If you’re expecting A Star is Born—think again. Gone Country doesn’t reach those dramatic heights (or depths), nor does it try to. Jamie and Clayton’s relationship avoids the emotional wreckage of Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s characters, leaning instead into a softer, simpler romance.

This sophomore novel by Hunter Snow is slow to start and took me a while to settle into. The plot follows a fairly familiar roadmap, sprinkled with expected rom-com clichés—but sometimes, that’s exactly the comfort read you’re after. And I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for cute dogs, which this book delivers in spades.

Where the novel really finds its footing is in the middle, where the banter between Jamie and Clayton sparkles with charm. Their chemistry feels more natural as the story unfolds, and that’s where Snow’s writing shines brightest.

To my surprise, the book also takes a stab at deeper issues—abandonment, insecurity, and even the shadow of domestic abuse, both mental and physical. Snow deserves credit for weaving these themes into an otherwise light narrative without dragging down the overall tone.

Yes, it’s predictable (often glaringly so), and yes, some plot points feel a bit undercooked. The frequent name-dropping of pop and country icons also borders on distracting—especially in conversations between musicians, where it comes off more forced than authentic.

Still, if you're in the mood for an easygoing, heartwarming chick-lit with a splash of country charm, Gone Country might just be the escape you're looking for. Just be ready to suspend a little disbelief—and enjoy the pups.

This book was a cute quick read, great for palate cleansing. I loved getting to know clayton and Jamie while following along with their story. The romance was cheesy and cute, while the slow burn added in the tension and pining that we all love to see from a good romance novel.

Gone Country
Hunter Snow

Shut in the south, we’ve got Jamie (who sings rock) and Clayton (who sings Country) they are so different on almost all fronts.
Clayton radiates his southern charm, and Jamie is the total opposite. They are set to sing a duet. Jamie is thrown into an everything country from cowboy boots to steel string guitars. They are so opposite, but it seems Jamie feels like she’s been thrown into this situation.
Can they overcome the angst between them or given in to the chemistry between them? That’s so obvious.
You have to read this rivalry between them or can they overcome this and given to all these feelings that are undeniable?
A very enjoyable read. Hunter really did it on this one to bring together. Such opposites was an amazing task, but she did it in such an eloquent way.

Gone Country is a sweet enemies to lovers story that follows Jamie, a Pop Rock singer, falling in love with Clayton, a country singer with a heart of gold.
Clayton and Jamie are two people from very different music scenes that would normally never cross paths but a chance encounter at a charity gala spins them into an unlikely relationship. They both grow together through the course of the book as they realise they might like each other more than the  thought.
If you enjoy a low stakes sweet romance of two people falling in love set in the country music scene this book is for you.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review!
There were some likeable moments in this. I loved all the music references, although I found it hard to believe that as professional musicians, Clayton & Jamie were as oblivious to famous artists in each other’s genre as was communicated. Some cute moments, and a lot of the side characters were adorable!
Jamie is an absolute firecracker, which led to what felt like major overreactions to some situations. Clayton is so very loveable, but their connection felt like it came out of nowhere.
The pacing kind of bunny hopped, with lots of details of plot-lines that actually felt like a dead end in the end, and then other times I found myself having to go back and make sure I hadn’t skipped a page, the change was so abrupt. I felt it made the story unnecessarily long. I would definitely read more of this author, just I guess was expecting more of a radio pop hit than the extended version.

Such a fantastic read. I couldn't put it down! Jaime, a well-known Rock & Roll singer, and Clayton, a Country legend, share a manager and start the book at a benefit concert. The two of them can't get along due to some history between them as well as their respective plus ones. However, starting off a new year but collaborating on a song pushes the two of them together in a way that neither of them saw. Can the two of them work past and get to be friends and possibly even more?

I liked the premise of this but I just don’t think it worked. I found a lot of things unbelievable and I didn’t feel the chemistry between the FMC and MMC. It also felt kind of all over the place and there were several times a characters reaction to something just seemed overdramatic or unnecessary? I also think it was kind of a shame that it took so long for the characters to get together. They’re barely together before the end of the book and their interactions before then were kind of meh.

