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izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
This book was interesting to say the least. I liked the idea of them going about New York but I felt it took them FOREVER to even get into the city. Teri’s story was more interesting then the main characters. Especially since the stakes were very high. I didn’t expect for that to happen but it did. There was a lot going on to say the least. Some characters I would want to read more then the others so I would be excited to read them and it juggled between the three.
This book was interesting to say the least. I liked the idea of them going about New York but I felt it took them FOREVER to even get into the city. Teri’s story was more interesting then the main characters. Especially since the stakes were very high. I didn’t expect for that to happen but it did. There was a lot going on to say the least. Some characters I would want to read more then the others so I would be excited to read them and it juggled between the three.
maycie_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ana988's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sunny_day's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rileywoods's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
steph01924's review against another edition
3.0
I've been needing some uncomplicated contemporary in my life lately, and Morgan Matson's books usually fit the bill. They feel very feel-good cinematic where everything always seems to work out and there's coincidences that tie things together. And NYC is always a fun setting.
I liked it, didn't quite love it, but overall it was fine. Kat at the start was really getting on my nerves so I'm glad she experienced growth. Reading-wise, it felt a bit jarring to go from only Kat's perspective for all of the beginning and then suddenly to both Stevie and occasionally Teri.
I could totally see where Matson was going with Teri's story (very Adventures in Babysitting, which she even referenced), but it felt kind of unnecessary to Kat and Stevie's stories and, ultimately, out of place. I'm usually willing to roll with weird asides (I've read books where suitcases gave little narrations in between chapters, and I loved that) but the silliness of Teri's story magnified how everything else in the book was too perfect to be true, and took me out of it. It's not a deal-breaker, but just a personal quibble.
I liked it, didn't quite love it, but overall it was fine. Kat at the start was really getting on my nerves so I'm glad she experienced growth. Reading-wise, it felt a bit jarring to go from only Kat's perspective for all of the beginning and then suddenly to both Stevie and occasionally Teri.
I could totally see where Matson was going with Teri's story (very Adventures in Babysitting, which she even referenced), but it felt kind of unnecessary to Kat and Stevie's stories and, ultimately, out of place. I'm usually willing to roll with weird asides (I've read books where suitcases gave little narrations in between chapters, and I loved that) but the silliness of Teri's story magnified how everything else in the book was too perfect to be true, and took me out of it. It's not a deal-breaker, but just a personal quibble.
deyaniralh's review against another edition
4.0
Very solid 4 stars! Morgan Matson knows how to hook me every time. I will forever read anything she writes.
rachcannoli's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
Kat and Stevie are best friends, but other than being theater kids they have very little in common. When Stevie’s birthday plans in NYC fall apart, Kat decides that they should still sneak away to the city. They’ll see a play, go to the fanciest restaurant, and celebrate properly (Kat naturally leaving out her ulterior motives). When the plan quickly goes awry causing a huge fight and massive miscommunication, their night of fun quickly goes from bad to worse. In this coming of age misadventure, they’ll have to confront their fears about the future and their unsaid issues threatening to crack their friendship to save not only their night but the relationship.
This book was a very fun romp. Like a lot of Matson stories, you'll really have to suspend your disbelief to enjoy (which for the most part I was capable of doing). I don't think all the plotlines were successful or necessary, but I really enjoyed the arcs our main best friends went on, especially Stevie's. As a former theater kid, I found it easy to relate immediately to these two, even if their plights differed from mine. Everything is so crucial and heightened in high school, I understand feeling like your entire life revolves around something that seems so vital, but really isn't. I loved the nods to theater traditions that are done throughout productions and the very real passion felt by thespians was perfectly captured. I really enjoyed how much was set up in the first few chapters that all came back around. The premise of being a suburban kid lost in NYC with barely any money and no phone is genuinely petrifying and a great hook, I don't know if I could do it now let alone younger.
There was a lot about this book that just didn't work for me. The entire Teri's adventures in babysitting plotline was wholly unnecessary and completely absurd. The longer it went the more ridiculous it became completely taking me out each time. It added absolutely nothing to the story and really brought it down. Kat is also a genuinely infuriating character. I understand they're both high school students so I give some leeway, but while Stevie's flaws were understandable, Kat's were just grating. She barely gets a comeuppance, everything bad that happens to her can get blamed on someone else, she has by far the easier journey and barely learns anything. I also don't believe her conclusion, while great, is earned at all. She's an entitled, selfish brat from the beginning and only slightly less selfish by the end.
