Admittedly I don’t usually read short stories, but with this title, Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town, I just had to give it a try and I was not disappointed. In this collection of interconnected short stories, a varied group of teen characters each face the challenges and rewards of small-town life. Through ordinary events, showing brief moments in the characters’ lives, we see their inner struggles, how they deal with pain or boredom or being left behind, and how they find new paths and moments of healing. You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

Thank you to Netgalley and Wendy Lamb Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It was amazing how these different characters were connected in circumstantial yet significant ways. Poppy has a make-believe friend, Elizabeth the mermaid, and they both appear again in the seventh story ‘ Alaska was wasted on Us,’ at Camp Wildwood, a summer camp in Alaska. As I read I encountered characters who were dealing with death, being cheated on, moving towns, hitchhiking, dealing with abuse, having second thoughts about life after school and so much more.Oh my goodness! Traveling between Alaskan woods to isolated, beautiful Pacific beaches and being introduced to vivid, original, quirky characters, diving into interesting, varied topics including wildfires, a mermaid, basketball bears gave me quality time . This was one of the reading experiences I’ve ever had! The author’s first novel, The Smell of Other People’s Houses, is one of my favorite books, and is a must-read. In Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town, we’re once again treated to her simple yet affecting approach to language, the realistic-feeling dialogue, and the tour of the inner workings of teen minds and hearts. This is not actually a book of short stories, instead it is an elegant collection of story strands that allow the whole picture to be revealed from multiple perspectives.

I didn’t want each story to end yet I appreciated the brisk pace which made me wonder how the stories would be resolved. As each ‘chapter’ contains a different protagonist you can be forgiven for wondering how this character or story relates to the others. The best thing that this book does is weave all of the stories together. I enjoyed getting to the end of the chapter and seeing how it was connected to the overarching story, as well as the resonant themes of family and teenage emotion. The stories are linked by the threads of the lives of the teenagers. In the first two stories – ‘ Angry Star Fish‘ and ‘ Pigeon Creek‘ we meet Poppy and Ruby who are sisters separated by the breakdown of their parents’ marriage.Whether they are brought together by the spread of wildfire, by the priest who’s moved from state to state or by the hunt for a missing child, these incredible tales blaze with secrets, rage and love. Priests are not to be trusted. Father Lazaria’s serial abuse causes immense damage and is a narrative that runs through several of the stories. Delia’s parents “still expected her to go to church and receive Communion from Father Monster’s shrivelled, stinky hand” but at the age of sixteen, Delia wreaks her revenge which leads to devastating consequences. Poppy’s intake sheet for the camp contains the telling line: ‘Poppy suffered a traumatic loss when her best friend went missing and was never found. They were both six at the time’. These stories are full of trauma, loss and disturbed childhoods. Adults, who should really know better, let down their children by their careless and selfish actions. Siblings and friends become substitute parents:

Sidenote: I'd probably look up trigger warnings more in depth, but I will say that there is sexual abuse involved, among other things) This is a short, dark and heartbreaking read but beautifully written. There are many characters - even if you do not notice every connection instantly, each story acts as an important lesson for the reader. Highly recommended. Even after finishing this short but brilliant book I was still thinking about what I’ve read, wondering what happened to the characters and overall loving the book. There are a few tears a long the way especially at the end, it makes you think and appreciate all of your blessings. But all in all it is an absolutely amazing read.Like any good young adult book it is written to gain and hold the attention of a typically difficult audience (teenagers), so I knew it would be engaging at the very least. The scattered sea – shaken houses on the cliffs overlooking the ocean had been built long ago, but they mirrored the people who came and went: reclusive and solitary, wind-beaten and up for grabs”. I really do think that this book was well-written. It managed to connect the characters who mostly had nothing to do with one another in really creative ways, while also weaving in various social issues in a way that never felt blatantly intrusive. It’s brilliant, unique, mind numbing! All those stories are missing pieces of the puzzle. You can read and enjoy them separately but as you realize the connections of them by catching the small details, you feel more satisfied and you adore the witty writing style of the author! The reality of being a teenager living in a small town is explored in these brief moments and it is quite powerful.

Famous in a Small Town" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in April 2007 as the second single from her album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. It was Lambert's second Top 20 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 2008. The song was written by Lambert and Travis Howard. Bursting with memorable characters and small-town lore, the enchanting new novel from the bestselling author of THE CLOVER GIRLS is a magical story about the family you’re born with, and the one you choose.I'm going to be honest here and say that as well-written as this was, it was quite boring. Yes, I went into this book knowing that there wouldn't be a set plot and that I shouldn't anticipate much action because it's largely character-based. But at the same time, I didn't realize just how boring it actually would be, especially because the synposis I read seemed to hype this book up a lot more than I think it needed to. The novel, much like her first, is written from a multi narrative perspective and maintains a strong sense of mystery throughout. Meet the teenagers who live in the small towns across these states, separated by distance, but whose stories are woven together in the most unexpected of ways. The stories themselves felt like an ode to small towns and the communities they hold. Small towns get a reputation for being places where nothing happens, life stands still. But these stories are bursting with life, love, heartbreak, tragedy, and more. The characters were great and I especially loved seeing them through new perspectives when they popped up in different stories. I most related to 2 characters in one of the stories who are not outdoorsy camping types, but because they’re Alaskan people expect them to be experts. Very relatable. I flew through the book and think many of you would enjoy it as well. Releases in April!