Thank you to The Publisher and NetGalley for a copy.

This is a book of small stories whose characters all intertwine. You get small snippets from different small town. There's at least one character in each story that is mentioned or focused on in the other stories. Its was an interesting take on how small towns everyone knows each other and brings it to the next step of some times this branches out to other small towns as well.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have never ever read a Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock book and after reading Everyone dies Famous in a Small Town, its clear I was missing out. You could say that this is a book of short stories, and it sort of is, but the characters are all interwoven and the story flows. I was afraid I would get lost or that the many different stories would distract me, but it didn't. Its a great book that makes me miss small town life.

I fell more in love with these stories, the deeper I got into the book. I wish I had diagrammed how all of them overlap and how the characters weave together. Beautiful. Such a beautiful tapestry. I look forward to doing that on the second read.

There is such a longing in each of these stories. Each character longs to be understood, seen, valued, but something or someone is missing. Such a perfect theme for a young adult collection.

Eager to get this into students' hands.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Children's for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the book.!! What drew me to this novel at first was the cover art and the title which led me to go into the novel with no expectations. I read this book in one sitting as I found the stories compelling especially when the ending revealed the way all these stories were intertwined. The short stories were riveting, well-written and featured deep characters that made the experience of reading so enjoyable. Bonnie - Sue Hitchcock is a gifted writer and I look forward to her future works!!

Oh my goodness! Traveling between Alaskan woods to isolated, beautiful Pacific beaches and being introduced to vivid, original, quirky characters, diving into interesting, varied topics including wildfires, a mermaid, basketball bears gave me quality time . This was one of the reading experiences I’ve ever had!

It’s brilliant, unique, mind numbing! All those stories are missing pieces of the puzzle. You can read and enjoy them separately but as you realize the connections of them by catching the small details, you feel more satisfied and you adore the witty writing style of the author!

I’m telling you my friends, this book is precious gem! You cannot put it down, getting lost in the creative world building and rich characters and after finishing it you feel the ache deeply because you crave more, you need more stories! Best solution is retreading this beautiful journey!

I have amazing reading time and proudly grading this book with five creative, impressive, addictive, original stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s / Wendy Lamb Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

5 stars

Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock wrote a fabulous novel, and I couldn't wait to read more from her; that's why I was THRILLED to receive the arc for this collection.

Though they happen in different small towns, the stories in this grouping connect through the characters, who appear as primary or ancillary at different points. It's fascinating to piece together intentionally missed details. The settings are incredible, and one of Hitchcock's greatest talents absolutely lies in the ability to make the place a character and a central aspect of the human (and mermaid!) characters' lives and experiences.

There are so few noteworthy story collections in the YA realm. This one stands out not only for that reason but also undoubtedly on its own merit. Highly recommended -

Really enjoyed this book. The collection of short stories was really well written and I look forward to writing Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock's upcoming novels and stories.

Seemingly unrelated characters are all strung together by the thread of the small towns that they hail from. Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town is like a collection of short stories each having some common characters but all with unique stories. At first I found it confusing but once I realized that theme was across the book was just the small towns themselves it became fun to try to find the common threads. This is a great book definitely worth reading. The book does have some abuse that may trigger some readers.

A smart, compelling middle grade book. The title alone draws you in, and the cover is reminiscent of Edward Hopper's Nighthawks.

While I appreciated the ways in which the stories dovetailed together, it sometimes felt forced, and I did not necessarily enjoy a lot of the thornier topics they dealt with. However, if you're looking for more of a "serious" YA read, this will definitely hit the spot, and it's always great to see students exposed to short stories outside of teacher-assigned reading.

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town took my breath away and I read it in one sit. This is a beautifully created short story collection, with a unique form, as a series of vignettes. Readers meet one character in one story and then get more crucial information about them in a next. The author describes the characters with tenderness, understanding and compassion.
I admire Bonnie - Sue Hitchcock style of writing, poetic and elegant. This is one of those books one will always remember

Thank you to The Publisher and NetGalley for a copy.

Wildfire. Basketball Bears. A mermaid. Bonnie Sue Hitchcock’s Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town takes the reader from the beautifully rugged Alaskan woods to isolated Pacific beaches to tiny towns in the American west. In this collection of short stories, a cast of loosely connected characters make quick decisions with lasting impact: Ruby’s explosive revenge against a cheating boyfriend, Delia’s brave stand against abuse, and Finn’s rescue of a small child. In every story, a character chooses to move past hurt and misunderstanding and toward forgiveness, love and redemption. There’s a little bit of everything in this book. Readers will fall in love with the characters and want to know more when each story ends.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful collection of intertwined stories about life in small towns. I loved the descriptions of the towns and the time period when it was set. The writing was a little cheesy at times but overall really enjoyed.

