Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills follows Sophie, a girl who tries to raise money for her high school band by inviting a famous country musician to her hometown for a music competition. Unlike her sister, friends, and country singer THIS NAME, who seem to want our of Acadia as soon as possible, Sophie loves her hometown. Then, August, a new boy next door moves to town and shakes up Sophie's world. 

I've heard positive reviews about books by Emma Mills, so when I saw this title appear on NetGalley, I immediately requested it. When I started reading Famous in a Small Town, I questioned the hype. The story started slow and I couldn't connect with the characters. However, the second half of the book really improved the story for me and I ended up enjoying the book as a whole.

Like I mentioned earlier, this book started off extremely slow for me. Sophie is from a small town where nothing really happens and it seems like nothing really happens until about 35%-40% of the book, which is where I really found myself invested in the story according to my Kindle. At first, a lot of the character appeared really one dimensional. Her "good girl" friend Flora, her "bad girl" friend Brit, and the mysterious August all fell a little flat for me. Also, the synopsis led me to believe that inviting the famous musician back to town would be a bigger part in the story than it actually was, which made me confused why it took so long to get the ground running.

However, the story really picked up for and I understand why everything looked so cut and dry in the beginning of the story. The main character, Sophie, sees everything as black and white. She has an idyllic view of her town and other people. This point of view at the beginning of the story really spoke to her as a character. As the story goes along, a lot of town mysteries are revealed. Each character has a story that impacts them deeper than what they show on the surface, including Sophie herself, which led to a surprising twist near the end of the book.

Throughout the story, I found myself growing closer to Sophie and her friends. Their friendship is very authentic for high school students and I appreciated each character individually by the end of the novel. I liked finding out little details about each character to understand their motivations which carried the story along. 

I also found that I really enjoyed the overall message of this story. This is definitely a coming of age story where the main character is forced to realize the people and town she has known her entire life are not really what she knows them to be. Even though the books are fairly different this message reminded me of Save the Date by Morgan Matson, which I also enjoyed for this same reason. 

While this book started slowly for me, it was really worth it to see how everything came together at the end, even if it didn't turn out as I expected. I can definitely see myself picking up another book by this author. I give this book 3.5 out of five stars. 

Review will be posted on my blog on January 10, 2019.

Famous in a Small Town was my third book of 2019 and I am 3/3 for books that made me cry. But of the three, this was my favorite. I may have cried but I laughed a lot more. Emma Mills was a happy surprise when I read First and Then a while back and each of her books just gets better and better for me and Famous in a Small Town is no exception. Mills has again created a cast of characters that I want to spend more time with them. Snark and sass galore, complex relationships, secrets and sadness. Loved every second and I will definitely be buying a physical copy when it comes out!

If you haven't picked up any of Emma Mill's books before, Famous in a Small Town is a great place to start!

My rating is 4.5 out of 5 stars. This review is based off an arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for honest reviews.

Summary: Sophie loves her small town.  It has everything she needs, that is, until August moves in next door.  August is mysterious and appealing in a way Sophie is not used to and she knows she wants to find a way to spend as much time with him as possible.

Review: I have been in a major reading slump lately.  I haven't really enjoyed a book in the last few weeks so I found Famous in a Small Town to be a refreshing change.  This book had everything I needed to get me back on my reading track.  Famous in a Small Town is a sweet love story but also has complex characters with surprisingly deep backstory.  Sophie, her friends, and their small town have a full history filled with happy moments, loss and just a wee bit of scandal.  Their stories and their interactions make the book wonderfully realistic.  Mills created a perfect main character in Sophie.  She is struggling as her world changes in a way that she never wanted but can't stop.   She is strong with dreams that frighten her and a sad past that makes her feel like a girl that would have been in high school with you.  Her struggles feels so very real and makes her story so very compelling.  Yet, the best part of this book is the connection between August and Sophie.  They move through meeting, attraction, and possibly more with tender moments, spots of confusion, and hurt feelings that makes this book feel like the best kind of teen drama.  Mills' weaves the story, characters, and small town setting into a love story that hooks you on page one and doesn't let go until the sweet conclusion.

This was my first Emma Mills book to read & certainly won’t be my last. What a beautifully raw & enchanting story about friendship, the uncertainty of the unknown, & not being afraid of full honesty with the ones you love. There is so much goodness packed into this novel, the kind that felt realistic yet poetic. This is what contemporary YA is all about — feeling with your whole heart as you read.

