Clever, engaging, original, this book was everything I love in a 'modern world meets fantasy' story.

This book is slow the entire way through. In general, I'm not a fan of books written within books and this book was filled with multiple books within books.

Shannon Hale has written a lot of wonderful books for kids/teens, but this isn't one of them. Josie, is coping with the reality of having been "kind of a big deal" in high school to an unsuccessful adult. Josie was the super successful theater kid in high school, having won the lead role in all the musicals, being locally famous, having won high school acting awards, as well as having great grades and being on the track team. Her parents seem checked out of her life, so when her high school teacher encourages her to drop out of high school and immediately go to New York to become a star, she does it. He sets her up with an audition, but of course, it's just a cattle call scenario and she's quickly dismissed for lack of experience. While in New York, she lives on credit and lies to her friends that she's successful - thus these relationships are strained. Unsuccessful at theater, she got a job nannying in New York. When the parents divorce and the mom relocates to small town Montana, Josie goes along,. Thus, the story opens, she's a broadway cautionary tale, deeply in debt, isolated without her support network, her only company a four year child, as the child's parent is out of the country. So, Josie, alone and miserable, ends up in a bookstore and upon reading the book, finds herself literally inside the story. By which, she is a character in the novel she has been reading - experiencing the discomfort of the clothing, the weather, interacting with the characters, all of whom look like her friends or people she has observed in this town. So, the novel goes back and forth between these dream - mental breakdowns- fantasy sequences and Josie's unpleasant reality. I'm not going to spoil, but the gist is - does Josie embrace the fantasy world or attempt to succeed in the real one?
Obviously many people head to New York, LA, etc and find the reality different than their dreams, but Josie's experience felt kind of dated. Are kids in 2020 really expecting to be wildly successful on broadway without an agent? While the characters text, there's no mention of social media success/failure which this kind of kid would embrace And, an entire broadway baby tale without one reference to Hamilton? Josie's entire being is based on being the high school success queen - it seems unlikely she would have dropped out of high school to leave it early- skipping college, sure, but dropping out of high school prior to the end of the year awards glut just doesn't fit this self absorbed character. The book is meant to be an exploration of Josie's character and her journey to understanding of herself and what she really wants, but we keep being told she's one kind of person, yet shown that she is not. . The love of her life boyfriend character seems flat - "he loves her for who she is- a star and now that she's not a star, will he love her" brought to life primarily seems to focus on how (PG) hot he is in each fantasy. Her best friend, Nina, is transgender, which seems less like a integral part of the story than a box check for diversity. Even as Josie recognizes her shallowness in the present, it's hard to believe Nina didn't call it out at the time, particularly as Josie sees her friendship as protecting Nina from school bullies- even while casually remembering a brutal hate crime against Nina. . Hale has done much better work than this.

Fun easy read with a cute premise and fun and realistic characters. Received this as an ARC via NetGalley.

This was a little silly but a fun read. I loved all the literary and Broadway references. It was enjoyable and satisfying to read.

I felt like this book was an inside joke between a reader and a book, a constant nudge nudge, wink wink. How many times have I put myself in the book I’m reading and imagined myself living out the plot? Enjoy your trip through a book that takes you on a trip through another book!

Josie Pie was kind of a big deal in high school. She actually tells people this several times in the book. At the beginning of her senior year her drama teacher convinces her that she's so good she should leave school to audition for Broadway. So, at seventeen Josie packs off to NYC to pursue her dreams. And, not surprising to any adult, that doesn't work out like she thinks it will. She goes from a big fish in a little pond to a very tiny fish in the ocean. Not wanting to admit defeat she stays in NYC and eventually becomes a nanny for a family that ends up moving to Montana. In Montana we see Josie basically raising the little girl while licking her wounds from her failures. Then one day the little girl pulls Josie into a bookstore and Josie rediscovers her love of books. Only now instead of just enjoying the stories she is literally pulled into them.

I liked the idea of a reader being pulled into the pages of the book they are reading. However, this was clunky at times. Part of what didn't work for me was she was envisioning the characters in the books as people she knew in real life. Which makes sense, but then the author would alternately refer to them as the in real life name and the book character name. It made things a bit confusing. I could see this working on the screen, but in a book it just felt hard to follow.

