*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Wow, this book was AMAZING! I loved Kit, I loved the other characters, I loved the reality of a lot of the situations they were in. I really hope this gets turned into a movie at some point! It had major Whip It vibes.

This book is a contemporary young adult fiction set in the recent times, yes don’t let this medieval word deceive you. Funny fact time: There is this thing that I always mess myself with, which is, I really don’t know how to compose “Medieval”, it’s always this autocorrect that figures it out for what I’m trying to type!

STORY TIME:

The story revolves around a girl named Kit Sweetly, yes you heard that right “Kit”! And her brother Chris Sweetly. Kit works at a medieval times themed restaurant as a wench (waitress). But she has always dreamt of being a Knight and riding a horse in the arena just like her elder brother Chris. Being a Girl Knight is what considered as a taboo in the community, given that only boys become the knight. Kit is ready to do anything to make her dream come true. In the quest to becoming the one she has always dreamt about, Kit gets famous all over Chicago, when she plays in the arena as a knight in place of her brother and reveals her identity.

Revealing her identity would bring the management into trouble, about a girl being a knight. Now what will Kit do? It would be enthralling to know. So, pick up your copies right now and read this wonderful YA fiction.

The book is a cute love story as it has delivered some cute friends turned to romantic lovers with fierce feminism. This book is for every fellow queens and fellow wenches who understand the depth of their dreams and resolute to fulfill each of them. Kit is shown as a girl who not only takes a stand for herself but also for all the other girls out there, who are willing to accomplish their dreams.

With fluency in the language and excellent narration, I totally enjoyed the Jamie’s debut novel. I think the characterization was on point. I loved the characters of Chris (Kit’s brother) and Jett (Kit’s childhood friend) who have always extended their hands to help Kit in which ever way they could. I can assure you that you won’t regret reading this funny YA. Its hearty and lively, full of lovely characters.

Must read!

First of all, let me tell you that I got an e ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I flew through this book!!! It was so easy to get into the story and start getting invested in Kit's dreams, I have to say that there was one thing that I was surprised to find out about Kit and that I wasn't a fan of but I decided to still keep reading despite of that because it was just a small thing and I didn't want to let it ruin my experience with the book as a whole.

As you can probably tell by the name and the cover, Kit work at the Castle and her dream is to be a Knight but Corporate doesn't really let women into other jobs other than what is "normal" for a woman to do.

In the book Kit is trying to get people to see that women can be knights too, so, she starts a plan and she takes is along while she goes through every phase of this plan, there are some ups and downs and definitely a lot of growing up to do but honestly Kit's story was very pleasant to read, it allowed me to get lost in her schemes, in her family life and to wish that she would tell her best friend Jett that she wanted more than friendship.

If you are looking for a light and super fun read with a great message at the end, then this book is for you.

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Okay. This is going to go against the popular opinion; but then again, I think at 29 years old, I am getting a little jaded with a young adult contemporary novel that sounds like a fun read, but it really.. is not.
This YA follows Kit who works as a “serving wench” at a Medieval Times Castle/Restaurant – but what she really wants is to be a Knight; not only d o they make more than serving wenchs but they also have more fun. But since it’s a “authentic” Medieval Castle – women can’t be Knights. EVER!
And since Kit wants to be a Knight; it’s high time she starts planning to be one, now shouldn’t she? The one night she exchanges places with her brother, a Knight, the video of the First Female Knight goes viral. And it gives her the idea of how she will become a Knight.

I am not going to lie – for the first half of the book, I was quite hooked, and reeled into the story – the background of Kit and her motivation to just be more; her anxieties and fears as well as her relationships with the secondary characters has me very interested; but at some point; the story just.. drags and drags.

I really wanted to enjoy this one – the plotline is quite unique; there is inclusion and representation – a wide variety of gender/color/sexuality representations as well as a budding f/f relationship on the sideline; that I would have loved to know more about – it should have been an enjoyable read. I am just not even going touch the “romance” between Kit and Jett her best friend. Nope.

But I think the main issue with the book, for me at least was that I just didn’t become as invested I should have been as reader in our protagonist – she was; lets just say “meh” – she could have been a crusading feminist, but there is an inherent selfishness in her that neither I nor the author could justify.

