Anything and everything Jenna Voris writes is a damn hit. Every Time You Hear That Song IS exactly what I needed as a queer southern boy, and I cannot wait for teens to have something like this to help them through the day-to-day life. The humor is incredible, the heart-wrenching storytelling is (of course, it’s a Voris special!) there… you just have to read it to experience the magic.

<i> I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. </i>

i wanted to like this book so bad!! i sprinted to the arc when i saw this being promoted on tiktok by the author as a mystery surrounding a great female country star and the secret love of her life.

it really gave the 7 husbands of evelyn hugo, another book that made it big on booktok and that i simply could not bear to slog through. right down to the alternating pov and the unlikable-yet-charming world famous closeted bisexual who’ll do anything to achieve the fame she wants.

it was fast paced, and the dynamics between the characters were interesting. i really appreciated the way it explored the tension between staying in a small town and knowing that if you don’t get out it will crush you where you stand.

but girlies… i set it down two months ago and keep willing myself to pick it up, but 2024 is the year of knowing there are millions of books out there that could be treating me better.

so give it a try! maybe it’ll be for you!

I immediately found the premise interesting, I loved Darren and Decklee, and Kendall was simply adorable. But the pacing of this story was sadly too slow for me. I hate it because with a little more speed in the pacing, I might have loved this one! Now it ended up as just an okay read.

Please check out other reviews if you’re interested in reading Every Time You Hear That Song!

This book was definitely an interesting read, kinda felt like a YA mixed version of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo & Daisy Jones and the Sixth.
This book is told, in passed and present perspectives. In the past following famous country singer Decklee Cassel and in the present we’re following one of her super fans Darren Purchase. Similar to the famous Decklee, Darren is desperate to leave her small town and explore the real world. Darren receives this opportunity when a nationally televised funeral is held for Decklee and announced is the unveiling of a time capsule- essentially a scavenger hunt that Decklee organized before her passing which once it is found, will reveal her last and final album.
Darren, being a young journalist, knows there’s a story there, and is determined to uncovered it and win the grand prize money of $3 million. So she plans a spontaneous road trip with her annoying coworker Kendall and they are off to find the time capsule filled with the music that brought Darren and her mother so much joy throughout her childhood.
I thought this book was good. There was a lot of parts that I enjoyed! However, in general, I just found it kind of slow. Honestly, my favorite part was the chapters following Decklee. Flashing back to 1963 and watching how her fame arose, seeing all the behind-the-scenes and the drama- it just really intrigued me and I found myself wanting to read more about that and less about Darren lol
Overall I thought this was a cute read, but definitely on the younger end of YA in my opinion. I enjoyed it and I would probably recommend it to a younger audience, but I can’t see myself rereading it ever.

I loved this story!! Brought literal tears to my eyes. This story has an alternating POV. Darren Purchase is growing up in the same small town as Decklee Cassel did before she left at 16 to chase her stardom. Her mom and her have used Decklee's music their whole lives to get through everything. When Decklee passes away, Darren waits for a supposed scavenger hunt that will send her on a journey in more ways than one. This book was beautifully written. I had literal tears in my eyes reading the end of this amazing book.

This book was so good that I read it in one sitting. I was dying to know what was going to happen next, because both Darren and Decklee were such complex characters and I love some good drama, and hoo boy did this book have drama in the best way. It's probably not the sort of drama you're thinking though, because despite focusing on a celebrity, I think Voris did a pretty good job of subverting the expectations I had about Decklee and her personality. Both main characters had really strong and unusual personalities in the way that neither of them were particularly concerned about being "likeable" to their close friends, and that was really refreshing to read. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to deal with that behavior, but it was nice to have another form of flaws and growth for characters to work around. The queer rep tackled in this was handled really well too, I was laughing out loud over Ronald Reagan's appearance too.

My only complaint is that I felt like Kendall's race and struggles to fit into Mayberry seemed to be a bit glossed over in a way that he could've been written as white and it wouldn't have made a difference. Like, I'm not asking for this to turn into a race thing or wanting him to be hate-crimed or something, but a large part of the novel was about examining the complexity of living a close-minded small town, loving the community and yet still feeling trapped. Exploring all of that from a white queer perspective while ignoring the struggles a Black teen would have to deal with felt wrong to me. I don't think it was a huge issue, but it was definitely something worth noting.

Overall, Every Time You Hear That Song is a great contemporary YA, and one I'm really glad I picked it up. I'm definitely willing to try Varis' other work too, and look forward to what she writes in the future!

Also, this book is SO swiftie coded, so I highly recommend it if you're a fan of Taylor's

I don't know how to explain this other than it is National Treasure meets Daisy Jones and the Six ala Dolly Parton but it's really for the Swifties who see easter eggs in literally every single detail but their clowning actually ends up being right.

This was seriously so good! For Voris to debut with a great sci-fi and then to pivot to contemporary like this?? I'm in awe. This truly is such a fabulous book with some absolutely incredible and larger than life characters that you won't be able to look away from!

The writing in this book is beautiful. I was really drawn in by that and the premise of a road trip and a scavenger hunt.
I liked this book. I felt the characters names were hard to keep them all straight. But I really liked the deep dive into who they were and how that helped them become who they are/were supposed to be.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

When I say this book had the exact formula of the perfect book for me, I’m not exaggerating. It has everything I love: road trips, secret and not so secret romance, and a big dose of a Dolly Parton-esque vibes. I ended up ignoring the other books I was reading to solely focus on this one and I was taken by the story, up until maybe the 75% mark.

My heart aches for an entire novel solely about Decklee and Mickenlee. I saw it as a disservice to sort of skim through their love story and it didn’t get the nuance it deserved in my opinion. I wanted to delve deeper into Decklee’s mind, to understand why she was honestly kind of awful. Thankfully, Darren and Kendall were adorable, I just didn’t have as much of myself invested in their romance as I did in the other. That being said, Darren’s need to seek out the truth through the scavenger hunt was lovely. I respect her. Get out of your small town, it’s not a crime.

The story itself had great meaning and was realistic in its ending but I didn’t enjoy how it wrapped up. I just didn’t feel the same carefree happiness I got throughout. It kind of brought it all down and again, I know it was realistic, it simply hurt my heart a bit. Aside for that though, it was very cute and easy to read. Simple but still effective. It gave nostalgia for those eager high school years, that hunger to see more of the world, to be more. I’d still recommend it if you want sweet summer vibes with a good amount of angst to go along with it.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for accepting my request for an ARC of this book!
4.5/5
“My mother gave me that guitar on my tenth birthday. She told me it was okay to take it slow, that everyone learns at their 20 own pace, but my pace is wildfire. My pace is lightning and luck and all the desperate longing of the universe.”
I know the description said this was like Daisy Jones and the Six, personally I see it more like Evelyn Hugo. Besides that, That Song is a YA Taylor Jenkins Reid novel. I felt the same emotions I did when reading this book as I read one of Reid's books. The characters are so interesting, and I enjoyed how we got to know more of Darlee’s character and not just have her be someone who advances the plot for the main character. The story also flowed really well, I was never bored with it and it kept me reading till the very end.

"Every Time You Hear That Song" by Jenna Voris is a unique blend of Dumplin' and Daisy Jones & the Six, offering readers their own love song. The novel introduces us to the world of aspiring journalist Darren Purchase and the legendary country music duo Decklee Cassel and Mickenlee Hooper.

While the premise of the book promises an intriguing scavenger hunt and the uncovering of long-buried secrets, my experience with the novel left me with mixed feelings, warranting a three out of five stars.

One of the main stumbling blocks for me was the choice of character names. The names felt unrealistic and, at times, distracting, making it challenging to fully connect with the characters. Unlikable characters further compounded this issue. However, I acknowledge that personal taste plays a significant role in one's enjoyment of a book, and some readers may find these characters more endearing than I did.

The narrative's alternating perspectives, switching between Darren's modern-day journey and Decklee's past struggles in the 1960s, adds depth to the storytelling. Voris successfully weaves a queer coming-of-age tale set against the backdrop of country music, celebrating the complexities of women and the quest for authenticity.

The exploration of Decklee's rise to stardom and her evolving relationship with Mickenlee provides a captivating glimpse into the challenges faced by women in the music industry during that era. The novel beautifully captures the essence of country music and its profound impact on the characters' lives.

It's worth noting that my reservations about the book may stem from personal preferences. If you enjoy stories with a focus on character development, queer themes, and a nostalgic nod to the country music scene, "Every Time You Hear That Song" may resonate more strongly with you. While the characters didn't strike a chord with me, they might find a harmonious connection with readers who appreciate a different flavor of storytelling.

Every Time You Heart That Song is about reckoning with where you come from and who you are. It's about realizing your idols aren't who you think you are. It's about knowing when it's time to move on.

I really enjoyed the novel. The writing was very readable and easy to breeze through while still invoking emotions and making you laugh.

Darren, Carla and Markell were very likeable characters who you sometimes wanted to shake but their actions were always understandable. I don't really have any specific feelings about Kendall. He was a nice, sweet guy but the relationship between Darren and him never worked for me. It was very rushed and the fact that they had stars in their eyes after spending a day with each other on a road trip made me roll my eyes. I'm sure there are people who will make excuses for Decklee Cassel but to me she was selfish and honestly just sucked.

I can recommend Every Time You Hear That Song to people who love music, road trips, people who want some good bi rep and those who tend to form parasocial relationships with the celebrities they admire.

This is the first ARC I've ever been able to read early and I'm so glad I requested. This sweet, queer summer road trip story buried its way into my heart. I love Darren's tenacity and Decklee's ambition. They're such interesting, complicated narrators that play off the rest of the cast so well. I already want to read this one again!

First, thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

This was an enjoyable book in the vein of other YA books. Told in two narratives, in the present day we follow Darren, a soon to be high school senior with aspirations to leave her small town and never look back. She is a huge fan of country music star, Decklee Cassel and it is on the death of Decklee that the book begins.

Going back and forth from Darren to Decklee and her rise to fame, Jenna Voris manages to weave a paralleling narrative where we follow Darren in the present day following clues about Decklee’s career and life and we get to see how it actually happened starting in the 60s when Decklee first decided to leave in pursuit of fame.

In many ways this book is a coming of age story for Darren who’s world gets turned around when she decides to go after the clues Decklee has left, her only possible ride a co-worker and friend, Kendall. With their friendship growing into more and Darren being able to figure herself out and open herself up to Kendall, Voris creates an interesting parallel in what happened to Decklee and how her ambition colored all her decisions when it came to her friends and her love and Darren’s initial plans to leave the small town and everyone in it behind.

The book is well written with interesting characters that keep the story moving. Voris makes a good effort to keep both storylines connected in small ways and the slowly unravelling of who Decklee was in comparison to what Darren and the reader knows about her. It makes the end of the book that much more impactful when it all comes together and we get the big reveal.

Overall, I liked it. It ultimately is your average YA. It’s not a perfect book and it doesn’t make any deep commentary, but it is entertaining. I think that the romances fall short at times for both Decklee and Darren and that there was definitely room to explore a few things more deeply such as the LGBTQ aspects for both the main characters. 3.5/5 stars.

this book is such a love letter to queerness and dolly parton, which to me are almost the same thing to me. alternating timelines have the potential to either be amazing or terrible and this book's was AMAZING!! i wasn't bored or annoyed at either timeline, but wanted more each time it switched. i could have a full book of either perspective which is a sign that they are both strong. this book was just so beautiful and i truly don't have the words to express how much how i loved it!! read it as soon as you can!!!

I was excited when I requested this title because I’m always on the lookout for sweet sapphic reads. And then it turned out to be glorified Kaylor fanfiction and yeah, no.

4.5 stars! Thank you to Viking Books and Penguin Young Readers Group for an advanced copy of this book! You can pick up Every Time You Hear That Song on April 9, 2024.

This was one of the best YA contemporary books I've read in a long time. I loved Jenna Voris's writing and how she balanced Darren and Decklee's stories. The dual POVs never felt jarring, instead enhancing the stories as we watched these two young women navigate life from such different perspectives.

Darren represented so many girls who grew up in a small town but dreamed of something bigger. Her desires never felt cliche or contrived -- they were honest and authentic. Despite going through a similar experience, Decklee's approach to small-town life differed so much, and Jenna captured that duality perfectly.

I loved both romances, but that ending gouged my heart out. I honestly give so much credit to Jenna for taking the story in that direction and not being afraid to represent real fears and loves and emotions at that age. I can't wait for this to hit the shelves next spring!

If you're any kind of music or road trip fan, please don't hesitate to pick up this book!!

Oh My Goodness! When I say I inhaled this book, i’m not kidding! “Every Time You Hear That Song” was a book for the dreamers, for fans of The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and the queen herself, Dolly Parton, the story of both Darren and Decklee was irresistible and utterly beautiful.

“maybe there’s something beautiful to being known like this. maybe being seen isn’t a curse.”

decklee cassel is a mega country star who keeps her fans begging for more. darren purchase is a 17 year old from a small town she feels too big for, searching for answers and a way out.

the physical description of decklee cassel reminds me of dolly parton, her character reminds me of evelyn hugo, and her relationship with fans reminds me of that between taylor swift and the swifties. darren purchase felt like me - it felt like chapters of my own journal taken out and published. her yearning for answers while feeling so unsure of herself felt sooo personal.

i’ve found out this year that i looove the “beloved celebrity with a big secret” trope, and ETYHTS delivers on that. it also hits home reading about a well-known, beyond loved celebrity who *still* doubts herself, questions if she’s loved, and feels alone in the world.

as someone who grew up in a midwestern town i felt too big for and dreamt of getting out of, as someone who’s constantly questioned who and how she loved, as someone who has grappled with the ache of “will they love me for me?” - this sophomore novel by jenna voris really hit home and felt personal. an EASY five star read for me that i can’t wait to reread in april when it’s released. 🫶🏻

Darren has grown up with the music of Decklee Cassel and shares a love of that music with her mother. When a contest to discover a lost song with a big cash prize comes up, Darren wants in. She heads out to follow the clues on a road trip with a coworker. Along the way, the true story of Decklee is shared as clues and important moments are shared. Darren also learns a lot about herself as she goes. This was a unique story, and I loved the overlay of past and present, as well as the connections between Decklee and Darren that came up in a variety of ways. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this April 2024 release!