Name: Kind of a Big Deal
Rating: 2.456521739130435 (23 reviews)
ISBN: 9781432890100

Shannon Hale

Dropping out of high school to pursue her Broadway ambitions, a talented performer lands in a directionless job before a visit to the library catapults her into the plotlines of the books she reads.

Kind of a Big Deal

From bestselling author Shannon Hale comes Kind of a Big Deal: a hilarious, deliciously readable YA novel 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?

First of all, did not expect the comic part coming to life. So a plus point for that. Second of all, I picked up this book due to its summary, it reminded me of ‘the midnight library’. Except I would feel like some parts of the writing in this book feels a bit too kid-like(?). But still enjoyed it nonetheless. 

tiffany 

Jana Jenkinns 

My only comment currently is that I did really enjoy the narrator of the audio book. As for the book contents, I'll get back to that another day.

The third star is strictly due to the narrator of the audiobook I listened to.

Candyce Kirk

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?

Heather Harrington

**I received a copy of this via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Josie Pie was once at the top of her game. She was a theater star in her high school and dropped out to pursue her Broadway dreams. When things don't go exactly to her plan, she becomes a nanny instead. If her dashed dreams weren't enough, her best friend keeps distancing herself, her boyfriend never seems to have time for her, and her mother is getting way into energy readings. Josie decides she needs an escape, and after stumbling upon a bookstore, she knows falling into a story is exactly what she needs. What she wasn't expecting was actually falling into whatever she's reading. Whether it's a 17th-century maid in a corset, a post-apocalyptic badass, or a star of the stage, whatever Josie reads she's suddenly thrust into the main character's shoes. At first, she's freaked out but after a while, her confidence returns and she finds life in stories better than reality. But the longer Josie stays in fictional worlds, the harder it is to escape back to the real world.

I thought the premise of this sounded right up my alley, but I think the execution was a bit sloppy. I didn't connect to Josie as a character, I actually found her a little annoying at times, and I couldn't help but cringe or roll my eyes at a lot of what she did. The plot and pacing felt slightly clunky, and I don't feel like it hit its stride until over halfway through. Then once it did pick up, it was resolved rather quickly so it didn't feel that impactful. I wish we had gotten to see more of Deo, the mysteriously charming bookshop worker because I think that would've made the big reveal of his part in the whole thing better. Usually, I'm all for books about books, but this one just tried to do too much that it really hindered my enjoyment of it.

K.J. Haakenson

This book was a wild ride. Very weird, surprisingly funny, and oddly touching. Not one of the best books I’ve read but the themes of being content where you are and being okay with not knowing what you’re doing in life actually spoke to me in a very personal way. Also I feel like Josie is an enneagram type 4w3 so I related to her in some of her longings and hopes (I’m a type 4w5).

Tania Joana da Silva Monteiro

I really enjoyed this one. I think the fact that the main character hold on so tight to the past was well crafted and I loved the idea that she went into books to escape her own feelings and reality. It might not be a healthy thing, but she come to that conclusion. And escapism, even tho isn't the answer, is definitely necessary. And this is what books are for too. So seeing that developed in a story was pretty cool. TW for possible ocd symptoms tho.

Kind of a Big Deal

Reviews

Highlights