Publishers Weekly
01/11/2021
Being the “Hot ’N Crusty Bathroom Baby” is 16-year-old Beck Brix’s claim to fame, and the bane of her existence. Even the local news covered her birth on a pizza parlor ladies’ room floor, and “no one grows out of anything in a small town”—especially when she takes a job at the Hot ’N Crusty to cover gas, car insurance, and her fancy friend group’s weekend shopping trips. But it’s not so bad; she starts to feel more comfortable with the pizza crew than with her cool school friends, and more able to let out her inner nerd. Plus, the brusque delivery guy, Tristan, is kind of cute. Morrill (Better than the Best Plan) makes Brix believable and likable, and gives her a distinct voice (she nearly “melts into a puddle of Beck” when her hunky crush sits next to her), even as she knows she should say hello to her co-worker at school—and doesn’t. It’s unfortunate, though, that Beck’s big lesson on being true to herself is largely courtesy of Tristan rather than her own exploration. Ages 14–up. Agent: Stephen Barbara, InkWell Management. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
Lauren Morrill serves up a delicious rom-com that’s oozing with humor, heart, and some serious heat. I’d like an extra large helping of It’s Kind of a Cheesy Love Story—it has a pizza my heart.” — Elizabeth Eulberg, international bestselling author of Better Off Friends
“Wildly hilarious and totally heartwarming, Lauren Morrill’s It’s Kind of a Cheesy Love Story packs in the laughs and the swoons in a story about friendship, love, and choosing your destiny. It’s like a perfect pizza pie...warm, sweet, and begging to be shared with everyone next to you.” — Eric Smith, author of Don’t Read the Comments
“Lauren Morrill once again proves that she is the master of the contemporary story, equal parts heartwarming and fun. And yes, it will make you want to order pizza.” — Rachel Strolle, Teen Services Coordinator, Glenside Public Library District
"Tasty and not too cheesy: all the ingredients for a satisfying read." — Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
2020-12-22
Sixteen-year-old Beck Brix has the dubious distinction of having been born on the bathroom floor of the Hot ’N Crusty Pizza restaurant.
This accident of birth causes her no end of unwanted publicity, not to mention making her the butt of endless bad cheese and pizza puns. Despite being given free pies for life and an offer of guaranteed employment by the manager of the restaurant in return for the excellent publicity Beck and her family unwittingly provided, she is thoroughly tired of her ill-fated connection with Hot ’N Crusty. Beck yearns to escape her mundane hometown existence and sees her new friendships with popular, pretty people—including her crush, Mac—as a way out. Her resentment at having to work while her friends hang out is compounded by discovering a painful personal betrayal. When disaster strikes the restaurant, Beck’s unusual connection to her workplace gives her a unique opportunity to help. Beck’s family’s dynamics, her self-deprecating personality, and her mental anguish around relationships, together with some hilarious high school scenes, a priceless dumpster fail, and the typical roller-coaster ride of teen drama, all contribute to a heartwarming story that is a quick and thoroughly enjoyable read. Main characters are White.
Tasty and not too cheesy: all the ingredients for a satisfying read. (Fiction. 14-18)
