Colton Gentry's Third Act is the adult fiction debut of Jeff Zentner.

"Good things are happening for country singer Colton Gentry. He has his first hit in a while - he's opening for megastar Brant Lucas - and he's married to one of the hottest acts in the country. But he's hurting. His best friend was killed in a mass shooting at a music festival. Colton is using alcohol to numb the pain and during one show he tells the crowd what they can do with their guns. The aftermath loses him his wife, his band, his record label and all of his remaining self-respect. He heads back to his small Kentucky home town feeling like a failure. There he runs into his high-school sweetheart who is trying something new. She offers a chance to work with her in her restaurant and Colton must make his most important decision."

Reading a new Zentner book is like spending time with an old friend. His characters are imperfect and speak to the struggles we all have. Colton deals with grief, with addiction and with that little voice in his head that tells him he's not good enough. Just when you think he's taken all the blows he can take, Zentner drops something else on him. But at rock bottom Colton finds redemption and growth. I love this ending.

Put this book at the top of your list for this summer and wrap yourself in the warm embrace of a Jeff Zentner story.

I liked this but didn't love it. Loved the former country star taking a stance against guns, which would def not go over well in that industry (as we see in the book). His reasons are valid and very real. I found the romance to be one I just didn't enjoy. I did like the tackling of addiction and Colton's journey through sobriety.

this book is RIVETING!!! i was deeply in tune with colton from the very start to the very end and couldn't help but think of him when i was just living my life! he's charming and kind and sympathetic and going through something so difficult and unimaginable and i couldn't help but feel for him. and the romance!!!! the absolute yearning and deep love between him and luann. their banter and wit and playfulness with each other was perfect. i LOVED this book and i cannot wait for jeff zentner's next!

Zentner is a great writer and you can see his skill in this novel. I did love Colton but wasn't a fan of Luann. By the end of the novel, I wasn't buying what the author was selling in the way of the romance. The best parts of this book were when Colton interacted with Luann's daughters.

OMG! I loved this book so much! Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes and I couldn’t put this one down! It was so refreshing to read a book completely from the MMC’s POV and Colton is now one of my favorite literary characters! I loved the idea that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself or embark on a new beginning. It was hopeful, emotional, inspiring, and heartfelt. You have to check this one out when it comes out at the end of the month!

This book had me by the throat and I couldn't put it down.

Technically speaking the second half of that sentence is a lie. In 2o23 I picked this up and read the first couple chapters, immediately intrigued but me and reading with my eyes have been having some disagreements. It got shuffled off to the side, but luckily the audio was one of Libro.fms advance copies this month and so I was able to get around to this before the release date.

Boy am I glad that I am.

I was initially drawn to this because Colton Gentry is a country music musician, and while the book isn't about his rise to fame so much as his dusting himself off after his fifteen minutes, it's still a buzzword for me.

This story is told in a couple different timelines, though just knowing you get stuff from Colton's past and his present is almost all you need to know.

In the present Colton Gentry is a man in recovery; both from his alcoholism and from the music career he lost. After Colton's best friend was shot at a music festival and he doubled down on statements advocating for stricter gun regulation Colton finds himself no longer the opening act, no longer married, and back home in the small town he was raised in living in his childhood bedroom.

In the past we see Colton Gentry, football star as he forms a relationship with Luann; a new girl in school and not part of his usual social circle.

It's the way that the past informs Colton's present, and Luann's return that had me believing that maybe second chance romances can be done well

Zentner is able to craft a story that is addictive. The way that Colton's and Luann's relationship is written in the past and the present is some of my favorite scenes I've read all year. The way the past is some of the most romantic storytelling I've ever read and the present reads as some of the most compelling cases for platonic love, with that old flame still simmering just under the surface until it makes sense for things to change.

It really is some of the best character work I've read this year, it quickly rocketed to my favorite read of the year. If I hadn't been at work I would have been kicking my feet and blushing the entire time I read it.

Even the platonic male relationships are a thing of joy in this book. The friendship that Colton had with Duane, the friend that was murdered is explored in some of the past chapters, and the friendship that Colton had in high school also comes back into play and feels on equal footing. Truly just a masterclass as far as I'm concerned.

This is the first book by Jeff Zentner that I've read, and I doubt that it will be my last.

A truly sweet coming-of-middle-age story, 'Colton Gentry's Third Act' opens on the end of country singer Colton's second act: an alcohol-fueled rant against automatic weapons at a country music concert. Subsequently drummed out of the music business and released from both his record and his marriage contracts, Colton completes a rehab program and moves back to his small Kentucky hometown to see about starting over.

Colton deals with the downs and further-downs of new sobriety, confronting triggers, enduring loneliness, grieving past lives and lost dreams, and the uncertainty of what to do next. After a fair amount of teary flailing, he finds his feet working as a sous chef in the only fine dining restaurant in town...which happens to be owned by his high school girlfriend, who he happened to never really get over. The plot is not intricate --complications of Colton's rebirth and renewal are often quickly resolved, a bit "sad sack always lands on his feet"-- but the emotions he goes through are resonant and extremely relatable. Even if sobriety and recovery are not your struggles (as they are not mine), who on the approach to 40 hasn't looked around and thought, Have I accomplished what I set out to do? What if I never can? What new dreams can replace the old? Who will be with me while I figure it out?

This book had me chuckling and wiping away tears and rooting for the ending, and I can't tell you how much I appreciated the reassurance that the dog doesn't die. A heartfelt and engaging read with a sure sense of place and no fear of deep feelings.

Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC.

The other two books I’ve read by Jeff Zentner were both five star reads so I went into this with some expectations. I also really liked the premise - a country singer who was dropped by his label after speaking out about needing gun control moves back to his hometown to figure out what’s next.

I found this a compelling read and the audiobook narration kept me interested to see what was going to happen. Unfortunately, this lost me a bit in the execution - the pacing felt off and the ending was unsatisfying to me. I wanted more which may have been a problem of my own expectations.

Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and librofm for the free book/audiobook to review.

Loved this big-hearted novel about second (and third!) chances, not just at love but at careers, making it, and finding family--and oneself. Great depiction of alcohol recovery in the MC.

Having read one of this author's YA books, I was excited to see what he would do with an adult romance. This was so heartfelt, with characters to root for, and I was often crying at the sheer tenderness of it. This author has a way of depicting people who come from rural backgrounds in a way that feels so true for me. It's a slow burn but oh so worth it.

This didn’t quite speak to me the way I was hoping but I’m so glad I read it and see the appeal for sure. Lots here to like and I would definitely read more by the author in the future.

Jeff Zentner has a way with words that infuses even the most mundane situations with poetry. This book will tug on your heartstrings without ever encroaching onto "preachy" territory; it so beautifully tackles grief, second chances, love, friendship, and the power of music.

Cannot recommend enough.

Reflections, Regrets, and Redemption. This book is filled to the brim and spilling over with them. Oh. My. Heart. What did I just read?!!😭❤️

Colton Gentry is a man who is in pain, so much pain he tries to drink it away. Not only that, he has a public meltdown in a very public forum- on stage. He says things that don’t sit well with the crowd. The incident garners world wide attention. It’s splashed all over the media and out goes the career, the wife, the superstar life.

This book isn’t just about a country artist losing it all and finding his way back. It’s the struggle of Colton failing and succeeding multiple times only to be at rock bottom, clawing his way back to a life he can be proud of. It’s about the true brokenness a man feels inside from intense grief and lost love. It’s ultimately about Colton finding his way through and charting a better course. The course that’s meant to be and one that brings true healing and true happiness.

This book is completely captivating yet also gut wrenching. There are times I literally couldn’t read the words because I couldn’t see them. Tears were just falling. Colton’s monologue to his rescued dog Petey…😭😭 Oh that will get you right square in the chest. Thats just one instance. Told in viewpoints from the late 90s to 2016 this book reads like the most addictive miniseries. It makes you feel every emotion and it is just the most beautiful story that cannot be passed by. If I could give it six stars I would! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced copy!

Colton Gentry is finally breaking out as a county musician. He is married to another famous singer, and his most recent single has catapulted him to opening for the biggest country stars in the business. But he recently lost his best friend to an act of gun violence, and when he voices his opinion about gun laws while he's drunk at his concert, everything falls apart. Dropped by his company, he has no option but to return home to Venice, Kentucky and stay in his childhood home until he can get back on his feet.

Colton goes to rehab and gets off alcohol, and while trying to find a new job, he runs into his old high school sweetheart, Luanne. She has realized her dream of opening a restaurant, and it's doing very well in Venice. Colton starts working at her restaurant, and learns to love cooking and the team. Not to mention, he and Luanne get to catch up after 20 years, and old feelings start to resurface.

I am a big Jeff Zentner fan, and this one did not disappoint! His genre is not the type of story I usually gravitate towards, but I love his writing and he brings the characters to life. I loved the flashbacks of Luanne and Colton interspersed with the present day relationship they were navigating. I love how it shows that, no matter what bad things happen in life, things will work out, though not always in the way we expect.

Full of love, romance, heartbreak, redemption…Colton Gentry’s Third Act is a sweet, nostalgic, hopeful, romantic story. Endearing, engaging and filled with yummy-sounding food and fun country music references, this book was difficult to put down as it unfolded.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Never in my life did I think I would be giving a romance by a man, - a straight romance by a man this high rating but this book was gorgeous. I loved all of our main characters. I loved the integrity that Colton had. I wish certain parts were flashed out slightly more, especially towards the end, but wow was this beautiful thank you to net galley the publisher and the author.for the arc

I have been a big fan of Jeff Zentner's YA novels, and so I was very excited to read his debut book for adults. The storyline felt realistic in that the main character struggles with loss, addiction, regret, and self-doubt. It felt slower to me than his YA books and I had a harder time connecting with his characters. With that said, I think it is a story that will resonate with adult readers who enjoy a love story filled with characters finding their way to redemption, forgiveness, and self-love.

I love that this book portrays a sensitive, vulnerable male protagonist struggling to overcome addiction amidst the loss of his career and marriage. But I just couldn’t get comfortable with the writing style. It’s a very distinct voice that just wasn’t for me, but it’s obvious from the scores of rave reviews that there are many appreciative readers who would disagree with me.

Country singer Colton Gentry has had a rough time. His promising football career was cut very short, he botched the relationship with the love of his life, his best friend was lost to gun violence and he lost his career due to a drunken rant. Can he redeem himself and mend the relationships that meant the most to him?
A powerful redemption story.

I don't know what I was expecting, but what I read was certainly better. The emotional connection I felt to the story and the characters was profound. This was so much more than a love story, it was a story of love, loss, growth and redemption. There were sections that felt like poetry, but I will admit there were also parts (mostly those with current slang) that felt a bit off. But that's probably because most of this book was so well written.