My Kind of Crazy. Robein Reul. 2016. 338 pages. Sourebooks Fire. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.]
This book has a lot with it. From the normal teenage angst to the tough realities of life’s unpredictability, My Kind of Crazy is an honest – yet sometimes hilarious – glimpse into teenage life.
It starts off interesting enough – Hank wants to WOW his crush, Amanda, with an unforgettable prom-prosal. He can’t possibly show her how much his heart is aflame for her without sparklers spelling out “prom” on her front lawn. Too bad it doesn’t go quite as he plans, and he nearly torches her house in the process. Luckily, the quiet, slightly quirky girl-next-door (or at least across the street), Peyton comes to his rescue, which sets in motion a story that’s as heartbreaking as it is endearing.
Hank can’t seem to shake Peyton, but he slowly realizes he doesn’t really want to. She’s a breath of fresh air in his life, which is tumultuous on its own. His mother and older brother died in a tragic car crash, which he harbors guilt over. His dad is now an alcoholic, and the only responsible adult in his life is his dad’s exotic dancer girlfriend. And now he’s living in constant fear that Amanda will find out the truth and he’ll end up under the jail. Nonetheless, Hank and Peyton forge a friendship, somewhat commiserating over their struggling home lives.
What I enjoyed most about My Kind of Crazy is how the story and characters are honest, even when it hurts to do so. The main characters are all well-defined; the reader is given enough context for their experiences to understand the rationale behind their responses to what happens during the book. Often, I find that I read YA books and have to struggle to believe the reactions. There are several events in the book where I could really see Hank and Peyton reacting just how I might have at their age, or rationalizing things how I’d expect someone their age to do.
It’s important to note that this book is a bit heavy. It deals with grief, mental health, relationships, substance abuse, etc. From my adult lens, I found myself leaning toward the worst possible outcomes at every turn, waiting for another shoe to drop. Here, Reul balances “reality” without needing to make everything extreme. She also injects enough humor to lighten the mood without seeming contrived. It’s a bit of a roller-coaster, but not traumatizing.
I would recommend this book. It’s great for a few laughs, but even better to really look at how people forge bonds with one another in the midst of their personal turmoil. It’s a bit of a love story, but it’s so much more.
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