This was a much needed read and palate cleanser of a book! I'm not the fondest of realistic fiction, but Kit Sweetly drew me in almost immediately with its plethora of Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings references. As a long life fan of anything from the Middle Ages, the setting of a Medieval Times-esque workplace felt perfect for the characters and the storyline.

Kit feels its wrong that she can't be a knight. It pulls at her heart and creates an uneasy feeling in her stomach that anyone who isn't male, or born as male, cannot compete as a knight at the Castle, the local Middle Ages themed restaurant. She's been training with her brother since he was first hired as a knight and feels as comfortable up on a horse fighting as any of them. When an opportunity arises for her to ride out as her brother, she takes it! And she is surprised, alongside everyone else, that it goes well. It immediately goes viral and she begins to argue for females (or anyone really) to be allowed to be a knight. Of course, you can't dismantle an entire patriarchal and medieval belief overnight.

What spoke to me the most about this book was the way it feels like it was written for someone like me. Any young girl who felt more in love with renaissance faires and Middle Ages novels than anything else. Who watched the extended editions of LOTR with her family and wanted to practice archery for a hobby. I loved so much that Kit didn't settle for what the world gave her, despite her mom telling her to and her distant father showing her what can happen when you reach too far. She made a plan and went for it, all while doing the things she loved with the people she loved. This book re-instills the passion we tend to lose to go after whatever you want, even if some things might not work out the way you wish.

The ending felt right and just and closed up all the loose ends I felt across the way. The ending was filled with everything I love and cherish in a book and immediately left me wanting to conquer the world and take up sword fighting, all with my friends and family behind me. To bring Kit's most powerful moment to life and the catalyst for her journey in this novel, "I am no man." Because females (and anyone really) can kick butt too.

2.5 stars
This is a very cute and delightful read about taking down sexism in the workplace.
I really liked the premise of this book and honestly the cover is absolutely gorgeous! I’ve always wanted to go to a medieval-themed restaurant so I was living vicariously through Jamie Pacton’s descriptions!

I really liked the characters in this book, especially Kit who is such an independent, motivated and strong willed protagonist. You cannot help but love her spirit. I love the friendships she had and how close she was to her mother and brother!

However I do feel like that story fell quite flat for me. I felt that a lot of the book was focused on things that didn’t truly impact the story. I would have like to have seen more of her plan and the build up then her everyday tasks. I felt like the main plot went by too quickly and I was left feeling unsatisfied in the end.

Whilst I am a sucker for a friends to lovers trope I just could not get invested in this relationship. I just felt like it honestly wasn’t needed.

Overall this was a fun read with a message that is very important. We should fight for what we believe in and there should be equality in the workplace.

Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A charming coming-of-age story with tons of heart. I love Kit's complete determination and her band of beautiful friends, not to mention the pure fun of the Medieval Times-esque setting.

3.5 Stars
Delightful, fun little novel about tearing down gender roles in the workplace while also addressing poverty issues.

Features characters that are diverse in race, gender, and orientation.

Doused in pop-culture medieval fantasy references, from The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and even the excellent cheese-fest that is A Knight's Tale. Great for nerds!

Perhaps a bit too simple a solution, but fun nonetheless.

Thanks to Page Street Kids and Netgalley for the Advanced Reading Copy

Set in contemporary times with lots of medieval facts, this book is such a fun, quirky ride, with diverse and interesting characters, a sweet romance, and an exciting take on smashing the patriarchy.

Quick Thoughts
-Just take a moment to admire that cover. Gosh, it is so fun! I love the knight costume and how Jet is holding his motorcycle helmet!
-I love the feeling of sisterhood that just permeates throughout this book. Kit is definitely not alone in figuring things out in this book.
-The sparring scenes in this book are the BEST! They are so exciting and so suspenseful. I was holding my breath the whole time during these parts.

Lasting Impressions

Let's talk about the fact that this is a friends-to-lovers romance. OH MY GOSH IT'S A FRIENDS TO LOVERS ROMANCE! When I realized this, I got so excited. A couple of months ago, I was seriously craving a friends-to-lovers, and I thought this would definitely satiate that craving. Kit and Jet have some awesome chemistry, and I loved it when they flirted. It just felt so much like being a teenager and being unsure if someone liked you. I do wish the progression had been deeper, that we could have seen Jet's motivation for brushing off Kit at times, but overall, he was wonderful and supportive, and a good friend (as well as a good possible-boyfriend :D).

