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

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.

Wow wow wow. I was lucky enough to win an ARC of this book in a giveaway and I am so happy I did. I went into this thinking it would be a queer, coming of age story set in the South about the perils of fame and how the choices we make define us. And though this book was definitely that, it was also so much more and I wasn't entirely prepared for what I got.

Every Time You Hear That Song is such really two stories in one. One begins with Darren in present day and the other travels through several decades with Decklee Cassel. So in a way, one story is mostly stationary and it's the mystery of it that's moving Darren's POV forward. And then there's Decklee's POV that is jumping through years and we're seeing her go from being a young, fifteen-year-old, to eventually being much older in the present, so her story eventually catches up to Darren's in a way that was really fascinating to read. I loved having this book told in this way and I think it worked perfectly for these stories.

The characters themselves are really brilliant to read. These characters go through a lot and there's a lot of messiness surrounding them, particularly Decklee and Darren. But they felt so authentic and flawed. The ending is bittersweet, but felt right for the characters and the core of who they were. This made it a little sad for me, but it felt very true for how life is and the way it works out. So it's realistic and messy and sad but a really beautiful narrative of being a queer teen in the South and the complicated feelings and experiences this brings up. 

This book was such a pleasant surprise and I can't recommend it more!