A refreshing listen! Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the ALC. The narrator did an amazing job of narrating a book written in email format!
I truly enjoyed the story and each of the characters!! It is a book full of characters for sure! I would have had an easier time following the characters with a book format, but managed well enough and enjoyed it!! Fans of the format of Gossip Girl and Bridgerton will enjoy "A Town with Half the Lights on."

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and Tantor Audio for the gifted copy of A Town With Half the Lights On, an unexpected hit! It’s out 4/22.

Normally I’m not the biggest fan of epistolary novels, but this one had me hooked from page one. The format is surprisingly easy to follow (so much so that I might change my stance on the modern epistolary novel!). It features the right amount of characters — enough to keep the format fresh and interesting, but not so many that I couldn’t keep track of the important players. The writing also strikes the right balance between reality and storytelling to keep readers engaged.

Beyond the format, I really liked the plot itself! It’s a family “fish out of water” story centered on the Solvang family. After running their Brooklyn deli out of business, they’re forced to relocate to Goodnight, Kansas, where the wife/mom grew up and where her recently deceased father left them his home. What unfolds is a classic “who saves who” story, where the Solvangs need the town, the town needs the Solvangs, and they both save each other.

Told through emails, diary entries, town newspaper clippings, and more, this book captures the magic of small towns and the power of second chances. It’s absolutely heartwarming and not one I’ll forget anytime soon.

Audio: Hillary Huber (LOVE!) narrates, so the audiobook is of course fantastic. I do recognize that epistolary novels can be trickier to follow when listening rather than eye reading, so just make sure to choose the format that will be easiest for you to follow and enjoy!

What a sweet story. It's very timely, and I kept forgetting it was supposed to take place about 20 years ago. Before anybody gets mad at me for it being too upbeat, it probably IS just as optimistic as your average romance novel (if I didn't hate Hallmark I'd suggest you think of the the family as the girl from the big city and the town as the guy from the small town, but I don't enjoy Hallmark movies). But I think we could all use a story like this right now, and I say this as a New Yorker who has no interest in ever visiting Kansas again. (A Jayhawk is a college student, not a bird, for anybody who reads that line and wonders what the person is talking about.)

I love this town! The subtle humor with the characters (and, goats and alpaca) are just fun and I loved the format that this book is written in emails, newspaper articles, journal entries, etc. This is an eclectic group of people and I just loved as more and more layers are reveled of the people in town, and the newcomers from NYC. This book is quirky and different and for people looking for a feel good but funny book, this is perfect! I always love when authors do something different and for me this book works and was so enjoyable!
The Narration is great, and the author does a good job of distinguishing the different emails, articles, etc. Her different voices and inflections were so helpful too!

Story 4/5 stars
Audio 3/5 stars.
I’ll start off by saying that I am a fan of anything that gives Stars Hollow/ Gilmore Girls vibes. This did exactly that in all the best ways. I love all the quirky characters and the added aspect of the town being extremely religious. The story was cute and the twist at the end with the editor was predictable yet charming.
The style of this book is very different than what I’d normally read, but I actually enjoyed it. It was a cool way to really get to know all the characters and see things from so many different point of views. The problem I had with the audio was that when it came to reading the emails, the constant saying of the email addresses got extremely annoying. I felt like every other word was @ .com at one point. I feel like if I read this book instead, I would have enjoyed it much more. Still though, I will be recommending this to anyone who likes Gilmore Girls.