"A Little Bit Country" was an absolutely amazing novel! The characters and storylines were so complex, and I was intrigued to keep reading. The ending made me want more, but kept me satisfied. Overall, 5/5 stars!!

As I said on my review of ONCE UPON A KPROM, I don't read much contemporary, but A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY did not miss! I enjoyed every minute. Looking forward to Brian's next book!

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books, Balzer + Bray, and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. I ended up listening to the published audiobook on this one.

Honestly I almost dnf'd a few times. It wasn't super exciting? but it was cute. I'm glad I stayed with it as there was a fun twist towards the end and the ending itself was cute. I do wish it'd gone a littel further but I understand why they stopped when they did.

This book had a cute romance in a unique setting (fictional Dollywood? Yes please).

I’ve struggled with writing a review because I have trouble tempering what I like to read about with what was actually in this book.

I thought the side characters were lovely and I really enjoyed the slow reveal of an even bigger mystery as the two young people navigate their relationship. One character is out, the other is in the closet, battling with who he is and the fear of rejection from his loved ones based on casual things they have said in other contexts. It accurately reflected how young adults/new adults think, even if it is not content I enjoy reading. I loved the way it ended and the great way the mystery was resolved to allow everyone to have a happy ending.

I would definitely recommend it to folks.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

This was fun! It felt super close to copyright with Dolly World, but you know what? Let them have their fun!

I enjoyed that this explored the complexities of being out and gay, but wanting to be a country star while also wanting to hide the truth from everyone because you’re worried what your small Tennessee town will think. I liked the duality of the two leads. It was really great!

3.5! A very cute read! Maybe it gets wrapped up too quickly and neatly, but it was very fun and obviously full of love for Dolly Parton and all things country music.

This was very cute and fun! Love the plot and the main characters, and all the references :) can’t wait to read more from this author.

Sweet and heart-warming. Music connects us all and this book does the same without being cheesy or cliche. The depth of the characters really removes any chance of this LGBTQ+ novel becoming out of touch or too on the nose. I loved Emmett and Luke's story.

The characters in this book were so great! I was hoping for more of the romance and that aspectof the book. I enjoyed that there was a focus on country music. That is not seen as much in books/society. I think that a lot of gay teens will be able to relate and appreciate this book.

This was so good! I have been wanting a sweet, feel good YA RomCom and A Little Bit Country was definitely it!

Emmett is moving in with his aunt for the summer so that he can live out his dream of performing at Wanda World, which is this book’s version of Dollywood. While heading into work on his first day, he has a meet-cute with a very attractive boy. If only he could get signed to a record label, then his summer would be set!

Luke is the grandson of disgraced country singer Verna Rose, but the family wants to keep the past in the past and don’t speak or her career. His mother has MS and can’t work to support them or take care of his siblings, so the responsibility falls on him as the eldest. All he wants is to be a chef, but they definitely don’t have the money to pay for culinary school.

They start dating, but on the DL, because no one knows that Luke isn’t straight. But that never works out exactly like you’d think. Keeping your boyfriend a secret just ends up backfiring on you, but it’s easier for him that explaining to his very Christian mother, who scoffs at any mention of queer love, that he’s not the son she thinks he is.

My stomach ached for the two of them. On one hand, they had a whirlwind summer romance that both of them desperately needed and wanted, but on the other hand I didn’t want to know what would happen when everyone found out. Then throw Dolly… I mean, Wanda into the mix and we had just enough camp to make me smile through the ending.

I’d love to see this on the big screen with Miss Parton herself playing the role of Wanda Jean! Who knows what the future holds!

This book tastes and feels like a dance. One of the cutest books I’ve read this year, also perfect for fans of Love Simon and Dolly Parton

This is one of those book you read with a smile on your face and warmth in your heart. I absolutely loved this from beginning to end.

This book is just the sweetest little country love story. I need a movie version now. There was a great surprise relationship at the end that I didn't see coming. Do yourself a favor and read this book now.

I loved the theme park setting in this book and the romance was pretty cute! I saw the little twist at the end coming miles away, but I still enjoyed this one. It was cute and had such a unique setting, but it was also somewhat forgettable. I doubt I'll ever be tempted to reread this book, but I'm glad I read it! 3.5 stars.

YEE YEE

A Little Bit Country follows Luke and Emmett. Emmett wants to make it big as a gay country singer while Luke stays as far away from country music as possible because of the damage it did to his family. When they both meet due to Wanda Jean's theme park of sorts they have an instant connection and everything spirals from there.

This was so cute!!! It was a first love-y type story that I'll never get sick of. I loved both Emmett and Luke and thought their romance was really well done. Definitely would recommend!!

Oh boy, I think I should listen more to country music when giving a listen to American songs. They seem quite interesting.

I remember reading this book during my summer break, when my internship was going on and I would be lying if I said it wasn't delightful. I usually appreciate books with two perspectives in a romance novel, which made it more interesting! More than anything, it was the complexity behind Luke's family and his character that made me going solid with this book. And the plot reveal? It was beautiful. I can't wait to read more books by Brian D. Kennedy!

A lovely contemporary YA romance with good inspiration for young people following their dreams. Thank you to netgalley for providing me with this ARC

I had a lot of personal expectations going in to this book - I just moved to Tennessee, Of course I love country music, I'm a musician myself. I found the story to be very enjoyable and thought it was full of country charm. Emmett and Luke were both decent as main characters but most of all I loved the idea of Doll--I mean--Wanda World for the setting.

My Rating: 4/5 stars

My Review:

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher through TBR and Beyond Tours in exchange for an honest review and place on this blog tour – thanks!

I must say, even as someone who does not always enjoy country music, this book was an absolute treat. Emmett and Luke were such full and dynamic characters, and their story was so easy to fall into. This debut novel is certainly not to be missed, and I think that everyone who picks it up is going to enjoy it!

I do have to start off by acknowledging that there are a lot of instances of homophobia in this book, mainly from Luke’s POV. Luke struggles with a lot of internalized homophobia, stemming from his family and surroundings in a very conservative Jackson Hollow. I think these conversations were important, certainly in the context of two boys pursuing careers who are not always the kindest to queer people (cooking and singing), but they are hard to read. I think they were handled very well throughout the book.

I think one of the things I liked the most about this book was the characterization. Luke and Emmett were such full characters, and even though we only get a glimpse of them through one summer, by the end I felt like I really connected with them both. The side characters were also so whole and played such a large part in the story. Characters are what make contemporary books great and Kennedy did such an amazing job in this one.

It’s hard to get into my favourite part of the book without some spoilers, so we will skip over it and just leave you with my reaction to the plot twist, which was primarily happy screeching. I thought it was really sweet, and I would die for a story about the two of them.

A Little Bit Country may make me a fan of country music yet. It was such a wonderful story that I am sure you won’t be able to put down. I know that I couldn’t.

This book releases May 31st, 2022