Colton Gentry is on the verge of being the next big country star when an onstage intoxicated rant about gun violence lands him in trouble with Nashville’s music executives. Burning his music bridges while remaining unapologetic about his views Colton finds himself back in his small Kentucky hometown, wondering exactly what is next for him. Adopting an old dog (who does not die) and reconnecting with his first love, Luanne, gives Colton a new path in life but only if he has the confidence to take it.

When I saw the cover and read the description for Colton Gentry’s Third Act I admittedly wondered if I’d be able to connect to this book in the same way as his others. I am not a fan of country music and my experience with “fine dining” is slight at best. But, I should have known better than to worry. Jeff Zentner has done it again, and by that I mean has made me smile and cry (sometimes both at once) throughout his newest novel. I soon was feeling Gentry’s pain and his feelings of failure and was continually rooting for him. Zentner’s characters are written with such depth, complications and flaws it makes them uniquely relatable. One of the quotes that landed a chord with me was Zentner’s description of depression.

“Nothing feels right. Nothing offers pleasure. Every experience, every sensory input feels like it’s being run through a filter that shades it a sickly yellow.”

Poetic and beautifully written, I devoured this book in a single sitting much like I wanted to devour the food that was described. You try not salivating after reading this:

“Wagyu beef cheeseburger with Sweet Meadow Farm pimento cheese, fried green tomatoes, and Broadbent bacon jam…”

If you’re looking for a novel that includes heartbreak, grief, healing, and love Colton Gentry’s Third Act is a must read for 2024. While you’re at it pick up In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner as well

After a public falling out with his fans and the implosion of his marriage, country star Colton Gentry returns to his hometown to start fresh. Working as a chef in his high school flame’s restaurant gives Colton the opportunity to redefine himself.

COLTON GENTRY’S THIRD ACT is an emotionally resonant comeback story about identity, starting fresh, and returning to one’s roots. While country music is a launching point, deeper themes take center stage. Jeff Zetner touches on timely issues such as cancel culture, addiction, and redemption.

READ THIS IF YOU:
-are intrigued by a love story written by a male author
-believe we are all more than our worst mistakes
-have an affinity for Nashville hot chicken or Buccee’s pickles

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for providing my review copy. Jeff Zentner is an excellent author and really knows how to write characters that are relatable and real while creating a plot that's unique and interesting as well. You can never go wrong with a Zentner book!

I've enjoyed Zenter's young adult works, his debut into adult fiction did not disappoint. Seeing Colton hit rock bottom and come back a different, better man was satisfying. There were moments of sorrow, social tension, pride and happiness.

I LOVED this book. I will be featuring it in our store’s summer preview for best romances to take to beach/pool/lake this summer. The romance combined with the grief and the beautiful food writing made this novel such a hit for me. I absolutely loved it.

From the start, I was completely invested in Colton and his story. Him standing up for what he believed in (which is something I also happen to believe in) despite the unpopularity of his anti-gun sentiment in the country music community endeared him to me immediately. I mean sure he was kiiind of inebriated when he did it, but my opinion stands. You can tell the guy is hurting, and it's also clear that things are about to get worse before they get better.

He packs up and moves back home, finds him an old dog (with a footnote that nothing will happen to the dog, thank goodness!) and a job totally outside his comfort zone, which just so happens to be at the restaurant of an old flame.

Obviously, the theme here is Colton trying to get his life back on track. He realizes that drinking has become a problem, so he works toward sobriety. He tries to reconnect with folks from his past, and really kind of discover who he wants to be and what he wants his life to look like. It's obviously incredibly relatable for anyone who has had to do a reset long after many of your peers seem to have their lives figured out. There's romance, friendship, family, all kinds of great stuff packed into this book.

