for setting a story in Illinois somewhere other than Chicago! Though I'm a suburbanite who often just says I'm from Chicago when I travel because it's easier, I lived downstate for 4 years in college and I'm just not someone with a terribly urban soul - I like my wide open spaces, as does Sophie, our protagonist.
This book was full of things I love - authentic-feeling friendships, marching band, dialogue that *actually* sounds like the way teenagers talk, a bit of romance that in no way overwhelmed the story. It felt like my high school experience. The only part that sort of had me going "ehhh" was a reveal toward the end that I didn't anticipate because it felt like it came out of nowhere and I'm not convinced it added much to the story. However, besides that, I loved it and would absolutely buy it in libraries where contemporary YA is popular!
This book was full of things I love - authentic-feeling friendships, marching band, dialogue that *actually* sounds like the way teenagers talk, a bit of romance that in no way overwhelmed the story. It felt like my high school experience. The only part that sort of had me going "ehhh" was a reveal toward the end that I didn't anticipate because it felt like it came out of nowhere and I'm not convinced it added much to the story. However, besides that, I loved it and would absolutely buy it in libraries where contemporary YA is popular!