Page Getz’ A Town with Half the Lights On took me by surprise! I was intrigued by the synopsis, but I missed that the story is told through diary entries, emails, articles in the local newspaper, etc. I don’t usually like stories presented that way, but it totally works in A Town with Half the Lights On! In fact, the story presentation/layout brought a whole new layer of fun to what could have been a story of the downtrodden in a soon-to-be ghost town.

I loved the feel of small town in Goodnight, Kansas. From “big businessmen” to oddball teens to religious zealots, the town is filled with hilariously quirky characters. The New York transplants, the Solvangs, stick out like a sore thumb. Sid Solvang, a failed chef, fled Brooklyn after bankrupting the family deli that had been in his family for three generations. Sid’s wife, Scarlet, the youngest daughter of Alpaca farmer Pops Bannister, is also a chef. Scarlet left Goodnight 20 years ago and never looked back. After she and Sid failed miserably, Scarlet drags her family back to Goodnight after learning she was the sole beneficiary of the family farm.

The story is filled with failed dreams, poverty, and hardships of not only the Solvangs but their fellow residents on Goodnight. I felt each of their hardships and losses, and I was thankful for the humor in the book that balanced all that heartache.

The character development, plot arc and story layout are great. I love small town stories and stories of chefs and kitchens. A Town with Half the Lights On hit both marks and left me hungry for kugel and more of Ms. Getz’ writing.

#NetGalley #SourcebooksLandmark #TantorAudio #ATownwithHalftheLightsOn

This was not quite what I was expecting. It was a bit long for an epistolary novel and I expected some fantasy elements, I guess based on the cover but that's my mistake. It was still a cool book.

A Town with Half the Lights On by Page Getz ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A five-star epistolary novel that feels like your favorite comfort food. If you’re looking for a read to bring you comfort, community, quirky characters, and humor, among other equally important things, check this out as soon as you can.

Told through emails, newspaper clippings, personal journals, passed notes, and a lost and found clipping, this novel brought to life the town of Goodnight, Kansas. I laughed, I teared up, I cheered, and I shook my head. It was an expert blend of all the emotions, enough humor to lighten the load, and characters that will stay with me for a long time.

While I’m not saying I want to live in Goodnight with the Lake Flu and missing wind chimes, I am saying that I could read a hundred more books with these characters and love every minute.

✨ ARC Review ✨

To be honest, I was drawn to the beautiful cover. I had no idea what the book was about. I love going in blind and seeing if I vibe with a book. Boy, did I vibe with this one!

It’s set in 2002, and is purely epistolary. We see the stories unfold through emails, newspaper articles, journals, letters, etc. It’s quirky small town, but with a heaping helping of Erin Brockovich.

The Solvang family have to relocate to Goodnight, Kansas from NYC due to losing everything including Sid Solvang’s chef dreams. Scarlet Solvang’s father has just died and left her the ol’ homestead including a Victorian house and three alpacas. Harlem Solvang is distraught about leaving everything she knows in NYC. And what’s there to love about Goodnight? It’s a town with half the lights out. 🤷🏻‍♀️

But there’s the May Day Diner which is the beating heart of Goodnight. If someone doesn’t buy it, the town developer will and he’s gonna turn it into a Burger King. Disco Kennedy has a great idea! 💡 Sid and Scarlett are both chefs. Why don’t they buy the diner?

Y’all this is honestly just the beginning of this story. Buying the May Day is just the start for these transplanted New Yorkers. And all the town’s characters? I want to hug them as if they were real. This is how to be a good neighbor. What’s that saying? You should only look into your neighbor’s bowl to make sure they have enough? Something like that.

In these troubled times, it’s good to remember that most people have beautiful hearts.

I received this eARC via #netgalley and @bookmarked. All thoughts are mine alone.

#fiction #fictionbooks #contemporaryfiction #smalltownfiction #thetownwithhalfthelightson #pagegetz #bookrecs #bookreview #bookstagram

A Town with Half the Lights On is a bit Fried Green Tomatoes (cozy, tight-knit small town vibes) and a tad Erin Brockovich (environmental hazards). A couple and their daughter have just moved to Goodnight, Kansas, from New York, both to claim their inheritance, but also to get their lives back on track in hopes of returning to New York soon. There is just something about Goodnight, though. The residents are charming. The town is quaint. There's a cafe set for demolition that seems worth saving. The story is told through text messages, emails, newspaper articles, and more, so it sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this one either in ebook or audiobook format.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley for review copies of the ebook and audiobook versions of A Town with Half the Lights On.

I loved the format of this book! It was so interesting and engaging to get to see the story unfold through so many viewpoints. The author managed to balance the POV fluidity with still being able to craft a coherent narrative from start to finish. I was very pleasantly surprised with this one!

