I have extremely mixed feelings about this book. The writing was excellent and I loved Luke and Emmett and Verna and Wanda. It was a joyful, emotional read, and I had a hard time putting it down.

But it was also... wildly antiunion? The entire premise is based on someone taking on scab work, and then he clocks out before working overtime, and job losses at a union shop are blamed on the union rather than on the employer?? I think the author is just ignorant, but it was playing up some real harmful things. I also think the last chapter was too much of a jump and that it was wrong to have such a pivotal scene take place between chapters. Almost lazy.

This was such a fun and easy read. Both of the characters were likable and I found myself rooting for them the enitre time. Would highly recommend and an easy five stars.

4.5 stars rounded down. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s for an eARC of this book! All opinions are my own.

TWs: homophobia and slurs

Emmett is a (suburban) city boy who wants to become country music’s biggest gay superstar. Because of a last-minute dropout, Emmett is able to score a job at Wanda World, the amusement park dedicated to his country music idol, Wanda Jean Stubbs. He’s hoping to be noticed by a scout and finally hit it off big time before his senior year of high school.

Luke is a true country boy who wants to keep his family afloat, but also nurtures a dream of being a chef. With the worsening condition of his mother, who has Multiple Sclerosis, and the cut work hours of his step-dad, getting food on the table isn’t the easiest. When he has the opportunity to work in a real kitchen at Wanda World, he takes it. He has to keep his new job a secret, though: Years ago, Wanda snubbed Luke’s grandmother and left her to die in obscurity, and his family has held a grudge against her ever since.

This book is at once whimsical and also grounded, and I thought that the duality was handled very well. On one hand, Luke’s mother won’t let anyone play country music in the house à la Disney-evil-mother, but on the other, Luke struggles with severe internalized homophobia and homophobic peers on a daily basis. Emmett has a determined dream of making it big in country music and gets scouted at his first open mic, but he’s told he has to compromise his identity to make it big. This book tackled real-world issues while also injecting a little bit of fairytale-esque magic into the world of country music, and I thought it was very charming.

The romance between Luke and Emmett did not have as much development as I would have liked, they seem to move very fast, but the two characters separately are compelling and distinct enough that I didn’t really mind. Luke’s struggle to accept himself and be comfortable with being gay was really moving to read about, and Emmett’s steadfast confidence in his identity was equally powerful. I like how this book doesn’t push the idea that coming out is the only way for a queer person to be happy, and I thought the hopeful ending was deserved, and not forced. I also thought that the supporting characters were given just enough development and screentime without becoming distracting (I love Aunt Karen so so much. She deserves everything!) I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a sweet romance with compelling social commentary on what it means to be gay in a sometimes hostile environment.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this early for an honest review. The cover and the description made me click Request, but I’m not sure it lived up to my expectations. This is a story of two boys and their coming of age stories on a backdrop of Country music and southern cooking. Maybe I’m growing out of YA stories, but it just didn’t hit the spot for me. But I think this current generation of teens will enjoy it.

An openly gay city boy who wants to be the biggest gay country music singer and a closeted country boy who dreams of being a chef meet at a country music legend's theme park. It's an adorable pair that makes for a sweet summer YA romance.

There is a lot I loved about this book. Brian Kennedy mentions the lack of diversity in country music and how tough it is for anyone who doesn't fit the hetero white male mold. There is also an appropriately wonderful amount of teen angst and the characters are written very well.

That said, I put the book down a lot and wasn't pulled to keep picking it back up. It's not boring necessarily, but it didn't hold my interest completely. But I'm glad I kept reading, because the ending is well done and pretty wonderful.

This book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

this was a cute romance novel centered around the world of country music. the plot line was fairly predictable, but the characterization was well done and that was a more important part of this book. A successful coming of age romance

This was super cute and emotional! There was just enough plot mixed in with the romance. Coming out is such a personal, individual experience and we really get to see that in both Emmett and Luke. I loved both of them and their sweet, complicated families and friend groups. Their romance was very sweet, I really enjoyed it! I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. I enjoyed this debut novel by Brian D. Kennedy, although I found the love story to be the weakest part of the book. Emmett is an aspiring country music singer, fortunate enough to land a last-minute spot in the summer "Wanda's Good Time Jamboree" that takes him from Chicago to Jackson Hollow, Tennessee, site of a Dollywood-like amusement park. He's ready to be noticed by a talent scout who will offer him a big recording contract as the first gay country superstar.