One of my only complaints about Mills's Foolish Hearts (which I LOVE) is that there was just a little *too* much plot. In Famous in a Small Town, that problem is amplified to the point where it dampened my enjoyment. While I liked the small-town vibes and the complicated friendship/romantic dynamics, there were so many threads that just didn't make a cohesive whole (too many accidents, *way* too many tragic backstories and two plot twists, one of which just felt beside the point) and it didn't allow for enough in-depth exploration of each plot. I still had fun reading this, but it didn't quite reach the expectations set by Foolish Hearts.

Sophie is spending the summer before senior year in her tiny Illinois town hanging out with her best friends, working at Safeway, and trying to narrow down her college choices. That is until a mysterious new guy, August, moves in with the family she babysits for. August definitely has Sophie’s eye for more reasons than one - he is funny, cute, and is without a doubt hiding something - but what?

While befriending August and trying to figure out what makes him tick, Sophie discovers she has an even greater puzzle on her hands. Her high school marching band has been invited to participate in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. There’s just one little (big) problem - it will cost a lot of money for the band to march ... money they don’t have. What can they do to raise a lot of money in a short amount of time?

Acadia, Illinois may not be known for much, but it is the hometown of reality star turned country singer, Megan Pleasant. Sophie has the brilliant idea to ask Megan to come back to Acadia and sing at the town’s fall festival to help raise money for the marching band. But just how are they going to get the attention of a superstar? And why has there been a lot of publicity lately implying that Megan is leaving her roots and Acadia behind her? Will she even want to return to Acadia?

YA author Emma Mills returns with her latest novel, Famous in a Small Town. With memorable characters, heartfelt relationships, and small town feel-good vibes, Mills brings us a lot to love in her latest novel. The funny, yet touching Famous in a Small Town is strongest on the character development front - there’s witty dialogue, sincere feelings, and teenagers dealing with real issues between these pages. On the other hand, I felt a little misled by the synopsis. What promises to be a young girl’s hunt to track down a country superstar, ends up being a rather insignificant plot line. While the book is not at all bad without a Megan Pleasant-focused plot, I didn’t read the story I expected to, so it took me awhile to wrap my mind around the fact that this novel would stay rooted in its small town atmosphere as opposed to being drenched in superstar glamour.

When your attention is drawn away from Megan Pleasant’s celebrity, however, what you’re left with is an intriguing and fulfilling novel about a young girl sorting out her feelings about family, friends, boys, and life in general. There are even a couple of completely unexpected and well-disguised plot twists thrown in here. In all, read Famous in a Small Town if you enjoy poignant coming-of-age novels revolving around solid friendships and small town life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Emma Mills has yet to disappoint me with her books. Every book of hers manages to charm me in every way and Famous in a Small Town was no different.

Mills' biggest writing strength is friendship. I have adored one of her main characters so far, but for me, what take her books to the next level are the depictions of friendships. Sophie and her group of friends were a joyous and interesting bunch, who were all so well-developed. As we get to know Sophie, we also get to know her friends and their impacts on her life. I also love how true Emma Mills' books run true. I may no longer be a teenager, but the natural chemistry between the characters, the ups and downs they go through and just the flow of their conversations was very reminiscent of my teen days. I love that even though I'm moving further away from my teen years now, I can still very much relate to the characters and their circumstances. Sophie herself as the main character was a delight. She had me smiling at her sarcasm and had my heartwarming with the love that she had for her small town. I feel like in a lot of these books that take place in small towns, the characters can't wait to get out, so it was sweet and refreshing to see Sophie speak about how much she loved her town and how far she was willing to go for it.

As with Emma Mills' other books, we have another great slow-burning romance between Sophie and the new boy next door, August. He was quiet and shy, but so adorably precious. I loved watching him and Sophie interact and become close to each other. It was 100% one of the sweetest teen romances I have ever read. There was also a thread about a country star and her secrets that Emma and her friends slowly discover throughout the book, but I won't delve too much into that as I have to leave something for you all to look forward to! :)

All in all, Famous in a Small Town was a book that had me compulsively turning the pages, which isn't something that hasn't happened to me in a long time. Fans of Emma Mills will not be disappointed with this read!

Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing me this e-Arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 / 5 stars

Emma Mills delivers another amazing storyline and cast of characters in her latest book Famous in a Small Town. This novel focuses on a close-knit group of friends in the small town of Acadia. Acadia has a well-recognized band program that has been chosen to perform in the Rose Bowl parade. However, there is a funding issue for the band so Sophie must work to see her band through this obstacle.

Famous in a Small Town was a very nostalgic read for me. The band representation was accurate and well-included. I loved the continuous development of all the characters and how they all work together to make their friend group thrive. These characters know true friendship and how to talk out their problems to overcome potential issues. The characters learned from their mistakes and were able to recognize their wrongdoings and grow from this. I was surprised to see some more serious content included in a way that will truly make an impact to the reader. I adored all the characters and how Mills knew when to provide more serious moments versus the moments of humor and good times. This book was truly all that I wanted it to be and so much more.

The author creates this book to show more insight to small towns, true friendship, and finding yourself with a little help when needed. The overall plot and additional inclusions make a well-developed story that is truly well done. I will say that this book is a little mature in regard to language and some content. I would recommend that the reader be at least 16+ if I had to give an age range, but I also would be hesitant to put this in a younger classroom due to some of the included content.

Emma Mills has become a new favorite author, and Famous in a Small Town does not disappoint! It is a story of love and friendship and loneliness and acceptance all written in a funny and true narrative.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for an e-galley of this book. I was also lucky enough to share this with teens through and ARC club by Fierce Reads. I can say my teens are now taking turns reading Emma Mills other books.

I think this book is a true high school age read. So often YA can be taken over by both younger readers and adults. Not this one. This is perfect for a high school student looking for a light romance and friendship story. Nothing too heavy here but the language and partying definitely makes it most appropriate for 14&up. As an adult reader of YA it didn't have enough angst /issues for me . However, I can see handing this to reluctant teen readers.

The main storyline is about a group of band kids trying to raise $ to get to the Rose Bowl. I like that Emma focuses on these group of kids (her other stories were drama kids and fanfic kids) without making them seem different or geeky , It is just the group they feel a sense of belonging to. The characters are well developed, the dialogue is strong , and she highlights the ups & downs of friendships (and romance). This one did start out a little slow for me but in the second half there are so many surprises I will encourage my teen readers to stick with it.

Emma Mills always manages to make me laugh and cry when reading her books. This story focuses on Sophie trying to catch the attention of a now famous musician, who grew up in her town, to come back and raise money for her school's band to play in the Rose Parade. The story also focuses on Sophie and her group with a slow burn romance between her and the neighbors' brother who just moved to town. The banter between August and Sophie is quick, clever and the characters are so cute with each other. The story deals with loss, friendships, and explores non-traditional family relationships.

I used to read a lot of YA but in the last couple of years, my interest in them cooled off some but it seems to be back because this is the second YA book that I read in the last few weeks and I have another on my TBR pile. I tried to read Emma Mills when my interest in YA books was dimming and because of that, I wasn't in the mood to read the book. I feel like I should go back and give that book another go because I really enjoyed this one.

Sophie is in her high school band and she's in charge of the fundraising for the next school year. Her band won a slot in a huge competition at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California so it's going to be expensive to try to raise money to send all 100+ band members to California from their small town in Illinois. Sophie gets the idea of trying to locate and procure one of the country's biggest country stars who just so happens to be from her same hometown to come back home to do a concert that will help their band raise the necessary funds they need for their trip. It's not going to be easy because Sophie has no idea where to start to try to lock down Megan Pleasant but she turns to her friends for help and grudgingly, they help.

Sophie is a very busy young woman. She has multiple jobs, one of them being a babysitter and she babysits for Kyle and Heather once a week. When Kyle's younger brother comes to live with him, Sophie reaches out to him and invites him along with her and her friends so that he knows people when they start their senior year together in the fall. Sophie is attracted to Kyle's brother, August, but he keeps putting out that this stay in town is temporary and he's not trying to form any close attachments so anything developing between him and Sophie needs to stop. But the heart wants what it wants and Sophie and August burst onto the scene and Sophie hopes for the best.

I think fans of Sarah Dessen, Kasie West, and Meg Cabot will enjoy this book because it's such a sweetly written book about a young woman who loves big time and wants to help everyone that she could. Sophie was the kind of young adult protagonist that I adore. She was kind, honest, and strong. She lived her life with heart and my heart hurt for her with everything that she had working against her. From her issues with trying to locate Megan Pleasant, to her text messages with her mystery friend and then all of the stuff she went through with August, I just loved her more and more with each turn of the page. She really shined in this book and I'm glad that I read this one.