This was such a heart warming read, I loved the characters so much! The way the story was told made it more immersive for me.

This lovely little epistolary novel tells the story of the town of Goodnight, Kansas - a failing town whose main industry is the tire factory. The Solvang family has run to Goodnight from Brooklyn because the wife Scarlet, inherited her father’s land and her husband Sid, needed to leave Brooklyn. Once they are in Kansas, Sid sees the need to save the May Day Diner - a Goodnight institution. Sid, Scarlet and their daughter Harlem are just hoping to get the May Day successful enough so that they can go back to Brooklyn, but the May Day becomes the heart of Goodnight; and then the town asks them to save the Hallelujah - the town’s dilapidated hotel. While the Solvangs are helping the town in many ways, there are still those who see them as outsiders and do not want to accept them. Then everyone’s tire factory are put into jeopardy and the town needs to figure out what kind of place and people they want to be.

It took me a bit to get into this book but I do think it’s because I was listening to the audio - I had thought since it was an epistolary novel that the audio would work well, but I preferred to read this one because the notes/emails/articles were so short and from many different characters that it became very confusing. This was such a sweet novel and once I picked up the book I found it hard to put it down. I had read a bunch of wonderful reviews of this one so I ran to request and I am so happy I did, this one left me with such a nice happy feeling. In addition there is a lot of food and cooking in it (including Jewish cooking) so I was sold! This had a little Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books and a little A Wonderful life feel to it.

4.25

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC to review

A Town With Half The Lights On by Paige GetTs is a great novel told through emails the local paper and other missives and it begins with Sydney Charlotte and Harlan all moving to good night Kentucky from Brooklyn New York. Her daddy recently died and instead of giving it to her three older sisters he gives it to Charlotte who left 20 years before and hasn’t looked back. In the beginning all you read is complaints and whining about their move from the big city to a place they could see children of the corn part two happening. Instead of traffic and busy people they hear church bells and birds, namely of the emu variety and Shelby isn’t down with it. not that mom Charlotte and daughter Harlan want this to be permanent either. yes before Charlotte left for cooking school and upon her return the skills she’s learned will have a big thing to do with the towns recovery. This book was not only funny but heartwarming as well. I love that even when the restaurant got up and going and everyone loved it they still every now and then spoke of going back to Brooklyn so halfheartedly. I did get tired of hearing the.com at the beginning of each email but ultimately it is a small price to pay to read such an entertaining funny heartwarming story. There was so much greatness about this book and the only negative I have is the.com reoccurrence but I loved Bailey’s logic and philosophy I wish I could taste Melba‘s tomatoes lol and eat at the Mayday, while staying at the hallelujah Inn. Such a great awesome read. #NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,#PageGets, #ATownWithHalfTheLightsOn,#SourceBooks,

This will EASILY be a favorite book of 2025 and it’s one I won’t be forgetting any time soon. Bizarrely delightful and delightfully bizarre, A Town With Half the Lights On is a love letter to community, small towns and perseverance. Written entirely through emails, newspaper articles, letters and diary entries, you can’t help but be completely immersed in the tiny town Goodnight, Kansas and all of its residents. There were moments where I laughed out loud at some of the antics and dialogue (in the best way) and moments where I found myself tearing up at how the community rallied around each other. It’s a very timely novel, especially with the theme of standing up to the bad behavior of corporations and the right to protest. I truthfully did not want this book to end. It was just so lovely. It’s a slower burn of a story and very much a character study, but it was right up my alley and I’m so glad I got to read it.
CW: mentions of animal death, bullying, religious bigotry, parental death

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced digital reader’s copy!

I immediately recognized that the writing style would make this an easy read. I was definitely right but where I struggled is being able to see where it was going. I felt disconnected from the characters and that could be because of the format of writing. The emails, journal entries, and town bulletins drive the story but made me feel less connected to the major and minor characters. It broke apart the story a bit but I did enjoyed the format, I just couldn’t connect as much as I’d like. I live in a small town and can totally relate to wanting to save a local business. This was light read that is a good filler between heavy reads if you need a break.

A novel told in emails. Sid, Scarlett, and Harlem have moved to Scarlett's hometown of Goodnight Kansas because of a financial disaster in Brooklyn and are totally focused on moving back until they aren't because they, mostly Sid, are focused on saving the town. Harlem for her part goes on a quest to find a treasure, or so she thinks, buried by her eccentric grandfather and makes friends with Disco, a different sort of girl who writes letters to her uncle Casey. It's quirky and heartwarming but it's also a bit confusing (who's who) at first. Getz has done a good job of giving each writer a distinct voice. If I have a quibble (and it's a big one) it's the compressed time - no way all of this, and there's a lot, could happen in a year (especially the big deal resolution). Secrets remain hidden until deep in the novel (why Scarlett won't leave the kitchen, the identity of the newspaper editor). It is, however, a portrait of a small town and the people who live there. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Loved Kitchens of the Great Midwest? The movie the spitfire grill? This is for you.

