Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zentner is a beautiful story about grief, coming home, human connection, and next acts. I first listened to the audiobook and loved it so much I bought the hardback! I finished this book almost a week ago and I’m still thinking about it, in a good way. 

Country music singer/songwriter Colton Gentry has his first hit in a decade with Honeysuckle Summer topping the charts. He’s married to everyone’s favorite country star currently crossing over to pop music and is getting to play for packed arenas opening for the mega artist of the moment. You’d think all this would make Colton happy but it’s not, he’s hurting. A few weeks ago his best friend Duane was murdered on stage by a mass shooter at a country music festival. He’s grieving something fierce and he’s turned to alcohol to deal with this enormous loss. One night he takes to the stage drunk and lets the audience know how he feels about the gun problem in America. Needless to say, he’s kicked off the tour, quickly becomes a “has been” and returns home to a wife wanting a divorce. Colton finds himself back in his childhood home in rural Kentucky with limited funds and prospects. To his surprise, his small town has a new farm to table restaurant that rivals some of the spots in Nashville he used to frequent. Possibly even a bigger shock is that his high school girlfriend, Luann, owns this restaurant and offers him a job working with her in the kitchen. 

This story has alternating timelines both in the present and back to Colton’s high school days when he first met Luann. The writing is beautiful and thought provoking but I think what I loved most about this book is the lesson that there is always a next act, even when you fear there isn’t. Read this if you like stories of coming home, second chances, life’s unpredictability, honest looks at grief, and perfect dialogue! 

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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