Series: None
Author: Emma Mills
Published January 15th 2019 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Goodreads Synopsis
For Sophie, small town life has never felt small. With her four best friends—loving, infuriating, and all she could ever ask for—she can weather any storm. But when Sophie’s beloved Acadia High School marching band is selected to march in the upcoming Rose Parade, it’s her job to get them all the way to LA. Her plan? To persuade country singer Megan Pleasant, their Midwestern town’s only claim to fame, to come back to Acadia to headline a fundraising festival.
The only problem is that Megan has very publicly sworn never to return.
What ensues is a journey filled with long-kept secrets, hidden heartbreaks, and revelations that could change everything—along with a possible fifth best friend: a new guy with a magnetic smile and secrets of his own.
Goodreads
Review
I can't remember just why I started reading Emma's books, but I have never been disappointed with any other them, and she's now one of my auto-buy authors. When this book was first announced, I pre-ordered it, even without really looking at the synopsis. Famous in a Small Town follows Sophie (fantastic name, if I do say so) who is in charge of the school's marching band, and they've just been picked for a prestigious opportunity of performing at a local parade. However, the cost of the trip is more than the budget of the school, so she's trying to think of ways to fundraise. The perfect idea - invite country sensation, Megan Pleasant, back to town for a festival, especially considering she was born and raised there. Megan, though, shies away from the limelight, and once said she would never go back to Acadia, so Sophie has quite the uphill battle on her hands.
Sophie was such a lovely character, who only wanted what was best for her city, even if it was at the detriment to herself, and took all her energy to complete. She's fiercely loyal to her friendship group, who are all fantastic in their own right, and friendship is such a key theme. When August arrives in town, he soon ingratiates himself in their friendship group, but the chemistry is tangible from the first meeting, and he and Sophie was really cute together. A slow burning romance - which I love - they tried to just be friends, rather than complicate things further, but their romance was undeniable. As with all teenagers, there is tension within the friendship group - all make mistakes, it's a fact of life, but this book helped to show that when mistakes happen, as long as you talk through them, it could all be alright in the end. I've already got the next book, Lucky Caller, pre-ordered, and expect to love that book as much as all of Emma's previous books.
Dates Read:
January 22-24, 2019Rating
5 Stars
