Publisher's Weekly Review
Mills (Foolish Hearts) encapsulates small-town life in this eventful romance set in the fictional community of Acadia, Ill. Working at a supermarket, babysitting for the Conlins, meeting up with her tight-knit group of friends, and fulfilling her duty as president of the high school marching band's fundraising committee, narrator Sophie Kemper has her hands full the summer before senior year. Her main goal is to get the town's claim to fame, country star Megan Pleasant, to return home for a performance in order to raise funds for the band's upcoming trip. When Mr. Conlin's younger brother August moves in for an undetermined length of time, she becomes infatuated. August seems to enjoy spending time with her, but Sophie is confused by his sometimes hot, sometimes cold responses and his reluctance to talk about his past. Mysteries surrounding Megan Pleasant and August couple with sharp-witted dialogue to show that the town is more than meets the eye-and that people in tiny communities are as complex as those in big cities. Ages 14-up. Agent: Bridget Smith, Dunham Literary. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Rising senior Sophie wants to convince Megan Pleasant, a famous country singer from her Illinois hometown, to play a fundraising concert for the high school's marching band. Sophie enlists help from her four best friends as well as from August, the cute new guy in town, to track Megan down. Her quest anchors a well-paced novel that's fresh, complex, and romantic--and packs an emotional punch. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The summer before senior year, Sophie falls for a new neighbor and campaigns for a country music star to help raise money for the school band.Sophie Kemper loves her small hometown of Acadia, Illinois. Though she's focused on college applications, she can't help wondering why anyone would want to leave. School band is her thing, and as the next president of the fundraising committee, it's her responsibility to get them to the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. Sophie hatches a plan to raise money by persuading Megan Pleasant, country singer and lone famous person from Acadia, to perform at the fall festival. At the same time, she finds herself falling for August Shaw, the mysterious new boy who is staying with the family she babysits for down the street. They instantly click, exchanging clever banter and bonding over their blended families. But August won't let Sophie in, and the sister she desperately misses disappoints her. Even her once-tight friendship group begins to splinter. On top of everything, Megan Pleasant seems to have deserted Acadia for good. Teeming with witty exchanges and realistic but heady drama, Sophie's summer is easy to sink into. Though the romance is electric, it's the relationships with her friends that really sing. Sophie and August are assumed white; there is some ethnic and sexual orientation diversity.Rife with witticism, like a finely honed sitcom, and brimming with heart. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Small-town life is anything but suffocating for Sophie, who spends most of her time with her four best friends and worries about leaving home for college. In most ways, Acadia, Illinois, is a typical small town. Its one claim to fame is Megan Pleasant, a country singer-songwriter who made it big with sweet songs about her hometown, before turning on it in her latest record. Sophie's stuck on a mission to get Megan to return home to play a benefit that will solve the Acadia Marching Band's financial problems, but that's just one of the quests she and her friends undertake through a summer of change, adventure, and heartbreak. For Sophie, especially, it's all of the above when enigmatic August moves to town; despite their chemistry, he's determined to keep her at a distance. A late-breaking twist, while somewhat out of sync with the rest of the narrative, doesn't diminish the truly genuine, humorous heart of the novel. A comfortable, readable tale of deep friendship, small towns, and big love in all its guises.--Maggie Reagan Copyright 2018 Booklist