Luke is a Jackson Hollow native who takes a dishwashing job at a Wanda World restaurant after his ex-girlfriend tells him about the opening. He dreams of opening his own restaurant someday, but his main concern for now is helping to support his family, including a mother with a chronic disease and a stepfather whose shift work hours are in danger of being cut. Luke has to keep his new job a secret, though, because there's bad blood between his family and the actual Wanda Jean Stubbs. Years ago, Luke's grandma ran away with Wanda's husband and became a pariah in the country music world. Wanda went on to basically become Dolly Parton, and Luke's grandma died in obscurity.

Despite a meet-cute involving the back end of a donkey costume, Luke and Emmett's relationship develops slowly. Emmett likes Luke, but worries that he's spending time with him that should be devoted to his music. Luke likes Emmett, but he is deeply closeted and afraid that his family will turn against him if he comes out. Plus even if he were to acknowledge his relationship with Emmett, he could never be with someone who is associated with the woman who is persona non grata to his family.

I liked Emmett and Luke separately, and their attempts to reach for their personal dreams are poignant and heartfelt, especially for Emmett who has to decide if he can compromise his plans by hiding his queerness from country music fans. Luke's connection to his family is admirable, and his ambivalence between acknowledging his relationship with Emmett and keeping it a secret from his deeply religious (and sick) mother is easy to sympathize with. There are several funny scenes, most of which involve the singular Wanda Jean herself.

But I never quite felt that the two boys were truly in love. Maybe it was the fact that almost all of their encounters were furtive and secretive. Maybe it was the fact that Luke was downright awful to Emmett on several occasions when their relationship was almost revealed. Mostly though it was the lack of substantial interaction between them. A few conversations and some kissing didn't convince me that they were soul mates. Their personal journeys were more carefully detailed and compelling.

The truth about Wanda Jean and Luke's grandma is finally revealed in a surprising way, and Luke and Emmett end up with a nice HFN ending. I wouldn't mind reading a sequel that shows what happens when Emmett goes back to Chicago, but I would want more of a focus on the two boys together.

ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for honest review.

3.5 rounded up due to the fact that this is a debut novel and I think the author is very talented.

I was easily sold on this book, I hardly heard anything about it and couldn't wait to read it. But if I'm being honest, I enjoyed this book but not enough as I wished I would. The writing style was amazing, the emotions felt real and the story structure flowed naturally with the plot and not at all forced. I knew going into it this was a romance. But there were moments I genuinely believed it was going to end tragically and beautifully leaving us to wonder what could've happened between the two main characters. But instead it was a happy ending that I still enjoyed just as much. Even though it didn't feel as rich an ending as it could've been, it was still somewhat enjoyable. I also liked that the romance wasn't perfect and the characters recognized flaws in themselves and each other, it felt very real. But the internal monologues felt repetitive and overall were some of the weaker points in the novel. Regardless, the author is very talented and I'm sure will only get better with time and his book is definitely worth checking out.

I received an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

I will say first. I LOVE this cover. I first saw it months ago and immediately put this book on my TBR. Then I read the description and was super excited.

The actual book and what I thought it was going to be are quite different, but in a good way. I was hoping for more of a cute little fun Romance/Psuedo Mystery novel, and I ended up getting more of a coming of age, down on your luck but eventually we claw our way out, kinda story.

There are allusions to homophobia, inner homophobia, microagressions, racism, adultery, poverty, etc. So some deep stuff, which hindered the romance for me. However was still very good.

I just guess in my mind I was thinking this would be as more a romantic comedy rather than a YA LGBTQ+ novel. But once I realized the direction it actually was headed, I was able to appreciate it immensely for what it was.

I will say, the only thing that I would have liked is maybe had the Characters be just a tad older. They are both 17, but like..I dunno some of the situations they get into at 17 seemed a bit too much, but maybe I was just a boring 17 year old.

This book is just so cute. The setting is adorable, the characters are sweet, and the overall vibe of the book is love above all else.

Luke and Emmet are a match made in heaven. The rough, world on his shoulders country boy falling for the city boy with big dreams of being a music star is a story I didn't know I needed until now. The southern aesthetic, recipes, and culture truly make this book unique. I'm begging y'all, we need more queer southern stories, this book was just so good.

The story is centered around finding yourself, figuring out who you are with and without outside influence. It's a coming of age novel but it manages to avoid a lot of the tired clichés. I really loved Luke's development, and his relationship with his mother as it progressed across the book. His dreams of being a chef contrasted with the reality of needing to support his family is such a relatable storyline and I felt that it was very realistic and well done.

