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It's Kind of a Cheese Love Story is a YA romance story by Lauren Morrill. I happened to win it in a Goodreads giveaway because yeah, I'm awesome like that.
After her mother gave birth to her in the bathroom of a local pizzeria, Beck Brix been given the dubious privilege of having minor fame, free pizza for life, and a guaranteed job when she turns sixteen—a job she unfortunately can't afford to turn down.
Stuck with her geeky co-workers instead of taking Instagram-ready shots with her wealthy, photogenic friends, Beck finally realizes what she's spent her whole life trying to hide: that Hot 'n Crusty is a part of her.
Then disaster strikes the beloved pizza parlor that's become like home, and Beck realizes that it takes losing something to really know what it's worth.
This is the first published YA romance story I've ever read. Why? Because honesty, I prefer other aspects going on with my romance. But I figured I would at least try it, and honestly... I don't expect anything in this genre to get over three stars but dang, the gushy fluff can be fun xD
Let me put this simply: I've always been one to enjoy silly Disney Channel rom-coms and Hallmark Christmas movies. I live for that adorable, silly fluff. And yes, I did enjoy this book mostly because it delivered so much of what those have. It calls itself a cheesy love story, and not for a second does it try to pretend to be anything else.
I always enjoy stories where the character is caught up by two parts of themselves, and that is very true with Beck. Definitely a lot of self-discovery going on between her dorky self and the person she thinks her "normal" friends want her to be. As someone who struggled a lot as a tomboy who also liked some girly things, I can relate (look, I denied liking Hannah Montana purely because I thought it was too girly for me despite actually liking it). So it was a fun dynamic to watch be explored, and it ended up a lot less toxic than I feared.
Yay for not tearing down one group to lift up another group!
The romance admittedly felt like it started just for the sake of "hey, you guys need to start liking each other" without any real rhyme or reason why. Still, cute enough, and I don't have too much expectations for the romance claiming itself to be cheesy. The romance almost felt more like a tool to the character growth, so I was good just having cheese be the main driving factor.
Overall, a cute tale with likable characters and the good ole cheesy but enjoyable message of "be yourself." *throws a 3 stars on it*
