A Little Bit Country

March 15, 2022
Country music, Southern food, and teenage dreaming populate this earnest debut. Emmett Maguire knows exactly who he wants to be, and that's country music's biggest gay star. Luke Barnes knows who he wants to be, too, but he's not about to tell anyone about it. When, at 17, both boys find themselves working summer jobs at Wanda World--a fictional, Dollywood-esque amusement park in Tennessee owned by country star Wanda Jean Stubbs--their very different lives collide. Romance blooms as the pair struggle under the burden of multiple secrets. No more can Luke bring himself to come out than tell his mother, who has multiple sclerosis, that the theme park is keeping food on their family table: A messy history ties Wanda Jean to his grandmother, and the job feels like a betrayal. As more of this history comes to light, the novel teeters on the edge of drama but ultimately veers away from exploring this tension. In alternating first-person point of view chapters, Luke and Emmett parse their tumultuous summer with a pinch too much editorializing to ring true. Could-be-complex mosaics of character development end up more paint-by-numbers. The leading characters are White; Emmett's new friends and co-workers, one Chinese American and one Black, embody other country music outliers as they fight alongside him for representation. Stifled by the weight of its own good intentions, the story struggles to maintain a human spark. (Romance. 13-17)

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May 2, 2022
Chicagoan Emmett Maguire wants to become country music’s first gay superstar. His summer gig performing at Wanda World, a Dollywood-inspired theme park in Sleepy Hollow, Tenn., that’s owned by country music legend Wanda Jean Stubbs, is the first step. Luke Barnes is a Sleepy Hollow local who hates country music and wants to be a chef, but that’s on the back burner—his mother’s medical bills take priority, so his dishwashing job at a Wanda World restaurant is the closest he gets to the kitchen. For Emmett, Wanda Jean is an icon, but for Luke, she’s a painful part of his family’s history—a part that means his sexual orientation, his intensifying relationship with Emmett, and even his job must remain hidden. As Luke navigates his many secrets and Emmett struggles with the changes he’s expected to make for his dream, the white 17-year-olds must work together to overcome the many roadblocks to achieving their goals. Though Luke’s intimately rendered familial and financial hardships feel weightier than Emmett’s surface-level pursuit of fame, generating an unbalanced narrative, Kennedy’s dual first-person perspectives earnestly showcase Emmett’s irrepressible passion for his dreams and Luke’s courage in the face of vulnerability, making for a light and hopeful debut. Ages 13– up. Agent: Lauren Spieller, Triada US.

June 1, 2022
Grades 9-12 Emmett Maguire lives and breathes country music. He wants to be the next big country superstar, but he's openly gay with no interest in backing into the closet, and country audiences aren't famously accepting. When he gets a summer job performing in a show at Wanda World (think Dollywood), he's thrilled and determined to prove himself. Luke Barnes, meanwhile, couldn't be less interested in country music or in country legend Wanda Jean. Country music ruined his grandma's life, and he's only working at Wanda World for the summer because his ex-girlfriend got him a job in a kitchen there. The shame that closeted Luke feels for leading her on is almost as strong as his desire to be a chef and provide for his struggling family. When he meets Emmett, sparks fly immediately despite their clear differences. But an old secret soon threatens to disrupt not only their budding romance but the country music industry. Fans of Jennifer Dugan will devour this ode to music, summer love, and being true to your own desires.

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