Josie does grow as a character and that was needed. She starts off as someone who is stuck in their glory days of high school and by the end she sees that she still has a lot of learning to do. I wish we had more in depth of her relationship with Nina. That would have been more interesting to see the past, present, and future of than her relationship with Justin. I could have used less of the crazy plot lines of the books Josie read and more of how she grew as a person within her real life relationships.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Definitely a break from the Sci-fi fantasies which have been over powering the YA and not a sloppy romance. While it wasn't my type of book and it might be too trite at the end it was a different way for a teenager to realize she needed to be herself and realize her potential. Josie made it big in high school so she left before her senior year for Broadway in NYC. A complete failure in her eyes she takes on a nanny job moving to Missoula, Montana. There she was given a pair of reading glasses and a book at a bookstore. Every book she read she popped into the story, each time controlling more of the story. The story had old friends and new acquaintances as characters. Through these stories she begins to see who she is. Spoiler alert. The employees in the bookstore are muses and they fight to keep her in the stories. That was the development of the story that made it a fantasy and I didn't care for. I didn't care a lot for her other stories even the one she received a Newbery Honor for.

I could not get into the book and I stopped reading. Josie was a flat character and not likable.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely could not get into this book. Loved the concept, but not sure if it was the opening/introduction of the MC, but it was not to my interest and I could not connect with any of the characters. DNF.

Thank you NetGalley for providing a free copy for me to read and review.

Shannon Hale has a way with words that allows you to escape into what you are reading....which makes perfect sense when the premise of this novel is exactly that! While this wasn't my cup of tea, and I often found myself skipping over parts, the story line itself of Josie and trying to find her way after dropping out of high school was enough for me to keep going. Sadly, the parts that lost me were the chapters when Josie was drawn into different books. I felt that it was drawn out, and at times unnecessary. Some parts of the novel were inconsistent, and it felt rushed.

Back in high school, Josie was kind of a big deal. A talented actress, she left school early to take Broadway by storm. Only, it didn’t quite work out the way it was supposed to. Now, a Broadway failure with monumental credit card debt, she’s living in Missoula, Montana, working as a nanny and trying to recapture that magnificent life she remembers, back when she was a big deal. After impulsively purchasing a romance novel one day while taking her adorable charge, Mia, to the park, Josie opens the book (the first she’s read since The Scarlet Letter in school) and shortly finds herself experiencing the plot from inside the story. A la The Wizard of Oz, the story is peopled with individuals she passed around town: customers in the bookstore, the sales clerk, individuals in the park. Josie is both fascinated and terrified by the experience: she likes the take-charge person she is in the story, but struggles to get back to reality and make sure Mia is safe. But the adventure is addictive, and once Josie finishes reading the first book, she’s back for more. As Josie genre-jumps, the experiences work as bibliotherapy, assisting her in assessing her life, and realizing she needs to move on from high school, and let her supportive best friend and her boyfriend move on as well. But, it turns out, the creative muses are not done with Josie, and when she gets wrapped up in one book too many, she will need to rely on all the skills and knowledge she has gained to save herself, as well as others trapped in the world of stories. Hale presents a delightful YA story. Josie is an appealingly sweet character, and her journeys inside the books will be amusing to any reader. Like Josie’s book hopping episodes, the plot refuses to stand still, continually twisting in another direction until the surprise ending. While Josie is on the cusp of adulthood, the book is refreshingly free of sex, profanity and other vices. Like on the stage, Josie is the star and she is all the story needs. Readers will cheer for her to realize she is a big deal, in the story of her own making. THOUGHTS: Hale’s YA entry is a bubbly read with a deeper message. Dedicated readers will enjoy the genre spoofs (the dystopian ordeal is far and away the best segment), but it will be interesting to see if students not yet through high school can relate to Josie needing to walk away from those years and move on. I hope so! I want more Hale YA books. Fantasy (Realistic)

Getting lost in a story...Josie Pie does this literally! She leaves high school early to make it on Broadway only to find that being a Big Deal in high school does not guarantee success. As she tries to make sense of her life, she discovers things about herself in the books she reads. I had to read parts to friends to explain my sudden burst of laughter!

