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Colton Gentry's Third Act
"A story of love, healing, and second chances ” (Emily Henry) following a down on his luck country musician who, in the throes of grief after a shocking loss, moves back home and rekindles a relationship with his high school sweetheart, from award-winning author Jeff Zentner.
Colton Gentry is riding high. His first hit in nearly a decade has caught fire, he’s opening for country megastar Brant Lucas, and he’s married to one of the hottest acts in the country. But he’s hurting. Only a few weeks earlier, his best friend, Duane, was murdered onstage by a mass shooter at a country music festival. One night, with his trauma festering and Jim Beam flowing through his veins, Colton stands before a sold-out arena crowd of country music fans and offers his unfiltered opinion on guns. It goes over poorly.
Immediately, his career and marriage implode. Left with few choices or funds, he retreats to his rural Kentucky hometown. He’s resigned himself to has-been-dom, until a chance encounter at his town’s new farm-to-table restaurant gives him a second shot at a job working in the kitchen with Luann, his first love, who has undergone her own reinvention. Told through perspectives alternating between his senior year of high school, his time coming up with Duane as hungry musicians in Nashville, and the present, COLTON GENTRY’S THIRD ACT is a story of coming home, undoing past heartbreaks, and navigating grief, and is a reminder that there are next acts in life, no matter how unlikely they may seem.
Colton Gentry is riding high. His first hit in nearly a decade has caught fire, he’s opening for country megastar Brant Lucas, and he’s married to one of the hottest acts in the country. But he’s hurting. Only a few weeks earlier, his best friend, Duane, was murdered onstage by a mass shooter at a country music festival. One night, with his trauma festering and Jim Beam flowing through his veins, Colton stands before a sold-out arena crowd of country music fans and offers his unfiltered opinion on guns. It goes over poorly.
Immediately, his career and marriage implode. Left with few choices or funds, he retreats to his rural Kentucky hometown. He’s resigned himself to has-been-dom, until a chance encounter at his town’s new farm-to-table restaurant gives him a second shot at a job working in the kitchen with Luann, his first love, who has undergone her own reinvention. Told through perspectives alternating between his senior year of high school, his time coming up with Duane as hungry musicians in Nashville, and the present, COLTON GENTRY’S THIRD ACT is a story of coming home, undoing past heartbreaks, and navigating grief, and is a reminder that there are next acts in life, no matter how unlikely they may seem.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published April 30, 2024
About the author
Jeff Zentner
10 books2,466 followersJeff Zentner is the author of two New York Times Notable Books: The Serpent King and In the Wild Light, as well as Goodbye Days and Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee. His next book, forthcoming from Grand Central in 2024, is entitled Colton Gentry's Third Act.
Among other honors, he has won the ALA’s William C. Morris Award, the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award twice, the International Literacy Association Award, the Whippoorwill Award, the Muriel Becker Award, and been longlisted twice for the Carnegie Medal. He’s a two-time Southern Book Prize finalist; and was a finalist for the Indies Choice Award. He was selected as a Publishers Weekly Flying Start and an Indies Introduce pick. His books have been translated into fifteen languages.
Before becoming a writer, he was a musician who recorded with Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, and Debbie Harry. He lives in Nashville.
Among other honors, he has won the ALA’s William C. Morris Award, the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award twice, the International Literacy Association Award, the Whippoorwill Award, the Muriel Becker Award, and been longlisted twice for the Carnegie Medal. He’s a two-time Southern Book Prize finalist; and was a finalist for the Indies Choice Award. He was selected as a Publishers Weekly Flying Start and an Indies Introduce pick. His books have been translated into fifteen languages.
Before becoming a writer, he was a musician who recorded with Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, and Debbie Harry. He lives in Nashville.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 796 reviews
February 17, 2024
One of the wonders of moving through this world is how unpredictable it can be. You end up in places you never imagined, doing things that were never part of your plan. And sometimes it all works to your greater joy.
When this book releases, I will have been a writer of fiction for just over ten years. Before that, I was a musician and to make my living doing that was my greatest dream. But the music industry is cruel and if you find yourself crossing the threshold of age thirty without having hit it big, you may reasonably assume it won’t ever happen for you.
I crossed that threshold without hitting it big.
My dreams of musical stardom in a shambles around me, I began looking for something I could do that would feed my creative spirit. So I started teaching guitar to teenagers at Tennessee Teen Rock Camp and Southern Girls Rock Camp. This experience taught me that I love the way young adults love the art that they love, full-throated and unabashed in their fervor. It made me want to create art for them. But at that point I was old enough to be Billie Eilish’s father. So what to do?
Why, turn to the one art form accommodating of my then-unforgivably advanced age of thirty-six: writing books. Over a span of five years, I wrote four books for young adults. I had a blast doing it—it made me glad I’d failed at music. However, there was a story I wasn’t getting to tell in that space—one where someone plans for years on taking one path, and his dreams wither on the vine and force him to take another path that ultimately results in even greater joy. My story.