I loved the whole premise of Kit taking medieval sexism out of the medieval restaurant she loves to work at. She just wants to be a knight—and honestly, from the descriptions, who wouldn't? I love her ideas and how they progressed, despite setbacks. The ending was a smash hit, and totally unexpected. I loved seeing Kit's flaws, and especially seeing how she overcame them as she worked toward her goals.

Another aspect of this book that I thought was super important was the portrayal of poverty, and how it affected the characters. It isn't just a small piece of Kit's life. Poverty affects EVERYTHING, and the author did an incredible job of illustrating that.

Overall Feelings

This is a feel-good feminist romp with lots of humor and wonderful serving of romance. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light, fun read with a feminist twist.

What an utterly charming young adult novel. I really enjoyed reading this one. Kit works at a "Medieval Times" style restaurant in the Chicago suburbs. She is a waitress or "wench", but really wants to play a knight like her older brother. In fact, she has trained with him for years. One night, she gets her chance much to the chagrin of her boss. Her friends video her ride as a knight and the video starts to get attention. Thus sets off a series of events involving Kit and co.'s attempts to take down the patriarchal structure of the restaurant.
I loved that while the main focus of the novel was about rewriting the rules of "The Castle", it wasn't the only thing going on. I especially enjoyed reading any scene involving Kit and her brother, Chris. Their sibling relationship was beautiful. Kit's struggles away from the restaurant with finances, family drama, and future decisions also kept me coming back to the book. Another point in its favor was the marvelous side cast full of diverse characters, both in regards to race and gender. Overall, I throughly enjoyed this read and would definitely recommend that we add it our library's collection.

Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street Books for a review copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to read a digital arc of The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton. This contemporary YA novel will be published on May 5, 2020. All opinions are my own.

Kit Sweetly works as a wench at a Castle restaurant in the Chicago suburbs. She dreams of being a knight like her brother Chris as it would come with a pay bump and allow her to save money and attend her dream college Marquette as well as help her mom with the mortgage payment. The policy at Castle is that only CIS males can be knights. Then one night, Chris gets into an altercation with the green knight before he show and allows Kat to ride out as him. She's supposed to keep her helmet on the entire show, but after the green knight goes off script during the show and continues the altercation, Kit puts him in his place and then reveals to him and the dinner crowd that "She is no man!" This sends Kit, the Girl Knight, on a crusade to change the Castle's sexist policies.

This book was hilarious, witty, cute, and empowering. While there is a focus on girl power and equality, the primary theme of the novel is actually one of the power of friendship. Though Kit is the catalyst in the situation, she wouldn't have been able to pull off her plan without the support, encouragement, and involvement of her friends. I also loved Kit's passion for history and how she continuously points out the Castle's inaccuracies and gives the reader bite-size history lessons. Finally, I loved that there was a romance plot line but that it didn't consume the entire novel. Sure, Kit likes Jett and there's some tension between them, but it doesn't take away from the primary conflict of the book. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and believe that many YA and MG readers will too. It does include underage smoking and drinking, talking of drug use, and references to sex meaning not all parents may be comfortable with their middle grade students reading it.

I was all in on this book because it's got that Medieval Times, Game of Thrones, Ren Faire, A Knight's Tale vibe, in YA form.

To me, it had some fun parts, but it ended up having weird tonal mismatches. The basic plot, of achieving gender equality among the knights at a Medieval Times style place, is fun! The cast is diverse, in both race and gender.

The main character is living in poverty and being religiously abused by her substance abusing father. Maybe some people can read that kind of stuff and still enjoy the parts that are essentially lighthearted, but it's hard for me. It made me wonder what level of verisimilitude we're dealing with regarding the depiction of poverty; it didn't really ring true to my experiences.

The other thing I'm thinking about a lot is consent in YA books. There is kissing in this book that is done without consent. I don't think authors are necessarily obligated to model consent in books aimed at teenagers, but it's certainly more difficult for me to read something as romantic or sweet when I'm not seeing it.


***Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.***

This medieval-themed, coming of age story is for all you Renaissance Faire fans out there who love a main character that champions gender equality, fights for her right to fight (more on that in a second), and empowers everyone around her with her huge heart all before eating her pancakes. Kit is a breakfast-loving wench (aka waitress) at a medieval themed restaurant in Chicago. Although she loves her job, what she really wants to do is move up the ranks and become a knight both for the fun of it and for the pay raise that will get her to the college of her dreams. Unfortunately, company policy states that only men are allowed to joust in the arena and so begins Kit's crusade against an outdated policy as she fights for her right to fight in an arena.

