This book was a pleasant surprise. I loved the way that all the stories were connected. This was an unexpected surprise. I loved every minute of this book. I highly recommend to anyone who likes short stories but the twist behind all of these stories are amazingly written. One of the best books I've read in a long time.

In this collection of interconnected short stories, a varied group of teen characters each face the challenges and rewards of small-town life. Through ordinary events, showing brief moments in the characters’ lives, we see their inner struggles, how they deal with pain or boredom or being left behind, and how they find new paths and moments of healing.

Set in the mid-1990s, the stories are set in Alaska and in small towns scattered across the American west. We meet hitchhikers, kids with reputations, girls who grew up wild and free, siblings who’ve suffered loss. Some common threads are apparent across multiple stories — the early warnings of a wildfire in one story turn into an out-of-control inferno in another; the aftermath of certain events are sprinkled throughout several characters’ lives, but we only get the full picture in a seemingly unrelated story later on.

I loved seeing the way the characters’ lives intersect and have impacts big and small on other characters’ lives, even when there’s no obvious connection. In fact, these characters for the most part will never know the threads that connect them, even though we as readers are treated to the bigger picture and have the pleasure of seeing where all theses lives overlap.

The author’s first novel, The Smell of Other People’s Houses, is one of my favorite books, and is a must-read. In Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town, we’re once again treated to her simple yet affecting approach to language, the realistic-feeling dialogue, and the tour of the inner workings of teen minds and hearts.

I wouldn’t normally be drawn to a short story collection, but I picked this one up because of the author, and I’m so glad I did. It’s a slim, lovely book, and I’m sure I’ll read it again to gain new appreciation now that I know how the very different pieces all fit together.

Highly recommended.

CW: child sexual assault/pedophilia , drug use, forest fires, child disappearance/kidnapping, infidelity, homophobia, grief

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town is a collection of young adult short stories all taking place is small towns in Alaska, Colorado, Montana....the Midwest/mountain region. These stories truly captured what life is like in a small town. I grew up in a smaller town where you basically knew everyone. I really feel that Hitchcock hit the mail on the head.

Also, each story is connected to another story in the collection through the setting, a character, or an event. To me, it was fun and a bit like a puzzle to figure out how each story related to the previous one or another story in the collection.

My two favorite stories were probably Basketball Town (which reminded me of Beartown) and There’s Gas in the Tank, Louise.

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhousechildrens for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. As noted, this one publishes today so be sure to pick up your copy! I recommend it if you love short stories or are relatively new to short stories. This is only my second recent short story collection and I really enjoyed it

Can we, as a community, agree to stop sleeping on Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock please? Her books are wonderfully quirky and thoughtful, and no one can title better. This book is more an anthology, and how I was able to care so deeply about every last character (so much that the mentions in later stories made me squeal with delight) is beyond impressive, frankly. (Also, she lives in a yurt, and if that isn't the coolest thing ever, Idk what is.)

(Sidenote: I'd probably look up trigger warnings more in depth, but I will say that there is sexual abuse involved, among other things)

So, yes it's an anthology, but it's a connected anthology, so all the stories have at least one tie to one of the other stories. Which is kind of brilliant. Also, we get introduced to so many different people in so many small towns in America. And some of these stories are straight up heartbreaking, no question. A lot of them are attempts to rebuild after said heartbreak. It's definitely an emotive book, but also really charming and thoughtful, so you won't be drowning in misery. Yes, there are dark situations, but there is also tons of light.

Bottom Line: I loved how the stories connected to each other, and how the characters often had impacts on each other without always knowing. It's thoughtful, it's lovely, and it's definitely worth reading.

I received this an ARC thanks to the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This collection of short stories are interwoven to tell the experience of life in a small town through multiple different characters and perspectives. In particular and far from a trope the lack of privacy! Each story carries into another as the reader pieces together connections between them.

Overall, this was well done - it edges a little outside the age range to a slightly maturer audience than slated for in my opinion. The writing and character development is good and each story compells you to keep reading.

Content warning: Child sexual abuse is discussed. This warning is also identified at the front of the book before it begins.

It's been a while since I picked up a short story collection/anthology, so I'm glad I found a gem. Everyone Dies Famous In A Small Town is a collection of the lives of teenagers belonging to different towns, whose lives get intertwined as each chapter becomes introduced.

