Emma Mills

For Sophie, small town life has never felt small. With her four best friends—loving, infuriating, and all she could ever ask for—she can weather any storm. But when Sophie’s beloved Acadia High School marching band is selected to march in the upcoming Rose Parade, it’s her job to get them all the way to LA. Her plan? To persuade country singer Megan Pleasant, their Midwestern town’s only claim to fame, to come back to Acadia to headline a fundraising festival. The only problem is that Megan has very publicly sworn never to return. What ensues is a journey filled with long-kept secrets, hidden heartbreaks, and revelations that could change everything—along with a possible fifth best friend: a new guy with a magnetic smile and secrets of his own.

Famous in a Small Town

Victoria

4.5

One of the things that I love about Emma Mills books is the world she creates. It seems like it would be a lot of fun to live in that world that you feel like you're missing something out for not being in it or knowing it.

Famous in a Small Town was a little bit different than her other books, though. For one, there was an air of mystery in the story. Plus, there were two OMG WHAT moments on it that made the whole story extra special.

I scraped off 0.5 because I didn't like August that much. Sophie deserved someone a little better. But that's just me.

It was overall a fun read, though.

Izza

Siya S

Again for the fourth time in a row Emma Mills has managed to leave me bawling my eyes off as I read through her book in one sitting. I think of all her books, this one hit closest to the heart for me. The GIANT TWIST about this thing (Sophie related) felt like a punch to the gut. I wish I could say more but it'd be best to leave it unsaid here. 

Full review's on its way.

brooke

MY NEW FAVOURITE PEOPLE ☹️☹️☹️

Steph L 

A fun YA Contemporary 

This book was so much fun and so sweet. I loved all the characters because they felt real. The plot was interesting, and kept me guessing. The writing was excellent and Emma Mills is one of my favorite authors. The romance was insanely sweet. Recommend for fans of YA Contemporary.

Lauren Tabor

I really wanted to love this. But it just didn’t hit as a good as her other books. The first half felt more like I was reading the outline to something rather than a fully fleshed out book. I felt like I was missing a lot of details that would’ve helped me connect more to the characters. Everything just fell a little flat for me. The second half I definitely enjoyed a lot more. It felt more fleshed out and we got some actual emotions from the characters. Where as in the first half they all felt really one-dimensional. And did I miss the descriptions of people? I don’t know what anyone looked like?? It was weird to me. 

I still thought it was good. It was a super fast and easy read which I do love. I just wanted more...more dimension I guess.

Flavia Louise

This was a very enjoyable read. I loved the family elements featured.

Alexa Jade

laura

This book Just did not wow me. I normally look foward to emma books and wanted to love it. I did enjoy and I read it super fast but I did not feel super connected to the characters and felt like this story was not super tighly wound. I thought the pacing and all the threads of this novel was just not as strong as her other novels. I thought some of the ending elements were little bit out of left field. I would consider re-reading this book knowing the end and seeing If I enjoy it more that way. This book I just did not feel as connected to the characters as I normally feel about her characters.

Michelle Boyea

I don't think it is possible for me to not enjoy a book from Emma Mills. And Famous in a Small Town was definitely enjoyable!

Sophie's enthusiasm for raising money for the band, her love and dedication to her friends, and her naive outlook on Megan Pleasant make her adorable and fun to know. 

As a former band geek who got to participate in trips, the importance of fund raising is huge. Especially if you are in a small town where parents might not be able to just write a check for you to be able to participate. Her enthusiasm and dedication to raising the money are inspiring, especially when she wants to help out everyone.

Her loyalty and dedication to her friends, even ones she just met, are wonderful to see. It's too easy to get caught up in your own world and not see that others are suffering too. It was great to see that she puts them first, even when she probably shouldn't. 

Her naive outlook on Megan Pleasant is adorable because Sophie wants everyone to see the good in everyone and everything. That innocence is a breath of fresh air in today's world.

Overall, this was a very cute and engaging book. Super easy and quick to read, but still wonderful nonetheless.

Megan Leprich

This was my second book by Emma Mills and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first. I love the snarkiness and one-liners of all her characters that constantly leave me cracking up. 

 The plot and storyline behind this book were interesting, the marching band needs to raise money and it just so happens a famous country singer is from their town so Sophie and her friends decide to ask her to come back to the small town and help them raise the money. The only problem is Megan Pleasant has vowed never to return to her hometown.

I did find myself bored a couple of times while reading this book but I still continued on and I actually did enjoy it. I loved Sophie and her group of friends and how their was some family drama thrown in to make things interesting.

Hayley 📖🌈💜🌸

I just cannot put into words how much I love Emma Mills books. 

This was absolutely delightful from start to finish. I laughed a lot and cried a bit too (fair warning, I do cry at almost anything.) 
I loved Sophie and Brit and Flora and August and Terrance and Dash. These kids are soft and lovely and real and beautiful. 

A++ 10/10 would recommend. And now to devour every other thing she’s ever written.

Joleen

This arc was provided to me for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

4 Stars

YA Contemporary always makes me nervous, but Emma Mills knocked it out of the park with this one. Famous in a Small Town was such a delight to read that I finished it in one sitting! It was such a sweet book about love, friendship, and the perks of a small town.

Famous in Small Town centers itself around the sweet and outgoing Sophie who loves her small town, her 4 hilarious best friends, and the marching band. Sophie meets new the new boy August, who likes his space and has some secrets. Together they try to come up with ways to raise enough money to get the marching band to the Rose Bowl. They decided to ask Country’s Music sweetheart Megan Pleasant, who grew up in the small town Sophie loves so much to perform a concert. But getting ahold of Megan is tougher than one thinks! But Sophie and August have no idea what they are getting themselves into.

The characters were super cute, especially the group of friends. When all the characters are in the same room, they are a hoot. They all had such weird hilarious personalities and it made me wish I could have them all as friends. There were a few things I didn’t like such as the romance. I wasn’t such a big huge fan of it, it felt too rushed. But the friendship that the group had made this book. Because at the end of the day that's what this book is about. How to come together and how to be there for each other.

As my first Emma Mills book, I was a bit scared. Scared that this book would be too juvenile for my adult self. But it was actually super adorable and I found myself chuckling out loud quite often. To think I thought this book would be too childish. If anything it made me feel like I was a teen right along with Sophie and her circle of friends. So if you are into adorable friendships and sweet moments, then definitely give this book a try.

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Famous in a Small Town

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