But it wasn’t really my story, as I quickly found out once I started writing. It was Colton’s story. And Luann’s story. And Petey’s story. You know how I know? Because I, as someone indifferent to football, wrote a book centering a former high school football star. Because I, as someone who’s only ever previously written about misfits and outcasts, wrote a book about a grown-up homecoming king. And that’s where the magic of writing fiction lies—creating characters and watching them take over, and realizing how many people face the same struggles that you yourself might feel alone in.
I hope you sense that magic reading this story of high highs and low lows; of small towns and big dreams; of sultry Southern nights and fireflies; of country music and cast iron cookware; of life’s second chances and third acts. I hope you cry a little and fall in love a little more and most of all, get really hungry. I’m serious. You’re allowed to hate this book, but you’re not allowed to say the food in it doesn’t sound good.
Oh, and in case the two footnotes don’t offer sufficient reassurance, let me assure you here: Petey will not die in this book.
June 23, 2024
5 ⭐️
Wow, meet my new favorite book. It’ll be impossible to top this as my best read of the year. Oh my goodness??
I don’t remember the last time I read a 400 page book in 24 hours but I simply could not put this down. I cared for the characters so deeply, and I know I’m going to be thinking about them for a long time.
The prose was just stunning, the dialogue was perfectly written and the entire book read like a movie. I desperately need this to become a movie.
I read on my Kindle but already want to go back and reread via audio. I highlighted so many passages that I know I will come back to for comfort. It was sad but also so beautifully joy filled. Ugh, I just need you to read this. PLEASE.
Wow, meet my new favorite book. It’ll be impossible to top this as my best read of the year. Oh my goodness??
I don’t remember the last time I read a 400 page book in 24 hours but I simply could not put this down. I cared for the characters so deeply, and I know I’m going to be thinking about them for a long time.
The prose was just stunning, the dialogue was perfectly written and the entire book read like a movie. I desperately need this to become a movie.
I read on my Kindle but already want to go back and reread via audio. I highlighted so many passages that I know I will come back to for comfort. It was sad but also so beautifully joy filled. Ugh, I just need you to read this. PLEASE.
May 22, 2024
Honeysuckle Summer was the working title of this book, and somehow, I wished that this beautiful story about a country singer who drunkenly offers on stage his unfiltered opinion about guns after his best friend was killed in a mass shooting still had that poetic and mesmerizing title. Honeysuckle Summer is that time when daylight doesn’t seem to run out, trees still show their freshest green, bees buzz with anticipation, and flowers hail those yellow insects inside them—a time when everything seems to be perfect. But even at those times, darkness can snuck up on you like insecurity lures at the back of your head, whispering you’re a hopeless screwup.
Sometimes, I want to read a book badly. So badly that I’m afraid to start reading. Am I making sense? Not wanting to read another book because all you can do is think of that one? And when you finally have the courage to start reading, your hands are shaking, and you can’t concentrate. Because what if you don’t like it? What if it disappoints you? What if it doesn’t pull you in and keeps you hooked to the pages? What if?
It happened with me and this book. One of my most anticipated 2024 reads because Jeff Zentner’s writing is gorgeous. But when I finally started, my brain wouldn’t let me read more than a few pages. My gut didn’t let me feel what I needed to feel. I just gobbled up the words and recognized beautiful sentences but didn’t feel anything. I sighed and growled and almost threw my ereader against a wall. Until Colton stood next to his father’s grave. Tears leaped into my eyes and slowly rolled down my cheeks. Because Colton wept. Not only for the father he lost but also because of the deaths of essential pieces of himself. And then I knew I was reading another gem.
It doesn’t matter if Jeff Zentner writes YA or adult stories. I’m there for them all. I don’t think I know of any other author who writes so beautifully. I know I’m not supposed to quote because I’m reading an ARC, but I just need to show what Jeff’s capable of to all of you who haven’t read anything by this immensely talented author yet.
Grief is an arsonist, stealing in under cover of dark to reduce you to ashes.
How do you end a conversation like this? When there’s everything left to say, and you so badly want to confess your regret that it’s twisting your heart and mind into a braid.
While reading the last part of the book, I was in so much doubt about my rating. Only for the writing, I’d rate this novel a million stars. But there’s a tiny part about hunting (only a few sentences) that didn’t sit well with me. A shotgun is still a gun, in my humble (European) opinion. Those sentences didn’t add anything to the story. On the contrary, even. They weakened it (still my opinion) and made me decide with pain in my heart to rate this otherwise wonderful novel 4 instead of 5 stars.
I received an ARC from Grand Central Publishing and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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Sometimes, I want to read a book badly. So badly that I’m afraid to start reading. Am I making sense? Not wanting to read another book because all you can do is think of that one? And when you finally have the courage to start reading, your hands are shaking, and you can’t concentrate. Because what if you don’t like it? What if it disappoints you? What if it doesn’t pull you in and keeps you hooked to the pages? What if?
