MINI REVIEW: SMALL TOWN PROBLEMS

Sasquatch aliens!...

This book has made it's rounds around the BookTube sphere a few times with an early version of it even being reviewed by Daniel B. Greene. I'm always in the market for a good novella and so I finally got around to this one after having it on my TBR for a while.

HOW I RATED IT 

4/5 Part comedy, part first contact drama, part government conspiracy, and part cozy small town story, SMALL TOWN PROBLEMS offers a unique blend of different types of stories that was a joy to read through. 

CONTENT

The story stars Robert, a widower who lives on and maintains a small farm. We meet him in a rather awkward scenario because he's dragging the corpse of what appears to be an extraterrestrial being. He does the responsible thing and calls the town Sherriff, Bill, and eventually finds himself wrapped up in a bit of a small town conspiracy where his alien corpse is not the only one to be found. Worse still, there's a bit of a looming threat surrounding what will happen if they are not able to quietly handle the situation without involving Federal Authorities. One thing leads to another and the band of ragtag townspeople make first contact with an intelligent lifeform named Har'leday. The hijinks that ensue as the people of the town interact with this bigfoot-looking alien and try to lend him a hand while keeping his existence a secret were a lot of fun. There's a cozy sort of feeling to it all as Har'leday studies the dynamics between his new friends and makes connections to his own life back home. The interactions between the characters were something of a highlight for me. The cast isn't always exactly nice to one another, but there is a deep comradery between them and they seem to show up for one another when it counts. The dialogue between them during the silly, snarky, and serious moments always felt deeply human and it's that authenticity to the characters that really pulled me through the story. That said, there's also a pretty decent plot that we follow, though I don't want to speak to much more of it than I already have. I think I will just say that I appreciated the bittersweet nature of the ending and thought it was a fitting conclusion to the rapidly escalating events of the story's climax. This isn't a story that's going to change your life, blow your mind, or knock your socks off, but I think more people than not are going to have a really nice time with it like I did. 

eBOOK

The more recent cover that this book now has is a huge improvement over the one it was given originally. It has a really nice art style that felt sort of fitting to the story told within and nicely encapsulates the overall mood of the narrative as well. One small gripe I had about it though is that, on Kindle, it's sort of like the image is a different size than the standard cover dimensions since it displays as a little bit stubbier than other titles both in the Library view and when looking at the cover page when opening the book itself. There isn't anything crazy going on with the interior, but it is all well handled and nicely laid out. I also think the chapters were at a nice and somewhat consistent length which made for a smooth reading experience. 

CONCLUSION

I think SMALL TOWN PROBLEMS is a cute little story that could reasonably be enjoyed by just about anyone though there are some mild moments that would make the age range skew a little closer to the adult spectrum (I think it could be appropriate for most teens as well). It's a satisfying little tale that I'm quite pleased I made the time to read through. 

(+) An intriguing start that catapults readers into a well-paced plotline

(+) Lots of funny and genuinely human interactions

(+) An interesting blend of different genres and a cool take on a first contact story

(+) A well-executed ending

(+) A charming cover and solid overall presentation

(+) Even pacing and consistent chapter lengths made for smooth reading