But my one absolute favorite part? Colton is a dude who has emotions. No one shames him for having emotions, he doesn't feel "less of a man" for showing said emotions. Everything about this is just... healthy. Not to say that Colton is always dealing with things in a healthy way (remember the aforementioned drinking? He also has been known to push people away to "protect" them, so yeah he isn't perfect, not by a long shot!) but the way it is all portrayed in a way that delivers really good messages.

Bottom Line: It's charming, funny, heartwarming, emotional, and all around fabulous. You obviously need it in your life.

Another beautiful story from my favorite YA author - this time for an adult audience. The story of Colton's rise and fall from grace in country music combined with the story of his re!ationship with high school sweetheart Luann was touching, if a bit trite. But once again, Zentner created a beautifully heartwarming and heartbreaking story.

Jeff Zentner's COLTON GENTRY'S THIRD ACT is the story of a man who has made many acts: first, a college football opportunity destroyed by an ACL injury, then a country western singing career. At the start of the novel, Colton finds himself back in his hometown, living with his mother in the house he grew up in, mulling regrets of actions breaking the hearts of a woman and a best friend he loved with all his heart. While the story felt dragged out in places and swift, lyrical flow in others, all in all, I enjoyed the journey Colton made with an unexpected gift of friendship and a third act where he can live and thrive. The insights in musical careers and the restaurant business were fantastically detailed and realistic. I particularly enjoyed how sensual and immersive the story was in putting me in Kentucky with a fascinating group of people figuring out how to live well. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Loved it! It is a great book - well written, with good banter, the dialogues are funny, and the characters are likable. I wish I were listening to it - I actually might in the future - to really appreciate all the Southern dialect quirks like "might could" and the accents.
The book explores themes of addiction and second (third!) chances, high-school romance, gun control, and popular culture and its effect on society.
I thoroughly enjoyed the read. Colton is a well-rounded character, Luann is independent, artistic, and outspoken, and while the story does not contain shart turns and unexpected twists, it is a good story nonetheless.
Thank you, NetGalley, Jeff Zentner, and Grand Central Publishing for providing the early reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

BEST BOOK I've read this year. BEST.
There's romance, recovery, an of-the-moment cause, and some of the best writing that drives emotions in waves. There's a soundtrack to this story of a country star who loses his best friend to a shooting death at a concert. The pulsing beat of an alcoholic in recovery after losing everything is the bass line of the theme song, but the melody comes in when Colton Gentry is forced home where he starts over, making amends. Forgiveness. Finding yourself. And food. The celebration of food in this novel takes it over the edge! So good!!!!

I just loved this book. Colton was a great main character and the reader finds it easy to relate with him. The periphery characters were created with love. The book includes a teenage first kiss scene that is a near exact copy of a first kiss I experienced myself around that same time. It felt like reading a memoir during that scene. Great writing and a very touching story. Appreciated the footnotes.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Romance, Contemporary Fiction
Spice Level: Slow burn, sex on the page
Language: Smattering of f-bombs and more
Format: Dual timeline. Present and past of Colton.

This book is mostly about Colton's journey—and I don't feel like you see as many romances with the guy front and center. The first chapter was rough for me with the f-bombs. I get it though. We had to see Colton blow up his life. And he did, landing in rehab and more.

I thought Colton's journey to stay sober was pretty realistic. I was rooting for him not to fall and drink again. This was also a bit rough to read. (I had a sibling who became an alcoholic and died young.) But his journey was also cathartic.

The girl he loved from high school was interesting. I was surprised how she was so supportive of him when she'd had so many people bow out of her life or utterly fail her. But it was also sweet that she was prickly on the outside and a marshmallow inside.

I did end up enjoying this book, and I think the majority of romance readers will love it.

Happy reading!

Love love loved this book! I'm haven't stopped thinking about it since finishing and have been recommending widely. Thank you to whoever brought this book to my attention and NetGalley for the advance ecopy!

This was SUCH a feel good read!

I smiled like a stupid fool through this whole book. As a recently sober person myself, this one resonated with me because Colton is dealing with his own sobriety. His ups and downs made me feel seen.

