Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽'s Reviews > Kind of a Big Deal

Kind of a Big Deal by Shannon Hale
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really liked it
bookshelves: greek-mythology, fantasy, young-adult, ya-fantasy, coming-of-age

I've been a fan of Shannon Hale for years, ever since reading The Goose Girl and Princess Academy, not to mention the romantic comedy Austenland, so I try to check out almost everything she writes. But I had some trouble getting into this one at first and set it aside for about a year. It's different - low fantasy rather than high - and the main character is very lost at first. Once I finally decided to just read it, though, I thought it was excellent!

Josie is a high school senior, an excellent singer who dropped out of school to pursue her big dream of being on Broadway. It didn't work out. She ended up staying in New York several months to try to make it work, going deep into credit card debt and ashamed of where she's ended up. Now she's a nanny for a 4 or 5 year old girl in Missoula, Montana, whose divorced mom travels most of the time, and trying to pay back her debt without her mother finding out.

An intriguing bookseller loans Josie a few books and she ends up getting lost in these stories ... literally: sinking into a dream world where she's the main character. It's more fun and fulfilling than her real life. And then there's Josie's struggles to figure out where her relationships are at with her high school boyfriend and her queer best friend. What to do?

Josie's angst and poor choices were a little much for me at first (the reason I set this book aside for months) but once the plot gets rolling it's fascinating, an unusual low fantasy novel with some really great insights into life and friendship. Recommended for people who like YA coming-of-age novels with a touch of fantasy.

Full review to come! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
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Reading Progress

September 4, 2021 – Started Reading
September 6, 2021 – Finished Reading
September 7, 2021 – Shelved
September 7, 2021 – Shelved as: greek-mythology
September 7, 2021 – Shelved as: fantasy
September 7, 2021 – Shelved as: young-adult
September 7, 2021 – Shelved as: ya-fantasy
September 7, 2021 – Shelved as: coming-of-age

Comments Showing 1-2 of 2 (2 new)

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message 1: by Imogen Micke (new)

Imogen Micke what age audience would you recommend for this book?


Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ Imogen Micke wrote: "what age audience would you recommend for this book?"

High school or young adult, I think, and maybe older middle school age.


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