All that said, I still really enjoyed the book for the most part. The ending is a particular fav of mine and Stevie's entire arc was a joy from beginning to end. It was beautiful to watch her growth especially with her family. There were a lot of moments that made me laugh and really made me wonder how I would handle this situation. While there are a lot of moments that took me out and I think this book could've used with some serious editing to tighten it up, I'd still certainly recommend. Suspend your disbelief and enjoy the wild ride.
SPOILERS FROM HERE ON
I need to rant about how fucking dumb the Teri plotline is, because what the actual fuck was Matson thinking? You could LITERALLY cut the entire plot from the book and not only would nothing change, but it would be a better book for it. The main plot is already littered with clichés and conveniences, but this one just makes genuinely no sense. First off, Teri not only answers Kat's phone to begin with (like why would she even do that?? It's not the girls because they'd just call Teri's phone if they wanted her) but she takes a babysitting gig for a family she doesn't know under Kat's name? I understand the family is desperate, but how are they ok with Teri's made up premise that Kat can't be there right away, but her friend they've never met and don't know can?? So right off the bat, stupid and ridiculous. But when my friend kept saying 'Don't worry, it gets worse!' good LORD was she not kidding. All of a sudden there's a random man threatening them with a knife to get into a car by claiming to be the CIA. Like....no...he has a knife, not a gun. The worst he could do is outrun and stab you or maybe throw it at you, but straight up grab the children and run for the house, you have a pretty decent chance of making it. Also there's no law enforcement that would do that. Then he's a diamond thief... then they get the car to run away from him but he somehow finds her. Teri claims she's trying to lose him but one, use your phone for GPS and two, stop trying to out run him...just go home and call the cops...wtf. But SOMEHOW she ends up in Canada (upstate NY isn't actually that far, but still) and I'm pretty sure she would know she's in Canada because there'd be border patrol, but whatever. Then out of nowhere meets the real CIA agent the fake CIA dude is impersonating as well as this random boy who she ends up kissing by the end?! And the freaking thief finds her with his goons and tries to kill the kids?! THEN THE ACTUAL CIA CAME?! AND THE MAN FAKE DIES??! AND A FREAKIN HELICOPTER TAKES THEM HOME AND THE CIA MAN OFFERS HER A JOB?!?! WHAT. THE. HECK. IS. THIS. FREAKING. PLOT??!!?!?!! I feel like there's even shit I left out, I'm so truly baffled. Why did this happen?? Why does it exist??? Sure, there's ridiculous stuff in the main plot, but good lord this is one of the worst B plots I've ever read and it's basically the entire reason this book has a lower score. Honestly if Stevie's plot wasn't so freaking great my score would be far lower. I just don't understand what possibly could've compelled Matson to write this shlock, it brings down the entire book to farce and almost ruins an otherwise relatively relatable and compelling story.
OK that out of the way, let me now rant about Kat and her plot. I enjoyed Kat at first! She's supremely overdramatic with her obsession with theater, but TBH I get it. When my HS productions were announced, my friends and I would immediately deep dive and fancast them on our own just to see all the possibilities. I was so into everything and especially my senior year I was aching for my rightful lead roles. BUT I never wanted to do acting professionally because I know for a fact I'm not good enough. Kat says multiple times how hard she has to work for her roles and that she kind of knows she's not good enough, so I understand being so madly in love with something and the pain of not being good enough, she already went through that with dance, so she should've learned from that to not throw yourself in so completely with zero backup. There are so many genuinely incredible theater programs at schools that also have a lot more to offer and aren't conservatories, NYU for one. Side note, I thought Cary deferring from NYU/knowing people that went there would play into this plot along with him still being able to do something he loved while working, that she didn't have to be all or nothing and could still do what she loved even if it wasn't for a living. It's touched on and she comes to that conclusion kind of? But not naturally. BUT THEN Kat literally hijacks Stevie's entire evening (which is SUPPOSED to be about HER birthday) for a dumbass play from their dumbass teacher she's not even supposed to know about. She's so ridiculously selfish by not telling Stevie until she barely has a chance to say no and not even discussing it with her. And then when Stevie has the audacity to say she may want to stop acting and to do something different, she gets mad at Stevie NOT because of the bullshit with her dad (that's a legit point), but because she's so good at acting it'd be a waste and she won't get their inside jokes. Like...what? It also annoys me that she ends up kind of being proven right, but again it's all about Kat. It doesn't matter if someone is good at something, if they don't love it...don't force them. Also this bullshit of 'it's good for her' 'she doesn't know what she wants' is so annoying. I get what her intentions are, but don't pretend to know someone better than they know themselves. Stevie needs to discover these things in her own way and being a jerk to her is not going to help especially when she's not confrontational and won't fight back. At least she admits to being the one that broke her phone. Also it annoys me that when they're separated the entire time Stevie is just sad and worried about Kat, but Kat immediately is like 'she ditched me' 'she went home' 'she's so terrible'...like wtf. Sure, she waited for a little, but c'mon. I like that Beckett immediately is like 'Stevie never would've left you' and this bitch is supposed to be her best friend?? Kat can epically fuck off.