I'm definitely going to read more by Emma Mills. She won me over with this one.

<strong>Grade: 4 out of 5</strong>

what a cute story of romance and trying to save the band program to go to LA. I liked the romance and her doing all that she could to get Megan back to town for the band program. Loved the romance and friendships that I saw in the book.

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 put this one on your list. I really think you'll love it, too! But fair warning, you also might cry.

Every book she writes makes me love Emma Mills more and more. I swear, she writes books just for me, because each one leaves me warm and fuzzy and in a state of elation, and yes, she did it once again with Famous in a Small Town.

I am not even sure where to start here, because I loved so many things in this book, but it is my firm belief that it's the characters that standout the most in her stories.

As always, Mills assembled a cast of characters, who were interesting, witty, relatable, and essentially, people I would want to be friends with. But the strength was not in their individually, but rather in the friendship dynamic that existed between them. It was always a special treat, when Sophie and her whole squad were on page together. From the way they interacted and joked around, to they way they deeply understood each other was a thing of beauty. There was fun and snappy banter and lots of shenanigans, but there were also these really deep parts, which may or may not have caused me to shed a tear or two.

There are several different storylines in this book, and one of my favorites was Sophie's quest to get Acadia's most famous citizen, Megan Pleasant, to help their marching band raise money for their Rose Parade trip. This mission had her re-creating the week in Acadia per Pleasant's famous song, as well as searching for the reason Megan had not returned "home" in so long. I was pretty surprised by what Sophie discovered, and it was a lot of fun tagging along with the gang as they searched for the answers.

There was another big reveal, which made me gasp out loud. I did NOT see it coming, and was so surprised by the revelation, that yes, once again, I cried. Well done with this one, Emma Mills, because it packed such a punch in the feels for me.

And, because you all know I am all about the romance, I have to talk about Sophie and August. They hit it off right away, but August kept his distance. My heart broke a little for him, when I learned why he was trying to keep Sophie at arm's length, but I was still shipping these two. Let me tell you, they were adorable and precious and so much fun to see together. Their banter was fantastic, and I wore a stupid grin almost every time they interacted with each other.

Other things that made me grin:
• Fries with friends
• The girl in the blue boots
• Macaroni and cheese, the good kind, that you make on the stove
• The texts between Sophie and her sister
• Mullets!
• Teen Zone 2
• Rollin in the Cutlass
• Uncle August and his nieces ❤️

Overall: Another outstanding Emma Mills book, filled with family, friends, humor, and feels, lots and lots of feels.

I really like Emma Mills writing style. Her characters are very engaging with a lot of fast paced humorous dialogue. I points I found myself laughing out loud. In this story you will get to know Sophie and her group of friends. You'll root for her to succeed in helping her school band get to the Rose Bowl and root for her to get the guy. There are enough sub plots to keep the book from being too lighthearted. Pick up this book and give it a read. You'll be glad you did.

There was something about this book that didn't click with me. I had trouble connecting with the characters or truly caring about what they were doing. It felt like a collection of scenes to me instead of one flowing story. I think the short 1-2 page chapters really didn't help that at all. It took too long to get going but seemed rushed at the same time. My heart didn't skip a beat when Sophie and August were in a scene together. There was no real spark between them. The climax of the book was the probably the most interesting part but I was basically forcing myself to keep going. A lot of the story fell flat for me and it was simply average. I thought I would give Emma Mills another try with this book but all it did was disappoint me. I know she's capable of doing better as she's proved it with her other books. Hopefully this is a fluke and the next one turns out to be better.

Emma Mills has quickly become one of my favorite YA contemporary authors. She excels at writing dialogue and at creating characters who truly feel like real teenagers. I went into Famous in a Small Town fully ready to fall in love again, but unfortunately, this one slightly missed the mark for me.

For the first 100 pages or so, this was shaping up to be a five-star book. I mean, it has all of the things I love: small town coziness, friendship feels, witty dialogue, marching band, and country stars! However, while I love all of these pieces on their own, I don't feel that Mills was able to pull all of these disparate elements together in a cohesive way.

