It took me a bit to get into this book. I started it and put it down a few times. Initially it was because when she enters the bookstore, the books she picks (or has picked for her) are kind of dubious choices. I just didn't see a typical teen/early 20's person enjoying them.

I got over that aspect, and enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot. The main character, Josie, is fairly interesting. It is hard to see the other characters traits etc., and I question the whole aspect of her taking care of Mia.

It was a fun, light-weight fantasy. The ending was interesting.

Kind Of A Big Deal was very disappointing for me. I am a fan of Shannon Hale's books but I just didn't like this one. Josie the main character was very unlikeable which made it hard to root for her. I liked the concept of the book and thought it sounded interesting but it fell short. This one was Kind of a waste of time.

Kind of a Big Deal (Shannon Hale): This YA novel focuses on Josie, who is struggling after leaving high school early to pursue a career as a Broadway star. One day, she picks up a book and ends up in the story. She discovers that she can jump into different stories and change the plots to fit her own choices and ideas. 


I loved this book at first. The book jumps were fun, and I enjoyed the author's descriptions of how relationships can change as people get older and move forward with their lives. As it went on, however, there were too many threads to follow. It would have been better to focus on one or two important relationships, rather than trying to dissect so many in a story that had a whole bunch of other things going on, as well. Also, the climax of the book didn't really fit into the rest of the story at all. 90% of the book was realistic fiction with a bit of magic thrown in, but the big twist was completely fantastical. Then, the ending reverted back to realism, with no reference to the implications that would be expected after the huge magical event. 


Overall, I liked the book, but I wish it devoted time to fewer plot points. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review! This title will be released on August 25, 2020.

Reading is magical right? A good book transports its readers into another world, another dimension and the impossible comes to life. I really think that was exactly what Shannon Hale was trying to do with KIND OF A BIG DEAL as her main character, Josie is transported into each book she reads, while her fellow characters look like people from her “real” world.

Great idea, great concept, but for me it just became a little too splintered and never really got off the ground and Josie wasn’t that likable of a character, no real depth and pretty immature for her age of eighteen. She was a high school dropout, determined to make it on Broadway. She left behind her high school romance, her small town and found that just maybe, she wasn’t as good as she had believed. Very painful, indeed, yet it was the books from a local book shop that began her confusing adventure and had me struggling to make sense of things.

I am a huge fan of well-written young adult books. The only way to make readers out of children is to give them quality reading, from fantasy to futuristic. This book is recommended for the 12-18 year-old readers, but, seriously, as an example for young teens, Josie misses the mark completely. As a magnetic tale to encourage reading, it just isn’t there on these pages.

I do think the author has a vivid imagination and some wonderful ideas, I just think it became everything but the kitchen sink that tried too hard to be a literary masterpiece.

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Roaring Book Press! This is my honest and voluntary review.

I was SO excited for this book! I mean, who doesn't want to live inside of their favorite book, at least for a little while? After being a "big deal" in high school having lead in all the school shows, the perfect boyfriend, and the ultimate best friend, Josie Pie drops out of to school to make it big on Broadway at the urging of her theater teacher.

Unfortunately, it does not work out quite so well for Josie and she doesn't land any roles. She takes a job being a nanny for a recent divorcee who moves her daughter, Mia, and Josie to Montana for a new start. While walking with Mia one day, Josie happens upon a book store called "Walking Shadow Books." Inside she meets Deo, who flirts wildly, suggests a book, and gives her a pair of reading glasses when her eyes don't seem to be adjusting well to the elevation. While Mia is playing at a park, Josie starts reading the book, a swashbuckling romance. Next thing she knows, she is IN THE BOOK! She sees various people she has met in Montana playing different characters as well as Deo and all the other bookstore workers. Most importantly, her boyfriend Justin is in the book as well as her best friend, Nina.

Josie finds that while she feels out of control in the real world (Is Justin falling for another girl? Are she and Nina still best friends?), she can control the story in the book and live out the life she misses from high school where she was a big deal. Josie figures out the key to jumping into books and lives in different stories, all the while trying to reconnect with Justin and Nina, as well as take care of Mia. The problem is, the longer Josie spends in a story, the harder it is to get out.

I loved experiencing the different stories with Josie, but the book got bogged down with all the all the threads Shannon Hale tried to connect in one single book: depression, mother issues, a trans best friend, loneliness, lost dreams, distant boyfriend, reevaluating one's entire high school experience... I did feel as though it picked up the pace towards the end, and I couldn't put it down. However, the twist that explained why Josie was able to go into stories, again, seemed like it belonged in another novel.

I will be purchasing this for my library, and I will be recommending it to students to read. I just feel like it missed the mark, but still a fun fantastical read.

Thank you to Netgalley for access to an arc in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted this book to be so much better than it was. The plot description had me hooked, and I was really looking forward to reading this one. However, the character fell flat and I was somewhat annoyed with her by the time I reached the halfway point. A book about being pulled into stories should have pulled me in, but I had to force myself to finish it. Even the climax, the "big fight scene" seemed somewhat lacking..

