Review: The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton

The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly

by Jamie Pacton 

May 5, 2020
384 pages

Goodreads Summary:

Moxie meets A Knight’s Tale as Kit Sweetly slays sexism, bad bosses, and bad luck to become a knight at a medieval-themed restaurant.

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 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 the Girl Knight won’t go down without a fight. As other wenches 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.

Review

I had a really great time reading The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly. It was the sort of empowering read I imagined it to be with plenty of sweet and heartwarming moments.

The diversity in The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly was awesome. I applaud the author for taking the time to include all sorts of representations. They felt like a natural part of the story with importance that could not be undermined.

I was behind Kit on all the changes she wanted to bring to the Castle. Her conviction and persistence had me believing in her. What I wasn't a fan of was how she deliberately withheld crucial information from her friends. For all that she advocated, she should've been truthful with them. They trusted her so it was disappointing to see Kit not reciprocating. At least she felt guilty and eventually righted her wrong.

The will-they-won't-they vibe between Kit and Jett was strong. It was clear they were into each other- Kit's feelings were pretty easy to see through and Jett went above and beyond multiple times to help Kit in her Girl Knight mission. I waited patiently for their relationship to progress and was rewarded with a dorky sweet romance.

My one complaint about The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly was its hasty ending. Given how much Kit struggled to bring equality to the Castle throughout the entire book the resolution felt way too in-your-face. Don't get me wrong, it was nice to see Kit and her friends achieve their goal, I just wish it was more convincing.

With plenty of diverse characters and real issues The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly was powerful and meaningful. It's a book for all!

*I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the ARC I received.