It happened with me and this book. One of my most anticipated 2024 reads because Jeff Zentner’s writing is gorgeous. But when I finally started, my brain wouldn’t let me read more than a few pages. My gut didn’t let me feel what I needed to feel. I just gobbled up the words and recognized beautiful sentences but didn’t feel anything. I sighed and growled and almost threw my ereader against a wall. Until Colton stood next to his father’s grave. Tears leaped into my eyes and slowly rolled down my cheeks. Because Colton wept. Not only for the father he lost but also because of the deaths of essential pieces of himself. And then I knew I was reading another gem.
It doesn’t matter if Jeff Zentner writes YA or adult stories. I’m there for them all. I don’t think I know of any other author who writes so beautifully. I know I’m not supposed to quote because I’m reading an ARC, but I just need to show what Jeff’s capable of to all of you who haven’t read anything by this immensely talented author yet.
Grief is an arsonist, stealing in under cover of dark to reduce you to ashes.
How do you end a conversation like this? When there’s everything left to say, and you so badly want to confess your regret that it’s twisting your heart and mind into a braid.
While reading the last part of the book, I was in so much doubt about my rating. Only for the writing, I’d rate this novel a million stars. But there’s a tiny part about hunting (only a few sentences) that didn’t sit well with me. A shotgun is still a gun, in my humble (European) opinion. Those sentences didn’t add anything to the story. On the contrary, even. They weakened it (still my opinion) and made me decide with pain in my heart to rate this otherwise wonderful novel 4 instead of 5 stars.
I received an ARC from Grand Central Publishing and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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April 22, 2024
I should know better than to make assumptions based on a book's cover, but I went into this one thinking it would be a country romance and therefore, not my jam.
Boy, was I wrong. Yes, there "is" a romance between our hero, Colton, and his high-school sweetheart, Luann (which I loved because I loved both of these characters), but this is also a novel about found family, sobriety, standing up for one's beliefs, grief, courage, regret, and second chances.
The culinary descriptions alone convinced me of Jeff Zentner's skill as a wordsmith, but the banter between the characters is an absolute delight as well. I read this in two sittings. If you're looking for a multi-layered, uplifting read, look no further. Colton Gentry has everything you need.
Boy, was I wrong. Yes, there "is" a romance between our hero, Colton, and his high-school sweetheart, Luann (which I loved because I loved both of these characters), but this is also a novel about found family, sobriety, standing up for one's beliefs, grief, courage, regret, and second chances.
The culinary descriptions alone convinced me of Jeff Zentner's skill as a wordsmith, but the banter between the characters is an absolute delight as well. I read this in two sittings. If you're looking for a multi-layered, uplifting read, look no further. Colton Gentry has everything you need.
July 15, 2024
review to come!
cw: gun violence, death of a loved one, alcoholism, cheating
cw: gun violence, death of a loved one, alcoholism, cheating
January 22, 2024
This was my most anticipated book of the year so I’m pretty upset that I liked but didn’t love it. In the Wild Light by Zentner is one of my all time favorite books. It’s so beautiful and I cried multiple times reading it & I immediately connected to the characters.
In this one, I just felt so lukewarm about everything. The plot was… fine? The characters were… fine? But I honestly didn’t care that much about them. They never fully felt like real people to me.
The writing sometimes felt like he was trying to use the most words from a thesaurus and it felt like forced flowery language if that makes sense. And there were pages of just straight lists of food they were making at the restaurant which got old after a while haha
I enjoyed the second chance romance & redemption storyline, & I thought his addiction was portrayed well. I like the idea that there is always time for a new chapter in your life, I just wanted to feel more connected to the story.
In this one, I just felt so lukewarm about everything. The plot was… fine? The characters were… fine? But I honestly didn’t care that much about them. They never fully felt like real people to me.
The writing sometimes felt like he was trying to use the most words from a thesaurus and it felt like forced flowery language if that makes sense. And there were pages of just straight lists of food they were making at the restaurant which got old after a while haha
I enjoyed the second chance romance & redemption storyline, & I thought his addiction was portrayed well. I like the idea that there is always time for a new chapter in your life, I just wanted to feel more connected to the story.
April 10, 2024
This book had me by the throat and I couldn't put it down.
Technically speaking the second half of that sentence is a lie. In 2o23 I picked this up and read the first couple chapters, immediately intrigued but me and reading with my eyes have been having some disagreements. It got shuffled off to the side, but luckily the audio was one of Libro.fms advance copies this month and so I was able to get around to this before the release date.
Boy am I glad that I am.
I was initially drawn to this because Colton Gentry is a country music musician, and while the book isn't about his rise to fame so much as his dusting himself off after his fifteen minutes, it's still a buzzword for me.
This story is told in a couple different timelines, though just knowing you get stuff from Colton's past and his present is almost all you need to know.
In the present Colton Gentry is a man in recovery; both from his alcoholism and from the music career he lost. After Colton's best friend was shot at a music festival and he doubled down on statements advocating for stricter gun regulation Colton finds himself no longer the opening act, no longer married, and back home in the small town he was raised in living in his childhood bedroom.
