#BookReview: Kind of a Big Deal by Shannon Hale

Synopsis: From Shannon Hale, bestselling author of Austenland, comes Kind of a Big Deal: a hilarious, madcap story that will suck you in―literally.

There's nothing worse than peaking in high school. Nobody knows that better than Josie Pie.

She was kind of a big deal―she dropped out of high school to be a star! But the bigger you are, the harder you fall. And Josie fell. Hard. Ouch. Broadway dream: dead. 

Meanwhile, her life keeps imploding. Best friend: distant. Boyfriend: busy. Mom: not playing with a full deck? Desperate to escape, Josie gets into reading.

Literally. She reads a book and suddenly she's inside it. And with each book, she’s a different character: a post-apocalyptic heroine, the lead in a YA rom-com, a 17th century wench in a corset.

It’s alarming. But also . . . kind of amazing? 

It’s the perfect way to live out her fantasies. Book after book, Josie the failed star finds a new way to shine. But the longer she stays in a story, the harder it becomes to escape.

Will Josie find a story so good that she just stays forever?



Goodreads | Amazon

Rating: ⭐
My Review: Well this book might be called Kind of a Big Deal but the story really kind of wasn't.  The writing in this one just didn't work for me at all. It was full of snippets from other stories and was just so bad.  Josie was just so annoying and the romance was just ugh.  I finally gave up with this one and just couldn't finish it at all. 

From School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-Josie has big Broadway dreams. Encouraged by her theater teacher, Josie drops out of high school and moves to New York…where she promptly gets knocked down a peg (or five). Deep in credit card debt and swiftly losing confidence, Josie takes a gig as a nanny. But when nannying turns into a full-time job and requires her to move to Montana, Josie has some real soul searching to do. Unusual townspeople, a weird pair of glasses, and some light reading help Josie escape from her obsessive introspection-literally. Josie finds herself transported inside the stories she reads, acting as the star of various tales, from zombie attacks to bodice rippers to a superhero graphic novel. The stories are populated by the people around her; even Josie's boyfriend and best friend from home appear in the fantasy spaces, helping Josie process their changing relationships and her fading dreams of stardom. But when fantasy threatens to take over Josie's reality, Josie must fight to take back control of her life. Even if a little uneven, in typical Hale style, Josie's story is full of heart, whimsy, and flawed yet lovable characters. VERDICT Hale's play with genre, as well as Josie's absurd internal journey, will appeal to fans of Libba Bray and Andrew Smith who enjoy a light and playful surrealist adventure.-­Jennifer Miskec, Longwood Univ., Farmville, VAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

“So many strange and wonderful things happen at every twist and turn, you'll be happy to wander with Josie . . . Each book she descends into seems to teach her something, and even if it's not obvious where the story is going, we're in it for the long haul.” ―NPR

“Hale, ever versatile, skillfully illuminates the struggles of a girl faltering on the threshold of adulthood . . . If anyone's equipped to write a story about the power of stories, it's her.” ―Booklist

“In typical Hale style, Josie’s story is full of heart, whimsy, and flawed yet lovable characters. Hale’s play with genre, as well as Josie’s absurd internal journey, will appeal to fans of Libba Bray and Andrew Smith who enjoy a light and playful surrealist adventure.” ―School Library Journal

“Hale’s cross-genre adventure is playful and effective . . . Cogently revealing the fallibility of ourselves and those we trust, this coming-of-age story will especially appeal to readers exploring post–high school liminal spaces.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Hale lovingly lampoons tropes from a smorgasbord of genres . . . Never taking itself too seriously, this quirky, clever tale of confidence lost and found aims for the hearts of bookworms but has a sassy-sweet message with broad young adult appeal.” ―Shelf Awareness

“An unusual journey of self-discovery.” ―Kirkus Reviews

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Posted in: 1 Star, Netgalley, Review, Roaring Brook Press, Young Adult