As always, I loved the characters in this story. Sophie, in particular, was such a wonderful MC. Her group of friends was a lovable crowd of band nerds who felt a lot like my group of friends in high school, which was fun. The friendships in Mills's books always deliver, and Famous was no exception on that front. I did like August, Sophie's love interest, overall, though I felt like he acted like a jerk on multiple occasions. His behavior felt like teenage mistakes, though, as opposed to actual being-a-jerk (does that even make sense???). In fact, all of the friends make mistakes and hurt each other, but they always learn from and apologize for the hurt they cause. The romance was a sweet friends-to-lovers pairing.

The dialogue, too, was a highlight of Famous (as it is with most of Mills's books!). All of her trademark snark and wit are present. I found myself laughing out loud every few pages because of a line or a comeback that completely took me by surprise.

A large issue I had with this stems from the pacing, I think. After reading the first third, I started to get a little worried, because it... didn't feel like anything was happening? And, don't get me wrong, I love a good slice-of-life contemporary, but Famous wasn't exactly that, either. It almost felt like there were too many competing plot points happening at once, and because of this, Mills didn't have the time to give any of them the development they needed. For example, the Meagan Pleasant plotline-- which to me, was one of the main draws of this book. However, it's hardly mentioned after the first 100 pages, and it almost felt as though Mills forgot about it until the end and was forced to hastily pull together an ending in the last few pages.

My main issue, though, has to do with a "plot twist" that's thrown in toward the last third of the book. It felt really cheap, not to mention unnecessary to the story or the characters. Honestly, it threw me so much that it truly dampened my enjoyment of the remainder of the book. I simply do not understand why this was included in the book at all, if I'm being honest.

Overall, though I'll continue to pick up whatever Emma Mills writes in the future, Famous in a Small Town missed the mark for me.

I have really enjoyed all of Emma Mills’ books. They don’t blow me away, but she writes some fun and cute contemporary novels with characters that feel real. I had some mixed feelings about this one. I really liked the beginning, but slowly lost interest as we went along. I did enjoy the ending, but the middle was just sort of meh.

WHAT I LIKED:
The chapters were short, I read most of this during my lunch breaks at work and with the short chapters, I could easily get to a chapter break when I had to go back to work.

Sophie was a great main character
She takes charge, is such a hard worker, and is so passionate.
I loved seeing a character that loves her friends so much

The Conlin family

August (some of the time) I loved when he and Sophie were joking around—they had some great lines together

I am trash for the whole “damaged boy comes to town” trope

The fact that they all are “Band Geeks” was so endearing and fun
That they are raising money for the Rose Parade is so much fun (maybe more for me because I went to the parade a couple years ago)

The Megan Pleasant storyline and how it got wrapped up
The Seven Days of Megan Pleasant was awesome and I wish it had been longer than one chapter.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:
Her friends. They were great at times, but they were so critical of things that Sophie was passionate about. I get the whole teasing dynamics of friend groups, but they were downright cruel at times.
(and are we supposed to be okay with this just because they were there for her in the end)
I got that they cared for Sophie, but I hated that they needled her so much for being “Type A” and “caring”. They also kept saying she cared TOO much, like sucks that someone in your life cares about you.

August (some of the time) He was just kind of meh at times?

The thing with her sister, it felt oddly tragic and I did not feel as if what happened was explained well. I was a little confused due to the timing was happening during those scenes.

I want to talk a little more about the friendship dynamic because I am not sure if I am over reacting because I have had friends in my life who don’t care about things I am passionate about and who are dismissive of me so maybe I was just bringing my baggage into the novel. But, Sophie is so organized and cares so much about Britt and her other friends. Maybe she is clinging to the people she is close to because of her family dynamic. But, I really wish her friends appreciated her more. Friends that hold your hair up when you throw up are real friends, but when they are constantly needling you for caring about THEM and trying to help a cause that you are passionate about…They just didn’t not seem like real friends to me. They trashed her desire to stay close to home, which you learn why she wants to stay local later on. Thank goodness August stood up for her. I just wish Emma Mill’s had presented their friendship differently. I think in her mind, they are a really solid group of friends and I did like a lot of their scenes and moments, but when it came to being supportive of Sophie, it did not feel real to me.

This was my first book by Emma Mills and I would definitely read more from her. The book told a sweet tale of growing up in a small town and the steps one takes to reach goals. The relationships between characters were well developed and relatable. There were several reveals that I did not see coming and some that I did but all were believable. I would definitely recommend as a "clean"er read for high schoolers.