[Review] My Kind of Crazy - Robin Reul

Summary: Despite the best of intentions, seventeen-year old, wisecracking Hank Kirby can't quite seem to catch a break. It's not that he means to screw things up all the time, it just happens. A lot. Case in point: his attempt to ask out the girl he likes literally goes up in flames when he spells "Prom" in sparklers on her lawn...and nearly burns down her house.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Peyton Breedlove, a brooding loner and budding pyromaniac, witnesses the whole thing. Much to Hank's dismay, Peyton takes an interest in him-and his "work." The two are thrust into an unusual friendship, but their boundaries are tested when Hank learns that Peyton is hiding some dark secrets, secrets that may change everything he thought he knew about Peyton.
(Pub Date: Apr 5th, 2016)

Thanks to Netgalley, this ARC received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Hank is in trouble when, trying to invite popular Amanda to the prom with a big gesture, it turns out to be a big fire and one weird girl happens to see it all. What is the deal with Peyton, who enjoys fire a little too much and thinks he is a kindred spirit?

This was fun. But unlike I expected, this was also a serious story about teenagers having to deal with real problems, such as an alchoholic parent and abusive families. All that tempered with bizarre situations, like Amanda making a  quiz to find out who burned her house, as she thinks it was very romantic.

I think Hank is very sweet. He might have been a little too blind to notice Peyton's feelings when they were rather clear from the first scene but he is still a very sweet guy. I love one of the answers he gives to Amanda's quiz, when he says he doesn't have money so he'd take her on his bike. I confess his choice of words melted my heart.

Peyton was also a very good character. She really knew how to have fun despite all. And I enjoyed how the author built it up until we finally found out what was really going on with her. Part of me was relieved with the answer—though I had already guessed it, I had another possible explanation I didn't enjoy even a little bit.

As I read, I would find that all of the other characters had something entertaining to them, I kept chuckling at the ironies and simply funny details present in the text.

On one hand, the author knew to give depth to what might have a purely entertaining topic: there was already enough for a very nice and light-hearted story. On the other, I was worried about the closure to Peyton's story. It is justa  detail but I do think she needed to be taken more seriously. For most of the book I couldn't decide if she was just having fun, but at a point I did think she needed help. I don't want to spoil anyone and I want to clarify Peyton does get some sort of help but I think she needed more. But that is really my only complaint.

This was a great book I feel like recommend even to those who are not that into the YA genre. It's not something I do with frequency.  

Rating: 4 out of 5