Saturday, October 9, 2021

Book Review: "Kind of Sort of Fine" by Spencer Hall

It’s like this book had my name written on it.

Hayley has always been the perfect student, determined to get in to the best college. She takes all the right classes and is a fierce competitor on the tennis team. And then one day before the end of her junior year it all just gets to be too much for her and she has a very public breakdown of sorts, one which quickly goes viral.

Lewis has always thought of himself as the chubby, funny sidekick in the 80s movie that is his life. But for senior year he’s determined to change that, and become the leading man. He starts exercising and watching what he eats, and he’s hoping that he’ll find the courage to let a good friend know he’s interested in her.

When Hayley is forced to take TV Production as an elective (to “lighten” her schedule), she thinks it will just be a bunch of burnouts, but it’s Lewis’ favorite class. Once they’re paired on a semester-long assignment, they begin making documentaries on the things people would be surprised to learn about their fellow classmates.

Along the way they discover that there’s often a gap between what we perceive about people and reality, and that applies to them, too. They’ll also learn that in trying to change the way people think about you, you may lose what makes you special.

Kind of Sort of Fine really was a funny, emotional, thought-provoking book. I saw a little bit of high-school Larry in both Lewis and Hayley, and of course, any book that has an 80s vibe is all right with me!!

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