📚’A coming-of-age story, with a country music mystery theme.’ Rosie’s #BookReview of Every Time You Hear That Song by Jenna Voris.

Every Time You Hear That Song by Jenna Voris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Every Time You Hear That Song is a coming-of-age story, with a country music mystery theme.

Written in a dual timeline format, this is firstly the contemporary story of Darren, a teenager with aspirations to leave Mayberry, her small American town, for big adventures. The second story is set in the 1960s and follows the life of fictional country music sensation Decklee Cassel, once a teenager also desperate to leave Mayberry.

Darren and her mum have been fans of Decklee’s music for years; it helped them both when Darren’s mum was diagnosed with cancer. The book opens on the day of Decklee’s funeral; fans and family are shocked when a capsule, supposedly filled by Decklee with memorabilia and an unrevealed album, is empty. Days later, an announcement is made about a mystery treasure hunt, set by Decklee, to find the real capsule. The successful hunter will win a $3million prize.

With huge medical bills from her mum’s cancer treatments and the need for a college fund, Darren begs her mum to allow her to go after the prize.

I enjoyed this book, the dual timelines worked well and I was equally invested in the outcomes of both stories. Darren deals with teenager issues around friendship and sexuality, exploring what she feels and her conclusion that she likes both boys and girls in a romantic way.

Decklee’s story shows the harsh world of the music industry and how hard she had to work to prove she was a brilliant performer, while her own love story reflected the prejudices of the time and intolerances which hurt her friends and her relationships with them.

The author’s love for this story and her characters shone through, I liked how the two timelines came together and how the story ended. Reading this was a very pleasurable way to spend a few hours.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Book description:

They say to never meet your idols. But they never said anything about upending your life for a quest designed by one.

Seventeen-year-old aspiring journalist Darren Purchase has been a lifelong fan of country music legend Decklee Cassel, who’s as famous for her classic hits as she is for her partnership with songwriter Mickenlee Hooper. The same Mickenlee who mysteriously backed out of the limelight at the height of their careers, never to be heard from again. Now, Decklee’s televised funeral marks the unveiling of her long-awaited time capsule. But when it’s revealed to be empty, a long trail of scavenger hunt clues unfolds, leading to a whopping cash prize for whoever finds the real capsule. Darren knows there’s a story there—and she’s going to be the one to break it. Even if it means a spontaneous road trip with her coworker, Kendall.

Flashback to 1963, where a young, runaway Decklee has her sights set on fame and glory. As she claws her way to the top over the years that follow, it’s Mickenlee’s lyrics that help rocket her to stardom. But as their relationship evolves beyond the professional, it threatens everything Decklee has worked for. What else will she sacrifice to hold on to her dreams?

Told in alternating perspectives, Every Time You Hear That Song is a queer coming-of-age story celebrating country music, complicated women, and living authentically. There’s more to Decklee’s story than Darren ever could have guessed, but the real story she has to tell is her own.

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