I loved how there was an unique theme in every story. I could take away a new lesson from all of the characters lives. The chapters were so intricately crafted, I couldn't wait to see how the characters will connect in the upcoming story. The author penned down the most brutal and horrifying moments of the characters lives (Delia's story touched me the most) and I was stunned with how the book left a mark long after I finished it. The worst side of human beings got revealed as each chapter progressed ~ and I just wasn't ready for how intense the book got, you know?

I'll definitely keep the stories from Everyone Dies Famous In A Small Town close to my heart. Can't recommend it enough.

Just didn't do it for me. I found it really hard to connect with the characters which makes the experience a lot worse in a character focused book. Could be for other people, just not for me.

I don't always love collections of short stories but when I do it's usually because the stories are interconnected and part of an overarching theme. Such is the case with this book and I really enjoyed this collection. I also really loved all of the various settings, how the characters were interconnected but each had their own story. This author writes such full fledged YA characters that they all seem like they could be your best friend. I love this author and hope you give this book a chance!

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town comes out TODAY on April 20, 2021, and you can purchase HERE! You can read my review of this author's other work HERE.

In a small town, you are forever defines by the worst thing that ever happened to you.

Releases TODAY, April 20, 2021

Content warning: Child sexual abuse

I received an ARC of Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock thanks to the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb thanks to Goodreads:

“A lyrical and heartfelt collection by an award-winning writer that connects the lives of young people from small towns in Alaska and the American west. Each story is unique, yet universal.

In this book, the impact of wildfire, a wayward priest, or a mysterious disappearance ricochet across communities, threading through stories. Here, ordinary actions such as ice skating or going to church reveal hidden truths. One choice threatens a lifelong friendship. Siblings save each other. Rescue and second chances are possible, and so is revenge.

On the surface, it seems that nothing ever happens in these towns. But Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock shows that underneath that surface, teenagers’ lives blaze with fury, with secrets, and with love so strong it burns a path to the future.”

Review:

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town is a uniquely written story told through short stories. Each short story gives one perspective of life in ultra-rural areas but they are all connected. Each story has one or more people that are connected to the following story or a previous story. While it may sound a bit confusing, it doesn’t read that way. Picture how in the real world people pop into your life, with their own story, and then pop back out.

Each of the stories is interesting in it’s own way, but the main hook for me was finding out how each character was related to all the others. Watching the event(s) of the current time unfold was interesting, but not nearly as interesting as the characters. There is so much background for each character, but Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock never forced that information on me, at least not without a plot reason (one short story takes place mainly in the past, but the set up to it and the story make complete sense in the landscape of the book).

There were some characters I really couldn’t care less about and places were it dragged slightly, but the benefit of this writing style (or story construction?) is that you were never with one character for long. If you hated a character, you are out if it quickly and you can focus on the wonder of ‘how does this fit in with the others? Why is this part of the person’s life important to know about?’, both of which are questions that keep me fascinated the entire way through.

Overall, I enjoyed to story and if this concept sounds interesting to you, I suggest picking it up. If you are not interested in interwoven short stories, it may be best to pass on this one.

I've been reading a lot of short story collections recently. This one rises to the top for many reasons, the most important being that these stories are connected, their threads growing stronger with each subsequent story. Characters' narratives intertwine, their stories intersect, their experiences commingling, commiserating. Themes that run throughout: grief, sibling bonds, coping strategies, fire, renewal and reinvention.
A product of a small town, I found sparkling small town truisms in each story. Some of my favorites:
"In a small town, you are forever defined by the worst thing that ever happened to you."
"There was no anonymity in a small town. Especially if you stood out at all."
"Small towns, you know? Everyone's an expert."
"Small-town trust is the backbone of small-town living. But it was unraveling."
"It was a crumbling town, held loosely together by these routines and miles and miles of toilet paper hung in the trees like prayer flags."
I felt that the stories got stronger as they progressed. Stand-outs for me were "Parking-Lot Flowers" and "There's Gas in the Tank, Louise!" But these are standouts in a collection strongly held together -- a whole stronger even than its individual parts.
[Thanks to Wendy Lamb Books | Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my opinion.]

