Review: Finally Fitz
Finally Fitz
by Marisa Kanter
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024
Category: Young Adult
Reviewer: Rebecca Greer
Buy at Bookshop.org
Ava “Fitz” Fitzgerald is thrilled to be spending the summer in New York City. She has her girlfriend Dani, a prestigious class at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology), and her followers on Instagram with “If the Shoe Fitz.” However, it all quickly starts going downhill; her girlfriend breaks up with her, and she’s suffering a creative block, unsure of what her brand is. She decides instead to connect with Tess, one of her three sisters, and the only one living in New York. Fitz started her Instagram account to try to keep in touch with her older sisters and used them as inspiration to repurpose their abandoned clothes. In an ‘only in New York’ experience she runs into her childhood best friend, Levi Berkowitz, on the subway. Since Levi was also recently dumped, they hatch a rom-com plan to fake date to get their exes back. In true rom-com style they get caught up in their feelings for one another instead, as it becomes clear they won’t be getting back with their exes. One thing that helps connect Fitz to Levi is their Jewish background, even though she often doesn't "feel Jewish enough." Levi’s love for plants makes him adorably nerdy and passionate, something that is irresistible to Fitz who often makes her own feelings small. Fitz struggles to be honest with herself and others about what she needs, leading to discussions about mental health. This is a sweet romance and a love letter to adventures traveling around New York City.
The Jewish representation is extremely authentic and real. As it says in the book, there are a lot of "complicated Jewish feelings... every Jewish person I know has felt either too much or not enough. It's the universal Jewish experience." The text dives into the question of what it means to be Jewish, but has no answers, as that is for each individual to figure out. There's no specific Jewish community indicated, though the teens go to a Reform synagogue for Shabbat. The Jewish content is integral, as it continues one of the central themes of the story; imposter syndrome. The main character's connection with Judaism is brought up repeatedly throughout the text and feels natural. Since the main character has a casual relationship with her religion, she is also learning about facets of Judiasm which in turn will help non-Jewish readers learn. It can teach some basics about Judiasm to help increase the reader's understanding of the Jewish experience, mainly when it comes to Shabbat.
Ava “Fitz” Fitzgerald is thrilled to be spending the summer in New York City. She has her girlfriend Dani, a prestigious class at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology), and her followers on Instagram with “If the Shoe Fitz.” However, it all quickly starts going downhill; her girlfriend breaks up with her, and she’s suffering a creative block, unsure of what her brand is. She decides instead to connect with Tess, one of her three sisters, and the only one living in New York. Fitz started her Instagram account to try to keep in touch with her older sisters and used them as inspiration to repurpose their abandoned clothes. In an ‘only in New York’ experience she runs into her childhood best friend, Levi Berkowitz, on the subway. Since Levi was also recently dumped, they hatch a rom-com plan to fake date to get their exes back. In true rom-com style they get caught up in their feelings for one another instead, as it becomes clear they won’t be getting back with their exes. One thing that helps connect Fitz to Levi is their Jewish background, even though she often doesn't "feel Jewish enough." Levi’s love for plants makes him adorably nerdy and passionate, something that is irresistible to Fitz who often makes her own feelings small. Fitz struggles to be honest with herself and others about what she needs, leading to discussions about mental health. This is a sweet romance and a love letter to adventures traveling around New York City.
The Jewish representation is extremely authentic and real. As it says in the book, there are a lot of "complicated Jewish feelings... every Jewish person I know has felt either too much or not enough. It's the universal Jewish experience." The text dives into the question of what it means to be Jewish, but has no answers, as that is for each individual to figure out. There's no specific Jewish community indicated, though the teens go to a Reform synagogue for Shabbat. The Jewish content is integral, as it continues one of the central themes of the story; imposter syndrome. The main character's connection with Judaism is brought up repeatedly throughout the text and feels natural. Since the main character has a casual relationship with her religion, she is also learning about facets of Judiasm which in turn will help non-Jewish readers learn. It can teach some basics about Judiasm to help increase the reader's understanding of the Jewish experience, mainly when it comes to Shabbat.
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Rebecca
Greer is currently a High School Library Media Specialist for Manatee
School for the Arts. In her previous life, she was a Young Adult
Librarian for almost ten years where she specialized in running
large-scale programs, including Teen Lit Fest, an author festival in
Tampa, FL. Rebecca writes book reviews for School Library Journal
focusing on books for Young Adults, and several of her programs have
been published in "Think Big!: A Resource Manual for Teen Library
Programs That Attract Large Audiences".
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