[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Winnie loves comedy. She grew up watching I Love Lucy and Abbott and Costello sketches. She even thought about doing stand up, but that was before her bat mitzvah. After bombing at her own party, Winnie has sworn off performing ever again.
Winnie’s dad is her comedy idol. He’s been having some weird symptoms lately like randomly dropping things and some slurred speech that has her concerned. Then her parents tell her – the doctors think her dad has ALS.
A cute guy and the need for a distraction from her dad’s health lead Winnie to a meeting of the school’s improv group. Even though she is clueless about many of their routines, when a sketch clicks, she starts making people laugh. Winnie begins to feel at home on stage and in front of an audience again. But at the same time, so many other things start to fall apart. Suddenly she finds herself all alone with more questions than answers and more crying than laughing.
Review
This is a solid contemporary YA story. There are friend pieces and boyfriend/crush pieces. Winnie’s dad’s illness and the impact on their family is of course a huge piece of the story. And then the comedy pieces – from the improv group to using humor to mask fear and pain – work in as well. Through it all, Winnie shines.
The core of the book is the family story. From hiding the initial diagnosis to shielding Winnie from the grim prognosis to a big blow up in a public spot, the family is struggling. Hurts from the past get drawn in, and the whole thing shakes Winnie’s foundations. And while she’s dealing with all that, her relationships at school change too, leaving her feeling alone and lost.
Winnie is remarkably resilient through it all. I loved that she wasn’t immediately amazing at improv. She struggled. Everyone knew it. Some people took advantage of it. I liked the layers that added to the story. Ultimately her improv group has her back, which might have been my favorite part of the whole story.
There’s some humor here, but also a ton of heart! (Language, LGBTQ+)