Before I say anything too important I will say I live in a small town and just about everything these characters say about them are true. Small towns are terrible when it comes to you keeping your privacy and everything else.

I think this is the first short story collection I've actually liked. These stories are really good and I thought it was really cool how these are all intertwined in some little way. This is my first time reading anything from this author and I really love her writing. I think her writing is really beautiful. For once as I read the stories and finished them I didnt get that usually feeling that they were incomplete. That's my usual reason for not liking short stories. It didnt take long to finish this book. It was really short only like a couple of hours from start to finish. I would most definitely read more from the author again. I really loved and enjoyed these stories.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy to read and review.

I love the storytelling of Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock. I will read anything she writes. Story collections are hard for me because I just start to fall in love with a character and then the story is over. But when they are entwined as brilliantly as they are in this book, I could read them forever. I was sad to see this book end. I just want more.

"In a small town, you are forever defined by the worst thing that ever happened to you."

An exploration of grief, coping, trust, and the way girls are so often blamed for their own trauma and left to work through its effects on their own, Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town hit hard on the impact trauma has on kids at a very young age. From a six year old who invents an invisible mermaid friend to cope with the loss of her best friend's disappearance, to the fracture of families and friendships that come with moving away, to (a lot) of child sexual assault, Hitchcock illustrates the depth that can lie beneath the surface of just about anyone you meet. Throughout the book, we see the havoc wreaked on characters who are not believed, who are left to sort out their traumatic experiences on their own. But we also see the healing that comes with relationships when friends and camp counselors and stepparents step up and show up for kids, and that was a beautiful message for me.

I think the writing style just isn't for me though. I would have liked to see more character development that would have helped me connect better with the characters and their experiences. As it was, a lot of them came off really whiny and unlikeable (e.g., Gina in "Angry Starfish," Fiona in "Alaska Was Wasted on Us"), but even with the characters I didn't like, I got the feeling I would actually like them if I just knew them a bit better. At the same time, I appreciated the structure of this novel and the way in which all the stories are subtly connected through interweaving characters, in some ways making even a big country like the United States feel as connected as a small town. It was so well-connected that it felt more like a novel than a series of short stories, and that worked well for me. Read this one in a single sitting.

Much thanks to Random House Children's and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for the review.

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town is a collection of short stories set in rural areas like Colorado and Alaska and are all connected to each other in some way. I did not know what to expect going into the book, but these stories had me hooked. It was a quick read and the stories were all very emotional. Some stories mad me sad, others made me laugh and a few made me mad because I wanted more, I needed more and you were just left hanging. It was very annoying at times but I still loved this book and added a new author to my must read list.

Whether someone is from a small town in Alaska, Colorado, or along the Washington coast, their stories are all interwoven. The interconnected vignettes begin with Poppy and her mother, who move to Alaska while Poppy’s older sister Ruby stays in Pigeon Creek with her father after their parents separated. With every story comes a new intersection as Ruby’s boyfriend cheats on her with Martha, the new girl claiming to be from California but who is actually from a small town along the Washington coast. There, she left behind her best friend Jane, the same Jane who finds an unconscious Conrad after he ate bivalve mollusks and lost his memory. Conrad kissed Ben before he left Granville to find his uncle in Canada. Later, Ben gives a ride to a hitchhiker named Delia, who is trying to find her abuser—but the stories don’t stop there. With numerous connections tying them all together, this collection of vignette-style writings explores the lives of various young people living in small towns across the country.

Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock presents these stories in a way that isn’t overwhelming and allows readers to make connections with every page turn. Having been born and raised in a small town myself, I always say that not much happens there; but Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town reminded me that there is much more to small towns than what meets the eye. Often, I find narratives about characters leaving their small towns to pursue big dreams, but I enjoyed reading about these characters’ lives in towns where everyone knows each other. The stories detail the loss, love, pain, and disasters that all these characters experience and how they deal with it all. Each story is as great as the last, and I am sure readers will identify with at least one of them.

(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

Small towns seem to be a source of nostalgia, fascination, contempt, and boredom, among many other things. Those from big cities may wax poetic about small town life, while those who grew up in one could not wait to escape it. Hitchcock explored the many facets of small town living in this collection of stories, which kept me enthralled from beginning to end.