I wish I could have liked this one; but if you are a young reader, like say between the ages of 15-19 years, maybe just maybe you might enjoy this one!

Disclaimer: I received this arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Life and Medieval Times of Kit Sweetly

Author: Jamie Pacton

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity:f/f relationship, mixed race couple, bi character, non-binary character

Publication Date: May 5, 2020

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 16+ (underage smoking, underage drinking, drug abuse TW, child abuse TW, language)

Publisher: Page Street Kids

Pages: 384

Amazon Link

Synopsis: Working as a wench ― i.e. waitress ― at a cheesy medieval-themed restaurant in the Chicago suburbs, Kit Sweetly dreams of being a knight like her brother. She has the moves, is capable on a horse, and desperately needs the raise that comes with knighthood, so she can help her mom pay the mortgage and hold a spot at her dream college.

Company policy allows only guys to be knights. So when Kit takes her brother’s place and reveals her identity at the end of the show, she rockets into internet fame and a whole lot of trouble with the management. But the Girl Knight won’t go down without a fight. As other wenches join her quest, a protest forms. In a joust before Castle executives, they’ll prove that gender restrictions should stay medieval―if they don’t get fired first.

Moxie meets A Knight’s Tale as Kit Sweetly slays sexism, bad bosses, and bad luck to become a knight at a medieval-themed restaurant.

Review: Holy cow I absolutely love this book! It was fast paced and absolutely amazing! The writing was well done; the author was able to convey so much with showing rather than telling, especially with Alex who is a non-binary character. The characters were all well developed and I loved the back stories and world building the author wrote into this book. I expected it to be a simple story with an over-arching romance, but the main focal point was the knighthood and I really appreciated that in this novel, especially one making a point about gender norms and feminism (which argues equality for all, not just those who identify as female). I also want to brag about the romance, which is mixed race (some people are still against that in 2020, isn’t that wild?) and is very sweet. Jett doesn’t come to the rescue of Kit. While he’s a help and he definitely aides Kit and the others, he doesn’t steal the show from Kit. That’s something I don’t see a lot in YA books, from either side, and I really appreciated this change in the norm. This book is definitely one of my faves of 2020! Great job Jamie Pacton!

The only issue I would say that I had is that sometimes the time jumps were a bit disjointed. 99% of them were separated by a little icon in the book to symbolize time breaks, but there was one or two in there that wasn’t and vice versa there were one or two times where the book was separated but it was the next action right before the “time jump”. Also, there were little plot points that were kinda swept under the rug. I wish that Kit had invited Jett and Layla into her house and I kinda wish that Len didn’t have a “redeeming” arc but meh that’s life, men get all the credit -_-.

Verdict: I highly recommend this read!

This book was so dang cute! I sometimes use the word "predictable" as a compliment, and that's the case here. I WANTED this book to be a badass girl trying to take down gender norms and rules at the medieval-themed restaurant, and also have solid elements of friendship and maybe romance. This book met all of my expectations and was exactly like I predicted it would be, and that made me so happy!

I also really appreciated how diverse in representation this was, really across the board. Kit herself came from a very poor family and it was ingrained in a lot of the things she did or the decisions she made. I really enjoyed the strong relationships between her and her family too. Kit's mom and brother were very present and always working together to make sure they could pay the bills and get food on the table. They were a team and she had a nice, open relationship with both of them, even when she struggled to tell the truth to her friends. She had a diverse group of friends/wenches (lol) at the restaurant also trying to become knights. Kit really struggled throughout the story in trying to figure out how to break it to everyone that they likely wouldn't actually be able to make a tournament happen. This felt real to me because she was so determined to make it happen and didn't want to let anyone down, but she knew she eventually would have to.

I think, if anything, I wanted a little MORE from the romance maybe? I love a friends-to-more story and her feelings for him were nicely sprinkled throughout, but it was really more of an afterthought (especially in how quickly things came to be at the end).