ALSO let's talk about how damn easy Kat's journey is. Stevie's is so difficult, while ultimately worth it and wonderful in the end, she goes through so much more. Aside from the bullshit with their teacher, Kat's is pretty smooth sailing. She immediately bumps into the sweetest, cutest boy Cary, who against all odds likes Kat...reasons unknown for realz...and he just pays for everything and takes her everywhere and they have such a great time. Through Cary she finally realizes what an entitled POS she is watching him work his ass off to save money for college which never even occurred to her (loved that, needed to happen) but then after such a brilliant day she STILL decides to ditch him for this dumbass play when this precious little angel is standing in front of her. WHY?! I understand it's for plot purposes, but C'MON! It's not like you promised anyone that you were going to this thing. And it was written on the walls that this show was going to be shitty and terrible. What annoys me is I didn't see Mr. Campbell being nearly as shitty as he is. I had a feeling he'd be angry at her for finding him cuz...stalker much, but I thought it would be like a super inappropriate Equus play or something and he'd see her and be like 'this is an invasion of privacy' but it was interesting that he's a complete hack. It would've been even cooler if they were all this underground company scraping by to do something they love but being terrible at it, could've added another layer to the 'you may love it but doesn't mean you can do it for a living' arc, oh well. BUT NO, instead he was immediately a POS to everyone and mad at her for giving her honest opinion. I knew after all that she'd be blackballed, but what annoys me about this is it now isn't her fault. She is now ostracized for being the better person and being honest which is bullshit. After all her shit she deserved the 'see me for student directing' but not because her teacher was a schmuck, but because this isn't her path. It completely robs her of any karma which is super annoying. That being said I did love that she parlays that into creating her own thing and directing her own stuff. I could TOTALLY see her as a kickass director and it was very satisfying to watch her turn down his pity directing, especially after her early tirade of not understanding why anyone would do any meager grunt work as long as it were theater related. So yeah, loved the result, but hated that journey.
Kat running into the celeb from their school I also felt was too convenient, but honestly I still kind of loved it. It again adds to the shimmery perfection of Kat's story, but it was still a fun subversion and kind of set up from the beginning. I liked that she used her for her directing thing at the end. I assumed again she'd play a bigger role in showing Kat you don't have to do things the same way. Again she KIND OF says this, encouraging the girls to go to a legit college and not just laser focus on one thing, but it wasn't as much as I expected. And then in the end she gets the boy and her best friend back no problem, like whelp, so much for growth. By such an easy journey she didn't really learn as much as I wanted and needed from her. She gets to a great ending, but it didn't feel earned. I don't believe for a SECOND that she'd be happy with Stevie getting her dream role. She also needed more realization for all the shit she did to Stevie and less moping and moaning about her supposedly ditching her. I wish she had more push and pull with Cary as well, it could've led to that. Obviously I adore Cary and his golden retriever energy, but there was just not nearly enough conflict.