I love Shannon Hale and was so excited to read this book. And while it's a fun "romp," I didn't love it. You would think that the ability to fall in and out of books would be a librarian's dream. But overall, this one was just ok for me. I didn't fall in love with any of the characters. Josie's growth seems predictable. The inclusion of the trans character seemed forced rather than organic. I am not sure which readers will gravitate to this story. I will purchase for the library if it is requested, but based on my read, I am not sure it will have much appeal in my circumstance.

This was a weird book. I didn't enjoy it and I started skimming parts that were long and boring. I felt like I accomplished a great thing just by finishing it.

This book was extremely confusing and while it started off great, it was like I was reading "The Magic Tree House" but not nearly as good. I was disappointed because this sounded awesome in it's synopsis.

I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I have some mixed feelings about this book, so let me break it down a bit.

The Pros:
-The concept is really fun and unique (the MC being able to get sucked into, and manipulate the plot of, books)
-The overall cast was a wide array and I liked how the MC thought of them (Blonde and Blonder Trophy Wife, Cowboy, Frisbee Guy)
-The writing style was generally pretty good.
-Josie was an *interesting* MC
-Mia, Josie's 5yo charge and a total sweetie pie

The Cons:
-The execution of the story was not great.
-Every time Josie was sucked into the book, it seemed to drag on FOREVER and I found myself wanting to skip right over and get back to the real world because
-WHAT ABOUT MIA?!?! I had some serious anxiety with Josie just diving back into the books, KNOWING Mia was still in the real world and that time WAS passing, although slowly. What kind of person just LEAVES A 5YO ON A PLAYGROUND WHILE SHE CHECKS OUT?!?! Not a good one, thats for sure. Josie could have AT LEAST saved her reading for night time when Mia was soundly asleep in her own bed. jkfjkhasdfklj
-As interesting as Josie was for an MC, she was VERY hard to like. I am all for a flawed character, but endangering a child and never having to face any sort of repercussions for that is not okay.

All in all, this was a book. It didnt suck, and it passed a few hours of time for me, but I am unlikely to ever revisit it. Maybe the author can give us a spinoff about Nina (Josie's best friend), because I would like to read more about her.

For once, I am kinda at a loss for words when it comes to this book. I cannot seem to make up my mind how I feel about this book- Do I like it? Do I hate it? Did I just not get it? I feel like the jury is still out on this one. This is the kind of book that needs to sit with you for a few days before you can fully appreciate it.

Kind of a Big Deal follows Josie Pie, who was a big deal in high school, as she grapples with the cards life has dealt her. She was a star in high school and was encouraged to leave high school and go for it on Broadway. She did at seventeen, and wracked up a ton of debt. Now she is in Montana, out of happenstance, acting as nanny and responsible adult. It is here that she falls back into reading and finds the magic in reading.

Now here is where I end up having some qualms. I can 100% get on board with the magic of books and magic in general, but it seemed like this book could not choose a side. Josie thinks she is going crazy, then thinks she has an active imagination, or maybe it is a super power. I am not sure. The jumping between genres when she visits all of her books is pretty intriguing, and I haven't really read much like it. But when you get to the reveal part, the switch to a more high fantasy genre just seems out of place. There were definitely part of this book that I loved, but I was confused overall. It isn't that I don't understand what happened, more so that the premise didn't mesh for me. I will say that right now the jury is still out on this one for me- I definitely want to see what others think before I invest in this for my school library.

Kind of a Big Deal ​will be release late August 2020- http://kaitlynrcarpenter.weebly.com/blog/kind-of-a-big-deal-by-shannon-hale

I found the main character pretty unlikable, which turned me off from the story as a whole. The concept was intriguing but I think the plot ultimately fell flat. Overall, just okay for me.

My daughters always enjoy Shannon Hale so I gave this to my 13 year old and she inhaled it. Not all of the storylines/books were to her taste but overall she loved this book.