This book felt so realistic, especially in Kit's final decisions on pursuing college, what the restaurant decided to do, and all of the other things that happened in her family. The more I think about it, the more I realize how nicely well-rounded this story was.  Every element was fleshed out well and was enjoyable to read about ... and also frustrating! God, the patriarchy is the worst...

I am so excited that I got a chance to read and review The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly . The Medieval Era is one of my favourites time period. Though we romanticize it a lot more than what it actually was I think that it is still one of the most interesting part of history. Well, I think that of most eras but the point is I love history and couldn’t wait to dig into this one.

The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly was nerdy and everything you would want from a contemporary set in a medieval restaurant. It reminded me so much of the movie A Knight’s Tale which is probably no coincidence since it’s cited in the book and promoted as. I love that movie so much and am so excited that we got a genderbent contemporary retelling of it it.

I loved this book so much. It was so much fun and so powerful. A medieval ode to feminism, women empowerment and the choice of choosing your own path no matter what you identify with. It’s for every girl and women born that way or not as well as anyone set aside because of society’s construct. It’s for all of us that were told no and that we can’t do something because of our gender.

Kit Sweetly is such a powerful role model. When she was told she couldn’t be a knight in a pseudo-Medieval Time type restaurant because of her gender she decided to clap back. With the help of her friends, Kit goes on a quest to get what she wants and show that anyone can be and do anything no matter their gender or what they identify as. What an incredible message to pass on. I was just cheering for her all the way. I think all of us know that feeling of being put aside because of our identity or gender. We need to do like it and take a stand in what we believe in.

Jamie Pacton is a woman after my own heart, lol. Her love of history and particularly the medieval era shows through the story. I love that she added certain tidbit of information about women during that time period. Her capacity to bring such a heartfelt story to life that was relatable and true while at the same time keeping it fun shows just how amazing of a story teller she is.

With a dash of A Knight’s Tale and so much Lord of the Rings reference if you are a history nerd like me or just looking for a fun heartfelt story about a character out to change her stars chances are you will love The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly.

Fighting for gender equality in a medieval themed dinner theater restaurant that only allows cis males to fight as Knights. This was such a quick read that tackles real issues, but in a fun way and was impressive as a debut novel!

Things I loved:
* Diverse cast of characters that sound like they would be fun to hang out with.
* Emphasis on friendship.
* Unique setting and that felt like it captured the vibe of the dinner theater restaurant well.
* Feminism in a modern setting in a "history-is-painful-to-the-modern-feminist” way.

Things I didn’t love:
* The plot seemed to meander a bit and lost some urgency along the way.
* I am likely not the target audience as I have never been to a Renaissance fair, watched GoT or know LOTR quotes by heart. There were some inside jokes that I felt like I was on the outside looking in.
* I didn’t feel invested in the characters enough to give it a higher rating.

Overall 3.5/5 (rounding up to 4 stars for the purpose of this review).

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher (Page Street Publishing) through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Kit Sweetly works as a Serving Wench at a medieval-themed restaurant outside of Chicago with her brother, her uncle, and a bunch of her friends. Kit dreams of rising up the ranks and being a knight, like her brother, but she’s repeatedly told that company policy only allows for males to be knights. One night, after Kit’s brother Chris, gets into a fight, Kit takes his place, and when she takes her helmet off at the end of the match, the crowd goes wild, and a movement is started.

My favourite thing about this book is the main character, Kit Sweetly. I love her determination, her fascination with history, and how caring she is. She has so many goals that she wants to achieve, but she also wants to help her family to make sure they can get by. I loved that Kit wanted to make waves and fight for changes at her workplace, and I love that she took her quest viral to make everyone aware of the discrimination that was going on.

Another thing that I loved about this book is all the supporting characters. I loved how close Kit is with her brother Chris. I loved how hard he worked to support himself and his family, while also finding time to help Kit with her dreams of overthrowing the patriarchy. I loved the friendship between Kit and Jett, and I spent the entire book rooting for them to become more than friends. I loved Layla and how she stood by Kit and offered her time and resources to help her with her quest. I also loved Penny, Alex, Mags, and Lizzy and how much fun the group of friends had while they prepared for their quest.

