**I received an ARC from the publisher (Thank you, Henry Holt!). These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**
Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills
Release Date: January 15, 2019
My Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 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.
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I'm partially rewriting this review for a third time after reading it again; it's taken me that long to really put into words how much I love this book. I've quickly fallen in love with all of Emma Mills's works. All of her books are just so good and evocative and heartfelt. Each new book just gets better and better, and Famous in a Small Town is no exception: this is my new favorite Emma Mills book, which I didn't think possible.Now that being said, I don't want to completely compare all of her books, but I will say that Famous in a Small Town has diverged from its predecessors. Mills's three previous works feature a main character who doesn't realize she's discontent until she meets a new group of people and falls in love with them. In short, she's the newcomer. However, in this book, Sophie has a group of friends and a place in her life; she knows what she's doing and what she wants to do, which is a bit of a change compared to the past protagonists. This time, the newcomer is the love interest, which changes the dynamic of the group more.
Famous in a Small Town also has a darker tone, in my opinion. Of course, it has its hilarious moments (I was actually laughing out loud at some points) and its cute moments (I couldn't stop smiling), but it also deals with heavier issues: of loss, of family, of desire.
Because that's what this book is about, at its core: wanting so badly to do the most for the ones and the things you love. That's really all Sophie wants to do: she wants to raise enough money for the band to go to the Rose Parade, so she starts the Megan Pleasant plot; she wants all of her friends to be happy, so she mediates the fights; she wants to make August feel welcome no matter what, so she invites him along until he goes. She's such a good person, as other characters tell her, and I loved it. I love her!
It's not selfish to want people in your life who care about you.One of the things I loved the most about Famous in a Small Town is that it doesn't put down small town life. Most YA books you read about being from a small town always features a protagonist who wants nothing more than to leave said small town. However, here, Sophie likes being from Acadia; it's always been enough for her, and I found that very refreshing.
I also loved the friend group more than I possibly thought I could. Sophie's dynamic with her friends is amazing; they've known each other for so long, and they have so many memories and inside jokes. Only Emma Mills could write such hilarious banter so succinctly to make you laugh, and then bring it up later when you've almost forgotten it to make you laugh again. The found family trope is so strong and totally did not make me cry :'))) And they're all so accepting of August, who also fits into their weird little group.
"I have to warn you, I'm an incredible bowler," August said. "Like, truly, staggeringly talented."He bowled an impressive five gutter balls in a row."Is that what you mean by staggeringly talented?"He grinned. "Yeah. I'm the best worst bowler in the world. Try to find a worse bowler than me."The romance was SO cute. I really can't believe Emma Mills keeps giving us soft boys and I love it. And we may or may not get a lot of kisses [insert smirking face]. It's also hinted that Sophie likes boys and girls because she talks about past crushes (although I asked the author, she says she wouldn't consider Sophie bi or pan just because it's not said in canon, which I agree with). One of her friends is also said to have had crushes/flings with boys and girls, although again, no label is specified in canon.
Everything in this book just fits together so well; the plot to get a famous country star back to town, Sophie's love for marching band, her texts with her sister. Emma Mills has done it again and given us another textual masterpiece. I can't wait for everyone to be able to read this sweet, angsty, hilarious, swoonworthy book and fall in love with it just like I did.
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About the Author: Emma Mills is the author of First & Then, This Adventure Ends, and Foolish Hearts. She lives in Indianapolis, where she is currently pursuing a PhD in cell biology.
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