Beck Brix knows who she is. She’s the Hot ‘n Crusty Bathroom Baby. She’s the Pizza Princess. She’s a minor celebrity in her small town, where her mother, at nine months pregnant, decided she wanted pizza. Beck chose that moment to make her appearance in the world, so her mother ended up giving birth on the floor of the restaurant’s bathroom, on top of one of the tablecloths, before the ambulance could arrive.
The owner of the pizza place, Del, welcomed Beck back in to the restaurant shortly afterward, promising her a job at Hot ‘n Crusty when she turns 16 and free pizza for life. She and her parents had returned every year for her birthday for the photo opportunity, and this year, Beck’s sixteenth, is no exception. But this year, all Beck can think is: no more.
No more Hot ‘n Crusty Bathroom Baby. No more photo opportunities and yearly features on the news. No more sitting in a booth, feet on the sticky floor, while her mother cries, remembering the day she was born. And definitely no job here. Beck doesn’t know where she wants to work, but she knows it’s not here.
Beck’s best friends don’t need jobs—their parents can afford to give them nice cars and plenty of spending cash. But Beck’s father is a middle school teacher, so she needs the job. But after putting in applications every place she can think of, she is faced with a problem. The only job she can get is the one that’s offered to her on the pizza tray. So Beck swallows her pride and accepts Del’s offer of a job.
On Beck’s first night, she puts on her polyester Hot ‘n Crusty t-shirt and takes her place at the registers to learn her new job. She recognizes most of the crew from school, even though they’re not close. And then the night is over, a blur of customers, marinara sauce, learning the registers, delivering drinks to tables, wiping down menus, and growing in respect for the crew who did this all the time.
As the weeks go by, Beck misses football games and hangouts with her school friends in order to work and spend time with her HNC friends. She learns that she shares a nerdy fandom for a sci-fi show with the guys. She learns that the boy she had a crush on not only is interested in someone else, but he also doesn’t like the Beatles. She learns that she likes working at Hot ‘n Crusty, that there is a part of her that belongs there. And she learns that she likes Tristan, the quiet delivery guy who is learning to make furniture.
And then she loses it all.
If Beck wants to have any chance of getting her friends to forgive her for what she did—and if she wants to forgive herself—she’s going to have to embrace who she is, even the parts of herself that she doesn’t like, and move forward as a complete person to life the live she wants.
It’s Kind of a Cheesy Love Story is a fun ya book about finding yourself before you can find love. It is a romance, but it’s also a light-hearted story of a sixteen-year-old trying to figure out who she is and who she wants to be. Author Lauren Morrill has crafted a perfectly balanced story of high school life. There are laughs and tears, friendships and fights, crushes and heartbreak. And lots and lots of pizza.
I loved every cheesy moment of this book. It’s Kind of a Cheesy Love Story was fun and engaging, with likable characters and a creative plot. If you’re looking for a book with big heart and warmth, corny jokes and honesty, then It’s Kind of a Cheesy Love Story may be just what you need.
Egalleys for It’s Kind of a Cheesy Story were provided by Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group through NetGalley, with many thanks.
