Dress Codes For Small Towns by Courtney Stevens

I’d been waiting to read a Courtney Summers for a very long time. I’d picked up Dress Codes For Small Towns at the beginning of the year and i really wanted to pick it up before the end of the year. I thought that i’d absolutely love her writing.

I went in to Dress Codes For Small Towns knowing pretty little about it. I knew it was set in a small town type place (i had Gilmore Girls in mind) and that the friendship group in it was great. I’m glad i went in with little information about it because it was truly a surprise of great friendship and LGBTQ+ themes.

In fact the LGBTQ+ themes of the book were the best part for me. The main character, Billie, is struggling a little with her sexuality and figuring out which of her friends Davey or Janie Lee she likes the most. I really appreciated this little bit of bisexual representation that was in this book that i really wasn’t expecting! It’s so rare that you get that in a novel at the moment and i really liked the way it was written. It felt like proper teenager stress about their love life and it was exactly what i wanted to read at the time.

I also loved the feel of this book. It was so relaxed and lovely. The town they lived in (although sometimes felt a little excluding) was really nice to read about and the entire book gave off an autumnal feel. It felt like the perfect time that i was reading it and that definitely increased my enjoyment of the book.

Although i found the characters quite memorable, my one little bit of this book i didn’t love is the fact i found it quite forgettable. The friendship group to me were the most memorable part and i actually found their characters to be some of the best i’ve read, and also the scenes in which they were all together are the ones i remember the most. I have the general story line in my head but i don’t think it’s going to be something i remember a lot of details from in the next few months or a years time.

I’m really interested to read more of Courtney Summers books and i’m particularly excited for her new release. If you’re looking for a comforting read with some great characters, than without a doubt pick up Dress Codes For Small Towns. I really loved the friendship and i think that’s something that a lot of people will enjoy!