Found family, epistolary storytelling & cozy warm fuzzy vibes alert. ✨✨✨✨✨

A Town with Half the Lights on from Page Getz was the book I didn’t know I needed. It is indeed a warm hug in book form.

Thank you @tantoraudio @bookmarked for the review copies of this delightful and gently subversive read. I read it in one day and with the hectic pace of life… that’s a big deal for me.

I don’t want to spoil this one. It’s a story of people down on their luck but full of love and hope and the kind of beautifully stubborn determined spirit that makes me a little misty eyed. The way the story is told through emails and shared notes and a delightfully charming local newspaper allows a range of voices to shine through and lets the local small town vibe wash over you as a reader.

Come for the charm… and stay to cheer on Harlem and Disco and Sid and Scarlet. You’ll leave wanting a biscuit and soup that makes you cry.

A Town With Half The Lights On by Page Getz ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)

Told in the literary genre of epistolary (the writing of letters) this town of a small town transformed is told through emails, letters, editorials, journals and newspaper bulletins. This style was very much out of my comfort zone and it did take me a little bit to settle into the sense of disjointedness and to keep track of who the sender and receiver was in relation to the story.

Once I got more comfortable with the epistolary style writing, what I found was such a heartwarming and healing story of a small town and so many of the kind of people we might wish fill the world. I will miss these lovable and quirky characters.

For those who love:
-the small town quirky close knit townspeople of Gilmore girls
-the riches to rags to riches of the heart of Schitts creek
-the storyline of Erin Brockovich
-Coming of age (no matter the age) told by funny and quirky loveable characters.

I’m so glad I got out of my comfort zone for this book.

Thank you to the publisher Sourcebook Landmark and Page Getz for the free Advanced Reading Copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, this book was too much fun to read, Sid comes back home, brings his family, and he is regretting everything. He wants out, and while his family is adjusting to their new life in a literal farm, in a small town that’s soon becoming extinct, there is some family secret that soon his daughter Harlem is intrigued about. What secrets will she uncover when it comes to her grandpa, he has left letters or emails?? I couldn’t tell the difference, I thought the style of this book was very different, it’s not my preferred style, the whole book is emails and letters and a neighborhood column that feels more like XOXO Gossip Girl. But overall, I enjoyed the book just wish it was not done in this style.

Exceptional story with wonderful characters who drew you into their lives in the most beautiful way. Redemption, dreams once unrealized, acceptance, adversary and triumph all in one book.

So sad that this wasn’t for me. :/ The idea seemed so interesting and the whole letters/articles thing especially, but it was not catching my attention and I had a hard time following. Maybe it was just at a wrong time! I’ll probably come back to this one in the future.

I enjoyed the epistolary style of this book; however, I had trouble keeping track of the different perspectives in the beginning of the book.
This was a sweet story about family and found family. An enjoyable read.

Scarlet Solvang left Goodnight, Kansas 20 years ago and never looked back. When her father leaves his house to her instead of her sisters who stayed behind, Scarlet and her husband Sid see this as their chance to fix things, especially with Sid having lost his restaurant and the rising cost of rent in Brooklyn. They pack up their home, their daughter, and make for Kansas.

Of course, after all these years, Goodnight is not exactly how Scarlet left it, and there are more than a few hiccups (llama drama anyone?). The Solvangs must find a way to make Goodnight their home.

I thought Getz did a great job immersing the reader in the zany, small town of Goodnight. I think perhaps the characters could have done with a bit more polishing in terms of how they were written. Altogether this was a fun, promising story told in a unique way.

I was fortunate to receive both the print and audio versions of this book and I really enjoyed the audio production. It made the epistolary format really pop.

I absolutely love an epistolary novel, I feel like I rarely come across one, so I was super excited to get my hands on this one. I think they can be difficult to pull off, but the author did an amazing job tying everything together here and I know it couldn’t have been easy. There are so many characters and so many pieces of them throughout, whether it’s from their journal entries or emails, or even a note passed during math class and this gave the whole book such a fly on the wall feeling. The town of Goodnight is super quirky and charming in its own way and the residents match that as well, so lots of fun and cute moments but there was also a lot of depth here as well. Each character was fully fleshed out and I felt like I truly knew them by the end and the plot was fun and unique. Overall a really sweet and heartwarming read that I enjoyed so much.