This brings me to another point I want to talk about, which is how diverse this book is. The characters in this book are diverse in gender, race, socio-economic status, and orientation, and it was so refreshing to see. I find that some books try too hard to be diverse, and it feels awkward or offensive, but the diversity in this book felt natural, and all the characters felt like real people.

I also liked that this book dealt with real issues. Kit’s family is struggling financially, it’s not uncommon for the power to get shut off, they’re struggling with the mortgage, and an unexpected bill would be devastating to them. Kit’s dad has addiction issues, and there’s difficulty with the divorce proceedings. A lot of the characters deal with various forms of discrimination, especially gender discrimination. I liked that Kit’s quest was to allow anyone to become a knight and that her cause was starting small but could be applied to a much larger scale.

I want to take a minute to talk about the romance in this book. This book does feature the friends-to-lovers trope, which is something that I am always a fan of. I liked that the romance in this book wasn’t a major plot point. Kit and Jett have their moments, and it’s clear that Kit has a major crush on Jett, but the book is more about friendship and smashing the patriarchy than romance.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. It’s only May, but I already know that this book is going to be one of my favourite books of the year. It has a diverse cast of characters, real-world problems, lots of breakfast food, and sword fighting. I recommend this book to everyone, especially people looking to smash the patriarchy.

Overall, a solid, enjoyable read. It did tend to lag in places with uneven paces. While Kit and her brother Chris got some fairly good development, many of the side characters felt fairly thin. I would have really liked to learn more about the other knights-in-training, or at least seen them introduced earlier on in the story.

This was super cute and a fun read but with some heavier themes that I think teens will love. The poverty representation seems spot-on and made me want to hug Kit and her family. We rarely see characters who are truly living at the poverty line. And yet, the tone of the book is balanced well. There are a lot of lighthearted moments sprinkled throughout to make this more of a heartwarming and funny book.

The book is wonderfully feminist and specifically touched on really important points like white privilege and trans women inclusion. The language used throughout the book when it comes to gender identity was really beautiful to read.

The friendships were AMAZING! Kit and her knights-in-training were the best parts of the book for me. Although there was a conflict between Kit and her friends that was resolved a bit too quickly.

There is romance in this but it was secondary to the main plot. It was cute but again things came together in the end rather quickly and there was little character development with the love interest.

Content warnings for underage drinking and smoking (for which there is little commentary on from the author), poverty, drug abuse, and sexist/misogynistic comments (always in a negative light).

3.5, rounded up. This book follows Kit Sweetly, a high school senior working at a Medieval Times-like place (which makes sense, given its setting somewhere in the greater Chicago area—I grew up around there, and we spent our fair share of Saturdays at Medieval Times) who spends much of the novel protesting the Castle’s policy that only cis men can be knights.

Things I liked:
-the book isn’t afraid to outline poverty in an unromanticized way
-representation was on point
-I actually enjoyed how her relationship with Jett progressed—it was a cute slow burn

Things I didn’t like:
-Kit wasn’t a very sympathetic character—the way she handled the tournament at the end in relation to her friends was strange
-Len and Kit’s dad were both terrible and didn’t get the comeuppance I anticipated
-The ending fell a little flat

I adored this book. Kit is such a beautifully written protagonist - brave, flawed, and authentic. The romantic love story was wonderfully sweet and charming, but most importantly, the friendship love story was pure magic. I loved this group of friends so much and desperately wanted to be a Girl Knight alongside them. This is such a strong debut, and I can’t wait to see what Jamie Pacton does next.

When I requested to review The Life and Medieval Times of Kit Sweetly, I thought it was going to be a fun YA rom-com, but instead it was so much more than that. In fact, the budding romance took a backseat to smashing the patriarchy!

Kit Sweetly, a high school senior with a BIG PLAN for her future, is a serving wench at a local castle-themed restaurant, where to her chagrin only guys can be knights and fight in the arena each night. One night, Kit takes her brother’s place in the contest, only revealing herself after she had bested the other knight and won the battle. Her performance was filmed by her best friend and quickly goes viral, but castle policy clearly states that girls can’t be knights. Kit sets out to challenge the status quo, her friends at her side.