This is a second chance romance, but so much more. This is a book about it never being too late to start over. When Colton’s country music career implodes, he loses more than he bargained for. His career is over and so is his marriage. Tucking tail, he moves in with his mom to get back in his feet.

Running into his high school girlfriend and first love sets his whole world on fire once more. But, she knows how hard it is when he changes his mind, so she is staying guarded. She is a chef and offers him a job in her restaurant. There, Colton finds a new passion, but his past continues to haunt him.

Colton is a man very much in touch with his emotions and I loved it. My own husband is a man comfortable in his masculinity. He is never afraid to show emotion and seeing that reflected in this book was refreshing.

This was a delight to read and I look forward to reading more from this author!!

This book totally lived up to all the rave reviews I've been seeing! If you enjoy second chance love stories, country music, comeback stories, small town stories, high school sweethearts and books about food and family this one is for you!!

Fair warning that alcoholism and a gun shooting play a big part in this book but if that's not a trigger for you, definitely don't miss out on this wonderful book!!! Great on audio and my absolute new favorite by Jeff Zentner!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and Libro.fm for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review! Highly recommended for fans of the old school George Strait movie, Dusty!!

This book totally lived up to all the rave reviews I've been seeing! If you enjoy second chance love stories, country music, comeback stories, small town stories, high school sweethearts and books about food and family this one is for you!!

Fair warning that alcoholism and a gun shooting play a big part in this book but if that's not a trigger for you, definitely don't miss out on this wonderful book!!! Great on audio and my absolute new favorite by Jeff Zentner!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and Libro.fm for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review! Highly recommended for fans of the old school George Strait movie, Dusty!!

Jeff Zentner absolutely never fails to please with his writing.
This, his first foray outside of YA, is just as wonderful as everything else he has written. His characters are engaging, the story compelling, and the feelings he evokes are many.
I highly recommend this to anyone who likes romance and redemption.

Thank you Grand Central for Colton Gentry's Third Act. This was a surprisingly big win for me. I went in excited for the themes but left with full heart, wet eyes at times, and a smile. Zenter captures nuance and emotion so well, makes second chance themes and return to hometown themes sing (sorry, pun not intended). A few stand outs for me: I love indeed second chance and hometown themes and also love celebrity and restaurant settings, this book has them all, and what was fun for me was reading this from a male voice and perspective as that is less common.

And yet, despite all themes I know and love, this book also feels new, fresh, and engaging; I suppose that is Zentry's writing and his strong storytelling. I can't wait to see how others read and love this book. Highly recommend. Adding to my book club to read list!

Colton Gentry is married to a country/pop queen riding high on success until a mass shooting occurs at a music festival - and his best friend guitarist Duane is one of those killed. Colton starts drinking and while opening for a top country artist, spews his hatred for America's love affair with guns. His stance does not sit well with the crowd, his agents, country music fans, or his wife. He finds himself dumped by his wife, record label, and sponsors. His wife's last gift to him is a stint at a rehab facility. Colton decides to return home to try and put his life back together, and you flash back to his high school career and his first love. Colton decides to take his mom to a new, upscale farm to table restaurant in town, and his life is forever changed. This is a romance, so Colton does get a happy ending, and also, Petey, an older rescue dog.

Wonderful book!

This is my first time reading this author, but I will definitely look for others by him in the future. Set in the mid-2010’s, but with many current news topics, this is a book of second and third chances, the strength it takes to try, and what can be gained when you do.

Basically, Colten gets canceled afte expressing his opinions on gun control after his best friend is killed at a music festival (shades of the Las Vegas shooting here). People are outraged and his contracts are voided. Colten returns to Venice, KY to live with his mom and get his life back together. Visiting a local restaurant, he discovers that his high school sweetheart owns it. I don’t do spoilers so I won’t go any further, but I really enjoyed the book. The addition of two footnotes was genius, love Petey.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.