I really enjoyed all the diversity in this story and commend the author for fitting in characters so seamlessly that represented all walks of life. This book included characters all across the gender and sexual orientation spectrum and even threw in different backgrounds, races, and financial situations. I also really enjoyed the dynamic between Kit, her friends, and her brother. It made the story more fun to read because I had characters about whom I enjoyed reading. The ending left me feeling sentimental and gushy with the sweet reminder that sometimes all we need is to be around the ones we love.

The beginning started with a bang and throws the reader in the middle of Castle action, yet the middle dragged on a little bit and even though things were happening, I feel like we could have spent a little less time on the "Kit Sweetly Plan." I really wanted to be absolutely stoked when I finished this book and fired up about gender equality; however, I don't feel that way after having finished so I will say that while the book was satisfying and tied up all loose ends, it did not leave me feeling empowered like I was hoping.

Trigger Warning: drug abuse, emotional abuse

Kit Sweetly is a Wench who wants to be a Knight—if only the patriarchal hegemony ruling The Castle Corporation would give her a chance to succeed. When a chance opportunity to take over for her brother leads to her revealing herself as The Girl Knight and a video of her "I am no man!" speech goes viral, Kit seizes the opportunity to allow herself—and a group of non cis male knight wannabes—her chance in the tournament grounds once and for all.

This was a solid debut novel that tries to smash the patriarchy with lances and swords.

Did it succeed? Sure?

Was it entertaining? Hell yes.

Kit has a lot going on in her life, with college hopes and A Plan that will lead her family out of poverty once and for all. Her mother and brother have both been working two jobs to make ends meet after their feckless father ran off with their college savings and emergency funds, leaving them all broke and stuck paying the mortgage for their house.

Kit tries to help with her job as a wench at The Castle, a medieval dinner-faire where attendees eat anachronistic medieval food and watch men in armor bash each other with swords, but her heart is on the ground wielding a sword herself.

Not hiding how poor she is to her best friends Jett and Layla.

Not worrying about getting into college or paying for college.

Not trying to figure out how to keep the lights on.

Not agonizing over what their mother has done to cause them to be three months behind in their mortgage payments.

I particularly liked the representation in this book. It's filled with queer characters and characters of color and queer characters of color—and they also make up Kit's Knights—without seeming like check-in-the-box representation.

And I liked their friendship and how they banded together to take a chance to become Knights and prove that it wasn't just men—that gender equality could extend to corporate organizations like The Castle too.

The plot moves quickly—I was able to finish this in an afternoon—but I was left feeling a little unsatisfied with the ending. I'm not sure why, though.

I really didn't like Len, Kit's uncle who was a skeez and asshole, despite being marginally better than his feckless brother. I did like how Kit gains the courage to tell off her father, who is a complete narcissistic asshole, and how family was an important theme in the book. Family being—the family who sticks by you and the ones you would lay down your life for, not necessarily the family you were born into.

Overall, this is definitely good and enjoyable. And there are a lot of references to A Knight's Tale, if you want to get weepy and sentimental.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review

3.5/5 Stars

I enjoyed reading about the main storyline of this book, which is Kit trying to fight against the company policy of her workplace. The Medieval-themed restaurant where she works won't let girls fight as knights and she's had enough of this absurdity and she's ready to put up a fight.

My issue was that apart from this storyline the others were very few and sounded a bit weak in my opinion. I didn't even find myself rooting for the main couple, which is something very unusual for me. I believe it was because we barely got to see the two of them together and so there really wasn't a lot to root for.

If you're looking for a nice read about equality in the workplace and you also want to see girls take on the fight to defeat gender roles, then you might want to give this book a chance!

3.5 stars

Super cute with some quibbles! I guess we're in the renaissance of Ren Fair-set books (pun intended) since I've seen so many recent releases (Jen DeLuca's WELL MET). Longer RTC closer to release date.

This was a cute and inspiring story. I really enjoyed the characters. As with most romance stories, you can guess what’s going to happen, but it doesn’t make the ride any less exciting. I found myself rooting for this character and wanting everything to be put right. I found it quite funny and I couldn’t put it down.

This was a quick, fun read! I love Kit and her enthusiasm, her relationship with her brother (though I wonder what cringe-y 90s grunge name his is short for?), her love of history and her determination.

I really liked the attempts to bust some medieval myths but the follow through just wasn't there for me. I guess it's the history nerd in me, but I wanted to learn more about the actual middle ages. Several times Kit said/thought things along the lines of "this isn't how it actually was" but we never got sufficient detail for a book whose character is a middle ages nerd.

Something that worked extremely well was the description of Kit and her family's financial situation and the subtle ways she (or the author working through her) explains why poor people make the seemingly illogical decisions they often have to do (like having the "extravagance" of a cell phone, or keeping broken things on the lawn).

