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handove's review
4.5
maybe i'm just really sensitive today because it's new year's eve but this book made me cry a little. the writing style is nothing special but decklee was so complex and she and mickenlee broke my heart and there was this warm bittersweet feeling throughout it all i absolutely loved. last one of the year was a banger <3
/ br w nini
/ br w nini
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
howeonearth's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, and Outing
Moderate: Cancer, Medical content, and Medical trauma
btorsi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
oh man i love this book. it was like evelyn hugo meets paper towns and for some reason that just works. it kept me hooked every page and i couldn't put it down. decklee was such an interesting character, even if she didn't get the ending i was hoping for. and hey, even the m/f romance didn't turn me off. but most of all, this book made me ache with nostalgia for my hometown. it felt like a love letter to small town america, and as someone who spent her entire childhood dreaming of a way out of her small town and now misses it like a heartbeat, decklee and darren felt so close to my heart and made me cry.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Homophobia
legalplanner's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I really enjoyed this. It gave me similar vibes to the movie Crossroads. It also gave me a what if Dolly wasn't Dolly kind of vibes. Decklee Cassel has a persona that is bigger than life, and it shows how if you use your power for yourself, it can leave you in a place you're going to regret. I found Darren and Kendall to be interesting characters as they began their journey to find the Decklee Cassel time capsule.
I found the journey so satisfying because Darren doesn't know herself hardly at all. She just knows what she thinks she wants. But I think as the journey goes on it's interesting to see how her views start to slowly change for the better. I think the dual timeline of learning the history of Decklee from the start as a runaway to the end of the novel was an excellent addition to this story because it allowed you to form your own opinion about Decklee and not what Darren thinks of her.
I also really loved that Decklee loved a woman,but at the same time I hated watching her tank every relationship she had because she was too afraid to be true to herself because in the long run she never really did love herself enough. She thought success was the only way to measure your worth which is so untrue.
I sobbed at the end of this. Not because it's sad, but because I was so hurt for all of the characters at the end. I found that I was very invested in their journey, where they were going how they got there. I cried as a small-town girl who left and came back, because even though it has its moments it for sure has its high points too.
I found the journey so satisfying because Darren doesn't know herself hardly at all. She just knows what she thinks she wants. But I think as the journey goes on it's interesting to see how her views start to slowly change for the better. I think the dual timeline of learning the history of Decklee from the start as a runaway to the end of the novel was an excellent addition to this story because it allowed you to form your own opinion about Decklee and not what Darren thinks of her.
I also really loved that Decklee loved a woman,
I sobbed at the end of this. Not because it's sad, but because I was so hurt for all of the characters at the end. I found that I was very invested in their journey, where they were going how they got there. I cried as a small-town girl who left and came back, because even though it has its moments it for sure has its high points too.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting
aus10england's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
RIGHT up my alley, loved the mystery aspects to the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Biphobia
niftyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I feel like my review will be split in half for EVERY TIME YOU HEAR THAT SONG by Jenna Voris. Maybe I’ll attempt a sandwich, but let’s start with what made me happy.
Happy trails:
The top half of the cover. Tbh, I overlooked the bottom portion until I went to write this review 😅 I love the Dolly-esque lady - who we now know is Decklee Cassel (that name!! 😍🤩) - in the sky.
The story was told using an alternating timeline. It was put together so well! Plus, the narration by Emily Lawerence and Allison Strong fits the characters perfectly. Listening to them tell Decklee and Darren’s stories made it interesting and fun to find the parallels.
The reminder that the most important people will always be there even when you don’t realize it or deserve it.
Frustrations:
The scavenger hunt was played up to be a more significant part, but I felt let down. Yes, it did move along the plot and where Darren and Kendall go to find clues, but I wish it was more fulfilling. Or maybe I just read too many scavenger hunt books that put people on the brink of death, so was this my fault for expecting too much?
I always say I don’t mind an unlikeable lead and stand by that. Decklee was different. She was determined. She knew what she wanted and went for it, even if it hurt people who were faithful to her along the way. I know it was the 70s, so times were different than now, but I didn’t see part one of the twist coming. I saw her being many things but not making cruel, devastating ultimatums like that. I can’t go further into it without spoiling the twist or the last major one, which, omg 🤯 I did not see coming.
Speaking of the final twist, I liked the book’s ending, especially the house (vague sentence here, lol), but I wish we had a little more time with the twist. A lot more could have been explored.