Josie Pie is an actress, ready to make it big in New York City. Floating high on her drama teacher's recommendation and esteemed recognition in her acting abilities, she cuts high school short to try out on Broadway. Unfortunately she doesn't make the cut.
Knee deep in credit card debt, Josie takes a job as a nanny and moves to a small town in Montana. Once an avid reader, she is reintroduced to books by a hot guy who works in a bookstore. Needless to say, her new reading experiences are not ordinary. Once Josie starts reading she is literally drawn into the books, thus able to act out her drama queen wishes.
I liked the idea of this book but found myself skimming through parts of the book that took place in Josie's "dream sequences". I felt like they were very immature; I had a hard time connecting to that aspect of the book.
2.5/5 stars

While a fan of Shannon Hale, I found this book to be slow. The book did not capture my interest, it reminded me of another series where the author becomes part of the story they read. The premise of Josie and her big acting dreams was hard to believe.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I like Shannon Hale's books and I liked the premise of this books, but the overall package fell flat. Josie was the star of her high school musicals and thought she was destined for a brilliant career on Broadway. But her plans came to a crashing end and she became a nanny living in Montana. Nevertheless, she clings to the idea that she was "kind of a big deal in high school" and never grows out of her HS diva stage. The concept of having her grow emotionally through imagining herself in the different books she reads is intriguing, but despite the different genres, all the books basically have the same writing style, and Josie never really experiences any maturity and remains somewhat spoiled and an unsympathetic character. A good idea that didn't quite work out.

I love Shannon Hale, but this book is book-nerd-bait. Will be recommending it to upper MS students who are heavy readers already, but the book felt engineered to appeal to people whose entire personality is books.

ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A clever idea, but not such a clever execution. I was intrigued by the idea of the main character being pulled into the books she read. Too bad those books were so boring, or ridiculous. I feel like the author missed an opportunity to do something amazing with this concept. I would have been more vested in Josie's emotional journey if I had liked her more. On the other hand, even then I probably wouldn't be able to get past the fact that she was an irresponsible caregiver. Seriously? Bring a child to a park and a library and then deliberately go into a fugue state so you can escape into a fantasy world?

Cute book. Took me a few pages to get into the story. It was a bit faster after that. It finished way stronger than it started.

In this story Josie Pie (stage name) is killing it as the popular high school girl who has the lead in every performance. Everyone is constantly telling her she is awesome, and she believes it. Her drama teacher, who has connections to the theater community in New York manages to get her an audition, so she QUITS high school and moves to NYC - and bombs the audition. Unwilling to go back to her hometown as a failure, she stays in NYC, runs up debt, until she gets a nanny job that moves her to Montana. Here she sits, telling everyone who will listen that she was a big deal in high school. Upon the recommendation of a highly attractive book seller, she begins to read a book and finds herself literally drawn into the story. Trying to figure out what is going on, she book hops, until she finds herself trapped in a book, almost forgetting that she has a real life. She must figures out who she is, who she wants to be, and if she wants to leave this make-believe world behind.

I had a hard time suspending disbelief enough to get into this story. Our protagonist, Josie Pie, is so self-absorbed that it is hard to find her a sympathetic character, however, all the characters seemed to be pushed beyond the archetype they were meant to represent, so perhaps that is intentional. Having a teacher push to have a student quit high school to be a star on Broadway, and a mother who basically says, "meh, it's your life" just doesn't sit well with me. I'm not sure whether this is supposed to be a cautionary tale for those kids who are so self-absorbed they can't function in society, or a satire of what the next generation seems to be prone to.

This book did not earn a place on my favorites shelf, but I'm sure that there are others that will enjoy it.

4/5 stars
*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
Personally, I really liked Kind of Big Deal. It was exactly the kind of read I was looking for. The synopsis really stuck out to me, and the book itself did not let me down.
Kind of Big Deal is a YA contemporary/fantasy about Josie Pie. Josie Pie lives in Montana as a nanny, but she used to be something big. Big as in, Josie managed to get a Broadway audition. But unfortunately, Josie didn't make it. When Josie stumbles upon a bookstore in her small town, and picks up book and a pair of reading glasses, something strange starts to happen to her. When Josie reads, she actually is transported into the book. I was not the biggest fan of Josie, and in the beginning she was kind of annoying. Her character did get better over time. All of the other characters were not bad. Mia was my favorite. I thought the falling into books and being transported into them was a really cool element. It was like a story within a story. The pacing of this novel was ok. The beginning was fairly slow, but the novel sped up towards the middle/end. The novel also finished very abruptly. Overall, I really liked this novel and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a quick, immersive YA read.

Would be a good book for middle schoolers. Pretty cheesy/not believable. Cute story, but not captivating.

DNF I just.could not get into this book. I’ve read and enjoyed many Shannon Hale graphic novels and novels, but this one just lost me. I couldn’t connect with Josie, the protagonist, at all and I’m not sure my middle school aged readers would either. She is lamenting her glory filled high school years by falling into book scenes that are disjointed and confusing. I lost interest pretty early on but kept skimming and then realized I had other books to review.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.
I started this book really excited but it just slowly dragged my hopes down. Disappointed in all the characters, especially Josie. Her character growth is nonexistent. Starts off with her debt issues and ends with her telling her mom, she’s supposed to be an adult living as a nanny. Disappointed.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I ended up not finishing this book. I didn't know a ton going into it, but I loved the idea of the main character going into stories! But the first time she falls into a book, I just couldn't get into it. I ended up skim reading that entire section of the book and honestly didn't feel like I missed anything, which made me feel like the rest of the book wasn't worth reading. I do love Shannon Hale's graphic novels so this was a bit of a disappointment.

I’ve enjoyed Shannon Hale’s works before, and this modern day book started out well. However, when it veered into a totally creepy and ill fitting swerve into a zombie plot, I put it down and went “NEXT!” LITS - life is too short to waste on books that don’t resonate. maybe it will for you, but not me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this read. This was my first time reading a Shannon Hale despite having heard her name and seen her titles before. As an avid reader, I loved the idea of a character falling into the novel she is reading. At times I did find Josie's continuous talking about high school and her accomplishments to be tiresome. It took away from the flow of the story at some points, but overall I still found the novel enjoyable.