Charming. If you love country, you'll really enjoy this coming out, coming of age book about two boys in the country, Gabe is a visiting, aspiring country singer who wants to be the next best thing. The problem is that he's spending the summer at a country-themed park playing the role of the back on a donkey. While there, he charms Emmett, a small-town boy. There's a mystery involving the town's famous country singer and Emmett's family, but the crux of the story is between Gabe and Emmett's relationship. Gabe is out and proud, and wants to be able to share his relationship with Emmett with the world while also being understanding of Emmett's reluctance to come out in his small town. This is a good book to see.a portrayal of teens trying to figure out how to navigate homophobic beliefs in their community and families.

It's a short and sweet book overall.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC.

3.5 Good for a cute gay read but the plot and writing needed more work.

Being gay can come with a lot of trauma and hardships as well as oppression which felt like it was handled pretty well. But when tackling racism and whiteness in country music, I feel like the main character ran face first into the point and still missed it. As a white person, he still has extreme privilege even if he’s gay. This point is further shown by Emmett contemplating hiding he’s gay and acting straight. The character spoke as if he had it the hardest ever in his quest to be a famous country singer when, as a white gay man, he has an option (however painful that can be) to pretend he’s straight to fit the mainstream audiences. POC don’t have the option to pretend to be white usually. It just irked me because it kept taking me out of the story when I kept thinking 'you’re literally a well off cis white man' when he was saying he needed "every advantage possible."

This issue of country being a very white only space was even brought up in the book via the small time two Black side characters had. This leads into my next issue with the book, the substance. Many different plot lines and events happened in this book. It felt like a lot but all of the plot lines were all hardly finished, delved into and were rushed. I think this book would’ve benefitted with editing of some ideas and focusing on really putting everything into the most important ideas.

The last few chapters of the book felt really rushed when the conflicts that are addressed in these chapters are problems that are the books major conflicts. Hardly anything is addressed.

I found the plot to be fairly okay but nothing shocked me about it. It was fairly standard.

What a fun coming of age book. There were a few times when I wished it would “hurry up and get to the good part” but that was just me being impatient! Slow down, let the characters get to know each other, and learn about them. The pacing was perfect… I was the problem!

The story unfolds as you would expect, but with some twists along the way. Any fan of country music, love stories, and/or coming out stories would love this book.

Now I am not a country music fan in the slightest, but this had a lot of charm and just a little bit of sass, i very much enjoyed this.

As a gay country/folk music fan myself, I may have been a little too hyped for this and set myself up for disappointment. I had bigger expectations than I should have for a debut novel. There was a LOT going on in this story. If all the different plots had been more fleshed out that might have given the book the depth I was looking for. As of now I feel like it tried to do too much and spread itself thin. Unfortunately, the main relationship was one of the things that suffered due to this. I just wasn't feeling the connection like I wanted. However, since this is the author's first book, I am hoping he will continue to grow.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Balzer and Bray for an advance reader copy of this book!

Imagine if you one day went to an amusement park and said what if I set a book here and what if it's gay and you have this book. Obviously it's so much more than that but this book plays such an homage to Dollywood that I almost felt like I had been there even though I've
never set foot in Tennessee.

Emmett and Luke literally crash into each others lives one summer and form a friendship that eventually turns into more. I loved that this book did not shy away from discussion of not being out and what that can mean for
a relationship.

What I liked:
*Emmett's aunt and the dynamic it creates
*Meet cute
*I mean it's set at an amusement park
*Dolly Parton-esque character

What I didn't like:
*There were a couple of choices with the plot that I really don't understand why they were included but that's not for me to decide. I struggled with them as they fit into the rest of the story and it put a damper on my enjoyment

This is a fun YA summer romance about not changing who you are just to fit someone else's mold and the things we need to do to follow our dreams and our hearts.

A Little Bit Country

Thank you so much to Brian D. Kennedy, Book Forward & Harper Collins for an advance copy of this book!

This will be published on May 31st.

I had first heard about this book last year and had been anticipation its release.

What more could you ask for, a gay romance while taking place at an amusement park that is the equivalent to DollyWood?!