Stevie meanwhile is almost mugged, tries to keep a dog alive when she's terrified of dogs (though I absolutely love her journey with Brad, so precious), confronts the reality that she's the one keeping people at a distance and the reason she doesn't have a connection with her step siblings and how great they truly are, learns to be more assertive, uses her acting skills in ways she never dreamed were possible, runs around NYC with barely any money and in demon heels, and recognizes that while Kat is a pretty shitty friend at times she also makes some really valid points especially about her father who she finally communicates with. LIKE! YOU TELL ME WHO IT'S HARDER FOR! And in the end, while I adored her sweet moment with Beckett (I loved that through one tiny convo with Kat he realizes she can't have a bday dinner alone and goes to be with her, AGAIN WHO IS THE REAL FRIEND HERE), she doesn't even get the boy in the end. It's a nice subversion, but it is kind of sad that Kat gets basically everything while Stevie's continually shat upon.
But enough about Kat, Stevie's plotline is so freaking good. Every realization and growth throughout the story makes complete sense. I LOVEDDD her moments with her step sibs. Mallory is a bit absurd and TBH Stevie should've told her to fuck off from the get-go, but then we wouldn't have had Brad which would've been a travesty. I adored Matty especially, he's the first one to really see Stevie for who she truly is and I wish we got even more with him. Again, it's hinted at that he realizes her dad can be flakey and a POS, but he never out rightly says it which is kind of annoying. The dad ends up being kind of fine in the end, and certainly gets the yelling from Stevie he deserves (like I genuinely didn't believe him at first when he said he thought she'd be with her mom so he didn't want to bother, c'mon, but I guess he's just oblivious) but that would've been a great time when Matty clearly saw she was crying to push a little and say their dad isn't the most attentive. He could've used his experience with his bio dad as another example as well. Matty saw her so clearly, I understand it's a new relationship, but I kind of wish he called her out even more for keeping things in. It could've been another further realization for her to see Kat does know her and remind her of that relationship. I also loved the whole excursion with Margeaux and the MET, that was hilarious and adorable. Also the designer boots and cashmere socks, especially after blistered heels in NYC all day sound heavenly and so rightly deserved. I knew her party they were all talking about would be the secret party, but it was fun to have everyone together in one space.
I do actually like Stevie's realization that she doesn't have to make decisions in terms of pleasing her father and growing to be more assertive. I didn't love her falling back into acting, especially if it isn't a passion. I would've liked if it were also her passion, but she was trying to be more realistic for her father. That would've been a far better plotline than her being like meh, I like it but I want to be like my dad and realizing that being herself and following her passion is what'll make him proud, not forcing herself into his mold. I also loved that she told him how she felt and he was clearly ashamed at how he'd been neglecting her, even if not purposefully. The whole thing was lovely and I'm just so happy Stevie can have an amazing relationship with her extended family now. Her love story was most definitely with her family so while I wouldn't have minded a rekindling with Beckett, it was definitely not necessary and may have felt a bit too neat. I just love Stevie, she deserves the absolute world and her arc was the shining star of this book.
So yeah, I really did enjoy it for the most part. There's a lot of shit that took me out, like oh, the missing painting Stevie's mom had been searching for ages for was in Cary's possession so now he's going to have plenty of money for college??? C'mon...I literally can't eyeroll hard enough, even though I'm happy for Cary. I feel like Matson just always has a billion ideas rolling around in her brain and instead of honing in on the strongest threads she just throws everything and the kitchen sink to one book when it really doesn't need all that. All of her books have such great bones, but would be so much stronger if she just calmed down and cut the fat. Oh well, still super enjoyable overall. I adore theater and NYC, I related a lot to these characters and certainly had a good time overall.
Kat and Stevie are best friends, but other than being theater kids they have very little in common. When Stevie’s birthday plans in NYC fall apart, Kat decides that they should still sneak away to the city. They’ll see a play, go to the fanciest restaurant, and celebrate properly (Kat naturally leaving out her ulterior motives). When the plan quickly goes awry causing a huge fight and massive miscommunication, their night of fun quickly goes from bad to worse. In this coming of age misadventure, they’ll have to confront their fears about the future and their unsaid issues threatening to crack their friendship to save not only their night but the relationship.
