A Little Bit Country by Brian D. Kennedy Published by HarperCollins on June 7, 2022
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Family / Multigenerational, Young Adult Fiction / Performing Arts / Music, Young Adult Fiction / Romance / LGBTQ, Young Adult Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Pages: 352
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Netgalley
Dumplin' meets Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda in this heartfelt and funny contemporary romance inspired by Dollywood, about two boys who fall in love against the backdrop of a country music-themed amusement park, from debut author Brian D. Kennedy. Perfect for fans of Erin Hahn, Phil Stamper, and David Levithan.
Emmett Maguire wants to be country music’s biggest gay superstar—a far reach when you’re seventeen and living in Illinois. But for now, he’s happy to do the next best thing: Stay with his aunt in Jackson Hollow, Tennessee, for the summer and perform at the amusement park owned by his idol, country legend Wanda Jean Stubbs.
Luke Barnes hates country music. As the grandson of Verna Rose, the disgraced singer who had a famous falling out with Wanda Jean, Luke knows how much pain country music has brought his family. But when his mom’s medical bills start piling up, he takes a job at the last place he wants: a restaurant at Wanda World.
Neither boy is looking for romance, but sparks fly when they meet—and soon they’re inseparable. Until a long-lost secret about Verna and Wanda comes to light, threatening to unravel everything.
Will Emmett and Luke be able get past the truths they discover…or will their relationship go down in history as just another Sad Country Love Song?
Uhhhhh so I felt Entirely Neutral about this book. Weirdly paced, the main conflict of the plot is that one character is like “why won’t you come out of the closet? aren’t you proud of me?”, it wraps up really badly, but you know what! Straight people have had ten billions mediocre romances published! Gay people deserve to read a mediocre romance too! Also I guess I don’t know anything about country music so that wasn’t a bonus for me. The entire time I just wish that I was reading GHOST WOOD SONG, which is just a much better book in a hundred different ways. Three stars. Booksweet link. Storygraph link.
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