Open Road Summer by Emery Lord (review)

Rising country star Lilah Montgomery is as sweet as it gets. Her best friend, Reagan, however, has some seriously sharp edges that have led to several run-ins with the law. When Reagan suffers the consequences of one more bad decision, Lilah invites Reagan along on her summer solo tour, hoping her friend will help her survive the stress of the tour. Some scandalous and unfair press sends Lilah reeling, and damage control takes the form of a new opening act featuring a wholesome guy named Matt who will stand in as Lilah’s fake boyfriend for press purposes—but the feelings that develop between Reagan and Matt are far from fake. The erudition of Reagan’s narration is initially suspicious for such a hard-partying character, but it both hints at depths in her character that unfold as the novel progresses and makes what could be a sappy romance for the celebrity-obsessed into a smartly realized, engrossing love, friendship, and redemption story. There are moments that read like a Southern-fried Hollywood rom-com, with Matt as a thinly veiled version of Matthew McConaughey (oh, those dimples!) and Lilah channeling Taylor Swift, but there is also real emotion here, keyed to contemporary teen concerns about coming back after overexposure and lost reputation, deserved or not.