Review: Famous In A Small town

It’s the summer in the run-up to Sophie’s final year of high school. Rather than craving to escape her small town, Arcadia, Sophie just wants her life to remain exactly as it is: hanging with her friends, playing in the band and babysitting the neighbour’s kids.

But this is the US, where the rite of passage is to go to a university in another state and start life’s next chapter on campus.

Sophie is a little naïve and thinks the best of people. She has four best friends and comes across as being the glue that holds the group together.

The book starts off quite slowly - with engaging characters but the stakes not becoming apparent until about a third into the story.

Sophie wants to attract the town’s most famous ex-inhabitant, a pop star, to come and perform at a benefit gig.
However, the pop star has publicly stated that she would never return to Arcadia despite having literally sung its praises in one of her hits. Sophie is determined to find out what drove the famous person away and attract her to return.

Along the way, it becomes apparent that Sophie is using this mission as a means of deflecting her attention away from more pressing personal matters that she is in denial about. Interwoven with this is a budding romance with the gorgeous new boy in town, August. August seems quite interested in Sophie – but pulls away whenever she comes too close. What is he hiding?

This is a book to read for a great example of witty dialogue. I had a few laugh out loud moments with some of the well-written banter between the characters.

Overall, the gentle humour softens the sadder moments, as life in Arcadia is revealed as not being immune to the pressures that modern teens are subject to.

Title: Famous In A Small Town  

Author: Emma Mills 

Publisher: Henry Holt, Macmillan Publishing

Publication Date: 15 January 2019

Format: Hardback

ISBN: 9781250179630

For ages: 14 +

Type: Young Adult 

from Kids' Book Review http://bit.ly/2WT7j1S