The Life & (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly

The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly- Jamie Pacton
MacMillan
Release Date: May 5, 2020

Rating:
📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Working as a Wench—i.e. waitress—at a cheesy medieval-themed restaurant in the Chicago suburbs, Kit Sweetly dreams of being a Knight like her brother. She has the moves, is capable on a horse, and desperately needs the raise that comes with knighthood, so she can help her mom pay the mortgage and hold a spot at her dream college.

Company policy allows only guys to be Knights. So when Kit takes her brother’s place, clobbers the Green Knight, and reveals her identity at the end of the show, she rockets into internet fame and a whole lot of trouble with the management. But this Girl Knight won’t go down without a fight. As other Wenches and cast members join her quest, a protest forms. In a joust before Castle executives, they’ll prove that gender restrictions should stay medieval—if they don’t get fired first.

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Kit Sweetly is a medieval history buff, a senior in high school, and a Wench at her local Castle (i.e. a server at a medieval themed restaurant).  But she dreams of being a Knight and jousting like her brother, Chris.  It's cool, it's fun, and it's a better paying job, which would help the family pay bills and college tuition, since Kit just got accepted to a dream college.  But company policy is that only men can be Knights and her boss (also her uncle) is a company man.  Kit takes Chris' place in a joust, beats the Green Knight, and then reveals that she's a girl- a stunt that almost gets her fired but also makes her an internet sensation.  Along with her brother, fellow serving Wenches, and other Castle employees, Kit is determined to change the company culture, challenge gender restrictions, and save the day- if they don't get fired first!

I don't normally read books with a YA label, although I couldn't really tell you why.  I just never really branched out that way.  But when Jen DeLuca (Well Met) tweeted that she was Instagram chatting with Jamie Pacton on all things Ren Faire and mentioned the upcoming Life & (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly, I, of course, needed to know more.  After reading the synopsis, I was hooked.  And good news- the book is just as fun as you think it should be.  Kit Sweetly is full of plans, energy, sass, and the desire for more out of life.  Her dad walked out on the family a few years ago, taking his drug and alcohol addiction with him, but also taking all of their money including college funds.  Now her mom works two jobs and her brother Chris works as a Knight in the Castle- a job he got by training with Kit.  Kit wants to be a Knight too and refuses to accept company policy that only men can be Knights when she knows she's just as capable as any guy.  Kit is known for her plans and when she makes a plan to show Corporate that the public wants equality in the Castle her BFF Layla, BFF/crush Jett, and other members of the Castle join in.  It's a quest of friendship, discovery and empowerment, and if someone doesn't make a movie out of this book they should be slapped.

What I really loved in Kit Sweetly was how the emotions pour off the page without Pacton pushing anything too hard.  You empathize with the characters every step of the way.  You feel Kit's shame and determination as the family has to 'make do' when the power company turns off the electricity over the weekend and she doesn't want her friends to know. You want to shake her over her bad habit of putting off anything bad until later, because she doesn't know how to handle it alone. You share her disgust and fear when the trolls start bashing/threatening her cause.  You want to cry for Kit when the inevitable happens and the group finds out they'll be fired if they go through with their plan and those friendships seem to be broken.  And it's hardly a spoiler to say you'll be cheering as they triumph at the end.  

Kit Sweetly is full of sweet moments, medieval trivia bits, and plenty of humor.  Personal identity to Kit comes down to if you're a decent human being, not how you identify, and that if you work hard and stick together, maybe you can change things.  And that's something everyone should huzzah about.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review