In the past we see Colton Gentry, football star as he forms a relationship with Luann; a new girl in school and not part of his usual social circle.
It's the way that the past informs Colton's present, and Luann's return that had me believing that maybe second chance romances can be done well
Zentner is able to craft a story that is addictive. The way that Colton's and Luann's relationship is written in the past and the present is some of my favorite scenes I've read all year. The way the past is some of the most romantic storytelling I've ever read and the present reads as some of the most compelling cases for platonic love, with that old flame still simmering just under the surface until it makes sense for things to change.
It really is some of the best character work I've read this year, it quickly rocketed to my favorite read of the year. If I hadn't been at work I would have been kicking my feet and blushing the entire time I read it.
Even the platonic male relationships are a thing of joy in this book. The friendship that Colton had with Duane, the friend that was murdered is explored in some of the past chapters, and the friendship that Colton had in high school also comes back into play and feels on equal footing. Truly just a masterclass as far as I'm concerned.
This is the first book by Jeff Zentner that I've read, and I doubt that it will be my last.
Technically speaking the second half of that sentence is a lie. In 2o23 I picked this up and read the first couple chapters, immediately intrigued but me and reading with my eyes have been having some disagreements. It got shuffled off to the side, but luckily the audio was one of Libro.fms advance copies this month and so I was able to get around to this before the release date.
Boy am I glad that I am.
I was initially drawn to this because Colton Gentry is a country music musician, and while the book isn't about his rise to fame so much as his dusting himself off after his fifteen minutes, it's still a buzzword for me.
This story is told in a couple different timelines, though just knowing you get stuff from Colton's past and his present is almost all you need to know.
In the present Colton Gentry is a man in recovery; both from his alcoholism and from the music career he lost. After Colton's best friend was shot at a music festival and he doubled down on statements advocating for stricter gun regulation Colton finds himself no longer the opening act, no longer married, and back home in the small town he was raised in living in his childhood bedroom.
In the past we see Colton Gentry, football star as he forms a relationship with Luann; a new girl in school and not part of his usual social circle.
It's the way that the past informs Colton's present, and Luann's return that had me believing that maybe second chance romances can be done well
Zentner is able to craft a story that is addictive. The way that Colton's and Luann's relationship is written in the past and the present is some of my favorite scenes I've read all year. The way the past is some of the most romantic storytelling I've ever read and the present reads as some of the most compelling cases for platonic love, with that old flame still simmering just under the surface until it makes sense for things to change.
It really is some of the best character work I've read this year, it quickly rocketed to my favorite read of the year. If I hadn't been at work I would have been kicking my feet and blushing the entire time I read it.
Even the platonic male relationships are a thing of joy in this book. The friendship that Colton had with Duane, the friend that was murdered is explored in some of the past chapters, and the friendship that Colton had in high school also comes back into play and feels on equal footing. Truly just a masterclass as far as I'm concerned.
This is the first book by Jeff Zentner that I've read, and I doubt that it will be my last.
August 21, 2023
Wow! This needs to be a movie!!
This was so very good that I read most of it in a single day! Jeff Zentner has such an amazing way of writing characters that you're drawn in and care for them immediately. I love the almost poetic nature of his writing and the vibrant description and detail in little ways. Wonderful slow burn in this one where he's often struggling, asking questions and reassessing trying to figure out what the best way forward is. Colton Gentry is REAL! I think that's the thing... he's relatable and flawed and struggles like most of the the rest of us. Great supporting cast as always in Zentner's writing as well and so many wonderful details that are continued through the story.
Stellar! Again, this needs to be a movie!
This was so very good that I read most of it in a single day! Jeff Zentner has such an amazing way of writing characters that you're drawn in and care for them immediately. I love the almost poetic nature of his writing and the vibrant description and detail in little ways. Wonderful slow burn in this one where he's often struggling, asking questions and reassessing trying to figure out what the best way forward is. Colton Gentry is REAL! I think that's the thing... he's relatable and flawed and struggles like most of the the rest of us. Great supporting cast as always in Zentner's writing as well and so many wonderful details that are continued through the story.
Stellar! Again, this needs to be a movie!
September 7, 2024
Quintessentially a Jeff Zentner novel in that COLTON GENTRY’S THIRD ACT makes you feel *everything.* You’ll cry a lot, of course, sometimes because what you’re reading is hysterically funny and other times heartbreaking but you’ll always cry because what you’re reading is so incomprehensibly beautifully written. April 30, 2024.
April 26, 2024
Listen to Jeff Zentner on the Book Gang Podcast NOW! We discuss What Jeff Zentner Brings to Romance Click here to tune in! If you love the show, please consider joining my Patreon.
Readers may be surprised to discover that Jeff Zentner is firmly planting his feet in the romance world with his first small-town romance written for adult readers. It was a pleasure to talk to him about his writing transition this month.
This earnest second-chance love story opens with an emotionally charged moment when a drunken Colton Gentry professes outrage against gun violence on the microphone at a sold-out show that he is performing. The reason for this outburst is not politically driven but personally driven because his best friend was murdered onstage by a mass shooter at a country music festival.
