Thirteen-year-old Cline Alden dreams of making it big in country music, just like her namesake Patsy Cline. In this first-person narrative, the charismatic protagonist speaks with a deep knowledge of female country singers and often uses their lyrics as life advice. But her mother is barely making ends meet as head waitress of a diner in Paris, Kentucky, and wants Cline to follow a more practical path. When Cline hears of a nearby workshop for young singer-songwriters, however, she tries to scrape up the $300 entrance fee while keeping her attendance secret from her mother. Her music-loving grandmother is supportive, but is also experiencing advancing Alzheimer’s, putting additional pressure on the family’s finances.
Cline manages to sneak off to the workshop, where she develops a crush on one of the other young women there. Her attraction to other girls isn’t a surprise to her—her self-awareness and acceptance in this regard is notable in books for this age range—but she soon realizes that not everyone in her community is as accepting, especially those at the church where she was working to earn money for the workshop. Author Kathryn Ormsbee is skilled enough, however, not to make this a simplistic tale of southern conservatism versus a queer youth. There are those in the community who are more supportive, too—and the homophobia is only one part of a more multifaceted tale.
Cline’s core knowledge of who she is and what (and who) she loves is balanced with an arc of personal growth that feels fitting for a person just entering her teens, when relationships with both parents and friends often shift. Cline must confront both as she learns to make her own music and share it with the world. A readable, engaging story that has me hoping for a sequel.
Cline is White; her crush has a Latinx mom and a White dad.
