I loved this book! If you couldn't put down The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and have practically an entire playlist dedicated to Taylor Swift songs (I think the "You're On Your Own, Kid" girlies will especially appreciate this one), Every Time You Hear That Song is for you. A love letter to the life-changing power of music, with a small-town setting and a fresh, fascinating concept, the story follows two alternating perspectives, that of country music legend Decklee Cassel, and rising high school senior Darren Purchase, who dreams of becoming a journalist. On a quest to uncover the contents of Decklee's mysterious time capsule after her death, Darren is forced to confront some unexpected truths about Decklee's story—and figure out how she wants to tell her own.

I so enjoyed this book, and literally could not put it down! I thought the alternating perspectives were the perfect way to tell the story, but I did find myself wishing we got more of Decklee's. I was a little disappointed that the book skipped over some huge chunks of her life, and I just wanted to know a bit more about her relationships and POV. Especially because I felt like on Darren's side, readers got to know her character really well, and the relationships she had with her mom, her friends, her coworker Kendall, etc., were so fleshed-out. I think it makes sense to have Decklee be this sort of mysterious, not entirely likable figure, because she's lived almost her whole life in the public eye, and yet, most people don't know who she truly is or get to see the less perfect, curated parts of her personality. Even so, I would have liked to see more of her somehow. Still, I found both protagonists to be such fascinating characters, and thought their stories were woven together really cleverly, so even the things I would have expanded on didn't distract from my overall enjoyment of the book! I also loved the writing style—the story was so engaging and just beautifully written. Simultaneously heartwarming and heartwrenching, emotional and uplifting, Every Time You Hear That Song is a story readers won't soon forget, and I'd definitely recommend it! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

4 stars!
Thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an e-ARC and the opportunity to read this in advance.
I throughly enjoyed this book. The story of Darren fighting against the conflicting emotions of growing up in a small town felt very relatable to me and a lot of this story is FOR THE FANGIRLS. I really felt connected to a lot of the emotions and the writing is well crafted and helped me further be engrossed in the emotions. 1 star off because there was unfortunately a lot of times where I was wanting more details and context that I was not given which at times made the characters and the events feel half baked. I was willing to give some leeway given that it is YA but I also think it does a minor disservice to younger readers who I am sure would want the nitty gritty as well. Overall very enjoyable and full of heart despite it's flaws.

oooohhhhhhhh this book is definitely for the swifties. I really enjoyed this one and it made my gay, small town heart feel so seen.

Wow, April can't come soon enough. This book was equal parts heartwarming and heartwrenching, full of hope and angst. The writing was gorgeous, almost like a song itself, and I couldn't put it down. I saw so much of myself in Darren, especially in her relationship with her mom, and the ending was perfectly bittersweet. It reminded me a lot of the small town vibes of Dumplin' actually.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, it was easy to get drawn into. The characters enabled me to fall in love with the story.

I don't usually read a lot of YA contemporary because it never really resonates with me, but this one certainly did. I had so much fun following Darren on her quest across the South and even found myself cheering for Decklee's success despite everything. I love these characters and I love the themes of queerness woven through both POVs.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Yeah…this wasn’t it. In theory, this would be the perfect book for me. Queer Dolly Parton? A scavenger hunt? Country music and dreams of leaving your small-town? That’s literally everything I’ve ever wanted in a book! It sounded so good.

Unfortunately, the execution was not there. Everything in this book fell incredibly flat. It felt like the diet version of Evelyn Hugo (some would Daisy Jones because of the music, but she was definitely knock-off Evelyn) and I was left wanting SO much more.

-Both main characters, Darren and Decklee, were so unlikeable. I understand that was Decklee’s whole deal, but it was extreme and she had very little actual depth and we didn’t get a real chance to know her, because her chapters were so short and skipped so much time. Darren also was unlikeable, but a little more realistic. I just didn’t really want to read a book about a…cruel Dolly Parton? It was kind of weird.

-The scavenger hunt/road trip was so lame. There were no shenanigans and everything happened very easily. If when it went a little wrong it was still like “oh well” and things were fine. The hunt itself also didn’t make any sense and we never learned much about it?

-The twist pleased me at first, then it completely fell apart because of poor characterization.

-The mini-reveal with Dani was so dumb, I’m sorry.

-I feel like there was also some sloppy writing/research. Decklee mentions that she’s starting in popular music videos in the early 70s, but to my knowledge, music videos didn’t really become a huge thing until the early 80s. (Unless there’s some niche country thing I’m unaware of.) There were a few moments like that.

This felt like a first draft, like the author forgot to weave a bunch of details and scenes in. A really great concept but poorly executed.

I really enjoyed the book! I liked the depth to the story and the many different topics that were part of the story. it reminded me a little of the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid so if you enjoyed the book you should really read this book. the only thing that I didn't like that much was the way decklee behaved towards other people but the more you get to know her story you accept it.

EVERY TIME YOU HEAR THAT SONG is for the girlies who live in a small town but have big dreams. Fun, emotional, and absolutely unforgettable; I couldn't stop crying because it resonated with me that much!

I loved this book--the perfect combination fun and heart. I laughed, I cried, I had to put the book down several times throughout the day to process and I will be thinking about it for a long time.

4.5⭐️
Rep: bi MC
Thank you so much to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an e-ARC! I really enjoyed this one!

This book to me was like a mix of The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo & Daisy Jones, and I loved having these vibes with still a new and unique story! ETYHTS follows famous country music star Decklee Cassel in the 70s and Darren, a big fan of hers, in the present, following clues Decklee behind after her death. I really enjoyed the alternating chapters of POVs, and both were equally interesting to me. Overall, I’d recommend this for a YA contemporary read!!