Famous in a Small Town

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 <i>Foolish Hearts</i> is still my favorite from Emma.

This book was so much fun and so sweet. I loved all the characters because they felt real. The plot was interesting, and kept me guessing. The writing was excellent and Emma Mills is one of my favorite authors. The romance was insanely sweet. Recommend for fans of YA Contemporary.

The writing feels a bit disjointed and sluggish at times, but FAMOUS IN A SMALL TOWN is still very good. The characters are fully fleshed out, the friendships are genuine, and the dialogue is on point.Bonus points: multiple plot reveals that I didn't see coming.

Absolutely loved this! I didn't even read the synopsis before knowing I wanted to read this. Emma Mills writes fantastic contemporary YA books, and does an exceptional job with friendships, and this was no different. It has a great group of friends and I'd actually really love to see a book about each one because we learn so much about them and fall in love with all of them but there's still so much I don't know about them that I want to! Also, this book is more than just one thing. It's about friends but it's also a romance and coming-of-age story with some mystery and famous singers and secrets and drama and mostly love. Definitely grab this one. I really think you'll love it, too! But fair warning, you also might cry.

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 had a good beginning and ending, but a way slow middle. However, closer to the ending a little nugget of info drops that completely changes the whole story. It made me look back and think, ah, that's crazy, that changes a lot of what's happening. But to get to that point, there were a lot of slow parts, pointless scenes, and go-nowhere dialogue. I definitely liked Foolish Hearts a lot more than this one.

Oh Emma Mills, such cute and easy read contemporaries. <3On a completely semi unrelated note I wish the hardcover had a fun design like the others. But I will always pick up Emma's books for a pick me up.

Love this author, love that this book was more than I originally thought. I also love that my family is from the same area, right along I-70 and this brought back great memories.