I am stoked to be on the blog tour for KIND OF SORT OF FINE by Spencer Hall! This tour is hosted by Terminal Tours!
Spencer Hall graduated from the University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky in with a BS in English. He moved to Chicago to study improv, but soon realized when it came to being funny, he was better at writing things down than making them up on the spot. When he’s not writing, he can be found running by the lake, occasionally performing stand-up comedy at poorly attended open mic nights, and researching how to become a professional mini-golf player. Kind of Sort of Fine is his first novel.
Kind Of Sort Of Fine by Spencer Hall
Release Date: June 22, 2021
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Pages: 288
ISBN: 9781534482982
Senior year changes everything for two teens in this poignant, funny coming-of-age story that looks at what happens when the image everyone has of us no longer matches who we really are.
Senior year of high school is full of changes.
For Hayley Mills, these changes aren’t exactly welcome. All she wants is for everyone to forget about her very public breakdown and remember her as the overachiever she once was—and who she’s determined to be again. But it’s difficult to be seen as a go-getter when she’s forced into TV Production class with all the slackers like Lewis Holbrook.
For Lewis, though, this is going to be his year. After a summer spent binging 80s movies, he’s ready to upgrade from the role of self-described fat, funny sidekick to leading man of his own life—including getting the girl. The only thing standing in his way is, well, himself.
When the two are partnered up in class, neither is particularly thrilled. But then they start making mini documentaries about their classmates’ hidden talents, and suddenly Hayley is getting attention for something other than her breakdown, and Lewis isn’t just a background character anymore. It seems like they’re both finally getting what they want—except what happens when who you’ve become isn’t who you really are?
After a very public breakdown, Hayley finds herself at the butt of jokes. When she's forced to streamline her class schedule, she decides to take AV club as a compromise. She's not impressed at first but soon finds herself enjoying it. All thanks to her project partner, Lewis.
Lewis struggles with being the "big kid" in his school and friend's group. He decides to start eating better and running in the morning, mostly in part to gain the confidence to ask out his long-time crush. He's the senior production manager in the production class and he's dropping weight. He wants his senior year to be the best yet.
Their project takes on a different meaning with Hayley and Lewis decide to make documentaries chronicling their schoolmates and their secret lives. Through these scenes, they both discover that looks aren't everything and that seeing someone isn't really SEEING them.
This book tackles some hard-hitting issues like bullying, mental health, and body image. But the thing that made this book stand out for me was the unique storyline and the heart. We don't have a classic love story at all. We have two people dealing with two very different lives who come together to find out how similar they really are, and that no matter what, your worst moment does not define you.
I loved this book in every way. It is the perfect balance of seriousness and humor that captures the high school experience in a raw and realistic way. This was a great debut and I look forward to seeing what else the author has in store for us!
Huge thanks to the publisher and Terminal Tours for hosting this tour.
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