Happiness vs Frustration:
Do I recommend this book? Yes. I think Jenna Voris has written a book worth reading, especially if you go with low stakes, not expecting a who’s next on the chopping block scavenger hunt and everyone finds their queer love dream-type novel.
I think EVERY TIME YOU HEAR THAT SONG is an essential read for the queer and non-queer community alike because it shows queer characters in different eras figuring out who they are, what that means to their livelihood, and will their loved ones accept them once they figured it out.
Books like this must exist. I may not have loved it, but I liked it enough to share and discuss it. The audiobook is excellent, and I got it from my local library via the Libby app!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
ehoustonmyatt's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
This is like the YA version of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo if Evelyn had been Dolly Parton with a little bit of The Inheritance Games mixed in for good measure.
Because of this book’s alternating POVs between the present with Darren and the past with Decklee, I feel like it could have benefitted from being longer. We do not get enough of each story to feel passionate about the characters and their unfolding relationships. While this is reminiscent of Evelyn Hugo, the story isn’t crafted quite as well so the reveals don’t feel shocking and amazing, they just feel random.
Overall this was a cute premise and cute story that I will still recommend to other readers.
Because of this book’s alternating POVs between the present with Darren and the past with Decklee, I feel like it could have benefitted from being longer. We do not get enough of each story to feel passionate about the characters and their unfolding relationships. While this is reminiscent of Evelyn Hugo, the story isn’t crafted quite as well so the reveals don’t feel shocking and amazing, they just feel random.
Overall this was a cute premise and cute story that I will still recommend to other readers.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Misogyny
mrsmishler's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
maddiereadswords's review against another edition
4.5
Did I see the twist in this book coming like a third of the way in? Yes. But did it still almost make me tear up when I finally got the payoff? Absolutely. What can I say? I am not immune to a dual narrative queer coming-of-age story with a tragic sapphic love story. I do wish that we'd gotten a little more of Decklee's story, because there was A LOT of ground to cover in not that many chapters (and bc she starts her rise to stardom by locking her lover in a closet and then only gets worse from there. I love a woman with ambition lmao)
This also doesn't affect my rating really, but I need to say it: jail time for Jenna Voris for making me have to pretend that names like Decklee and McKenlee belong on rising stars in the country music scene in the 60s instead of in a classroom full of 7th graders born in 2012 whose parents named them like that white lady with the chalkboard who named her kid Lakynn after a road sign. I think about her a lot.
Overall, though, this was SUCH a fantastic book. I've been in a bit of a reading slump recently, and this was exactly the kind of thing I needed to break it. I flew through it in a single evening, and I feel like I'll definitely be coming back to this one again and again. <3
This also doesn't affect my rating really, but I need to say it: jail time for Jenna Voris for making me have to pretend that names like Decklee and McKenlee belong on rising stars in the country music scene in the 60s instead of in a classroom full of 7th graders born in 2012 whose parents named them like that white lady with the chalkboard who named her kid Lakynn after a road sign. I think about her a lot.
Overall, though, this was SUCH a fantastic book. I've been in a bit of a reading slump recently, and this was exactly the kind of thing I needed to break it. I flew through it in a single evening, and I feel like I'll definitely be coming back to this one again and again. <3
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Lesbophobia
dogoodwithbooks's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Every Time You Hear That Song is for those readers who absolutely love Taylor Jenkins Reid’s works, but wishes she wrote YA. Detailing Darren’s journey to find her favorite singer’s time capsule, Vorris has a uniquely atmospheric voice and setting that draws you in from the very first page. While some parts of the book dragged on a bit, the dual timelines between Darren finding the time capsule and the legacy of Decklee Cassel’s career was a really nice touch for the book. That being said, if you’re looking for a YA novel that gives off a similar vibe to Taylor Jenkins Reid, you would probably enjoy reading Every Time You Hear That Song.
Every Time You Hear That Song is for those readers who absolutely love Taylor Jenkins Reid’s works, but wishes she wrote YA. Detailing Darren’s journey to find her favorite singer’s time capsule, Vorris has a uniquely atmospheric voice and setting that draws you in from the very first page. While some parts of the book dragged on a bit, the dual timelines between Darren finding the time capsule and the legacy of Decklee Cassel’s career was a really nice touch for the book. That being said, if you’re looking for a YA novel that gives off a similar vibe to Taylor Jenkins Reid, you would probably enjoy reading Every Time You Hear That Song.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Cancer and Abandonment
Minor: Terminal illness