Emmett is from Chicago who has one goal: to be the first gay country superstar. He hopes getting a job at Wanda World’s Good Time Jamboree in Jackson Hollow, Tennessee will be the foot in the door he needs.

Luke lives in Jackson Hollow and his time is spent working and taking care of his family. His mom has Multiple Sclerosis and has been in and out of work while his stepdad works nights. His dream is to be a chef. He was offered an opportunity to work in the kitchen at Granny’s Cupboard in Wanda World.

The two meet and it was instant attraction. Luke has not had much experience with men as he is closeted, scared of what his family will think of him. Whereas Emmett is loud and proud and is very open. This causes conflict between the couple. In addition to the budding romance, we also have a little mystery involving Wanda World’s very own Wanda Jean Stubbs.

“You can be any color you want and still be in my rainbow”

This hit all the right marks for me and was such a joy to read. I thought the writing was fast pace and kept moving along. Having the dual point of views of each men was an added bonus. I also liked that it wasn’t always the same pattern in sequence (ex: Luke, Emmett, Emmett, Luke, Luke). I also was not expecting a little bit of steam for a YA novel.

I love how Kennedy described Wanda World because I could picture everything in my head. I felt like I could have been there.

One of my favorite quotes from the book is: “A song doesn’t always have to be true. But there should be truth in it. An emotion you can connect with. Lyrics that articulate something you believe.”

4.5 Rating

This was adorable! A perfect YA summer romance with a HEA set inside a Dollywood-esq theme park. A great addition where contemporary romance or LGBT+ are popular! I just reviewed A Little Bit Country by Brian D. Kennedy. #ALittleBitCountry #NetGalley

I really wanted to love this book.

I hate writing reviews for books I didn’t like, but I think this one is the saddest of them all. Not only did I receive an advanced copy of this book, but my interest in this book was formed because of a tweet made by the author himself.

But let’s talk about the book.

This book focuses on three different conflicts. The first focuses on Emmett, a young country singer who wants to break down the heteronormative views of country music and become a popular gay country artist.

The second focuses on Luke, who is a closeted gay teen we’ll talk a little more about later.

And the third is between Wanda Jean and Verna Rose, two country singers who used to be very close. Until they weren’t.

Because a lot of this book focuses on country music, there are a lot of lyrics in the text. And I want to be fully honest by saying first and foremost that I skipped a lot of these lyrics. I know a lot of other readers also like to skip song lyrics when they pop up in stories, so anyone who also doesn’t enjoy reading lyrics may want to know that there are quite a few sections of lyrics in this book.

I did, however, really enjoy Emmett’s side to this story. I liked seeing him try to become a famous gay country star, even if country music is largely heteronormative.

However, I didn’t care one way or another for Wanda Jean and Verna Rose’s side of the story, and I hated Luke as a character.

A lot of Luke’s side of the story is him hiding important things about himself from his family and friends in order to “protect” them. Most of this protection focuses on his mom, who has multiple sclerosis and who he doesn’t want to relapse by telling her that he’s gay and wants to work as a chef, and his ex girlfriend, whose feelings he doesn’t want to hurt if he reveals that he just doesn’t like women.

As someone who thinks you can absolutely make a family out of people who support you and cut out the people who don’t, I hated reading Luke’s point of view. His hesitance to tell the people in his life even the most basic details about himself made me angry. But even worse, I hated reading him treat Emmett like trash in order to keep hiding his own identity and “protect” the people who didn’t need his protection. Multiple times throughout this book, Emmett needs to sneak around and hide their relationship. My eventual “fuck Luke, he can never recover from this” moment was closer to the end of the book, in a scene where Emmett has something really important to say to Luke and tries to catch him near the dumpsters of his job for a couple of seconds, only for Luke to tell him that he shouldn’t be there and push him away.

Emmett deserves better.

There’s a twist near the end of this book, but I didn’t find it that surprising. Early on in this book, I had a prediction. I had wanted to write down when exactly I formed a prediction, but I seem to have lost that note for myself. But either way, this book reveals a twist at 91% of the way through that ends up being the exact detail I had predicted. I think anyone even vaguely genre-savvy would be able to pick up on this twist, as it seems very obvious.

But maybe that’s just me.

As much as I liked Emmett’s side of the story, it just can’t make up for the rest of this book, and I have to rate this entire story two stars.

