A Good Kind of Crazy

by Majken Selinder Nilsson

Kat Anderson's familiar existence begins to unravel on her 43rd birthday, even before her husband's infidelity comes to light. Deciding to leave her old life behind in search of her former self, she finds it revisiting her past career as a caterer on a TV set in the mountains of Canada. Can Kat overcome her past hurts in order to cook up some romance with the star of the show?

Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2021

About the author

After a particularly difficult year, Majken (pronounced “My-ken”) Selinder Nilsson started writing novels as a way to safely and legally deal with an extremely stressful period in her life, finding during the process that she really enjoyed and had a knack for it. Though becoming an author was never in her plans, it was not surprising, however, as Ms. Nilsson has always had a vividly active imagination, having not only one but two imaginary friends as a child. Even as an adult, her characters come to life in her head and their personal stories often flow out faster than she can type. In just nine months, she had written two full-length manuscripts, including extensive research, and started a third.

A native Nevadan from a small town, who also spent some time living in her ancestral home of Sweden, Ms. Selinder Nilsson is now a transplanted Southerner, where she lives with her very understanding family, who accepts that she stays up way too late writing, and all of whom are now used to calling her name several times to get her attention whenever she is in front of her computer.

Reviews

[David Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a regular reader of romance novels, but as I'd heard good things about this debut novelist, I thought I'd give it a go. Regardless of the genre, for me, an enjoyable read means good character development. I want more than Dick ran up the hill and Jill followed. I want to understand what Jack wanted and why Jill followed him in the first place (even if they don't...yet). The author does this extremely well. The main character, Kat has a very well defined character arc. She's lived her life for others: her husband, her children and even her parents. As the story progresses, she moves, with fits and starts, from a dependent housewife with no self-esteem to a powerful woman who knew what (and who) she wants in her life. I was barely into the book before I was cheering for Ian (the soon-to-be-famous actor and hunky guy by all accounts), cursing James (Kat's husband) and wishing that the familiar horror experienced by Kat would lead to a HEA or some serious retribution! I got my wish, but I won't spoil it for you by letting on which outcome it was. When you start to feel you "know" the characters, you know you're in for a treat. Ms. Nilsson takes her cast of characters (and the reader) on an emotional ride, full of potholes, but softened with liberal doses of love. Despite the plot twists, the story flows smoothly and is easy to follow. I especially appreciated this during a very busy week when I could only devote snippets of time to read. This is not your mother's romance novel. There's more reality in this love story than romances of old. Bitter realities, conflicting emotions and the age of the characters shine new light on the genre. I definitely recommend this story. Very well done, Ms. Nilsson and I'm looking forward to your next one.

[KrispyMac · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Kind of Crazy is not the usual type of book I read, but don't let the adult fairytale-like romance get in the way of what turned out to be an interesting examination of longterm relationships, judgment, Southern culture, and the expectations placed on women. The book feels well researched so that it offers the reader a solid sense of place and realism.

My only complaint about the book is directed at the author's press: The death of print was markedly exaggerated. Spend some time honing the cover and fine-tuning the editing. The work of this author deserves better attention and marketing.

[Isabell (Taylor’s Version) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 Stars ✨

Thanks to Booktasters and the author for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Light spoilers ahead.






To be completely honest, I have mixed feelings about A good kind of crazy. Here’s why:

How do you cope when you suddenly find out that your spouse has been cheating on you?
Well, that’s what 43-year old Kat has to decide when she finds out about her husband's affair in the cruellest way possible.
What I enjoyed was that the story did not start with the cheating (or revelation of it). We get to see their normal day to day life; which is not bad, just somehow predictable and a bit boring after over 20 years together. Kat has been a stay at home mum for their three kids. Now that all but one child has left the nest, Kat realises that she has been mothering her husband James, who‘s allegedly been pulling lots of late nights at the office during the last year. She does not admit it properly, but she has put her dreams aside to be a mum and to support James and his dreams. James has also not been very appreciative of Kat of late and forgets even the most basic things (e.g. her birthday). But still, they have been each other’s best friends for the last 20 years and Kat loves him. Just when things seem to get better and Kat feels like she and James are closer than ever, Kat finds out about his affair and her world shatters.

I enjoyed how the author handled the whole process of sadness, madness and grief. Kat is not sure what to do. Take her husband back? Try again? Forgive him? Or leave?