As Colton's drunken rant begins, his team cuts his microphone midsentence, unleashing a cancellation by the country music industry for his public stance against gun rights.
With his personal life in shambles, a defeated Colton returns home to live with his mother, trying to find a new purpose and financial freedom away from his infamous past.
Luann, left behind by Colton when the two struggled to navigate a long-distance romance when they were kids, is now the proud owner of a local farm-to-table restaurant whose dishes wow Colton's dishes when he visits as a patron. Still smarting from the loss years ago, Luann sets aside her misgivings to allow Colton to work as a sous chef for the restaurant.
But how will this impact Luann's world when Colton becomes the punching bag for a media circus that trails him? And, after leaving her, is he deserving of this redemption story?
The book offers readers a slow-burn romance as Luann and Colton rekindle their relationship.
There is a familiarity that Zentner believably builds, but it is no surprise that this magic is best captured when they are kids. As Zenter is a young adult writer, it allowed him to sit comfortably in his wheelhouse while exploring a more grown-up story of navigating divorce, kids, and sobriety in their grown-up moments.
While steamy, the romance is almost entirely closed-door, with only a paragraph going beyond fade-to-black bedroom scenes.
Like J. Ryan Stradal's writing of Midwestern food details, Zentner offers our book stacks a well-researched Southern food scene. But where he shines is a coming-of-age story that develops on the page, celebrating the defining moments of a man coming to know himself and who matters most in his thirties.
Despite the opener, the story stays surprisingly neutral as Colton finds commonality with everyone, which many readers will find comforting. Zentner stresses in our interview that this is not an issues book. It could be an excellent book club book for those who want starter conversations for their groups around the gun rights topic.
This novel will more than satisfy Jeff Zentner fans.
May 20, 2024
I really, really wanted to be into it.. but this is romance written by a man, and you can *TELL* it was written by a man...? I've read a lot of romance and a lot of literature written by men.. but I'm not sure that contemporary romance written by a man is my cup of tea.
Or perhaps it was just *this* romance written by a man? Anna Karenina isn't romance, but it has romance and was written by a man so I know I like the possibility of this perspective? Also Atonement is one of my favorite stories and it was written by Ian McEwan -- another writer of the male species. Again - has romance but isn't really a romance at the end of the day? Contemporary make romance writers just aren't doing it for me I guess.
**Thank you to Grand Central Publishing & Bibliolifestyle for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤
Find Me On Instagram 🦋 || More Bookish Thoughts & Reviews Here 🖤
Or perhaps it was just *this* romance written by a man? Anna Karenina isn't romance, but it has romance and was written by a man so I know I like the possibility of this perspective? Also Atonement is one of my favorite stories and it was written by Ian McEwan -- another writer of the male species. Again - has romance but isn't really a romance at the end of the day? Contemporary make romance writers just aren't doing it for me I guess.
**Thank you to Grand Central Publishing & Bibliolifestyle for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤
Find Me On Instagram 🦋 || More Bookish Thoughts & Reviews Here 🖤
May 10, 2024
Here’s the thing this is note perfect. Like, all of it start to finish. It’s the story of a down and out musician who steps in it with gun enthusiasts and has to rebuild his life. That he does it with food was surprising. Zenter’s first adult book has this fun little YA interlude when the main character reminisces about his old high school flame. It’s a second chance romance that is done very, very well. So much of it was so authentic and raw like it came from some deep, holy and beautiful place.
Cannot recommend enough. Need to figure out how to hire sky writers- it is so good. And the dude from Demon Copperhead does the audio so I recommend that version as well because he nails it.
Cannot recommend enough. Need to figure out how to hire sky writers- it is so good. And the dude from Demon Copperhead does the audio so I recommend that version as well because he nails it.
July 12, 2023
This is my new favorite book. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I cannot wait for everyone to read it.
May 3, 2024
Colton Gentry’s Third Act was one of my most anticipated books, unfortunately for me it did not live up to the hype. It was just okay for me. I am definitely in the minority, but I just didn't feel any excitement from this book.
The characters were very bland. They were okay, but just fell flat in my opinion. I wanted more of the second chance romance between them, not just at the end. There was something missing for me to truly feel their connection. They never felt like real people to me. I honestly did not care for them as much as I wanted.
The plot also was just okay for me. I liked the addiction storyline and his redemption, I just felt like it could've been more. The writing also felt off at times, as if he was trying to write in a way that was awkward. It just did not have the effect I was expecting this book would have on me. Keep in mind I am in the minority for this one!
🎧 The narration by Charlie Thurston was good. He kept me engaged. He was interesting to listen to. I think if I read this book I might've not finished it.
✨️Thank you to @librofm for my gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.
The characters were very bland. They were okay, but just fell flat in my opinion. I wanted more of the second chance romance between them, not just at the end. There was something missing for me to truly feel their connection. They never felt like real people to me. I honestly did not care for them as much as I wanted.
