My Kind of Crazy

This book was actually kind of touching and though I usually dislike YA contemporary, this one had me laughing and aching with sadness for the characters at times. I personally liked the way the author had these characters behave when they learned certain things about each other.

This book is a fun read. Hank is my kind of teenage boy - a veneer of confidence while underneath he is a seething mass of insecurities, second-guessing himself and doubt about the future. His is a genuine, ordinary teenage voice in an ordinary hometown setting, but this book is anything but ordinary. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, this ARC received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Hank is in trouble when, trying to invite popular Amanda to the prom with a big gesture, it turns out to be a big fire and one weird girl happens to see it all. What is the deal with Peyton, who enjoys fire a little too much and thinks he is a kindred spirit?

This was fun. But unlike I expected, this was also a serious story about teenagers having to deal with real problems, such as an alchoholic parent and abusive families. All that tempered with bizarre situations, like Amanda making a quiz to find out who burned her house, as she thinks it was very romantic.

I think Hank is very sweet. He might have been a little too blind to notice Peyton's show more feelings when they were rather clear from the first scene but he is still a very sweet guy. I love one of the answers he gives to Amanda's quiz, when he says he doesn't have money so he'd take her on his bike. I confess his choice of words melted my heart.

Peyton was also a very good character. She really knew how to have fun despite all. And I enjoyed how the author built it up until we finally found out what was really going on with her. Part of me was relieved with the answer—though I had already guessed it, I had another possible explanation I didn't enjoy even a little bit.

As I read, I would find that all of the other characters had something entertaining to them, I kept chuckling at the ironies and simply funny details present in the text.

On one hand, the author knew to give depth to what might have a purely entertaining topic: there was already enough for a very nice and light-hearted story. On the other, I was worried about the closure to Peyton's story. It is justa detail but I do think she needed to be taken more seriously. For most of the book I couldn't decide if she was just having fun, but at a point I did think she needed help. I don't want to spoil anyone and I want to clarify Peyton does get some sort of help but I think she needed more. But that is really my only complaint.

This was a great book I feel like recommend even to those who are not that into the YA genre. It's not something I do with frequency. show less

This book was actually kind of touching and though I usually dislike YA contemporary, this one had me laughing and aching with sadness for the characters at times. I personally liked the way the author had these characters behave when they learned certain things about each other.

After reading an online site about how to get the girl of your dreams to say yes to a prom invite, Hank decides to light sparklers on Amanda’s lawn spelling the word ‘prom’. Things don’t go quite as Hank hoped – it sets the lawn on fire. Hank takes off but unfortunately there are witnesses: Amanda who didn’t recognize him but is impressed by the effort if not the result and will launch a campaign to find him and Peyton, the loner from across the street who did recognize him and who just happens to enjoy setting fires herself.

My Kind of Crazy, is a contemporary YA novel by author Robin Reul dealing with issues like abuse and mental illness. The story is told in the first person by Hank whose mother and brother were killed in show more a car accident and whose father has taken to drinking in a big way. But it is Peyton who lights up the pages and not just because of her pyromaniac tendencies. She lives with her mother and her abusive boyfriend and fire starting is her way of coping. This could have been a somewhat bleak tale but fortunately Reul writes with empathy and humour making this a surprisingly sweet story.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review show less

"It can be a lonely friggin' road, Hank. But knowing you're not alone can carry you through some pretty dark places."

What a wonderful story. About being imperfect and being okay - and about friendship and family and love. This was a quick read - funny just when I needed it but serious about serious issues but showing that those issues don't have to define us. We all have quirks. Don't change who you are, find someone who loves your quirks.

I decided to read this after finishing and very much enjoying her new book. I could really relate to Peyton and Hank for different reasons. I felt like Hank growing up and alternately cringed and laughed as he tried navigating the insanity of his life. As for Peyton, I met many teens like her in my time as a mental health professional and the vast majority were, like her, extremely likable and trying to rise above circumstances that completely stunk. All of that made this as satisfying as was Where The Road Leads Us. I hope it won't take five years before Robin writes another one.