This book was a very fun romp. Like a lot of Matson stories, you'll really have to suspend your disbelief to enjoy (which for the most part I was capable of doing). I don't think all the plotlines were successful or necessary, but I really enjoyed the arcs our main best friends went on, especially Stevie's. As a former theater kid, I found it easy to relate immediately to these two, even if their plights differed from mine. Everything is so crucial and heightened in high school, I understand feeling like your entire life revolves around something that seems so vital, but really isn't. I loved the nods to theater traditions that are done throughout productions and the very real passion felt by thespians was perfectly captured. I really enjoyed how much was set up in the first few chapters that all came back around. The premise of being a suburban kid lost in NYC with barely any money and no phone is genuinely petrifying and a great hook, I don't know if I could do it now let alone younger.
There was a lot about this book that just didn't work for me. The entire Teri's adventures in babysitting plotline was wholly unnecessary and completely absurd. The longer it went the more ridiculous it became completely taking me out each time. It added absolutely nothing to the story and really brought it down. Kat is also a genuinely infuriating character. I understand they're both high school students so I give some leeway, but while Stevie's flaws were understandable, Kat's were just grating. She barely gets a comeuppance, everything bad that happens to her can get blamed on someone else, she has by far the easier journey and barely learns anything. I also don't believe her conclusion, while great, is earned at all. She's an entitled, selfish brat from the beginning and only slightly less selfish by the end.
All that said, I still really enjoyed the book for the most part. The ending is a particular fav of mine and Stevie's entire arc was a joy from beginning to end. It was beautiful to watch her growth especially with her family. There were a lot of moments that made me laugh and really made me wonder how I would handle this situation. While there are a lot of moments that took me out and I think this book could've used with some serious editing to tighten it up, I'd still certainly recommend. Suspend your disbelief and enjoy the wild ride.
SPOILERS FROM HERE ON
I need to rant about how fucking dumb the Teri plotline is, because what the actual fuck was Matson thinking? You could LITERALLY cut the entire plot from the book and not only would nothing change, but it would be a better book for it. The main plot is already littered with clichés and conveniences, but this one just makes genuinely no sense. First off, Teri not only answers Kat's phone to begin with (like why would she even do that?? It's not the girls because they'd just call Teri's phone if they wanted her) but she takes a babysitting gig for a family she doesn't know under Kat's name? I understand the family is desperate, but how are they ok with Teri's made up premise that Kat can't be there right away, but her friend they've never met and don't know can?? So right off the bat, stupid and ridiculous. But when my friend kept saying 'Don't worry, it gets worse!' good LORD was she not kidding. All of a sudden there's a random man threatening them with a knife to get into a car by claiming to be the CIA. Like....no...he has a knife, not a gun. The worst he could do is outrun and stab you or maybe throw it at you, but straight up grab the children and run for the house, you have a pretty decent chance of making it. Also there's no law enforcement that would do that. Then he's a diamond thief... then they get the car to run away from him but he somehow finds her. Teri claims she's trying to lose him but one, use your phone for GPS and two, stop trying to out run him...just go home and call the cops...wtf. But SOMEHOW she ends up in Canada (upstate NY isn't actually that far, but still) and I'm pretty sure she would know she's in Canada because there'd be border patrol, but whatever. Then out of nowhere meets the real CIA agent the fake CIA dude is impersonating as well as this random boy who she ends up kissing by the end?! And the freaking thief finds her with his goons and tries to kill the kids?! THEN THE ACTUAL CIA CAME?! AND THE MAN FAKE DIES??! AND A FREAKIN HELICOPTER TAKES THEM HOME AND THE CIA MAN OFFERS HER A JOB?!?! WHAT. THE. HECK. IS. THIS. FREAKING. PLOT??!!?!?!! I feel like there's even shit I left out, I'm so truly baffled. Why did this happen?? Why does it exist??? Sure, there's ridiculous stuff in the main plot, but good lord this is one of the worst B plots I've ever read and it's basically the entire reason this book has a lower score. Honestly if Stevie's plot wasn't so freaking great my score would be far lower. I just don't understand what possibly could've compelled Matson to write this shlock, it brings down the entire book to farce and almost ruins an otherwise relatively relatable and compelling story.