This book is kinda an anthology/vignette collection - it episodically tells little slice of life stories from different kids’ lives, spanning different people, states, and experiences. They’re all a little bit connected, and the connection goes a little deeper with every story.

There’s not a huge storyline, nothing super pressing to get to the end quick about, but instead every story kind of wraps up nicely enough. It’s kind of just a book about the human experience. There’s a summer camp, a town obsessed with basketball, a town evacuated by a wildfire, a new girl who threatens a long term relationship... just stuff that could be happening any old day. But it was just really well-done and easy to read. I recommend it just because it was a cool reading experience.

#EveryoneDiesFamousinaSmallTown #NetGalley #LJDOD
I read this as an e-galley. With thanks to Random House Children's Books, my opinions are my own.

I helped a student the other day whose question was "are trigger warnings used outside of academia?" This book comes with one, because some of the interconnected stories deal directly with child abuse, and all of them deal with the direct and indirect effects of those experiences. However, the descriptions are not graphic, and no one should avoid the book because of the subject matter.

These stories are character driven, and the author succeeds in telling a complete story in each of the stories, the mark of good short stories, and a rare talent. The interconnections would make an interesting discussion topic, because some of them are subtle, and some are far-reaching.

Most of the teens in the stories are older, and the book lies in that borderland between teen and young adulthood making the book also accessible to adult readers interested in coming of age stories and small town life.

Despite the title, the setting is not as much of a focus as I expected, though some things are unique to the West and to the small town environment. The characters are well developed and interesting, and you are caught up in their world and their issues, none of which are trivial. Recommended.

Small towns can hide big secrets. Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town is a series of interconnected stories of towns and camps in Colorado, Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest. Sadness, regret, loneliness, love, anger, longing, and revenge all simmer below the surface, occasionally erupting in unforeseen ways. You might not like everyone in the book, but you'll understand them. The final chapter ties all of the stories together in a shocking, heartbreaking bow.

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town
by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
Pub Date 20 Apr 2021
read courtesy of http://www.netgalley.com

12 1/2 million stars!!!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

As in I wish I had written this. Or I wish I had the mind of Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock. These stories are brilliantly combined without being repetitive. Each story is complete within itself while implying the wholeness of the world in which it was created. Nothing left me questioning any of the characters, their motives, or their choices. I am completely impressed with Hitchcock's storytelling.

I'm hesitant to describe this as a book of short stories, and although some reviewers recommend reading these independently, I caution against it. Part of what made this engaging was experiencing the connections between seemingly independent characters and finding how intertwined our lives and experiences can be. With a bit of six-degrees-of-separation, we're all interconnected.

I absolutely loved the 9th story. SPOILER ALERT: It reminded me of the skillful storytelling of the movie "The Sixth Sense."

I think I had such a connection to the storytelling because I didn't know this was a collection of connected short stories, and the serendipity of discovering the existence of the connections myself was so enjoyable. This happened to me because I misinterpreted a description that said, "Each story is unique, yet universal," to mean the characters' stories, not literally separate short stories. I became so engaged with Hitchcock's adroitness in creating those connections that I took the time to map out all of the connections. This suited my personality, my skills, and my absorption with the stories. >>Do not look at this concept map if you want to figure out the connections on your own: https://www.mindmeister.com/1707227917?t=SEvUSMP5Sj

I wish I could pin point what makes Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock so compelling but everything about the book makes one want to know more and find out how all the lives of her characters intertwine. I really hope there will be more coming for all of them.

For whatever reason, this book was just not what I was expecting. I guess the title led me to believe that there would, in fact, be some sort of death to contend with. Instead, it was just a compilation of anecdotes about the lives, adventures, and even non-adventures of teenagers in small-town America.

One great thing about short stories is you can be choosy about which ones you read. I found some of the tales much more compelling and enjoyed reading about the basketball star living out her parents’ dream and the young hitchhiker who meets and then parts from a would-be friend.

Others did not seem quite as compelling and left me wondering why this story needed to be told. Overall, if this writing style is one you enjoy, I would recommend it, but I was left wanting a “so what” at the end of each mini-memoir. Overall, the stories of overlooked people are ones that need to be told, I just wasn't sure all of them really needed to be analyzed in such great detail. Many of the protagonists did not seem up to the task of sharing their own stories. Others were really well developed and felt like fully-fledged memoirs that were just dying to get out there!

Thank you NetGalley for the book. Overall, I enjoyed this book. The writing style isn't necessarily my favorite, however, the author did a great job keeping me interested and engaged.