In the Role of Brie Hutchens... by Nicole Melleby

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Introducing Brie Hutchens: soap opera super fan, aspiring actor, and so-so student at her small Catholic school. Brie has big plans for eighth grade. She’s going to be the star of the school play and convince her parents to let her go to the performing arts high school. But when Brie’s mom walks in on her accidentally looking at some possibly inappropriate photos of her favorite actress, Brie panics and blurts out that she’s been chosen to crown the Mary statue during her school’s May Crowning ceremony. Brie’s mom is distracted with pride—but Brie’s in big trouble: she has not been chosen. No one has. Worse, Brie has almost no chance to get the job, which always goes to a top student.

Desperate to make her lie become truth, Brie turns to Kennedy, the girl everyone expects to crown Mary. But sometimes just looking at Kennedy gives Brie butterflies. Juggling her confusing feelings with the rapidly approaching May Crowning, not to mention her hilarious non-star turn in the school play, Brie navigates truth and lies, expectations and identity, and how to—finally—make her mother really see her as she is. The original publication date was April 21st, but was changed to June 30th.

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I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I haven't thought about General Hospital or All My Children in years! I remember coming home from school and doing homework while my mom "watched her soaps." If she wasn't going to be home for one, she had several blank VHS tapes that she would record them on (showing my age here, haha). Once those were full, she'd record over the older episodes, and then the process would repeat itself. Some of the scenes Brie described were familiar to me, even after all this time.

I really liked that General Hospital was something Brie shared with her mom, because it added an unexpected parallel to my own life. Like Brie, I didn't have the best relationship with my mother. I never felt like she saw me, or looked at me like I was someone she liked. I've been told my entire life that I'm "different." I stopped putting a huge emphasis on church and religion when I started college (church is a Big Deal for my parents), and living a vegan lifestyle is something they've constantly criticized. We've never agreed on politics, we fight when they make racist or homophobic comments, and they often wonder aloud where they "went wrong" with me. Brie's situation wasn't the same as mine, and she was also much younger (8th grade) than I was when dealing with parental disapproval, but her character really resonated with me. It's hard to figure out who you are when people are telling you who you're supposed to be.

My one complaint with this book would be its secondary characters. I really liked Parker, Wallace, and Kennedy, but wish they'd been fleshed out a little more. We barely scratched the surface of who they were, and I think knowing more about them would've added to the overall story. I also wanted to know more about Trevor (her brother), since he seemed to be totally okay with her personal preferences, but was always in his room or elsewhere when something important happened.

I felt bad for Brie and her confusion. She goes to a Catholic school, and has been taught from the start that her feelings are wrong. However, some of the teachers had surprising reactions to Brie's eventual confession. It just shows you that people can choose to be accepting despite how they were raised, or what their own personal beliefs might me. I also felt bad for Brie's parents, and how hard they had to work to keep their family going financially. Sometimes people lose their jobs, and it makes life hard for everyone. I think the author did a wonderful job of portraying that particular strain on top of everything else. Most parents want to give their children the world, and they will run themselves ragged to do so. Brie's were no exception. It took her a little while to be more appreciative and less selfish, but the transition was believable and happened naturally. It's okay for Brie to want what she wants, but she also needed to be aware of what it cost her parents.

I loved Brie's desire to be an actress, and her willingness to put herself out there to achieve those dreams. She learned a lot about herself throughout the course of this book, and I'm happy I was able to go on this journey with her. It was very authentically portrayed, and I thoroughly enjoyed the overall experience. Brie herself isn't perfect. She's trying to figure out what she likes, who she likes, and how to navigate her confused feelings while also enduring her parent's silence. I hated that she felt like there was no one she could talk to, and I'm glad she finally found her voice at the end. I think there are a lot of hard truths presented in this book, and I do think Brie's story will have a positive impact on people's lives.

In the Role of Brie Hutchens... might not be a book that I personally read again, but it's definitely a book I will keep on my shelves. Who knows? Maybe one day it will be a story one of my monsters needs to hear. (★★★★☆)