OK that out of the way, let me now rant about Kat and her plot. I enjoyed Kat at first! She's supremely overdramatic with her obsession with theater, but TBH I get it. When my HS productions were announced, my friends and I would immediately deep dive and fancast them on our own just to see all the possibilities. I was so into everything and especially my senior year I was aching for my rightful lead roles. BUT I never wanted to do acting professionally because I know for a fact I'm not good enough. Kat says multiple times how hard she has to work for her roles and that she kind of knows she's not good enough, so I understand being so madly in love with something and the pain of not being good enough, she already went through that with dance, so she should've learned from that to not throw yourself in so completely with zero backup. There are so many genuinely incredible theater programs at schools that also have a lot more to offer and aren't conservatories, NYU for one. Side note, I thought Cary deferring from NYU/knowing people that went there would play into this plot along with him still being able to do something he loved while working, that she didn't have to be all or nothing and could still do what she loved even if it wasn't for a living. It's touched on and she comes to that conclusion kind of? But not naturally. BUT THEN Kat literally hijacks Stevie's entire evening (which is SUPPOSED to be about HER birthday) for a dumbass play from their dumbass teacher she's not even supposed to know about. She's so ridiculously selfish by not telling Stevie until she barely has a chance to say no and not even discussing it with her. And then when Stevie has the audacity to say she may want to stop acting and to do something different, she gets mad at Stevie NOT because of the bullshit with her dad (that's a legit point), but because she's so good at acting it'd be a waste and she won't get their inside jokes. Like...what? It also annoys me that she ends up kind of being proven right, but again it's all about Kat. It doesn't matter if someone is good at something, if they don't love it...don't force them. Also this bullshit of 'it's good for her' 'she doesn't know what she wants' is so annoying. I get what her intentions are, but don't pretend to know someone better than they know themselves. Stevie needs to discover these things in her own way and being a jerk to her is not going to help especially when she's not confrontational and won't fight back. At least she admits to being the one that broke her phone. Also it annoys me that when they're separated the entire time Stevie is just sad and worried about Kat, but Kat immediately is like 'she ditched me' 'she went home' 'she's so terrible'...like wtf. Sure, she waited for a little, but c'mon. I like that Beckett immediately is like 'Stevie never would've left you' and this bitch is supposed to be her best friend?? Kat can epically fuck off.
ALSO let's talk about how damn easy Kat's journey is. Stevie's is so difficult, while ultimately worth it and wonderful in the end, she goes through so much more. Aside from the bullshit with their teacher, Kat's is pretty smooth sailing. She immediately bumps into the sweetest, cutest boy Cary, who against all odds likes Kat...reasons unknown for realz...and he just pays for everything and takes her everywhere and they have such a great time. Through Cary she finally realizes what an entitled POS she is watching him work his ass off to save money for college which never even occurred to her (loved that, needed to happen) but then after such a brilliant day she STILL decides to ditch him for this dumbass play when this precious little angel is standing in front of her. WHY?! I understand it's for plot purposes, but C'MON! It's not like you promised anyone that you were going to this thing. And it was written on the walls that this show was going to be shitty and terrible. What annoys me is I didn't see Mr. Campbell being nearly as shitty as he is. I had a feeling he'd be angry at her for finding him cuz...stalker much, but I thought it would be like a super inappropriate Equus play or something and he'd see her and be like 'this is an invasion of privacy' but it was interesting that he's a complete hack. It would've been even cooler if they were all this underground company scraping by to do something they love but being terrible at it, could've added another layer to the 'you may love it but doesn't mean you can do it for a living' arc, oh well. BUT NO, instead he was immediately a POS to everyone and mad at her for giving her honest opinion. I knew after all that she'd be blackballed, but what annoys me about this is it now isn't her fault. She is now ostracized for being the better person and being honest which is bullshit. After all her shit she deserved the 'see me for student directing' but not because her teacher was a schmuck, but because this isn't her path. It completely robs her of any karma which is super annoying. That being said I did love that she parlays that into creating her own thing and directing her own stuff. I could TOTALLY see her as a kickass director and it was very satisfying to watch her turn down his pity directing, especially after her early tirade of not understanding why anyone would do any meager grunt work as long as it were theater related. So yeah, loved the result, but hated that journey.
