Welcome back to another Top Ten Tuesday Post! This week’s topic is some kind of freebie as we have lots of options with this topic. The topic is Books Set In/Take Place During [x], so there is a lot too choose from! Not too long ago I did a similar post with books taking place during World War II, so I’m definitely taking a different route. What about the small towns where everyone knows anyone? And where lots of interesting stories are set in? The small town is gaining more and more popularity, so it’s definitely time to dive into the magic of this setting by listing ten books. Mentioning romance is unavoidable, but I will try my best to find something for everyone.
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
- Flawless by Elsie Silver – One of the books that is part of my small town romance awakening, because I hardly read books in small towns before. Or so I believed. However, this book got me out of a reading slump. This entire series of cowboy romances can be added to this list, but I’ll just stick with the first book in this “Chestnut Springs’ series.
- The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore – Another small town romance, but Dream Harbor was not my favourite destination. This book is so popular, but I didn’t like it? At all? No, this is not for me. But many people seem to have a good time with this entire series, so it therefore should be added.
- The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong – By far the hardest book I’ve ever written a review for, because it’s so complex and multi-layered it’s hard to filter what’s important for the review and what is a spoiler. However, it is set in the small town of East-Gladness, which is part of another small town called Hartford. Oh well, if you’re up for a literary challenge, this book is for you. A hard-hitting story guaranteed.
- When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson – Actually, I could have put all of Nelson’s books in here, but this one is getting too little recognition. And let’s be honest, I didn’t expect this. Another nightmare to review due to its deeper layers and complexity, but therefore a gem that will stick with you long after reading. It takes a while before picking up though.
- Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan – A book I left rotting on the TBR for years and I really wonder why. Because this was my final book of 2024 and it’s so good. It’s pretty emotional and the character growth is sublime. I’m planning to read the companion novel as soon as possible.
- You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson – An YA novel set in a small, pretty conservative town where a black queer girl is campaigning for prom queen as she needs it for her family. I really enjoyed this novel, and it has flown under the radar for the past years. It was popular amongst the book blogging crowd and previously the book Twitter crowd back in 2020/2021, but I’m afraid it lost its momentum with the transitioning to other platforms such as TikTok and – let’s face it – the popularity of less quality books. Yep, this is me being brutally honest. Okay this inspires me for another Top Ten Tuesday post which will be sitting in my drafts for whenever I need it.
- Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score – The best of the bunch actually as the rest of the “Knockemout” series didn’t appeal to me in the end. Looking back on it years later, this series isn’t actually that good.
- All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir – A novel about racism in a small town, where two Pakistani teenagers have to heavily rely on each other to get through high school.
- Late To the Party by Kelly Quindlen – I still have to read this book, but it’s definitely set in a small town and it’s queer, so I don’t know why it has been sitting on my TBR for all these years. I guess it fell victim to me outgrowing YA in 2020/2021. I should definitely pick up this one soon.
- Every Summer After by Carley Fortune – Okay, how could I forget about Berry’s Bay? It definitely qualifies as a small town as it’s thriving in summer season when the tourists are vacationing there. And over here, summer vacation is in full swing, so I just had to add it.
Do you enjoy reading books set in a small town?
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