I loved this so much! Both Luke and Emmett's storylines were complex, unique, and compelling. A sweet summer romance, a reflection on the history and future of country music, and a heart-wrenching look at the complexities of coming out. A wonderful addition to queer YA lit!

Okay, this book warmed my East Tennessee, Dollywood-loving heart. Brian nailed this story with two protagonists that stole the show in completely different ways!

I loved the dynamics of this story, the complicated mess of emotions that exist between two people trying to figure out if what they have together is worth the trouble (you’ll have to read to see the answer to that!) and all of the intense questioning and self-reflection that come with it.

Wanda World is clearly a love letter to Dollywood, a magical place at which I’ve spent countless hours in my life. Brian gets the atmosphere SO right, and it was delightful reading a story set in a similar place.

This book will definitely appeal to Robbie Couch and Phil Stamper fans with its wit and tenderness, as well as Julie Murphy fans, with its healthy dose of Southern charm and tribute to all things country!

Bravo to Brian on a fun, charming debut that left me very emotional in several spots toward the end!

Aww, this was so fun!!! I grew up listening to nothing but country music., From Tim McGraw to the Chicks to Reba to Brooks and Dunn, 90's country was my shit. My tastes have changed pretty much 180 since my childhood, but this book brought me right back to those days of sitting in my old 2000 jeep at the barn, listening to country music. Loved the references throughout, and both Luke and Emmett were fully fleshed out characters who had unique voices. While there is **thankfully** no shortage of queer teen romaces these days, this one is certainly as standalone in the best ways.

was... something.

You know what, let's just get right into it-

Plot:
The plot was actually pretty good, as it combined two of my favourite things- cooking and music. And then there was the entire Wanda Jean mystery and every thing, so that was a plus too! The plot was actually something I'd give four stars out of five. The point five would go because of instalove, and the plot becoming incessantly cliched at the end.

Characters:
For some reason, I did not like Emmett. Like I think he was meant to be the likeable one, and Luke was the grumpy one, but that just didn't work out. There was a line in the book, where he goes if he had to choose between his music career and Luke, he'd choose Luke, and that was just a big.. no. I mean, I get that he loved him and everything, but he was just 17! Any practical person would not throw their career away for love at 17! That was something that irked me very much.

Writing Style:
This is where the book lost most of it's points for me. There just wasn't a depth to the writing, and the things flew too fast for me- nothing was explored completely. And like, there was so much potential to the plot, but it just wasn't covered.

You should still read it if you're looking for a cute gay romance!

This is pretty much exactly what you'd expect from it: a very cute little romantic story about country music and two boys spending a summer together falling head over heels for each other. It was a very quick and easy read. I think some of the plot twists were a little on the nose or heavy handed, but I think overall this was a very basic and fun romance plot. I think a lot of people will. really enjoy this one.

A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY is so adorable. I can't even.

Country music lover Emmett gets a chance to perform at a Dollywood-esque Wanda World for the summer. He dreams of being country music's biggest gay superstar.

Luke is a local to Jackson's Hollow, where Wanda World is located. He dreams of becoming a chef and when he gets the opportunity to work in a kitchen at Wanda World, he takes it even though his ailing mom is against Wanda World.

Emmett and Luke has one of the best meet-cutes I've ever read and their romance is so sweet and tender. They face plenty of obstacles like their ambitions, some family drama, and Luke's valid concerns that keep him closeted, but Emmett and Luke are so cute together. I want to give them a big hug!

Brian Kennedy's writing and humor keeps the story moving, engaging, and lighthearted. There are so many gems embedded in this story that made me laugh out loud. A true joy to read.

Brian D. Kennedy's A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY is a sweet, albeit predictable, romance that many readers will enjoy. The characters veer a little too close to cardboard than I would have liked, and the dialogue (and interior dialogue) often falls flat. As with so much gay fiction, questions of homophobia, acceptance, and coming out drive a substantial part of the narrative. Overall, a serviceable YA romance that never quite rises above.

Wanda Jean is the Dolly Parton that would exist in the Red, White & Royal Blue Universe and you can't change my mind.

