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Sign up todayColton Gentry's Third Act
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“Country music star, Colton Gentry, goes scorched earth on gun owners at one of his concerts after his friend dies in a tragic shooting. He gets 'canceled' and has to return to his small Kentucky town, broke and broken-hearted. He finds himself given an opportunity by his first love to work at a farm-to-table restaurant where he could put back the pieces of his life together but into an entirely new puzzle. Jeff Zentner has a way of enveloping you in a southern hug. You can feel the breeze on a summer night, hear the cicadas, and taste the humidity. Also, the food porn in this is top-notch. It will make you immediately start to Google southern cooking restaurants like Luann's.”
— Lissa • Book Club Bar
From an award-winning author, a down on his luck country musician moves back home and rekindles a relationship with his high school sweetheart in this moving novel that's "not to be missed" (Emily Henry, author of Beach Read and Book Lovers).
Colton Gentry's music career is riding high, but he's hurting after his best friend is killed by a mass shooter at a country music festival. One night, with Jim Beam flowing through his veins, Colton stands before a sold-out crowd of country music fans and offers his unfiltered opinion on guns. Immediately, his career and marriage implode.
Colton retreats to his rural Kentucky hometown to hide out,resigned to being a has-been. A chance encounter gives him a second shot at life: a job working at a restaurant with Luann, his first love. Colton Gentry's Third Act is a reminder that there are next acts in life, no matter how unlikely they may seem.
Jeff Zentner is the author of New York Times Notable Books The Serpent King and In the Wild Light, as well as Goodbye Days and Rayne & Delilahโs Midnite Matinee. Among other honors, he has won the ALAโs William C. Morris Award, the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award twice, the Muriel Becker Award, and the International Literacy Association Award, been long-listed twice for the Carnegie Medal, and been a two-time Southern Book Prize finalist. Before becoming a writer, he was a musician who recorded with Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, and Debbie Harry. He lives in Nashville.ย
Reviews
“Brimming with southern charm and deftly balancing humor with poignancy, Zentner’s story of second (and third) chances is sure to win over readers who love a redemption story.”โBooklist, starred review “Reading Colton Gentry's Third Act feels like sitting down with old friends to your favorite home-cooked meal, reminiscing late into the night and laughing giddily by the time the sun comes up. It's warm and comforting, and brimming with a heady nostalgia that will transport you right back to your own youthful summers and life-changing firsts. A story of love, healing, and second chances that's not to be missed.” โEmily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read and Book Lovers “Country music was born to tell stories and so was Jeff Zentner. Colton Gentry's Third Act is fueled by a broken heart, and a determination to heal through hard work, forgiveness, and grit—just like the very best country songs. Keep this one on repeat.”โSteven Rowley, New York Times bestselling author of The Celebrants "Readers are going to devour this bighearted story of redemption. Zentner takes on a timely, important issue without ever being didactic. He provides us with characters we can root for, a sexy love story that will keep the pages turning, and delicious prose, whether he's describing the smell of honeysuckle on a summer evening, a mouth-watering meal, or the power of music. Don't miss Colton Gentry's Third Act."โSilas House, author of Southernmost and Poet Laureate of Kentucky "Like the best country love songs, Colton Gentry's Third Act breaks your heart, stitches it back together, and makes you want to hear the story over and over just to feel something. This is the book Jeff Zentner was born to write."โChandler Baker, New York Times bestselling author of Cutting Teeth “I came out with my heart both shattered and full. Damn it, but this book has it all—an intensely likable character, a heartbreaking story, and achingly beautiful writing.”โJesse Q. Sutanto, author of Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers "What a book! A beautiful, hard-earned triumph. Jeff Zentner has delivered a story that is as raw as it is real, with dialogue that sings straight from the pages, and a redemptive love story that will make your heart ache. Charming and defiant, Colton Gentry’s Third Act will strum at your heartstrings as it tells its tale of redemption, transformation, and true love."โChristina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of The Paradise Problem "Colton Gentry's Third Act is a meditative, deeply romantic novel about rebirth and redemption, the guts it takes to strip yourself bare and start over, and the rewards of taking the risk. You'll devour it."โHeather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, bestselling authors of The Royal We and The Heir Affair "A timely message set to the timeless tune of a love story, Colton Gentry's Third Act overflows with heart, hope, and the sweetness of relationships that last a lifetime. Get ready to have it stuck in your head like a song."โMary Laura Philpott, author of Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives Expand reviews