After trying her best to salvage the marriage and failing (after she has learned about another betrayal of James), Kat decides that she has to get away from everything. Luckily, her best friend owns a catering service in LA and needs someone to help her prepare food for a tv show. Filming will start very soon and they have to leave for Canada. On set, Kat meets charismatic lead actor Ian, who soon turns out to be more interested in Kat than the food she is preparing.

As I said, I enjoyed reading about the so-called calm before the storm. The revelation and aftermath of the affair also got under my skin. The desperation and sadness were very well written.

What annoyed me though was the fact that Kat just left without saying goodbye to her son, who was 3 months away from graduating high school. I get that Kat decided she couldn’t stay with James, but I think it is pretty disturbing for a child to have a parent just leave them like that. To just leave the country and abandon them. She could have stayed at her parent's house or gotten a flat and still been there for her kid. I know, 18-year-olds are adults, but that must have been pretty upsetting: learning that your parents are separating (a few months before you are going away to college) while you are having exams and your mum just disappears to another country. That’s a shitty thing to do. I get why he was upset with her and Ian in the end. I would have been upset too.

I also didn’t like the fact that as soon as the romance with Ian starts, Kat is comparing everything to her marriage and figured out that she never loved her husband? And she tells him that when he wants her back? Ma‘am, first of all: ouch. That’s cold. Second of all, of course a new love feels better than your old one. Don’t get me wrong: I am 100% supportive of her decision to leave. But please don’t invalidate your past relationship like that. You can admit that you loved someone, that the love is gone and that you now love someone else. But I don’t know, it just felt weird and unnecessarily mean to deny the love you once felt for a person.

I am also sad to say it, but Ian and her relationship felt like instant love, and I didn’t like that. It also felt pretty shallow (to me). Also, everything happens in three months and that is just too soon for my taste. Everything in her new relationship felt rushed.
What I did enjoy was the message that even women in their forties can be sexy and deserve love and romance and happiness. I support that. I just don’t like that everything went so fast. The engagement made me cringe. Asking her in front of her whole family made me uncomfortable. I didn’t like that at all.

I think I would have enjoyed it more if the book had been separated into not one but two books. Book one: Kat finds out about the affair (that’s already ~100 pages), she tries to save the marriage, can’t do it, moves out, tries to find out who she is on her own, finalises the divorce, sets new goals for herself and learns to love her single life.
Then book two would begin one or two years later: her meeting Ian, falling in love and the whole subplot of their relationship.
In my opinion, that would have been much more realistic and also nicer. As of now, the book dragged on in some parts. A different structure would have helped with that.


The last thing I’d like to comment on is the writing style. While it was fine for the most part, the author should try to work on using more showing and less telling. It felt like a lot of things were explained in detail, but they did not make me feel anything. Sometimes the dialogue felt forced and kind of unnatural.
Also, I get it: Kat is from the South. But I was so annoyed that she constantly used: „Y'ALL“. I get it. It’s a southern phrase. But 113 times in 620 pages is too many y’all’s.

All in all, a good kind of crazy is a nice enough story with a good message and lots of potential. Just because I didn’t love it doesn’t mean that no one else will. I am sure that lots of people can identify with Kat‘s story and will love the romance aspect. I just wasn’t a fan personally.

[Jacquie Bosma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the sort of book that feels like a big, inviting plate of mac and cheese: comforting, yummy, warm.

Selinder Nilsson weaves together characters that feel familiar in their imperfections. The story pacing is great; I kept coming back to this one to see what happened next. In some places, the dialogue feels stiff and generic, and I wanted more "sparkle" in places - but, again, it's because she's created such a believable cast of characters!

This is a great, fun read.

[Adado Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read and a great first book for the year.

I liked Kat's growth throughout the book. Kat lived for everyone around her for the longest time without thinking about herself. First for James she gave up everything for him to focus on his career, then she became a mom with three kids and lived for James and the kids. She was comfortable with doing it I think she enjoyed looking after people but James dearest said nope she's boring she doesn't have What I need but I can't leave here because I enjoy being taken care of. James is an ass hat and I thoroughly dislike him both nice James and nasty James. I can't believe some of the things he said to his suppose "everything " , I won't even talk about it because when I remember James I'm enraged, have to remind myself that he's a fictional character 😂😂. I was so pleased when she left and I enjoyed her friendship with Jen, the one person that always loved her for who she was, it's a wonderful thing to have that one person with whom you can truly be yourself without fear of judgement. Ian 😍😍 is my soulmate that's all I will say. His definition of marriage and children is everything, if there anything I took away from this book it's definitely that . For Lydia I'll say she's a strong and brave woman who chose to not remain a victim, to not let her past define her, she grew beyond her trauma and became a victor even though her past hindered her in some ways she overcame it. I like how the book portrays the need for support systems, I think we all need one, Kat might never have left James if she had no one to hold her, talk to her and help her find her way, same with Ian being Lydia's support. A book worth reading and I greatly enjoyed it thank you @majken nilsson

