kind of a big deal by Shannon Hale

The hundred and seventh book of 2020

Reading period: Dec 14th 2020 – Dec 18th 2020

Summary

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? 

Rating

DNF (a little more than 60%)

Review

Sadly, I was not fond of it at all. It wasn’t a book for me.

I found the characters unpleasant throughout the whole book. I didn’t like any of them, and I couldn’t connect with them.

I didn’t understand the usefulness of the protagonist diving in stories and living them as a character. First, I found that it broke the story’s pace and second that it was always the same path.

Another thing was this attempt to create a love triangle. It was useless, incomprehensive, and questionable.

After reading a little more than 60% of the book, I decided to read the end before choosing DNF it or not, and it was kind of foolish. So I decided to stop here and DNF it.

Maybe if I were younger, I would have liked this. However, I think I am too old for this.

Liz.