This book follows two timelines. We get to see Decklee go from a 15 year old runaway to the biggest superstar on the plant (a la Dolly Parton). And we also get to see Darren, a 17 year old aspiring reporter following a scavenger hunt Decklee left behind for her fans after her death. I was equally invested in both of them as their stories progressed, and I couldn’t put it down! I was kinda disappointed in the ending, both for the scavenger hunt and the romance, but I still loved this story and these characters.

The premise of this sounds like it was handcrafted in a lab just for me. An ambitious queer teen stuck in her small, Southern hometown, embarking on a road trip to hunt down the last, posthumous album from her favorite musician (who was secretly queer, too). I was incredibly excited. From the first few pages, I started getting The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes but make it Dolly Parton, and add a Taylor Swift easter egg-esque time capsule hunt. So many interesting concepts to work with, so I’m sad that this fell flat for me.

I think my biggest issues can be attributed to how little time we got to spend with the characters. It’s already a pretty short book, but then add in the alternating storylines, and I just felt like nobody got the time they deserved. I didn’t feel much chemistry between Darren and Kendall, and they could’ve had a lot of time for development on the road trip. Don’t get me wrong, they definitely did get to know each other better, but I didn’t get the impression that they were so close that a relationship would immediately come of it. I would’ve appreciated a deeper, more fleshed-out connection. Decklee and Mickinlee could’ve been this huge, sweeping, heartbreaking romance of a lifetime, but not only did we not see much of it, it never felt sustainable in the first place (because of the characterization). Maybe that was just me expecting something different from the story than it set out to do, though. I’m also tempted to chalk these issues up to me being too old for YA, but there’s plenty of YA I absolutely love, so maybe this is just on the younger end and I couldn’t connect with it.

It was still sweet and like I said, the premise is super interesting. Also, I always love queer people in the South coming to terms with their small towns. I appreciate how different perspectives are explored and Southerners aren’t lumped into one reductive stereotype. And the honest portrayal of the sacrifices that come with celebrity and the reality of a ruthless, insatiable appetite for fame and glory were appreciated, as well.

Thank you to Penguin Group and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first time reading a book with country music part of the plot and I absolutely loved it. This book definitely gave me seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes but without the husbands and if Evelyn organised a treasure hunt after her death. The writing style really hooked me in the beginning. Darren and Decklee had lots in common and you could really feel their need to leave Mayberry. At the same time Darren also loves her hometown and seeing her deal with family and school drama makes us so relatable also seeing her come to terms with her sexuality was done well. I adored Kendall and Darren. He is such a golden retriever, boy next door type of guy. All in all this was a cute read and I would definitely recommend.

I really enjoyed this! This novel is a very charming, easy to read, coming of age story about Darren, a teenage girl on the brink of adulthood coming to terms with who she is, what she wants for her life, and facing her fears while following a scavenger hunt of sorts, with her friend Kendall, that was created by country music icon Decklee Cassel, shortly before her death.

The narration alternates between Darren and Decklee and takes place over multiple periods of time. The coziness of Mayberry and the small town vibes warmed my heart so much! The writing is impressive and the story was bittersweet, a perfect mixture of heartache and hope.

I wish there had been a bit more character development and a bit more relationship development with Kendall and Darren, but overall this was a solid, very enjoyable, sweet read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

3.5/5 (rounded up to 4)

CW: parental abandonment, cancer (recounted), death of a parent (mentioned), homomisia, lesbomisia, toxic relationship

I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Every Time You Hear That Song is for those readers who absolutely love Taylor Jenkins Reid’s works, but wishes she wrote YA. Detailing Darren’s journey to find her favorite singer’s time capsule, Vorris has a uniquely atmospheric voice and setting that draws you in from the very first page. While some parts of the book dragged on a bit, the dual timelines between Darren finding the time capsule and the legacy of Decklee Cassel’s career was a really nice touch for the book. That being said, if you’re looking for a YA novel that gives off a similar vibe to Taylor Jenkins Reid, you would probably enjoy reading Every Time You Hear That Song.

A heartfelt dual timeline queer YA romance about a small town country music singer who makes it famous but has to reconcile the cost of success over her secret relationship with another girl.

Fast forward to the present and a huge fan stuck in a small town finds herself competing in a race to find the dead singers lost time capsule for a chance to win a $3 million dollar prize that will help her fund her way to a new life and help pay for her mom's medical bills.