I'm a little bit country and I'm a little bit rock and roll. This grumpy/sunshine book folllows rocker Jamie and country music star Clayton, who co-write a song together that goes viral on the country music charts, and Jamie is fighting it at every turn. After all, she does not write country music songs. She gets coherced to go on tour as an opening act for Clayton and the prank wars begin. Clayton steps up to help Jamie when she is threatened by a stalker and find out that opposites do attract.

This book was hard to read. The POV wasn't stated in some chapters. I never felt a connection between the characters. I skimmed a lot as it wasn't holding my attention for the last part of the book pulling everything together. Book was OK.

ARC Review:

Two worlds collide in this 🔥 musical showdown! Jamie Keaton, a fierce rock star 🎸, meets Clayton Langley, a charming country singer 🤠. When fate forces them to collaborate on a hit song 🎶, sparks fly and tensions rise. Will Jamie embrace the cowboy boots and steel strings or let their rivalry set everything ablaze?🔥💥

A perfect mix of rivalry, passion, and unforgettable music! 🎤❤️

I loved this book. slow burn, a little cheesy, lots of giggles, closed door romance. I finished this book in 2 days because I was so drawn to the characters

DNF - love the premise but couldn't get past the 2-dimensional characters. Where's the motivation for Jamie? Why is she so unwilling to compromise? Why is Clayton's backstory so conveniently not spoken about?

Wish I could like this book more but there's little detail to make it a believable story.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc!! i really liked it and enjoyed my time reading. i thought the story was cute. i liked the drama and the singer song artist aspect. the characters were fun and grew on me by the end. The found family was perfect and the book ended well! totally recommend this one when it is out.

This was a cute enemies-to-lovers book. One thing I liked about this story was that it's not just about the music, though music is a major part. I loved Clayton's family, especially his adorable daughters. I was given an advance reader copy from NetGalley and am leaving an honest review.

This had a solid story line with enemies to lovers. The setting with country music? Right up my alley. There were a few laugh out loud moments and the FMC I loved her personality, including the banter between her and Clayton. I thought the pacing was good.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

From the description to the epilogue, it got me hooked. It was beautifully written. The chemistry between Clayton and Jamie had me cackling.

It was my first book from Hunter Snow, i will look forward to reading other books💜.

I really love the premises and settings of this novel and it has all the right ingredients and it'll make an easy side pool read however ultimately it fails to deliver. Some of the description of the male character really put me off "like his gorilla hands/arms" or the fact that a musician (even if country) doesn't know who Bon Jovi is it's quite strange... Also a lot of the two main characters interactions revolves around mentioning stuff that the other doesn't know which is just a bit boring for the reader. There is "a lot" of content about dogs so I would definitely recommend this book to animal lovers.

This book was like candy that I devoured. I ate right out of the author’s hand and loved it. Who knew the music industry rom com was just what I was looking for? A rock artist with all her rough edges is forced to work with a country star that’s corny, laid back, and also a single dad. Great tropes and great writing. It got a bit repetitive in the middle and the conclusion came very quickly, but it was such a fun read: I laughed, I cried, and I cried.

Thanks for the advanced copy #netgalley

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I loved this book!!! I went in blind and only went off the cover and description of the book! First book by Hunter Snow and ik a fan! I love Clayton and Jamie! I loved their story. Their chemistry. Their personalities. I loved it all! Super cute read. Highly recommend!

2.5 stars

I wasn’t impressed.

The premise sounded good, but the story felt disjointed: rushed in some spots, unbearably dragging in others. The chapter layouts need work. This is intended to be a dual POV book, but not all the chapters indicate whose head we’re supposed to be in at the time. Sometimes it took a couple paragraphs to figure out whether I was reading from Jamie or Clayton’s POV. Label every chapter and every change, please, not just some of them.

The whole online threats thing had potential, but I spent the whole damn book waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I was also frustrated with the ending: after dragging things out for 200+ pages, everything is neatly tied up in a bow in the last 40.

I came away from this book feeling very “meh.”

•𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.•