Customer Reviews

Small Town Girl

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This should definetely be rated among Ms. Spencer's best. The main character (Tess McPhail) was portrayed as fresh & funky country music superstar that is forced to take time out from her very busy schedule to go back home and take care of her ailing mother. What she bargained for is a boring stay in the too-small town and painful reminders of her less than grand past. Tess eventually becomes entangled in a heart-warming adventure into the many stages of love and gains the wisdom to realize that there is much, much more to be gained in the giving then she ever thought she'd lose. Country music fans will adore this glimpse into the life of a star. Especially delightful are the backstage views of Nashville and the lonely road to stardom. This is a story that will leave you wanting more, as every LaVyrle Spencer novel does.

I started reading LaVyrle Spencers books by accident. There were some books being given away in the break room at work and I thought the book was 'The Blessing' rather it was 'Family Blessings'. I WAS HOOKED!!! I finished this book ('Small Town Girl') last night and it was WONDERFUL!! I was sucked in and could not stop reading!! I was rooting for Tess and Kenny and wanted Faith to bow out gracefully!! If you like Country Music, Romance, and Family....you'll love this book!!

I really recommend this book! It has everything a good girl book should have....love, childhood memories, fame, parts that make you laugh, parts that make you cry, parts that make you say "awww" and of course a happy ending.

I was with this book right up to the end. Some may not find it believable that a country star would fall for the high school dork, but I found the romance rather redemptive for the cruel way Tess treated Kenny in high school. Besides, who hasn't read about the ugly duckling heroine who turns into a beautiful swan? This is a great twist with the hero being the ugly duckling turned swan.

But LaVyrle lost me at the end when Tess announces to Kenny (while the two are in bed, no less) that she never wants to have children with him because her career is "too important" to her. Huh? A singer of the kind of music that traditionally celebrates family is putting her career over the family she might have built with her true love? Makes you wonder just how much Tess really loves Kenny and such wondering on the part of a reader spells the death of any hope for a successful romance novel.

This book can be summed up in five words: In the end, a disappointment.

I also liked "Then Came Heaven", but the "hero" in that was a janitor, which I found to be a turn-off. I don't mean to sound like a snob, it's just the way I feel.

Anyway, though romance novels have never been my thing (I like romance in my books, I just don't care for it to be the sole focus--I only read romances with the frequency that I do now because I want to learn how to write them as they sell five times more than all other genres combined), I loved this one, and since the last time I've read this, I've developed an appreciation for the romance novel, if not a great love for them.

Though I don't care for the new country music, I do like some of the old stuff, and I was excited when Poplar Bluff, Missouri (my birthplace and where I spent many summers as a little girl with my grandparents and other extended family), was mentioned.

But, those aren't the only reasons.

I thought Ms. Spencer did a good job with character development, for though the story wasn't anything new, I grew to love the people (or dislike them).

Though I understand Faith's (Kenny's girlfriend's) dilemma, being a Catholic and not being able to marry a divorced man (so it's better to just shack up with him???), I can't feel that sorry for her when she loses Kenny to Tess, because, as Kenny says, "Don't you realize how ridiculous it sounds that I've been dating you for half my life?" (This is not an exact quote, but something like it.) I was a little annoyed that Kenny and Tess couldn't wait until they got married to have sex--not a very good example to set in front of Casey, even if they were engaged, because engagements can be broken more easily than a marriage can be dissolved.

I really didn't see anything wrong with Tess not wanting to have children. I think it's wonderful that she loves Casey as her own. Not every woman needs a bear a child (nor a man) to feel fulfilled and if she does, then that isn't healthy, because her happiness is dependent upon someone else. Whether childless (not by choice) or childfree (by choice). We can all contribute to the world in a myriad of other ways--not just as a mother, but as a daughter, a sister, a wife, a granddaughter, an aunt, a niece, a good friend, or just a very good person.

Tess is a strong woman (weak women make boring heroines), and Kenny is a good man (though one can understand Faith feeling duped, even if they were just "dating"--they weren't even living together). I really believe Faith's pride was hurt more than her heart was broken, and I think Kenny felt this, too.

I am also glad Ms. Spencer made Tess a size 10 instead of something ridiculous (not to mention unattainable for some), like a size 2.

I just found this book when I was moving stuff out of storage. It's been in storage for at least 3 years and I guess I've owned it since it was first published in 1997. I have no idea why I never read it before this! It was fun, romantic, sincere and just portrayed many very charming people. I am now going to find some more books by LaVyrle Spencer and read them!

I especially loved reading this book about the twists and turns of passions between Kenny and Tess. It really makes you feel that you should always keep your eyes open for love because you never really know where it is going to come about. It was great reading this book, quick read yet very detailed in what happens!!!

This is the second book I have read by Mrs. Spencer and all I can say is WOW!! I loved the characters and how they seemed very real. Just like people I would know. The relationship with Tess and Kenny was so wonderful. I loved the fact that they had such a rocky history and how they grew from that. This is a great book for anyone who has fallen in love in the most unlikely places. Also a must read for anyone who has a dream.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved all the details about the country singers life. I'm a firm believer in beauty is only skin deep. I liked how Mac came to realize that Kenny (the high school dork) is the love she had been waiting for! I am a huge fan of LaVyrle Spencer. I have read many of her books, and I'm excited to read all the others. I haven't found one yet that I haven't loved.

This was a good easy read book. It was not as involved as Spencer's other books but I liked Tess and Kenny. Their story started off with sparks of anger from the past, but the love story was a bit too "happy-ever-afterish". I had hoped that more attention would be focused on Tess and her jealous older sister's relationship. I still liked the story even though it lacked the realism that Ms. Spencer's other books have.