I loved the queer rep and the great characters grappling with love over fame and being true to your authentic self. Great on audio too. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and @prhaudio for a complimentary digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Darren Purchase makes wanting to get out of her hometown her primary personality trait. An aspiring journalist, she lives with her mother in rural Mayberry, Arkansas and works at a local gas station. When Decklee Cassel, her favorite country singer—and a girl who got out of Mayberry and never looked back—passes away, she leaves a scavenger hunt for her fans. Anyone who finds her clues will find $3 million and a last album. Hoping the cash prize is her ticket out, Darren heads on a madcap road trip across the South with her coworker, Kendall. Though she’s worked with him for years, this is the first time she really gets to know Kendall, a willing partner-in-crime who helps Darren reframe her relationship to Mayberry. The scavenger hunt is the perfect adventure, and I loved following along.

Alternating chapters flash back in time to the perspective of Decklee Cassel herself. These chart her career, from her teenage escape from Mayberry to her success as a Grammy and Oscar winner. Decklee wants fame and legacy more than anything, a drive that threatens her relationships, especially her professional and personal partnership with lyricist Mickenlee Hooper.

I was spending all day waiting to pick this book back up. There’s country music, a road trip, a mystery, complicated hometown feelings, and the entire thing is very queer. Voris creates big dramatic scenes (including one at the Indiana State Fair) and small moments, and the book surprised me in the ways it surprised me. I predicted the big twist in the mystery, but not how Voris handled it and its effects. Though I liked Darren’s slow claiming of her bisexuality, I wasn’t sold on the romance—again, until the end, when things came to an unexpected and satisfying resolution.

The book took me back to the feeling of humid desperation summers took on when I was a teenager, and Darren reclaims that feeling much as I have. I’m not sure if I would have liked this book as much a decade ago. I love reading YA as an adult and reintroducing myself to past selves.

I absolutely did not expect to devour this book in less than 24 hours, but once I started reading...I could NOT stop. What a ride!

There were so many things I loved about Every Time You Hear That Song, but I don't want to spoil anything -- I'll just say that one of the dual perspectives is an adult for most of the book, so I would say that this is a slightly more mature YA novel than I was expecting.

This country music inspired story is one of both love and betrayal. The stories are told split between Darren who is trying to find the time capsule of her favorite artist and the artist decades in the past. It shows how sometimes your idols aren't the people you think they are and sometimes the best things are already right next to you. I really loved this book.

This book was such a rollercoaster!

I was not expecting to dislike the historical FMC as deeply as I did by the end.
The callous way she sacrificed every person who cared about her on her way to the top just made my soul ache.

There are twists in this book you will not see coming! I gasped, cried and yelled!

I have to say, the introduction of the mom’s illness and then mom is suddenly living in Nashville with no resolution to her illness feels like a gap in the plot or character development.

The current day FMC is relatable and loveable. A bit naive but relatable.

I would recommend this as an inspiring YA romance with zero smut. Medium pacing that picks up in the second half.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

This is the story of two small-town, ambitious girls and their journey to escape the perceived shackles of that life in search of a bigger one. They want success, love (both are queer--tough in small-town Arkansas), and hurt people in the process of chasing their dreams. I loved this book a thousand times more than I thought I would, based on the synopsis. The plot and pacing are spot-on, and the treasure hunt occurring in the present day made for a fun roadtrip storyline. The character development was terrific all around, especially for a relatively short book. I loved the duel POVs and settings (one in the past and one in the present), and the whole thing had Evelyn Hugo+Daisy Jones and the Six vibes, which were 10/10. My high school students will love this as it has the compelling story/pacing to keep their attention, but also tackles important issues they can relate to like dreaming of a bigger life after high school, feeling pressure to hide one's full identity, and the highs and lows of first love.

A wonderful journey about heroes not being who you thought and self discovery.

Darren wants out of her hometown, just like her favorite musician Decklee escaped decades prior. When Decklee leaves a quest after her death, Darren and her co-worker Kendall take off on a journey across the South to find the prize, but the answers aren't all what Darren expects.

This is told in split-POV: Darren going on the journey and Decklee's rise to stardom. I liked the back and forth and how Darren's journey follows the steps Decklee took. I love how Darren makes some significant self realizations about her sexuality (and Decklee's), her feelings about home, and her priorities. I even appreciated the ending.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!