I first experienced Hitchcock's writing via her debut, The Smell of Other People's Houses, and knew I would be a forever fan. Once again, she crafted stories, which are not normally my go-to, but were written so brilliantly, I found myself devouring the pages.

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town is a collection of short stories which are connected to each other. The stories are set in rural areas in places like Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Colorado. It delighted me that I was out of the big cities for once and spent most of my time off the coast as well. The stories dealt with everyday issues, while also having several overarching plots that are picked up in the other stories.

When I first realized these stories were talking about some of the same events, I felt a bit of excitement. Seeing someone from a previous story made me giddy, and I adored looking out for them. Finding the pieces and making the connections became my sport, and I delighted in it.

But there was more to the masterful storytelling. Hitchcock hits on many dark themes and left me with a lot to chew on. She had me sharing the pain, loss, and rage of these characters, while also allowing me a bit of hope, here and there. When I finished the book, I had tears in my eyes, but also a sense awe as I pondered the idea of connection. I loved the way she looked at small town life, while also making the world a bit smaller showing how these these people who were geographically separated were affected by the same series of events.

This was one of my most positive experiences with an anthology to date. The characters were well drawn, their emotions perfectly captured, and the storytelling first-rate. Though all these tales revolved around darker themes, I was still fully drawn into these worlds, which is a testament to the storytelling. Overall, I was captivated by this collection of stories, which left me thinking about human connection and how our lives are more intertwined than we believe.

Each of these stories tells just a little bit more about the people of these small towns. I kept waiting for a bigger story to connect them all, and while technically there is one (both with the wildfire and Coyote Jones) each one provided enough story to hook me, but also left me unfulfilled. I want more of this community of people. They are stories full of sadness, and very little hope, but it is there.

'Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town' is my first Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock novel and it took my breath away. Not only has Hitchcock woven an intricate array of characters but she manages to ensure the reader has quick emotional insight formed during each character's short appearance. The structure of the novel is a series of vignettes, the ending of the last character's story leading into the next one.

Sadly, this was not for me. I think Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock nailed the small town feeling and vibes, and that was definitely my favorite part of this. I also absolutely loved that the stories are interconnected and how that was achieved. However, I did not particularly enjoy the stories as a whole - I wanted more character work and depth from them. Thinking back, none of the stories really stood out to me and I am having trouble recalling some of them.

I will say that I loved the setting and the tone, but just the rest did not quite work for me.

In a small town, you are forever defined by the worst thing that ever happened to you. Maybe your mother died and you're so angry still you see red every time you miss her. Maybe your best friend went missing, her body only found two years later. Maybe you almost lost your little sister when a stranger approached her in the woods. Maybe your mother and father refused to listen when you try to tell them what happened to you at church every Sunday in the confessional.

And maybe what happens to define you in your small town has an echo. A ripple as your best friend reinvents herself as the girl every boy wants. An attempt at justice that leaves you lighter and sparks a fire in your wake. A missed connection as your cross paths with a volunteer firefighter in the evacuation center.

Maybe this is all there is. All anyone in your small town will ever know about you. But maybe you'll still die famous because doesn't everyone die famous in a small town?

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town (2021) by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock is a collection of loosely inter-connected short stories.

Starting in Alaska the stories follow teen characters across the Pacific Northwest and Alaska as their lives cross paths in the aftermath of a devastating abduction, a sexual abuse scandal at a small town church, and a forest fire that changes everything.

Shifting viewpoints and locations slowly come into focus as readers find the core of the book where each story is a spoke around one (or all) of these events.

Standouts in the collection include "Alaska was Wasted on Us" and "The Stranger in the Woods" which serve as interesting mirrors with the two possible outcomes in the face of a near tragedy (Fiona realizing how wrong she is about Finn and Jenny realizing how close her family came to losing sister Jade forever).

Fans of Hitchcock's previous Morris Award nominated short story collection will enjoy the similar structure found in Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town. Recommended for short story fans and readers of suspense.

Possible Pairings: Rural Voices: 15 Authors Challenge Assumptions About Small-Town America edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter, This Raging Light by Estelle Laure, The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner