A must read for queer country music fans, this is a story of identity and ambition, of finding yourself when feeling stuck in a small town and wanting more for your own future. Told in dual POVs and dual timelines, we follow the life of country singer in the past and a fan far into the future who goes on a treasure hunt in the hopes of finding a jackpot to help break her out of the town she's eager to escape.

I absolutely loved the discussions on sapphic relationships and bisexuality. I loved the way both queerness was tackled in both timelines. Honestly so stunning. It was my favorite part of the book. I also really enjoyed the pacing. Both timelines ebbed, flowed, and peaked together. The ending was bittersweet and I thought was really fitting for the story. This definitely read like a country movie in book form and enjoyed it quite a lot.

(+) lots of queer rep - sapphic relationship, bi/pan MCs, achillean secondary characters and romance, trans secondary character

I gave this book a try through ebook but couldn't get into it so I gave it a try on audiobook. I couldn't get into the story after listening for 3 hours so I decided to DNF the story.

This book was such a sweet read. It reminded of Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing in the best way. I wasn't expecting this to be such an emotional story but more than a few tears were shed while reading this one. I do wish that we got to understand each individual character just a little bit better but overall I really enjoyed this story.

I tried to read my ARC a few times and couldn't get into it. I'm really glad I gave the audiobook a try. It was a great and actually switched me from DNFing a book to finishing it and recommending it!

~~
Full review:
~~

I feel like my review will be split in half for EVERY TIME YOU HEAR THAT SONG by Jenna Voris. Maybe I’ll attempt a sandwich, but let’s start with what made me happy.

Happy trails:
The top half of the cover. Tbh, I overlooked the bottom portion until I went to write this review 😅 I love the Dolly-esque lady - who we now know is Decklee Cassel (that name!! 😍🤩) - in the sky.
The story was told using an alternating timeline. It was put together so well! Plus, the narration by Emily Lawerence and Allison Strong fits the characters perfectly. Listening to them tell Decklee and Darren’s stories made it interesting and fun to find the parallels.
The reminder that the most important people will always be there even when you don’t realize it or deserve it.

Frustrations:
The scavenger hunt was played up to be a more significant part, but I felt let down. Yes, it did move along the plot and where Darren and Kendall go to find clues, but I wish it was more fulfilling. Or maybe I just read too many scavenger hunt books that put people on the brink of death, so was this my fault for expecting too much?
I always say I don’t mind an unlikeable lead and stand by that. Decklee was different. She was determined. She knew what she wanted and went for it, even if it hurt people who were faithful to her along the way. I know it was the 70s, so times were different than now, but I didn’t see part one of the twist coming. I saw her being many things but not making cruel, devastating ultimatums like that. I can’t go further into it without spoiling the twist or the last major one, which, omg 🤯 I did not see coming.
Speaking of the final twist, I liked the book’s ending, especially the house (vague sentence here, lol), but I wish we had a little more time with the twist. A lot more could have been explored.

Happiness vs Frustration:
Do I recommend this book? Yes. I think Jenna Voris has written a book worth reading, especially if you go with low stakes, not expecting a who’s next on the chopping block scavenger hunt and everyone finds their queer love dream-type novel.

I think EVERY TIME YOU HEAR THAT SONG is an essential read for the queer and non-queer community alike because it shows queer characters in different eras figuring out who they are, what that means to their livelihood, and will their loved ones accept them once they figured it out.

Books like this must exist. I may not have loved it, but I liked it enough to share and discuss it. The audiobook is excellent, and I got it from my local library via the Libby app!

Content warnings: toxic relationship, cancer, homophobia

Ich weiß ehrlich gesagt nicht, wie ich dieses Buch bewerten soll, da ich es aufgrund relativ kurzer Ausleihdauer (ohne Verlängerung) nicht lesen konnte.

Every time you hear that song by Jenna Voris was a most anticpaited reads of mine and I'm so happy to let Penguin Teen & Netgalley know that I loved this one!!! It was right up my ally which is weird cause I generally don't love dual timelines but for some reason this book worked out for me! Before I forget to share my. rating it was a 5/5 stars for me and here is why!
This has an amazing cast of character so we follow two different timelines from the 1960's and from present day of our main character Darren. We also follow our celbraties of this novel: Deckel! Deckel is basiclly like Taylor swift and that's all I can picture while reading her pov! Not only does this book has 2 different timelines but it had me in my feelings a lot throughout this novel! One minuet I was smiling, the next I was laughing and then towards the end I was crying but also mad at the ending!! Its so hard to talk about spoilers for this one without telling u what happened but I cannot wait to read more ya contempoaries from Jenna Voris!!(:

Thank you Netgalley & Penguin Teen for letting me read this sweet, fast paced coming of age story. There were Evenlyn Hugo vibes with a Dolly Parton-esk character (though I don't believe Dolly is any where near that self absorbed).
When Darren hits the road to find Decklee Castles time capsule she never expects to discover herself.
This is a queer coming of age story. About accepting who you are and where you come from without hesitation. A story about love, loss, and a lesson about sacrifices. Wonderful & gripping.

I hate country music and I hate this book. 2.5 stars! No really, this book is literally The Last Love song. I know they probably didn't know they were both publishing the same book but come on.

Every Time You Hear That Song is the perfect YA coming of age romance that explores the topics of bisexuality, growing up queer (in general and in a small town) and the struggles of living in a small town that you feel too big for.

This book follows our two main characters, Darren and Decklee, and their lives as they navigate the challenges in their lives. Darren is a teenage girl who loves journaling and is devastated by the death of her favorite country music star, Decklee. She feels like there is something better for her outside of her small town called Mayberry, so when news of Decklee’s passing brings forth a scavenger hunt spanning across the U.S., Darren can’t refuse. We follow Decklee as she roadtrips and goes through a phase of self discovery regarding her sexuality and feelings towards Mayberry. Glimpses into Decklee’s life are also given throughout the novel which allows us to understand her as a character and what it was like for her growing up queer and trying to make it in the music industry in the 60’s and 70’s.

Although this book was not what I’d initially pick to read, I’m glad that I did. Jenna Voris’ writing felt like a breath of fresh air and I found myself captivated by Darren and Decklee’s stories. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to begin reading!

I could sing this praises of this book forever and it wouldn’t be long enough! I love scavenger hunts, country music, sapphic plotlines, and things going wrong, so I was all over this book. As the self-identified president of the Jenna Voris fan club, I’m beyond ready for her next book!

I loved this so so much. I loved the yearning to get out of the small town that raised you, the loving tribute to country music, the time capsule race, how complex and difficult a figure Decklee was, the hard but realistic romance (in both timelines). Just a true gem of a book!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. all opinions are my own.

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed it! I'd recommend it.

This was beyond good. Great if I must say. I can’t wait to rave about this to everyone. If you are looking for a good book, pick this up.

Everytime You Hear That Song by Jenna

I really enjoyed this one!
Especially when a RomCom book includes a mystery type treasure hunt for a time capsule for a famous singer that just passed and a cash prize is at stake! What?!
Doesn’t that sound epic!?

I sure enjoyed the nods to another famous singer who also loves making her fans figure out puzzles and clues! (Cough cough Taylor Swift)

I loved the journey and character growth that happens through out the story as well the duel pov which I typically don’t enjoy (makes it hard for me to keep information given straight) but it was done perfectly in this and felt it was key!

This book was uniquely its own and I loved EVERY MINUTE OF IT!🫶🏻
Add this to your TBR STAT!

Adding Jenna Voris to the list of auto buy authors!

Thank you so much to Penguin & Viking for an advance copy of this book!

Listen country music is all the rage right now! Yes, I'm aware that its always been popular but within the last couple months there has definitely been a spotlight on it. And I am sure when a certain blonde pop star re-releases her country debut, the genre will be buzzing. But that leads me to this gem of a book!

This was such an enjoyable YA read told in two timelines and two POVs. I thought the premise of this was interesting and I thought the chapters were really quick. The book kicks off with us learning the passing of country superstar Decklee Cassel after battling brain cancer. At her funeral there was going to be a time capsule reveal but instead a scavenger hunt was planned for fans to win a whopping $3 million dollars. Enter Darren Purchase who grew up in the same town where Decklee came from and grew up listening to her music. She knows all about Decklee and thinks she has what it takes to solve the scavenger hunt. She recruits her co worker Kendall who has a car on a roadtrip she'll never forget!

Decklee falls in love with her best friend/songwriter Mickenlee Hooper and the book goes through their love affair starting from 1963 until present. I am always fascinated to read stories about the start, during and end of a music career. My heart broke for them because they just wanted to be able to open but knew that Decklee could lose it all. Darren is coming into her own self. She admits out loud that she likes girls all while falling for her co pilot Kendall. I won't spoil the ending but it felt very believable for the age. There was a moment between Kendall and Darren that really struck a chord with me. They are talking about wanting to leave their hometown - Darren doesn't want to feel stuck there and Kendall loves his town and will never leave. It just reminds me of all the people who I've gone to school who couldn't wait to leave and I just never understood it because my family were all here and I just love where I'm from.

If you are looking for a quick queer YA romance with all the country music vibes - give this one a read!

I really liked this book like a lot. It was emotional and adventurous but the focus and main topic of this book are the characters and it was a good choice to doing two different point of view between the present and the past. We see parallel of the two characters and their differences and how there is not always pure characters but gray and no good person in stories and it felt real and raw. With her point of view we could easily know more about Decklee, her story, selfish and love feelings. I really liked the travel that Darren and Kendall did. We could sei the character develomp of Darren and their relationship as they build it more close as much they go far away. Another think I liked was the writing, it's simple but the sane time draws you in and made the reading fanteria and enjoyable.
Some things i didn't like as much at other things is maybe the ending, as is not I didn't understand it because i think it could be have a differenza outcome but it felt rushed and less soaked on feeling as the rest of the book.

This was such a lovely novel!! It had a slightly awkward start but a gorgeous finish. It took me a bit to get into it but once I did I was hooked! I don’t listen to country music, but I still got a lot out of this novel. I also loved the treasure hunt plot line, it kept it really engaging. Overall a really fun summer novel filled with a lot of love and music! 4.5 rounded up.

🌈Queer rep: Bi/pan main female character in a M/F relationship, FF main relationship. Secondary gay male character, MM relationship. Brief mention of a trans girl.

4.5/5 Stars

17 year old Darren is an aspiring journalist. Her favourite country singer, Decklee Cassel has passed away, but left a string of clues for her fans leading to unreleased music and a cash prize. Darren takes off on a road trip with her coworker, Kendall, to be the first to find the clues.

I haven't read too many road trip stories, but I really enjoyed this one! I listened to this on audio, and I think the narrator did a great job bringing these characters alive. This is told in alternating timelines between the present road trip, and flashbacks to the 1960s through out Decklee's career. I thought the hunt for the time capsule was fun, but I was more invested in Decklee's chapters. She wasn't a particularly good person, and is very flawed, but I couldn't help but root for her as her career progressed. It broke my heart watching her have to keep her true self hidden, especially when it came to Mickinlee Hooper. Their relationship was very toxic, but I couldn't help wanting them to work out. I loved both timelines and loved how they subtly wove together through finding the clues, and then getting a flashback of how it was relevant to Decklee's career. I thought Darren and Kendall's romance was sweet, and I liked watching their relationship grow as they searched for the clues.

The ending was such a surprise to me, but I loved it so much. I'm definitely going to be looking for more road trip stories in the future!

Enjoyed this book! Truly a mix Daisy Jones and the 6 with a scavenger hunt and Evelyn Hugo vibes. LOVED the dual timeline and ALL of the queer characters.

The premise of this book was really promising and I really liked the country elements. It was a sweet read. However, something about this book didn't quite work it for me... It was a but slow for me...