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A review by mxhermit
Small Town Hearts by Lillie Vale
3.0
Rep: Bisexual MC, Black SC, biracial ex-LI, Chinese American SC
CW: manipulative friendship, mention of casual drug usage (weed, not shown on the page), alcohol consumption (on page), alcohol abuse (a character drinks and parties to the point of dehydration and sleep-deprivation; two characters get wasted and are too drunk to fully consent to sex with each other); in this edition use of a racist term (tr*be - "It always felt like once people had their tribe, they didn’t have a lot of time for new friends.") during the included quote. Note: having spoken to the author, she's accepted this note and while it's too late to change the current edition, she mentioned correcting it in further print runs.
From the get go, Small Town Hearts had a great knack for setting. At the heart of it was The Busy Bean, the coffee shop where Babe sells her baked good and works as a manager. It has a certain eclectic charm that is illustrated well in the furniture from various patio sets and alternating lettering styles displaying the daily specials on a board.
Vale constructs a comforting setting. Oar's Rest comes to the reader's mind not only through visuals that she sets out for them, but through scents that are described and used to round out the image of the town. It almost makes it a 3D image and puts the reader that much more in the story than any other.
There were some characterization choices that I thought were interesting, such as when Babe & Penny compare Penny & Chad's relationship to Rory and Logan of Gilmore Girls. Penny/Rory, in their respective works (book/show) don't tend to notice what they're asking of others, the demands that their actions place on others, and I found this a super apt comparison.
Penny did not end up being my favorite person. There's some growth on her part, but it was difficult to read her interactions with Babe. There's language she uses that's subtly manipulative of Babe & Babe's feelings as well as judgment toward Levi when "first meeting" him at a houseboat party and offering him weed/alcohol but also "water if you're not into having fun".
I wasn't sure, at first, if the tension between Babe & Penny was casual friends depending upon one another or something else, but as one scene plays out (Penny asking Babe to, essentially, cement a breakup with Chad) it becomes clear that Penny knows what she's doing. Events spiral from that one request, and from the past decisions that have happened between Babe, Penny, and even Chad, to create a whole mess that intertwines the entire narrative.
Babe & Levi had some sweet moments, despite the tension that was running between them for a variety of reasons. Their dates around town, their conversations, there were some truly lovely, intimate moments that bolstered the quickly formed relationship.
There is something I found slightly odd, maybe offputting, about the tone of the characters. Before their ages were explicitly stated, and perhaps even a bit after that, I would've said based on the way they acted, the situations they were in (living conditions, certain freedoms, etc.), that this was more a New Adult novel and that most of the main cast was in their early twenties rather than late teens. Like, there was a disproportionate amount of young people to older (late twenties and up) residents. These characters were all 17-19 and not quite acting like it. They had jobs, "houses", and responsibilities that didn't quite mesh with the personalities that had been presented on page.
There is a brief explanation given as to where Babe's mother is (she works on a cruise ship most of the year) and why Babe is able to afford living in a lighthouse (given funds). It felt a rather convenient way, though, to avoid developing a familial relationship between Babe and her parents because both are essentially absentee what with her mother working on a cruise ship and her father being a relative unknown to the reader.
Overall, while the action seem choppy/repetitive at times, creating a sometimes rough reading experience, what was good was good and what wasn't awful. I really could see Oar's Rest in my head and sinking into a setting isn't always easy. I wish that it was possible to visit such a place, get a picnic lunch at Lorcan's seafood shack, and wander down to the beach. Small Town Hearts is a wonderfully atmospheric novel and getting to settle down with a snack and a good read is totally something to look forward to with this debut.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Quotes included are from an advanced reader copy and may not reflect the finalized copy.
CW: manipulative friendship, mention of casual drug usage (weed, not shown on the page), alcohol consumption (on page), alcohol abuse (a character drinks and parties to the point of dehydration and sleep-deprivation; two characters get wasted and are too drunk to fully consent to sex with each other); in this edition use of a racist term (tr*be - "It always felt like once people had their tribe, they didn’t have a lot of time for new friends.") during the included quote. Note: having spoken to the author, she's accepted this note and while it's too late to change the current edition, she mentioned correcting it in further print runs.
From the get go, Small Town Hearts had a great knack for setting. At the heart of it was The Busy Bean, the coffee shop where Babe sells her baked good and works as a manager. It has a certain eclectic charm that is illustrated well in the furniture from various patio sets and alternating lettering styles displaying the daily specials on a board.
Vale constructs a comforting setting. Oar's Rest comes to the reader's mind not only through visuals that she sets out for them, but through scents that are described and used to round out the image of the town. It almost makes it a 3D image and puts the reader that much more in the story than any other.
There were some characterization choices that I thought were interesting, such as when Babe & Penny compare Penny & Chad's relationship to Rory and Logan of Gilmore Girls. Penny/Rory, in their respective works (book/show) don't tend to notice what they're asking of others, the demands that their actions place on others, and I found this a super apt comparison.
Penny did not end up being my favorite person. There's some growth on her part, but it was difficult to read her interactions with Babe. There's language she uses that's subtly manipulative of Babe & Babe's feelings as well as judgment toward Levi when "first meeting" him at a houseboat party and offering him weed/alcohol but also "water if you're not into having fun".
I wasn't sure, at first, if the tension between Babe & Penny was casual friends depending upon one another or something else, but as one scene plays out (Penny asking Babe to, essentially, cement a breakup with Chad) it becomes clear that Penny knows what she's doing. Events spiral from that one request, and from the past decisions that have happened between Babe, Penny, and even Chad, to create a whole mess that intertwines the entire narrative.
Babe & Levi had some sweet moments, despite the tension that was running between them for a variety of reasons. Their dates around town, their conversations, there were some truly lovely, intimate moments that bolstered the quickly formed relationship.
There is something I found slightly odd, maybe offputting, about the tone of the characters. Before their ages were explicitly stated, and perhaps even a bit after that, I would've said based on the way they acted, the situations they were in (living conditions, certain freedoms, etc.), that this was more a New Adult novel and that most of the main cast was in their early twenties rather than late teens. Like, there was a disproportionate amount of young people to older (late twenties and up) residents. These characters were all 17-19 and not quite acting like it. They had jobs, "houses", and responsibilities that didn't quite mesh with the personalities that had been presented on page.
There is a brief explanation given as to where Babe's mother is (she works on a cruise ship most of the year) and why Babe is able to afford living in a lighthouse (given funds). It felt a rather convenient way, though, to avoid developing a familial relationship between Babe and her parents because both are essentially absentee what with her mother working on a cruise ship and her father being a relative unknown to the reader.
Overall, while the action seem choppy/repetitive at times, creating a sometimes rough reading experience, what was good was good and what wasn't awful. I really could see Oar's Rest in my head and sinking into a setting isn't always easy. I wish that it was possible to visit such a place, get a picnic lunch at Lorcan's seafood shack, and wander down to the beach. Small Town Hearts is a wonderfully atmospheric novel and getting to settle down with a snack and a good read is totally something to look forward to with this debut.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Quotes included are from an advanced reader copy and may not reflect the finalized copy.