Kit is fighting more than just the patriarchy. Her parents are in the middle of a nasty divorce, her mom is struggling to pay the bills, and Kit is worried about getting enough financial aid to get into the college of her dreams, all while falling for her best guy friend, who is strictly off limits.

This book surprised me. It was much more than I anticipated and tackles heavy, real life issues faced by teens and families today--pushing back against gendered norms, financial struggles, online bullying, broken families and parents who let their kids down.

At times the feminist agenda and push for gender equality (both good things) felt a bit heavy-handed and “in your face,” but given that this is written for teenagers, sometimes obvious is best, and I did read an ARC so some of it could be an editing issue. There is LGBTQ+ representation, and intentional pronoun usage, which was refreshing.

Plus, as a history nerd, I loved that in Kit’s fight for the right to be a knight, she has history on her side.

Thank you to both Netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

KIT SWEETLY was everything I wanted it to be: fun, fast-paced, feminist YA perfect for history nerds and romance lovers alike. I adored our main character and her love of Middle Ages, the time period I'm studying myself as a history major in college. The romance was so soft and well-developed, a long-burning transition from friendship to romance that I ate up. I'd recommend this to anyone wanting a contemporary YA in the veins of Jenn Bennet or a YA version of Well Met by Jen DeLuca.

Kit Sweetly is a senior in high school, trying to figure out where to go to college, how to afford it on the money she earns at the Castle, and navigating all of the relationships in her life. When she steps in for her brother at work as a knight, a role reserved for cis men, she sparks a revolution and which provides additional complications AND opportunities for her to add to her grand plan.

Kit has a lot to deal with in her life, and at times I felt overwhelmed by the number of things going wrong, but I was not disappointed in the end, and would certainly continue with Kit on another adventure.

A fun and empowering read! I really enjoyed it and cheering Kit Sweetly. The book deals with many important topics like life living in poverty, and feminism. Kit Sweetly just wants to be a knight, but peoples beliefs that a lady, and especially during the medieval times, could not possibly be a knight. I also really enjoyed some of the history.

Hear ye! Hear ye! Thou must listen to this royal proclamation. The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly is exactly as fun and cute as anyone can expect!

Kit Sweetly works at The Castle, a themed restaurant. You know the ones, with the turkey legs and jousting shows. Kit is a wench (medieval term for waitress), but really, all she wants is to be a knight. When her brother, who is a knight, gets into a fistfight, Kit gets her wish! But the consequences that come after her going against the rules of cis men only riding out is what this book is about

It's a mouthful of a book title, but it's apt for this funny little romcom that explores a surprising number of themes. Importantly, and most prevalent, is the exploration of feminism and gender roles. Namely, Kit plans to take down the Castle's archaic and unfair gender restrictions on all work positions. Given where this arises from, it's a discussion that takes place in a very surprising and refreshing setting with an interesting historical backdrop. There's also a large discussion about poverty. How exactly does one afford college without scholarships when you're literally stealing napkins from restaurants to use as toilet paper. Kit's family is not well off after her dad bailed on them with all their savings, and it was interesting to see the stigma and shame she hides behind with it. She doesn't let her friends in to see that side, even though they know and probably won't care.

Something that really made Kit stand out as a character was her undeniable passion for medieval times. In particular, the women who passed through history with little recognition. Joan of Arc is well know, of course, but what about Matilda of Tuscany and Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians? Women were knights too. They fought and lead armies. Honestly, this felt quite educational at times. Have you ever heard of anchoresses before? These are women who devote their entire life to prayer to an extreme degree. They are locked up in cells for their entire lives to pray by themselves and with people through tiny windows. It's fascinating, and Kit makes it so. She wants to go to school to study it, but then also plans to be a lawyer. So that threw me a bit.

Of course, it wouldn't be a contemporary romcom without the romance. Although I liked this romance between Kit and Jett (yay for bi-racial couples), I don't think it started off right. Kit and Jett are best friends, and cannot ever be more thanks to their Unbreakable Rules. It starts with us knowing that Kit may think of Jett as more and then devolves into her obsessing over him. Over the course of two weeks, for this longtime friendship to turn to one-sided pining was a bit much.