A huge thank you to the author for approaching me about reading and reviewing an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

You don't have to be a fan of country music to enjoy Every Time You Hear That Song by Jenna Voris—I'm certainly not. Even though this is a massive love letter to country legends and their impact on fans, it's so much more than that. It's a queer coming-of-age story wrapped up in a road trip with dual POVs to give an added layer to the story.

Having Decklee's point of view through her career helped round out the story for me. Knowing that Darren and her mom strongly connect to Decklee Cassel was great and all, but seeing how Darren views her vs how Decklee actually was and seeing her do what she thought she had to to get where she ended up was so much more impactful that if we hadn't gotten her POV at all. She may have clawed her way to the top from nothing, but at what cost?

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It's the perfect read to kick off summer and what's typically considered road trip season. Darren and Kendall had such great chemistry and the slow build was totally worth it. I loved seeing Darren wrestle with her queerness and all the little things along the way that helped her realize that it's okay to be bisexual. Even in a small Arkansas town that seems to defeat you before your life has really begun. The road trip and scavenger hunt not only helped Darren learn more about her favorite musical artist, but it helped her learn more about herself and what she wants out of life.

I won't spoil more than I already have, but I think this is such an impactful read. Especially to young queer girls. The ending isn't the payoff I wanted, but it was incredibly realistic and a breath of fresh air, honestly. Not everything has to end up with a flashy ending. Things turned out well in the end for Darren and cast, but it didn't exactly go where I expected. That said, I highly recommend this for fans of Brian D. Kennedy's A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY.

CONTENT WARNING for talk of cancer and potential relapse, parental abandonment, and homophobia

This was such a fun read! I love road trips and I love scavenger hunts. Darren and Kendall are great, I loved their chemistry together. I really liked the dual timeline narration between Decklee and Darren, seeing Decklees career through both of their eyes. I really did not want to put this down. You get small town slice of life and big city adventures, I was raving about this book before I even finished it.

Everytime You Hear that Song is the perfect book for fans of country music, roadtrips, love, history, mysteries, and books like A Little Bit Country by Brian D. Kennedy. This book features stories of love that span decades and features a fun trip and story about uncovering the past & being who you are. If any of
This appeals to you then you’ll need to pick up Everytime You Hear That Song.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen/Viking for allowing me to read this early!
As a Bi women who was born in the south and grew up in the Midwest, with a STRONG love for country music, I knew instantly by the title (A clear and amazing reference to Brandi Carlile’s song) that I had to read this book. It was everything I was wanting and more. Adventure, coming of age, and the struggle of many Queer artist of the past and present. I think the book’s title is a great reference, Brandi Carlile is an openly gay and successful country artist and shows that as time goes on we will always find space to be our most true and authentic selves. I highly recommend this book.

THOUGHTS

It has been a long, long time since I read a 10 out of 10 book for Gateway Reviews. Since summer 2022, in fact. This book won't be for everyone, but I adored these hard characters, these bristly women who dare to be ambitious when the world tells them they shouldn't be. And I appreciate the bittersweet sentimentality here, too--that longing for home even when you know home can't give you what you need.


PROS
Dual Timeline: A dual timeline is so very unusual in YA, and I really appreciate not just that Jenna Voris has opted for this mode of storytelling but that she uses it so well. Told both in the present, as Darren tries to track down Decklee's time capsule, and in flashbacks starting with a young runaway girl in 1963, this book hits all the right notes of bittersweet, regret, and big dreams.

Small Town Shout-Out: Darren Purchase might not be a girl meant to stay in a small town, but that doesn't mean she won't miss it. Darren loves her town in all the ways she can--her friends, her neighbors, and the quirks of knowing everybody and everybody knowing you. She and her mother are really close, too, and so the fact that Darren wants to break out, to leave these things behind so she can pursue her own dreams comes with a not insignificant amount of regret. What's best for her means leaving people and places behind that she'll miss.