Kennedy wrote such a gorgeous love story, I will absolutely be on the lookout for more books from this author. I especially recommend this story to anyone who loves Dolly Parton, the parallels between her and Wanda Jean are so fun.

A charming, quirky YA contemporary with Dollywood vibes and *almost* more secondhand embarrassment than I can handle. The dual point of view was a great choice, allowing both characters time to shine as well as adding to the wonderful buildup between Luke and Emmett. This book is going to be really important to a lot of kids.

I received a digital advance copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is adorable - I loved the alternating perspectives. Emmett & Luke each bring a unique voice to the story and I loved following along as they navigated their own personal struggles, and their new relationship. I'm also a sucker for a summer setting - anything can happen over summer break and it does! Would recommend this book for the fun plot, emotion, and opportunity to hang with two characters who feel like your best friends by the end.

This was a cute little book. I did feel like the romance moved extremely quickly and the third act breakup is the worst. However, I loved everything else. The characters were loveable and their motivations seemed so genuine. This book did not dissapoint.

Thank you, Balzer + Bray, for allowing me to read A Little Bit Country early.

I loved A Little Bit Country to the moon and back. Such a beautiful love story and cute comfort read. This is definitely one of my favorite queer young adult books of 2022!! I’m going to promote this wonderful book wherever I can!

I cried. I honestly cried at the end of the book. The journey of Luke and Emmett is beautiful and I can honestly say that this was a nice change on the normal romance plot - while they did break things off toward the end of the book it still didn’t feel like the massive blow up that we see in other romance novels. This was a gentle I have to put my family first moment and Emmett was actually okay with it. I mean he was still heartbroken but he was okay with it. The ending when Luke introduced his boyfriend to his family at dinner made me cry a little bit. He was just proud in the moment and it was something the queer youth should see more frequently.

This book was so much fun. A lot of the romances I prefer when reading are slow burn, and though this wasn't slow burn, I still appreciated the progression of Luke and Emmett's relationship. I love them both dearly but I think Luke was my favorite character throughout this whole book. They balanced each other and I liked seeing how they subtly changed in positive ways because of one another's influence. Having lived in a rural, Southern environment, I related a lot to the Southern "aesthetic" used in this book. I thought that was really well done. Especially being a secret country-music lover I really related to that and I LOVED the original lyrics in this book especially the few we get that are entirely Emmett's. I appreciated so much in this book especially when it didn't go in directions I thought it would. A lot of things I predicted, but a lot of things surprised me too (in the best way).

A Little Bit Country made me so happy and it was such a breath of fresh air and sweet romance. Its themes centering around identity and being who you are openly and wanting to share yourself with the world was gorgeous. There were so many important themes in here and with a Dollywood-esque setting, what's not to love about this book?

I've waited months to get my hands on this book, and in no way did it disappoint! I will be making this book my entire personality here forward.

This book just made me feel good. I loved the characters from the jump, and I related so hard to Luke in so many ways. Watching him struggle to find a way to do things for himself without feeling guilty about not helping his family resonated hard with me, and I can't put into words how much I loved seeing that particular storyline play out.

Emmett was an absolute doll, and I will never get tired of reading about queer characters that stand up for themselves and be authentically who they are. It was so fun and interesting to see this set in the county music scene and I know queer kids that love this music and struggle with the same fears Emmett and Luke did are going to lose their minds to see this story on the page.

It's just a goddamn delight of a story and I'm so excited for it to get out in the world. It's fun and sweet and queer and people are gonna love it.

This was such an amazing debut! Emmett and Luke's love story was such a joy to read, and even if it wasn't as fast-paced as I wanted it to be, in the end, I actually learned to appreciate the slow-burn aspect of it all. From the very beginning, it was clear that each chapter of this novel was written with great care, and hopefulness, and love, and it radiated off the pages, making it so endearing to read. But as a Dolly Parton fan, I have to say that my most favorite aspect of this book was how lovingly the author, Brian D. Kennedy, incorporated country music into the narrative. It made me wonder how their writing process was like, and what sort of challenges did they encounter just to finish the initial draft of the novel. I firmly believe that incorporating music genres into books doesn't always pay off, but in this case, it most certainly did. And I, personally, cannot wait to read more from the author.

Absolutely devoured this sweet YA contemporary romance. A dual-POV featuring an extroverted suburban teen musician and the stressed out cowboy he meets at his summer job. Kennedy's writing is poignant and made me laugh out loud several times (while also bringing me to tears at the end). Super heartfelt!