Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills
Publisher: Henry Holt
Publish Date: January 15, 2019
Synopsis: For Sophie, small-town life has never felt small. She has the Yum Yum Shoppe, with its famous fourteen flavors of ice cream; her beloved marching band, the pride and joy of Acadia High (even if the football team disagrees); and her four best friends, loving and infuriating, wonderfully weird and all she could ever ask for.
Then August moves in next door. A quiet guy with a magnetic smile, August seems determined to keep everyone at arm’s length. Sophie in particular.
Country stars, revenge plots, and a few fake kisses (along with some excellent real ones) await Sophie in this hilarious, heartfelt story.
Disclosure: ARC provided for an honest review. #partner
First thing to know about this review: Emma Mills can do no wrong IMO. I LOVED THIS SO MUCH.
It was the perfect book to read at the time. I was out of town, and stressed out from post-holiday everything. The universe just knew I needed something sweet, with a bit of angst, and just overall amazing. Emma Mills knows that secret recipe, and I’m here for it.
In Famous in a Small Town, Mills writes about the new guy in town and the girl next door into a merry mix. She always manages to find the perfect balance of emotion, humor, and romance to truly engage me. There’s just enough amount of this and that. Regardless if I don’t normally read contemporary, Mills will always be an automatic yes.
Sophie is a people pleaser, putting forth 100% effort and 100% gumption into the mix. Amidst their summer break, she had goals and ambitions. As someone who hasn’t been high school for a long time, it boggled my mind. She knew what she wanted in her mind and she aimed to make it happen.
August. I will not spoil anything about him, but know that I love him. August and Sophie? I totally ship them.
The group of friends that surrounded Sophie and August were the perfect supporting cast. Each with their own personality with their own quick-wit and humor. I want to be a part of Teen Zone 2.
This was about belonging to something, anything, and finding your own identity throughout it all. It’s that real lesson to have to like what’s on the inside. To not identify with the envelope. It took them far, but it’s not who they are. At the end of the story, it wasn’t who they are, it’s what they did.
Loved, loved, LOVED this. I hope you do as well.
*Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*