The plot also was just okay for me. I liked the addiction storyline and his redemption, I just felt like it could've been more. The writing also felt off at times, as if he was trying to write in a way that was awkward. It just did not have the effect I was expecting this book would have on me. Keep in mind I am in the minority for this one!
🎧 The narration by Charlie Thurston was good. He kept me engaged. He was interesting to listen to. I think if I read this book I might've not finished it.
✨️Thank you to @librofm for my gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.
April 23, 2024
This book totally lived up to all the rave reviews I've been seeing! If you enjoy second chance love stories, country music, comeback stories, small town stories, high school sweethearts and books about food and family this one is for you!!
Fair warning that alcoholism and a gun shooting play a big part in this book but if that's not a trigger for you, definitely don't miss out on this wonderful book!!! Great on audio and my absolute new favorite by Jeff Zentner!!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and Libro.fm for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review! Highly recommended for fans of the old school George Strait movie, Dusty!!
Fair warning that alcoholism and a gun shooting play a big part in this book but if that's not a trigger for you, definitely don't miss out on this wonderful book!!! Great on audio and my absolute new favorite by Jeff Zentner!!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and Libro.fm for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review! Highly recommended for fans of the old school George Strait movie, Dusty!!
July 8, 2024
Unexpectedly loved this so much! Loved the plot and the characters and their flaws and the storyline. Was a good romance but not too frilly, had serious topics that were dealt with care, in my opinion. Also really good writing which I don’t always notice/care about but I feel like it was such good writing that I actually noticed.
June 21, 2024
I have mixed thoughts about this book. I thought the first half was strong, but the second half, when the romance actually starts, I thought it got a little cheesy.
Colton is a country music star who speaks out on gun violence after his best friend is killed in a mass shooting and immediately falls from grace. His wife leaves him, his career is over, and he is an alcoholic, so he returns home to a small Kentucky town to try to rebuild his life. He gets sober, reunites with his high school sweetheart, and begins a new career, but can he hold it all together when things get tough?
There were parts of this book that I really liked. The sobriety issue and Colton getting his life back together were done very well. I even appreciated the flashbacks to his high school days. It painted such a great picture of why Colton makes the decisions that he does. Where this book fell short for me was in the romance department. The banter was cringey and sounded like a caricature of what small town Kentucky people sound like. There was a weird fixation on food that came out of nowhere. I am a food person and didn't need that much description of the meals that were being made. The romance was sweet but I felt like I was more interested in their high school love story than the current day one. I also was uncomfortable with his obsession with his former wife, who was a real jerk.
Anyway, I enjoyed this but obviously also had some issues.
Colton is a country music star who speaks out on gun violence after his best friend is killed in a mass shooting and immediately falls from grace. His wife leaves him, his career is over, and he is an alcoholic, so he returns home to a small Kentucky town to try to rebuild his life. He gets sober, reunites with his high school sweetheart, and begins a new career, but can he hold it all together when things get tough?
There were parts of this book that I really liked. The sobriety issue and Colton getting his life back together were done very well. I even appreciated the flashbacks to his high school days. It painted such a great picture of why Colton makes the decisions that he does. Where this book fell short for me was in the romance department. The banter was cringey and sounded like a caricature of what small town Kentucky people sound like. There was a weird fixation on food that came out of nowhere. I am a food person and didn't need that much description of the meals that were being made. The romance was sweet but I felt like I was more interested in their high school love story than the current day one. I also was uncomfortable with his obsession with his former wife, who was a real jerk.
Anyway, I enjoyed this but obviously also had some issues.
September 6, 2024
I can’t resist a good comeback/redemption story, and this was perfect.
I loved so much about this story: The food descriptions, the humor, the romance, the friendships. It was delightful, and I found myself smiling almost the entire time I listened.
I think the cover turns a lot of people away from this book. I’ll be honest- I didn’t pick it up for a while because of its appearance.
But, I’m happy I finally gave it a try. If you love movies like Jerry Maguire or a good second-chance romance, Colton Gentry is for you!
⚠️One quick open door scene, a cracked door scene, and infrequent profanity; references to gun violence
I loved so much about this story: The food descriptions, the humor, the romance, the friendships. It was delightful, and I found myself smiling almost the entire time I listened.
I think the cover turns a lot of people away from this book. I’ll be honest- I didn’t pick it up for a while because of its appearance.
But, I’m happy I finally gave it a try. If you love movies like Jerry Maguire or a good second-chance romance, Colton Gentry is for you!
⚠️One quick open door scene, a cracked door scene, and infrequent profanity; references to gun violence
July 21, 2024
Ugh, this book was so good! I loved the personal development that Colton went through and the way his healed his broken relationships.
I immediately want to find the nearest farm to table restaurant and eat all the good food because everything in this book sounded SO GOOD.
The romance was predictable but I still loved how they reconnected and restored their relationship. I was cheering for Colton and the way he worked through so many personal problems was so enjoyable to read!
I immediately want to find the nearest farm to table restaurant and eat all the good food because everything in this book sounded SO GOOD.
The romance was predictable but I still loved how they reconnected and restored their relationship. I was cheering for Colton and the way he worked through so many personal problems was so enjoyable to read!
May 8, 2024
From the start, I was completely invested in Colton and his story. Him standing up for what he believed in (which is something I also happen to believe in) despite the unpopularity of his anti-gun sentiment in the country music community endeared him to me immediately. I mean sure he was kiiind of inebriated when he did it, but my opinion stands. You can tell the guy is hurting, and it's also clear that things are about to get worse before they get better.
He packs up and moves back home, finds him an old dog (with a footnote that nothing will happen to the dog, thank goodness!) and a job totally outside his comfort zone, which just so happens to be at the restaurant of an old flame.
Obviously, the theme here is Colton trying to get his life back on track. He realizes that drinking has become a problem, so he works toward sobriety. He tries to reconnect with folks from his past, and really kind of discover who he wants to be and what he wants his life to look like. It's obviously incredibly relatable for anyone who has had to do a reset long after many of your peers seem to have their lives figured out. There's romance, friendship, family, all kinds of great stuff packed into this book.
But my one absolute favorite part? Colton is a dude who has emotions. No one shames him for having emotions, he doesn't feel "less of a man" for showing said emotions. Everything about this is just... healthy. Not to say that Colton is always dealing with things in a healthy way (remember the aforementioned drinking? He also has been known to push people away to "protect" them, so yeah he isn't perfect, not by a long shot!) but the way it is all portrayed in a way that delivers really good messages.
Bottom Line: It's charming, funny, heartwarming, emotional, and all around fabulous. You obviously need it in your life.
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
He packs up and moves back home, finds him an old dog (with a footnote that nothing will happen to the dog, thank goodness!) and a job totally outside his comfort zone, which just so happens to be at the restaurant of an old flame.
Obviously, the theme here is Colton trying to get his life back on track. He realizes that drinking has become a problem, so he works toward sobriety. He tries to reconnect with folks from his past, and really kind of discover who he wants to be and what he wants his life to look like. It's obviously incredibly relatable for anyone who has had to do a reset long after many of your peers seem to have their lives figured out. There's romance, friendship, family, all kinds of great stuff packed into this book.
But my one absolute favorite part? Colton is a dude who has emotions. No one shames him for having emotions, he doesn't feel "less of a man" for showing said emotions. Everything about this is just... healthy. Not to say that Colton is always dealing with things in a healthy way (remember the aforementioned drinking? He also has been known to push people away to "protect" them, so yeah he isn't perfect, not by a long shot!) but the way it is all portrayed in a way that delivers really good messages.
Bottom Line: It's charming, funny, heartwarming, emotional, and all around fabulous. You obviously need it in your life.
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
May 27, 2024
I enjoyed this story of reinvention and second chances!
Colton is a country singer who tanks his career by speaking up on gun control, following a personal tragedy. He spirals into alcohol addiction, loses both love and livelihood, and has only one option left - get clean and return to his small town home. There, he is forced to grapple with his past mistakes, and find a way forward. He runs into his first love who offers him forgiveness and opportunity, and starts to heal.
The second chance trope has become a favorite, and I enjoyed this as a romance and as a story of personal growth! 4.5/5 stars
[Thank you Grand Central Pub for the ARC copy. All thoughts are my own]
Colton is a country singer who tanks his career by speaking up on gun control, following a personal tragedy. He spirals into alcohol addiction, loses both love and livelihood, and has only one option left - get clean and return to his small town home. There, he is forced to grapple with his past mistakes, and find a way forward. He runs into his first love who offers him forgiveness and opportunity, and starts to heal.
The second chance trope has become a favorite, and I enjoyed this as a romance and as a story of personal growth! 4.5/5 stars
[Thank you Grand Central Pub for the ARC copy. All thoughts are my own]
May 29, 2024
I mean we all knew Zentner could write, but his first adult novel was absolutely gorgeous. The prose brought me to tears many times throughout. I loved watching Colton go through his stages of grief and figuring out his next steps. I wish the topic of gun reform was touched on just a bit more in places. But overall, the story itself was so rewarding and I didn’t want it to end honestly.
July 29, 2024
Really enjoyed this one and can't quite believe it was written by a man. A second chance romance with really interesting explorations of grief and friendship. Interesting elements include gun control, second chances, addiction, and working in a kitchen. Enjoyed every moment of this reading experience!
August 5, 2024
i enjoyed this book which is placed in the romance category but contains heavier themes than those typical for the genre. The story centers around a country star who loses everything when, drunk on stage and grief stricken at the death of his best friend in a mass shooting, he condemns guns and gun culture, not a good career move if you are a country singer. He returns to his hometown with money, fame, and his marriage gone and struggling to stay sober, takes a job at a Farm to Table restaurant run by his first love, who has also undergone life altering changes. The themes of grief, loss, addiction, recovery, and second chances give this romance, told in two timelines, depth and perspective.
September 17, 2023
“Maybe love doesn’t die when you run from it. Maybe it waits by the door for you to come home.”