The only thing this lacked for me was a why. I understand why Kit loves the Castle, but not why she loves history or the middle ages so much. It doesn't seem to fit with her plans (buy her mom a big house, get out of poverty) or have much of an impact on her motivations.

I was given an advanced readers copy through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

It is really lovely to see so many books out now that live in that world of geek culture. Kit is a likeable heroine who is earnest, vulnerable and hard-working and does the wrong things for the right reasons. The plot centers around her struggles to earn a place as a knight in the Medieval Times type restaurant where she works and her journey to balance the ideals of her life goals and what fulfills her personally and as a member of a community. The author does a good job of melding the heart-breaking realism of Kit's world with bubbly, joyful nerdiness. I have never been to a Medieval Times restaurant before, but I was very familiar with the characters and attitudes from SCA, Renaissance Faire and fan culture in general.

I was confused at first with the pronoun use of one character (because I am old) but it didn't take me long to figure it out. For an audience already prepared to think about pronouns differently, it is probably not an issue, but without the equivalent of a name tag with your preferred pronouns, it could be confusing to some. As with Eliza and Her Monsters, I find it a little odd how easy it is for teens to establish and make money on these online ventures, but again, I am old. These are minor quibbles though compared to what the author is doing with the themes in a space that seems strange now, but is becoming more normalized.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy the Once Upon A Con series by Ashley Poston and Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia.

The Life and Medieval Times of Kit Sweetly is so much fun and just what I needed while I'm stuck at home during the current pandemic. It's cute and entertaining, and while it's a light read, it also deals with sexism, poverty, and some tough choices.

Kit works at a cheesy, medieval-themed restaurant, where she's stuck as a serving wench (that's what they call the waitresses). She wants to be a knight because it pays better and also because she has a knight obsession, but women aren't allowed to play that role. One night, she takes her brother's place as a knight and she can't resist revealing her identity (stating "I am no man" from Lord of the Rings). The "girl knight" quickly goes viral, and Kit tries to push for a change in the company's sexist policy, forming a band of people who want to change to rules.

Kit is in a tough place. She wants to shake things up, but she also desperately needs her job because she and her family are the working poor. Her dad left after stealing the money her mother had saved for the kids' college funds, and he doesn't pay child support. Her mother never finished high school and works two jobs to try to keep up with the mortgage. Kit's older brother also works two jobs and goes to community college. Kit has a plan to get ahead, but she needs money for college and her path out of town is starting to look impossible. The author does an excellent job showing how tough Kit's choices are and how grinding poverty can be.

Kit is a likeable, imperfect heroine. She doesn't always make the best choices, but her mistakes make sense in the context of the story. She's a tough feminist who's been dealt a rough hand in life, but she's doing her best to make things better. This is a very fun book with an important message. It's also pretty diverse: Kit's love interest is half Indian, her best friend is African-American and bi, and one her co-workers is nonbinary.

Kit Sweetly seems like a traditional plucky narrator, but there is something about her that is unique and sparkly. She loves history, she loves her family, and she's dedicated to being true to herself. That all sounds normal, but Jamie Pacton is able to write a character that makes me feel like I've met somebody new and different.

Kit dreams of taking on a new role in the job she loves, but she has to convince the old guard to let her shatter that glass ceiling before it's too late. She's got to juggle viral internet culture, a super cute bff, and her family's financial situation. I'd recommend this book to YA romance addicts and anyone interested in a glimpse of what its like to be a feminist in high school in the present day.

Okay so let’s talk about this book! I saw the cover for this book and I immediately knew that it was something I wanted to read, and I’m so glad I did because it did not disappoint me.
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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, clobbers the Green Knight, 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 this Girl Knight won’t go down without a fight. As other Wenches and cast members 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.
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This book was exactly what I was expecting it to be and it delivered some cute friends to lovers romance and some fierce feminism. I found the medieval theme to be something new and fun that I haven’t seen before which I really enjoyed. I like books with feminism themes and I liked how this book portrayed it and how the book still felt fun and cute at times.
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Release date: 5 May 2020

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-ARC!

It started out strong, but then the last 2/3rds of the novel felt predictable and like everything was tied up a bit too neatly. Also, for some reason I started to find Kit's personality kind of annoying by the end.

The romance was okay, but I would have rather had the novel focus on the friendships between Kit and the female/non-binary/trans female characters that wanted to become knights too. Or give Kit a girlfriend, I don't know.

The Life and Medieval Times of Kit Sweetly is a really funny YA book about feminism, poverty, first love. The Medieval Theme Park gives the Story a really nice touch.