Finally Fitz

It’s been a while since I truly whipped through a book without taking a moment to stop and think on the craft that went into creating it. That’s a consequence of doing this job plus being a writer. I see a lot of plot “surprises” coming from a mile away, and I’m often so distracted by examining the bones of a book I forget to enjoy how the writer has fleshed them out. So it’s saying something pretty significant when I tell you that I binged Marisa Kanter’s new YA romance Finally Fitz faster that a new Netflix drop. I would have finished it in a single sitting, but I do have other responsibilities, and they rudely interrupted me several times. 

The title character Of Finally Fitz is Ava Fitzgetald, a teen Instagram fashion influencer, who goes by the name of Fitz. Thanks to her trendy up cycling and large fan base, she is in NYC for the summer completing an intense program at FIT, learning how to sustainably scale up her brand. The main problem in this idyllic scenario is that her girlfriend, and also roommate for the summer, unceremoniously dumps her right before the program starts. In the most awkward living situation ever, the now ex-girlfriend also starts dating their mutual third roommate. A heartbroken Fitz can barely think, yet alone create, so when she fortuitously runs into her long lost best friend Levi Berkowitz on the 1 train he seems to be the solution to all her problems. Fitz quickly hatches a fake dating plot to make both their respective exes jealous and Levi, who is mostly in this for the help he will receive on rescuing plants, reluctantly agrees. 

The chance meet cute on the subway reminded me of how Finally Fitz came into my possession. I actually emailed the publisher, explaining the concept of BookishlyJewish, and asked for a different title. They very kindly provided that title (a review of it is forthcoming) and inquired if I might like to try Finally Fitz too. Indeed thoughtful publicist, I would. 

The thing is – not every book is on my radar. I’m small enough that most big five publishers are not exactly sending me their catalogues to peruse, and even if they did, I usually have no way to know which ones have Jewish content unless someone, ANYONE, tells me. This is why I rely so heavily on the suggest a book form and my fellow bloggers, writers, and readers who often share this information about their favorite reads with me. Still books can slip through the cracks- like this one almost did. 

Which is actually pretty ironic, because Fitz’s perfectionism and anxiety have her worrying on the page about whether she’s Jewish enough to attend a reform Shabbat service with Levi. I bet she’d be worried her book didn’t belong on the website. It’s a reflection of what I have often noted- Judaism can sometimes magnify our internal mental struggles to the point where some people stop engaging with it, rather than worry about if they are doing it right. Those people need a Levi in their lives. He shows Fitz such kind and caring compassion that she can’t help but find herself developing some more than friendly feelings towards him. 

The romance is low heat, nothing more than kissing, so it’s perfect for those YA readers that enjoy a good swoon but don’t want sex on the page. This adult reader enjoyed it quite a bit too. The focus was on Fitz reconciling with herself rather than someone else magically fixing her with their love. As someone intimately familiar with how mental health can block a person from creating, I really appreciated the message and thought it was relevant for all ages of reader. 

Teenagerhood clearly looks a lot different now than when I went through it. We had no phones to build “platforms” on, and my parents were nervous to let me ride the train into Manhattan let alone spend an entire summer there unsupervised, but Kanter gives a realistic picture of what growing up this way might do to a person. The realities of being a social media personality are universal and cross age borders – and I don’t even post photos or have a huge following. Finally Fitz is also quintessentially a NYC book, with many familiar locations and outings. Locals will enjoy the references. 

I sank into this book for so many reasons, and I didn’t pause to think over how I would frame it, or what angle I needed to take in the review. Much like Fitz, I learned to just enjoy the ride. I’m still struggling with waiting for the other part of my art and creativity to return, it’ll take as long as it takes I guess, but this post was easy to write. That is no small gift from a novel. 

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