Kat running into the celeb from their school I also felt was too convenient, but honestly I still kind of loved it. It again adds to the shimmery perfection of Kat's story, but it was still a fun subversion and kind of set up from the beginning. I liked that she used her for her directing thing at the end. I assumed again she'd play a bigger role in showing Kat you don't have to do things the same way. Again she KIND OF says this, encouraging the girls to go to a legit college and not just laser focus on one thing, but it wasn't as much as I expected. And then in the end she gets the boy and her best friend back no problem, like whelp, so much for growth. By such an easy journey she didn't really learn as much as I wanted and needed from her. She gets to a great ending, but it didn't feel earned. I don't believe for a SECOND that she'd be happy with Stevie getting her dream role. She also needed more realization for all the shit she did to Stevie and less moping and moaning about her supposedly ditching her. I wish she had more push and pull with Cary as well, it could've led to that. Obviously I adore Cary and his golden retriever energy, but there was just not nearly enough conflict.
Stevie meanwhile is almost mugged, tries to keep a dog alive when she's terrified of dogs (though I absolutely love her journey with Brad, so precious), confronts the reality that she's the one keeping people at a distance and the reason she doesn't have a connection with her step siblings and how great they truly are, learns to be more assertive, uses her acting skills in ways she never dreamed were possible, runs around NYC with barely any money and in demon heels, and recognizes that while Kat is a pretty shitty friend at times she also makes some really valid points especially about her father who she finally communicates with. LIKE! YOU TELL ME WHO IT'S HARDER FOR! And in the end, while I adored her sweet moment with Beckett (I loved that through one tiny convo with Kat he realizes she can't have a bday dinner alone and goes to be with her, AGAIN WHO IS THE REAL FRIEND HERE), she doesn't even get the boy in the end. It's a nice subversion, but it is kind of sad that Kat gets basically everything while Stevie's continually shat upon.
But enough about Kat, Stevie's plotline is so freaking good. Every realization and growth throughout the story makes complete sense. I LOVEDDD her moments with her step sibs. Mallory is a bit absurd and TBH Stevie should've told her to fuck off from the get-go, but then we wouldn't have had Brad which would've been a travesty. I adored Matty especially, he's the first one to really see Stevie for who she truly is and I wish we got even more with him. Again, it's hinted at that he realizes her dad can be flakey and a POS, but he never out rightly says it which is kind of annoying. The dad ends up being kind of fine in the end, and certainly gets the yelling from Stevie he deserves (like I genuinely didn't believe him at first when he said he thought she'd be with her mom so he didn't want to bother, c'mon, but I guess he's just oblivious) but that would've been a great time when Matty clearly saw she was crying to push a little and say their dad isn't the most attentive. He could've used his experience with his bio dad as another example as well. Matty saw her so clearly, I understand it's a new relationship, but I kind of wish he called her out even more for keeping things in. It could've been another further realization for her to see Kat does know her and remind her of that relationship. I also loved the whole excursion with Margeaux and the MET, that was hilarious and adorable. Also the designer boots and cashmere socks, especially after blistered heels in NYC all day sound heavenly and so rightly deserved. I knew her party they were all talking about would be the secret party, but it was fun to have everyone together in one space.
I do actually like Stevie's realization that she doesn't have to make decisions in terms of pleasing her father and growing to be more assertive. I didn't love her falling back into acting, especially if it isn't a passion. I would've liked if it were also her passion, but she was trying to be more realistic for her father. That would've been a far better plotline than her being like meh, I like it but I want to be like my dad and realizing that being herself and following her passion is what'll make him proud, not forcing herself into his mold. I also loved that she told him how she felt and he was clearly ashamed at how he'd been neglecting her, even if not purposefully. The whole thing was lovely and I'm just so happy Stevie can have an amazing relationship with her extended family now. Her love story was most definitely with her family so while I wouldn't have minded a rekindling with Beckett, it was definitely not necessary and may have felt a bit too neat. I just love Stevie, she deserves the absolute world and her arc was the shining star of this book.
So yeah, I really did enjoy it for the most part. There's a lot of shit that took me out, like oh, the missing painting Stevie's mom had been searching for ages for was in Cary's possession so now he's going to have plenty of money for college??? C'mon...I literally can't eyeroll hard enough, even though I'm happy for Cary. I feel like Matson just always has a billion ideas rolling around in her brain and instead of honing in on the strongest threads she just throws everything and the kitchen sink to one book when it really doesn't need all that. All of her books have such great bones, but would be so much stronger if she just calmed down and cut the fat. Oh well, still super enjoyable overall. I adore theater and NYC, I related a lot to these characters and certainly had a good time overall.