~Nobody owes their story to the world. But maybe it’s not about owing your story. Maybe it’s about wanting other people to know.~


Luke and Emmett both find themselves with Summer jobs at Wanda World. They literally run into each other and their Summer romance blossoms quickly from there. But while they are navigating their different jobs and relationships, Emmett is learning what it really means to be famous and that your idols are only human too. But Emmett also teaches Luke that it's okay to dream and take chances. They seemed to really balance each other out. Overall, A Little Bit Country is a cute Summer story.

I don't like that we don't really get to know the characters interests outside of cooking and music. I don't like the kind of abrupt ending. What happened at the end of Summer? It was this big looming thing all through the book but we never even get to see it.


"In the distance, a blue haze is pulled across the Smoky Mountains like a blanket. Aunt Karen says it’s fog rising up from the vegetation. Like the mountain’s releasing a breath of air."
Soooo.... the mountains are releasing the breath they didn't know they were holding??? 👀 I'll see myself out now. 😂


*Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Balzer + Bray for providing me with a review copy. Quotes are subject to change upon publication.*

Sometimes a book coming out just speaks to your heart, and for me, it was this one. A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY was on my most anticipated YA reads list for 2022, and I was thrilled to be given an advance copy thanks to HaperCollins/Balzer + Bray + TBR and Beyond Tours - catch my stop on the tour on 6/3!

After working in the country music industry here in Ohio for 2 years, this one just screamed must-read for me, and I loved everything about the synopsis. That gorgeous cover alone made it one I had to have, and I cannot wait for my preorder copy to arrive (head to Brian's page to snag the cutest promo item, it's perfect!)

There were so many things to love about this book:

COUNTRY MUSIC Um, hello, if you're a country music fan, where have the country music books been, I need MORE books about the heart of Nashville, ASAP This was something I myself had never read and I just loved it! While a few recent reads focused on the music industry that I enjoyed (Kiss & Tell, If This Gets Out) there was something so wonderful and unique with this Wanda World setting that just made me happy. Dolly Parton inspired, anyone who has idolized a singer will relate to the feelings Emmett & Luke both have for such a big star.

While I'm always someone who devours as many diverse + LGBTQIA+ titles, I had so much appreciation for the characters Kennedy created. Being out is so different for each individual, and these characters was inspirational. Anyone can overcome obstacles, family struggles, and the circumstances they can't control while still remembering it's okay to DREAM BIG.

Fall in love with Luke & Emmett as they find themselves, and learn that getting older comes with great responsibility but that life can be full of fun and surprises. Some pretty great twists made me love this book even more, I cannot wait for ya'll to read it! It may be Kennedy's debut, but I hope there are many more books to come written by him.

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours, Netgalley, and Harper Collins for an arc of this book.

Emmett is looking to become country's biggest gay music star and moves to Jackson Hollow for a summer job at a country-singer-themed amusement park to try and make his dreams come true. There he meets Luke, working at a restaurant and hiding so many parts of himself from his mom to save her from hurt. They come up with a plan for Emmett to use Luke's nana's old lyrics to get ahead and get Luke money for his family.

This was very cute. I will be the first to say that I know so very little about country music that I actually wasn't sure if Wanda Jean Stubbs was a real person or not at first. But that didn't matter. Luke and Emmett were both very cute characters and I enjoyed the journey.

This dealt with some big themes about coming out and religious bigotry and being yourself in a small town. I definitely enjoyed the ride!

Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Outing

Thank you to NetGalley for this Kindle edition ARC!

A book that any queer person with a bit of love for the ladies of country music NEEDS to read. I found myself flying through this book because it is structured so well - with alternating chapters from the perspectives of the two main characters - Luke and Emmett.

Emmett is out and proud with big dreams to be the first major openly gay country star, but Luke shoves his goal of becoming a chef down deep - along with his sexuality. When the two boys meet, there are undeniably sparks between them, but his scares Luke. He's afraid that if ANYONE finds out that he's gay, he'll be disowned by his family. Emmett tries to break him out of his shell, but it causes stress on their relationship to constantly be in hiding.

Packed with country music references, adorable banter, and a mystery surrounding a Dolly Parton like figure, A Little Bit Country is not to be missed. After reading it, I can't wait to go to the real Wanda World - Dollywood!