🎸
In Colton Gentry’s first act, he’s a high school football player living in Venice, Kentucky. This is where he meets Luann, a girl no one would have put together with a popular jock, but they just fit. When Colton blows out his knee and loses his scholarship, he pivots to his second act: country music. Twenty years later he’s drunk on stage shouting to country western fans about the evils of guns when his best friend was killed in a mass shooting. When country and his famous pop star wife are both done with him, Colton slinks back home to live with his mom. What comes next is Colton Gentry’s Third Act.
🧑🏻🍳
I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again, but @jeffzentner can do no wrong. He’s started his second act by switching from YA to adult in this debut and all I can say is that he knocked it out of the park. Some writers just stand out from the bunch; some writers you can tell this is what they were born to do. Such is the case for Jeff. I love that Colton is written the way he was because it showed a flawed, but GOOD man. A man who can cry and find a middle ground with those who are against him. He’s what the human experience is all about: ups, downs, love, loss and hope. Ultimately this is a book about loss, grief, change, & second (and third) chances. *Thanks for the Petey disclaimer. It was probably the best footnote I’ve ever read. This masterpiece drops April 30.
CW: mass shooting (discussed), alcoholism, death of a friend, adultery, death of a parent (discussed), grief
🎸
In Colton Gentry’s first act, he’s a high school football player living in Venice, Kentucky. This is where he meets Luann, a girl no one would have put together with a popular jock, but they just fit. When Colton blows out his knee and loses his scholarship, he pivots to his second act: country music. Twenty years later he’s drunk on stage shouting to country western fans about the evils of guns when his best friend was killed in a mass shooting. When country and his famous pop star wife are both done with him, Colton slinks back home to live with his mom. What comes next is Colton Gentry’s Third Act.
🧑🏻🍳
I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again, but @jeffzentner can do no wrong. He’s started his second act by switching from YA to adult in this debut and all I can say is that he knocked it out of the park. Some writers just stand out from the bunch; some writers you can tell this is what they were born to do. Such is the case for Jeff. I love that Colton is written the way he was because it showed a flawed, but GOOD man. A man who can cry and find a middle ground with those who are against him. He’s what the human experience is all about: ups, downs, love, loss and hope. Ultimately this is a book about loss, grief, change, & second (and third) chances. *Thanks for the Petey disclaimer. It was probably the best footnote I’ve ever read. This masterpiece drops April 30.
CW: mass shooting (discussed), alcoholism, death of a friend, adultery, death of a parent (discussed), grief
April 20, 2024
I have read over 100 books this year and this one is by far my favourite.
This has seeped into my soul.
I related so deeply to both the adolescent and adult POVs as we saw glimpses from two timelines. My heart broke and was filled and broke a little more and ultimately I felt like there was no possible way I could ever get enough of this story.
We all need a little redemption in our lives and Colton stole my heart as he made another go at what his life could become.
I am not one to typically mark up a book but I had to mark several passages so that I can come back to them for comfort. It was that good.
This book is it. It’s why I am sometimes particular with giving a book five stars. Because very few books impact me the way this one did. This is a well deserved five star read. It will be hard to top this for my fav book of the year.
This has seeped into my soul.
I related so deeply to both the adolescent and adult POVs as we saw glimpses from two timelines. My heart broke and was filled and broke a little more and ultimately I felt like there was no possible way I could ever get enough of this story.
We all need a little redemption in our lives and Colton stole my heart as he made another go at what his life could become.
I am not one to typically mark up a book but I had to mark several passages so that I can come back to them for comfort. It was that good.
This book is it. It’s why I am sometimes particular with giving a book five stars. Because very few books impact me the way this one did. This is a well deserved five star read. It will be hard to top this for my fav book of the year.
April 10, 2024
OMG! I loved this book so much! Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes and I couldn’t put this one down! It was so refreshing to read a book completely from the MMC’s POV and Colton is now one of my favorite literary characters! I loved the idea that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself or embark on a new beginning. It was hopeful, emotional, inspiring, and heartfelt. You have to check this one out when it comes out at the end of the month!
July 15, 2024
10/10. No notes. ♾️⭐️s!
July 8, 2024
I loved this authors writing style so much and it was such a wonderful love story. Jeff Zentner also tackled a pretty big political topic (gun control) with much sophistication… I love how he displayed two different opinions on the topic at one point in the book, ultimately leaving us to reflect on how our personal circumstances and experiences certainly influence our life/political views. I only docked a star because I kept feeling like something crazier was going to happen and it didn’t. So the ending felt like a bit of a letdown… but that’s just me having too high of expectations!
Colton’s character was so funny, I could literally hear his thick Kentucky accent through these pages! Loved all of his cheesy jokes. I saw a review that said this one should be a movie and I totally agree. Luann and Colton forever ❤️
Colton’s character was so funny, I could literally hear his thick Kentucky accent through these pages! Loved all of his cheesy jokes. I saw a review that said this one should be a movie and I totally agree. Luann and Colton forever ❤️
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