Thanks to NetGalley / Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

This won't be a review as much as a sob induced mess because I love this book. So much. Every time I read an Emma Mills book, this is the result. All I can say is that this is a masterpiece and pulled at every heartstring and I wish I could read it again for the first time.

Emma Mills is consistently a fantastic YA author, and this book was no exception. The characters were full of Emma Mills's with and charm, and the friendships were so wonderful. I fell in love with them as much as I did the romance. Plus the small town feels were perfectly done.

While I did enjoy the plot and the characters overall, I didn't connect with the main character as much as I usually do in her books, and I would've loved to see a bit more of the family dynamics.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an ARC. All opinions are my in.

This is a super sweet and fun YA novel. I love the main character and how Mills creates her character. It made me fall in love with the story and how sweet it was. I would recommend this for those who love a good YA novel that is fun and evokes high school nostalgia.

Famous in a Small Town was an incredibly cute and easy to read contemporary book! I'm not usually one to give a lot of praise to contemporary (and honestly, I don't read much contemporary) but this was simply a really fun read. It definitely encouraged me to check out more of Emma Mills books and I'm so happy I was introduced to a new to me author because of Famous in a Small Town!

I absolutely LOVED this book. Emma Mills is an automatic read for me and this might have been my favorite one yet. SWOON! I don't even have words to describe how much I absolutely adore this book.

What a cute story! Emma Mills always does a wonderful job of making you smile and feel happy. I don't typically enjoy romances that involve celebrities or famous people, but this one was different. Recommended!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sophie has lived in a small town all her life. The biggest thing to happen in Acadia was when now famous pop star Megan Pleasant was on a reality singing competition. Now in her senior year, Sophie has to figure out how to fundraise and get her marching band team to the Rose Parade in Los Angeles; why not see if she can get THE Megan Pleasant to come and headline the festival thrown in her honor?

The only problem? Megan has sworn off Acadia forever.

This doesn't slow Sophie in the least, and she quickly enlists the help of her very best friends. The one thing she didn't anticipate; the younger brother of her neighbor to move in and captivate her.

I first was introduced to Mills' books through NetGalley and every one that I have picked up definitely did not disappoint. This book has everything that I look for in a romance read: secrets, plot twists, and ALL the feels. Famous in a small town reads like a love song, and kept me satisfied from start to finish. I would compare Mills' style to that of Sarah Dessen, but not as predictable (sorry Sarah!). I highly recommend this novel to all libraries.

5/5 stars

I devoured this book, as one does with an Emma Mills novel. It was fresh, it made me happy, and it got me out of a loooong reading slump. What else is there to say?

This book is slice of life done so completely right, and has instantly made Emma Mills an auto-buy author for me!

Famous in a Small Town details the life of Sophie and her friend group as they raise money for their marching band to make the trip to California to march in the Rose Parade. Along the way, there are ups and downs, harebrained schemes, and a new boy in town who changes everything.

I loved how utterly sweet this book was. Sophie is caring and compassionate, and dedicated to doing whatever it takes to make things work for her and her friend group. When their marching band gets invited to march in the Rose Parade, Sophie jumps at any chance she can to fundraise and get her team the money. Enter the main scheme of the story, getting Megan Pleasant, a country superstar a la Taylor Swift, and their hometown hero, to return home and perform a benefit concert to help raise money for the marching band. Amongst scheming, Sophie also meets August, a new boy in town who turns out to be the half-brother of one of the parents Sophie babysits for. August quickly gets inducted into the friend group and from there we have so much love and humor and support, it’s beautiful.

My favorite aspect of this book was the friend group itself. Sophie, Brit, Flora, Terrence, and Dash are all so in tune to each other and supportive, it’s so wonderful and refreshing to see in YA fiction. They all have distinctive voices and personalities, and add something important to the group as a whole. Established relationships of any kind are always my favorite to read about because the characters already gel so well together, as the reader you never have to ask or wonder why they would like each other. It’s very clear to see on the page based on interactions why they get along. They all felt real and their lives seemed relatable and their reactions to things felt appropriate for their age group.

Overall, this is a truly wonderful story full of heart and love and friendship and I loved it.

*Thank you to Henry Holt and Co. and Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

My Review: I haven't read anything by this author but I have been told that this is not her best work. I really didn't enjoy this one at all. I really kind of wished that this would have been in the POV of August because he was the new thread in this story. We could have learned so much more and the romance I think would have been a lot cuter. I loved all the humor and the texting etc. But the story really just lacked that spark I was looking for.

After thinking about this book and story for a second I really think that this could have been an amazing story if it would have centered around Megan Pleasant, that would have been very interesting.

Emma Mills has done it again! Mills is able to seamlessly weave her wit and humor into a story that is equal parts thoughtful, heartbreaking and hopeful I have yet to be disappointed in one of her novels and this one should certainly be added to YA collections.

Famous In A Small Town by Emma Mills basically has ruined me for other YA contemporary books. Like, after I finished it, I was like okay I’ll pick up another YA contemporary book on my Netgalley queue. Nope, that book was so boring and just not sparking anything in me compared to Famous In A Small Town which was ALL THE THINGS.

So, okay this book is about Sophie who loves living in Acadia, Illinois. She’s in the marching band and plays the clarinet. Also, they have been invited to play in the Rose Bowl parade in California. Sophie is on this fundraising executive board. Anyways, as it turns out it is a long shot that they will make enough money to go there. So Sophie has the brilliant idea of getting the hometown legend Megan Pleasant to come back and perform which would raise like a ton of money for the band. THAT IS ONLY SCRATCHING THE SURFACE.