Admittedly the writing could have been a bit cleaned up. Pacton at times goes way to in depth about everything Kit does throughout her day. Like walk into the bathroom, take off clothes, turn on faucet, wait for shower to get hot, step in shower, close curtain, grab shampoo kind of in depth. However, the writer also goes fairly in depth with the people surrounding Kit. The reader learns the perfect amount of background on what is quite a large cast. And the representation is fantastic! Non-binary, trans, and lesbian characters feature without other characters or author offering snark, judgement or lecture, which I greatly appreciate and admire.

I don't know why, but I really despise contemporary novels that overuse pop culture references. Popular in this are Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, with a heavy explanation of A Knight's Tale in the middle. And, I mean, I get it. I love them too. Arya Stark and Eowyn are total badasses, and a Knight's Tale is a cheesy classic that in someways is a comp to this, However, I always find slipping those references in as very presumptuous and lazy/cheating. Instead of taking the time to describe a character, he is referred to only as the Mountain's son. Cool. Not only does not everyone watch the same things the author does, but there's the strong possibility they won't hold up in 10 years like they do now.

The ending was pretty predictable, but that's why we pick these books up, isn't it? We know there will be a happy ending, and sometimes that's all we need in this stupid Corona time. Excited to join the blog tour on May 6

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for access to an DRC of this book!

As anyone who knows me, or follows me on Goodreads knows, I am a HUGE history nerd. It is my dream to one day go to a Medieval Times dinner show and pretend I'm in the movie A Knights Tale. So this book was an obvious Must-Read for me. Throw in a empowering smash-the-patriarchy plot and I AM IN.

Kit Sweetly works at The Castle, a medieval-themed dinner show, managed by her uncle (brother of her good for nothing father who left her family with no money). She is a serving wench, but she dreams of being a Knight like her older brother, Chris. She's been training for years with her brother, but corporate policy is that only cis men can be Knights. One night, Chris is unable to perform, and Kit secretly takes his place as a Knight. Well... until it's not a secret due to Kit's love of The Lord of the Rings Movies. Then Kit "The Girl Knight" Sweelty goes viral, and she, along with a band of others banned from being Knights due to corporate policy, decides to leverage her new power to force The Castle to reconsider their out-dated gender roles.

Throw in some family drama, money trouble, the typical teenager angst about future plans, and a best friend who she is definitely attracted to but has sworn to never touch, and you have a cute, empowering teen romp.

It took me about 50 pages to get invested, but once I was I finished the book in one evening. I had a couple of problems with a few plot points that didn't quite make sense, but over all enjoyed the book. The focus was on Kit's quest to destroy the patriarchy, but the supporting plots of Kit's family drama, friend drama, and romance drama were lovely.

Overall, recommend to anyone who enjoyed books like Moxie or The Nowhere Girls, or who (like me) dreams of going to a Medieval Times and recreating the dance scene from A Knights Tale.

Kit knows she can be a knight at the cheesy medieval style restaurant she works at. She knows all the moves, having practised with her brother, the Red Knight. But the manager, her uncle, is clear. Only males can be knights. Kit is determined to turn things around, with the help of her fellow wenches. But life isn't kind to people who want to change their stars.

First things first; if you own A Knight's Tale, put it on while you're reading. It's exactly the ambiance you need. If you don't own it, why not? Find it somewhere.

On to the story. I'm loving the wave of 'girls are as good as boys' novels coming out these last couple of years. Kit Sweetly can proudly take her place alongside Moxie and Girls Save the World in This One. It's funny, too; if you enjoy Laura Stevens, this is definitely the book for you.

I'm frustrated with it, because the third quarter problem, like in a lot of books, is caused by the hero(ine) not telling people around her things they really need to know. If people talked to each other more, books would be a lot shorter. Of course, that's it's own problem, but it's annoying to literally be able to see the problems coming and have the characters blithely ignore it.

I love the sound of the Castle, though. I wish I could visit! The characters were great - apart from Len, Kit's father, and Eric, but they were brilliantly not-great, so maybe it counts - and while I'm not a romance fan, this one was both more realistic and less major than most, so I'm not put off by it.

Overall a great read, and I'll be watching out for more by the same author.