Publication Date: March 19th, 2019
Rule #1 – Never fall for a summer boy.
Fresh out of high school, Babe Vogel should be thrilled to have the whole summer at her fingertips. She loves living in her lighthouse home in the sleepy Maine beach town of Oar’s Rest and being a barista at the Busy Bean, but she’s totally freaking out about how her life will change when her two best friends go to college in the fall. And when a reckless kiss causes all three of them to break up, she may lose them a lot sooner. On top of that, her ex-girlfriend is back in town, bringing with her a slew of memories, both good and bad.
And then there’s Levi Keller, the cute artist who’s spending all his free time at the coffee shop where she works. Levi’s from out of town, and even though Babe knows better than to fall for a tourist who will leave when summer ends, she can’t stop herself from wanting to know him. Can Babe keep her distance, or will she break the one rule she’s always had – to never fall for a summer boy?
Small Town Hearts by Lillie Vale
Rating: 4/5
This gave me SO MANY FEELINGS.
Babe was an all too relatable character. She doesn’t want anything to change and she likes her life just the way it is. She’s a wonderfully cute person and I wanted to give a hug and tell her everything would be alright! If you’ve followed my reviews, you know I love character development and the author does an awesome job with giving Babe the growth she deserved! *standing ovation*
I felt all the pain when Babe has to deal with her manipulative friends (straight up, Penny needed to be slapped, just saying) and has to deal with her great summer plans going awry. I loved that the plot really was character-based. The relationships between Babe and everyone she meets was really refreshing to read for me.
And let’s take a moment to appreciate the summer boy Levi Keller. I wanted so much more between the two leads because they were really adorable together! Personally, I didn’t think it was swoon-worthy romance, but it was a slow, nice, happy-fuzzy-feeling type of romance (much like coffee–hehe).
I think even though it had that element of romance in it, the best part of the book were the other relationships. The friendships created and broken… the interactions between the “side” characters… all of that really created a homely environment that added an extra “Gilmore Girls” small-town vibe.
Overall, the vibes were bittersweet in a really satisfying way. The story really ties up nicely! I definitely can’t wait to see what Lillie Vale comes up with next!
Fans of Sarah Dessen would definitely enjoy this book! I would recommend this to anyone who likes small towns with lots of drama, summer vibes and pretty beaches, coffee, beautiful views perfect to paint, wonderful character development and really relatable cuteness, and sandcastles!
*Warnings: Manipulative friendships, drinking/drugs*
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About the Author:
Lillie Vale, upon discovering she could not be one of Santa’s elves or attend Hogwarts, decided to become a writer to create a little magic of her own. Enjoying the romantic and eerie in equal measure, she’s probably always writing a book where the main characters kiss or kill. Born in Mumbai, she has lived in many U.S. states, and now resides in an Indiana college town where the corn whispers and no one has a clue that she is actually the long-lost caps lock queen. She can be reached on Twitter @LillieLabyrinth and Instagram @labyrinthspine. Small Town Hearts is her debut novel.
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Well look at you blogging so many times a week! What a cool blog tour and I’m glad you enjoyed this one so much. Babe sounds like someone that almost everyone could easily connect with.
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Hahaha yesss I have so many reviews to post but I’m trying to space them out😆 Babe was definitely relatable! Thanks so much for checking this out, Di💜 you’re the best!
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