Daring to Dream: I know a lot of people won't like Darren (and I'm not sure they're really meant to like Decklee). Darren has hard edges. She's ambitious, and she's prickly. And people don't like hard women who dare to want things, even in fiction. Darren might not get everything right, but that's part of being human. She wants big things from life--more than her small town can provide her. And she really wrestles with the implications of leaving her roots behind. Darren is bisexual, and she's not afraid of that... but she is afraid of what embracing this identity might mean in her rural American hometown. She knows how hard that can be--how impossible her happily-ever-after is if she stays. She sees all the negatives of the world that brought her up, and she's still sad to leave it behind. Because, as she says, there are great people in the South. There are people like her, like her mother, like her neighbors and her friends--just people being people, not caught up in cycles of bigotry and hate. She wrestles with the choice she knows she'll have to make when she leaves her hometown--give up her accent or keep it on, deny her roots or take on the burden of the assumptions the world will thrust on her. Darren loves her town, but her town doesn't have room for somebody like her. And that sucks. Because you shouldn't have to leave where you grew up just to be safe and whole and happy.


CONS
Lost in Time: Darren and Decklee both dream big, but reading Decklee's story, clawing her way up to stardom, felt kind of bittersweet. Because it feels like something that is, really, lost in history. It doesn't feel like the kind of thing that could happen to a poor girl from the rural South these days, no matter her aspirations, and that makes me sad. Times are changing. Opportunities change, too. Stories like Decklee's did happen... but I'm not sure they're happening anymore.

Name Confusion: Decklee's two closest (and, really, only) companions are Mickenlee and Markell, respectively. And these names are pretty similar. A few times, I had to go back and reorient myself because I had read the wrong name--and trust me when I say these characters really aren't interchangeable!

Let-Down: This story has a lot of build-up, and the payoff is all character, heart, and soul. The plot payoff isn't really something that exists. Don't get me wrong. There aren't loose ends. There are just disappointing ends (which may, in fact, be realistic). If you're looking for a fun sort of quest story, chasing down a lost time capsule, you'll get a bit of that. But that's not really the heart of the story here, so reader be warned.


Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
10/10
Fans of Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game will like this new hunt for a legacy. Those who adored Taylor Jenkins Reid's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will like this bittersweet dive into a larger-than-life star.

Thank you so much for the ARC of this book! I was hesitant reading this book because it is a little outside of the genres I usually read and an author I'm not familiar with but I was super impressed! Loved all the characters and storyline. Definately a must read.

Okay, so, not thrilled with that ending. Ugh. But that aside, this is a pretty remarkable book. Told in dual timelines with dual narrators, it’s a story about two queer, small town Southern girls, the life/love choices they make, and the music that influences their lives - one starting in the late 1960s, the other today.. (And there’s a twist I realized around the 70% mark - I felt so proud of myself).

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

4.25 stars

This book is marketed as "Dumplin'" meets "Daisy Jones & the Six", but it actually reminded me more of a YA "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" plus Swiftie Easter eggs. It's got dual timelines (my fave) and dual POV, following both Darren in 2024 and Decklee from 1963-2024.

17-year-old Darren is a girl who's always felt trapped by her small town and whose favorite musician's (Decklee Cassel) work is an escape for both her and her single mom. When Decklee, dies and leaves behind an unreleased album and a cash prize for her fans to find in a lyric-based scavenger hunt, Darren jumps at the chance. She heads off on a Southern roudtrip with her coworker and maybe-more, Kendall, leaving Mayberry (yes, the town is actually named Mayberry) for the first time.

Decklee (not her real name, but she is also from Mayberry), runs away from home to seek her fortunes in Memphis in 1963, determined to make a name for herself in country music. Once she begins songwriting with Mickenlee Hooper, all her dreams are within grasp. But as the girls grow closer and Decklee's stock rises, she realizes that getting everything she wants may require losing parts of herself.
Meanwhile, Darren and Kendall grow closer to each other and to the prize. Free from the confines of their small town, Darren realizes that some of the limits she feels there may be more self-imposed than anything, and that despite her role model's example, making it out of Mayberry and making it big don't guarantee happiness. 

I was expecting this to be a lighthearted romcom, but the ending had me crying my eyes out, so beware of that, but man. It was so good. Such a unique and emotional take on small towns and the expectations we set for ourselves and others, and the time capsule scavenger hunt was so fun. While some of the resolutions were more bittersweet than lighthearted, all of the characters felt very true to themselves, and I appreciated the different depictions of queerness through the decades. Thank you to Penguin Teen and the author for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!