Book Review: Hot Mess - Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- Charity Harvey
- May 10
- 5 min read
Does anyone else still love reading comics? I've always read comics since I was a kid. I began with the classic Archie comics, and once I became a librarian, I kept reading more comics and graphic novels as well. I remember when the very first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book came out. It turned into a bestseller fast! I'm sure everyone is familiar with it at this point! It has been made into multiple films now, and the series continues with no end in sight. I must confess, I still read this series every time a new one is added to the Jasmine Digital Library! It still cracks me up to this day! Maybe it is because I'm still a big kid myself, but this author's sense of humor and mine just line up.
The main character, Greg Heffley, is constantly getting himself into trouble with his antics, and the jokes remind me of my childhood. But the book also relates to things that still happen as an adult. It's just hilarious! So I had to read and review the newest one. This is number 19 in the series, and I'm not sure how the author keeps coming up with plots, but this is one of his better ones. I will include clips from the book, as this one has been published since the end of last year, so no spoilers here! And if you do love reading comics, you'll enjoy these little snippets! I do have to put a Disclaimer here as part of the Fair Use Act (Section 107 of Title 17 of US Code): I am posting some images from Hot Mess by Jeff Kinney that are copyrighted for the purpose of commentary only. Images are from Jasmine Digital, Goodreads, and also from Amazon sample pages. I do not own any of these images. Now, on to the review!
The basic plot of the story is this: Greg is stuck going on a family vacation to the beach with his extended family. Some of you are already cringing right now. We all love our families, you know? But at the same time, the thought of sharing a beach house with 20+ people for an extended amount of time is bound to cause some problems, am I right? Of course I'm right, because that is exactly what happens to Greg!
You see, the matriarch of the family, Gramma, has told everyone that she wants them to recreate a family portrait at the beach they used to vacation at years ago. It is a place called Ruttyneck Island. How does Gramma have so much pull that everyone agrees to this? Because she makes the best meatballs in the family, of course. And with everyone trying to impress her and earn her secret recipe, they are willing to do anything to please her.
This absolutely cracked me up! Any woman knows that there is always that one person who will not share their secret recipe and you'd think it is more valuable than gold. The fact that Gramma uses this to "control" the family was so funny to me because as an adult to likes to cook, I can relate. I know some other ladies can relate as well! We don't like to admit it, but a lot of times, it's true: the best cook rules the family. And we'd do anything to get their recipes. But sometimes, they won't share. Because that is the house you go to for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
I love that line at the bottom of page 5. Gramma knows she got the POWER and she is not giving it up!
Well, once the family all arrives at the beach vacation house, chaos ensues. Everyone is fighting over which room to sleep in, who gets to shower first, what to watch on tv, and so on. It's too relatable! There is also a little side plot about an Aunt who has a pet dog that she has made social media famous and it is ruining their lives. It made me chuckle because we see that in real life! People begin stalking her and the dog, and she's trying to hide out on the island to get away from obsessed fans. Makes you reconsider wanting to be famous, right?
The more time Greg spends with his family, the more trouble he manages to get into. He also starts to learn some secrets about his family that he wished he hadn't. Again, makes you reconsider asking too many questions at the family reunion! The more I read the story, the more I also realized how Gramma was making those secret meatballs of hers. I'm sure you can all guess, but no spoilers here! But the way Greg and the family find out the truth is hilarious. You really need to get this book and read it with your kids! You will all have a good laugh!
There are some hidden gems of jokes for parents in this story. Like this little clip from page 106. What adult doesn't relate to being stuck on a diet and really wanting to just eat whatever we want? I'm sure most of you reading this are on some sort of diet right now. Just like me. I'm on Greg's side, though.
Yes Greg, it is worth it. There was also a nod to Prince Harry and his recent memoir on page 116. I think this would go over some kids' heads, but the parents know exactly what this is referring to.
Again, maybe it is just me and my childlike sense of humor, but stuff like this cracks me up. I blaze through these books in an hour or less because I can't wait to see what Greg is going to do next.
As I said at the beginning of the review, if you like comics and a good laugh, you need to find this book! Read it with your kids or grandkids, or go babysit someone's kids and read it with them! Or you can be like me and check in out online and read it all by yourself. I do think it would be a really fun one to read with reluctant readers. You could even practice reading skills by taking turns reading portions aloud with each other. I did that growing up and it improved my reading skills tremendously!
I hope you find this book and review humorous and got a little chuckle or a good laugh out of it. As always, happy reading!