Sophie also has the most amazing friend group ever and I love their group chat which is call the Where Will You Spend Eternity group. Her whole group of friends are genuine and funny and just a fun group of people to read about. AND THEN Sophie has a love interest who is the new boy next door who is in town under mysterious circumstances. We also see a text thread with her sister, Ciara. I just loved that Sophie’s friends and family play such a huge role.

I don’t want to get really in depth or spoil you. Just know this book is personable. Yes, personable. If it was a person, I would be friends with it or at least mentor it or hire it for a job. I loved it that much. I wish all dialogue was written with the crackle that Mills has. I am also now dreading running out of Emma Mills books to read (I have two more to go). She’s now on my list of favorite contemporary authors ever. Like, right up there with Morgan Matson, Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, and Emory Lord.

This was completely unlike what I was expecting and all the better for it. The romance was cute, but it was the relationships between sisters & especially friends that got to me--and had me sobbing a lot. It's hard to capture that sense of loyalty and love to the people who've seen you while you were still discovering yourself, and I think this book just nailed it on the head.

Mills does a great job speaking to the YA audience. I love her work. Also, love that this cover echoes Foolish Hearts.

Lately, I’ve been in a bit of a mood when it comes to reading. A mood where all I want to read is Ilona Andrews books. It was already going pretty strong, but restarting Kate Daniels has definitely made that mood stronger. I know you’re like, um, Christina, I think you’re writing the wrong review atm, but that’s my point. <i>Famous in a Small Town</i> was so good that I put the Kate Daniels down and read this one straight through with no regrets.

Since I only read book synopses when I first add them to Goodreads, I was surprised by <i>Famous in a Small Town</i>. I totally thought this was going to be a celebrity romance, but lol it’s really not. In my defense, the title is a bit misleading, though the book does deal heavily with aF small town’s obsession with the one famous person to come from it, a country music star named Megan Pleasant.

<i>Famous in a Small Town</i> starts out like all of Emma Mills’ other contemporary novels: adorably. Immediately, I loved Sophie’s voice and her friend group (Emma Mills is so good at friend groups, and there’s an adorable side ship sooooo). Sophie’s such an adorable nerd, president of fundraising for her high school’s marching band which is trying to save up enough money to march in the Rose Parade. Her main goal for the summer is to make that happen against great odds, and it’s so precious how she stays focused and won’t let go, even when her friends loving tell her to chill.

Within a couple of chapters, the ship was cemented, and I was ready for the fluffy shippiness of a Mills novel. I got half of that. Mills delivers on the ship as usual. Sophie and August banter so adorably from the very beginning, and I hurled myself aboard the ship and refused to depart. However, Famous in a Small Town isn’t really that fluffy once you get into it; this is Mill’s saddest book. It’s well done, because, hi, it’s Emma Mills, but omg I was so not prepared and got completely blindsided and emotionally wrecked by this book.

Despite their awesome chemistry, August keeps Sophie at a friendly distance, and so I (and Sophie pretty much) spent the whole time going NOW KISS. Until later on, you don’t know why, but you just know it’s going to be heartbreaking because he’s such a sweet guy that there’s just no way it’s some douchey thing. Sometimes I read YA now, and all I want to do is protect the precious teens from anything that could hurt them, and this book made me feel hella protective.

The plot around Megan Pleasant serves as a nice frame story, though it’s really obviously that, though this is the A plot, it’s not what matters; there’s not enough about marching band to really make that seem like the point. That said, I thought the way that everything resolved was really excellently done, and there were some tiny twists I didn’t see coming. <spoiler>I knew who Megan’s songs were about, but I didn’t guess the reason, and I also think it’s great that Megan actually didn’t help at all.</spoiler>

Given that I’m a fluff addict, <i>Famous in a Small Town</i> probably won’t be my favorite of Mills’ books, but, like the others, I know I’ll be revisiting it through the years. There’s something magical about Mills’ writing and characterization.

This was an interesting coming-of-age story in a rural town in Illinois. When Sophia's high school band makes it to the rose Bowl Parade, she and her fellow band members are determined to rase the money necessary to travel there. Sophia's idea:get the one famous person from their town to make an appearance at the fall festival. While the teenagers try to contact her through social media, they add another friend to their close-knit group which causes many of the low points of their lives to come to the surface. While this book was an easy read, I felt that it was a surface retelling of some things that could have been examined more deeply (August's mom, Sophia's sister, Brit's brother). A decent story overall.

4- Number of Mills's books read.
4- Number of Mills's books that made me giggle/laugh out loud.
4 -Number of Mills's book that made me unexpectedly cry like a baby.
4- Number of Mills's books that left me with the "book high" I long for with every book.

Obviously, there is a pattern with Emma Mills, and she has quickly become one of my favorite YA authors. I adored Sophie and the entire cast of ordinary but rememberable characters. Sophie is full of whit and dry humor. I found myself constantly smiling or laughing at her antics. She is hilarious without the effort. I especially enjoyed the familial aspect; it's refreshing to have a book where teens and parents actually communicate. Even though there are tearful moments, I never felt saddened. At its heart, there is feel good theme, and a meaningful coming of age storyline.

I cannot wait for whatever Mills writes next; she is officially an auto-buy author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for my advanced review copy. The finished hardback fits beautifully on my shelf as well.

This book is a love letter to teenage friend groups. They make mistakes. They hurt each other. But they apologize and they learn. I expected the book to be more focused on the country singer from the small town, but that was honestly only a tiny portion of the book. The rest focused on the shy boy next door and the friend group, which I am not complaining about. I love those things in YA, especially soft boys, but it wasn't what I thought it would be going into it.

I really enjoyed this book! I knew I would, it's a book by the amazing and talented Emma Mills. Which of course, is one of my favorite authors. I love her writing style and this book was one that didn't let me down. I couldn't put this one down and can't wait to get a copy for my bookshelf of favs! It's my favorite read this year so far.