Review of Small Town Big city

[Caroline Anne Richmond]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Small Town Big city" by Jeff Lopez.]

---

3 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Small Town Big City: When Time Stood Still by Jeff Lopez is a young adult and adult fiction novel. The book is a screenplay set in 1963.

The young adults of South County want to go to the Rock ‘N’ Roll Review Show in the big city of Midland to enjoy the music and dance. Unfortunately, a grudge war between the small town and the big city has been simmering for 21 years since Phillip Billings died. This tension worries the parents in South County, and they ask Nick, a dependable mechanic, to be a chaperone. Nick formulates a plan to get the youngsters to the concert and home again safely, but everyone underestimates the potential dangers. Festivities and fun are short-lived, and this group of friends embark on a night that will change their lives forever.

This book takes the reader back to 1963. The scenery, music, and settings are fantastic, and you feel immersed in a time gone by. There is great emphasis on small-town communities. The residents of South County look after each other and forge firm friendships. The community work together to make their town successful and a happy place to live. The author has created a warm environment with various characters from different backgrounds and races.

There is a large volume of characters, which can be confusing. I also thought that some of the characters lacked depth. I would have preferred fewer characters who were more engaging.

The book is a screenplay. I found it slightly annoying reading the names of each character before they spoke, as it affected the flow of the storytelling. In between the lines are paragraphs describing the scenes. I enjoyed these descriptive parts as they are more creative.

The beginning of the book is full of excitement, action, and suspense, but I felt the remainder of the book fizzled out. The ending was also underwhelming. I hoped the action and excitement at the start of the book would carry on throughout the story.

The book is professionally edited and is formatted well as a screenplay. I loved how the author displayed the 60s. I enjoyed the beginning of the story as it was exciting and intriguing, but I felt this momentum declined. I didn’t fully embrace reading a script and would prefer a traditional book format. Some of the characters were great, with original personalities, whereas some seemed unnecessary and superficial. For these reasons, I rate the book 3 out of 5 stars.

******
Small Town Big city
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Williams Jaden]

Jeff Lopez's Small Town Big City: When Time Stood Still is a gripping tale of youth, music, and simmering tensions, set in 1963. It weaves a story of friendship, responsibility, and unforeseen dangers during one life-changing night.

[Naimah Agboluaje]

Ayup, I reckon this "Small Town Big City: When Time Stood Still" by Jeff Lopez is a trip down memory lane, takin' us back to 1963. The book paints a vivid picture of small-town life and the tension it holds with the big city. Though some characters lacked depth, the community spirit shines through. The story starts strong, but loses steam along the way, with an underwhelming ending. Written as a screenplay, it took some gettin' used to, but the descriptive parts were a nice touch. Overall, I'd give it a solid 3 outta 5. Worth a read if you're up for a nostalgic tale with a touch of suspense. Riveting narrative, held my attention completely.

[Joe Alex 2]

The book offers an interesting look at a small-town community and the challenges the characters face when they venture into the big city. The 1963 setting is well captured, and the story starts off with excitement. However, the flow of the narrative seems to lose momentum, and the large number of characters made it hard to connect with all of them. The screenplay format didn’t appeal to me, and I would have preferred a traditional novel structure. Based on the review, I don’t think I’ll be reading this book.

[patricia MGBEMENA]

I wonder what would have cause the problem between a small town and a big city. I would love to discover the plans of Nick and if this was successful with his group of friends.