[Isabella libreros · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of mixed feelings, loneliness, self-love, enemies to lovers, plot twists, self-discovery, learning how to cope — this novel is a MUST if you’re a romance reader.

In her novel, “A Good Kind of Crazy” author Majken Selinder Nilsson teaches us through Kat’s journey the importance of knowing when it’s time to finally put yourself first. This book was definitely a page turner for me, and i couldn’t help but automatically get attached to its characters. I think Kat’s story is the perfect example of the aftermath of infidelity and how it can really take a toll on someone. Nilsson presents Kat to the reader during a time where she’s feeling lost, inadequate, lonely and with no purpose. We then get to see how Kat decides that it’s time for her to feel alive again as she goes back to her roots and her childhood friend, Jen, who essentially becomes the bridge between Kat and her new chance to begin again: Ian Gregory. I LOVED the character development that we get to see with Kat, she really gets out of her comfort zone and allows her heart to let someone in again. I found myself smiling every time Ian would act all cocky and conceited with Kat, when it was pretty clear that there was chemistry between them and they were both forming a strong bond. I’m definitely adding Ian Gregory to my list of my favorite “Book Boyfriends”. Overall, i strongly recommend this novel, it was extremely well written and it really highlights how hard it is to learn how to cope. I really liked that It had just the perfect amount of romance and unexpected twists.

[Ariadna Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this romance novel and hated it in equal parts. This is the story of Kat a young lady who has a relatively quiet life with her husband James and their three sons, she’s a traditional southern housewife who devotes herself entirely to her family and for the fate's sake discovers her husband's infidelity. This leads her to break all moral schemes and she runs away from home to work alongside her friend Jen, who is the voice of her conscience. When she goes to Calgary for work as a chef in the catering staff of a series, she meets the actor Ian Gregory to whom she tells her story and the pain and anger she has, between them arises a romance that they must keep hidden by an agreement that Ian keeps with his friend and co-star Lydia and asks Kat to stay together but without anyone knowing.
At first Kat accepts but the more she and Ian fall in love more obstacles they have to be together and falls into the same dilemma as when she was married, to accept that other people manipulate her life, that’s the sad part and full of anger, obviously the story ends well but it’s up and down of emotions.
What I didn't like was that the author makes the story too long, I feel that there are other issues that should have abounded as what happened with James and Kat's children when she left, how they felt, because almost at the end is when you know something of their feelings.
My favorite character is Jen, Kat's friend, because she is loyal to her and really cares about what happens to her friend's life, even though I also fell in love with Ian, at the same time I hated him almost as much as James' cheater, because he wanted to hide his affair no matter what.
For the type of novel it is, I recommend it for senior teens and adults who like this genre and this book reads fast because you want to know what decisions Kat is going to make at every moment of her life, although it gets a little tedious in the intimacy part with Ian because the author given so many twists and turns that it becomes stressful.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a good read. I enjoyed the characters however I would have liked more of a male POV from James. His answer as to why he cheated was unsatisfactory. What were the crazy things Sam did that his wife didn’t? Also James cried entirely too much in the book. His character got on my nerves. One minute he’s cold and overbearing and the next he’s in tears. I just didn’t get him. I loved Ian. His chart was believable and was true to himself. The author did a great job on his reasons why he struggled with revealing his relationship with Kat. Kat character was a journey. At first she was so disconnected it was hard to like her. Her acceptance of James put downs made me angry. However once she found her footing I loved her. She made a decision and stuck to it. When things were in question about her relationship with Ian and she had the opportunity of James asking her to come back she knew no matter how things turned out with Ian she would not be happy with James. Nice read would recommend this book.

[Rachel Mitchells · Rating 5 out of 5]

You'll have to forgive me, this is my first time leaving a review here!

I have been trying to introduce myself to more romantic books with a greater focus on the woman's point of view, and A Good Kind Of Crazy was the perfect start into this venture. The author's writing sucks you in, so much so that you'll hardly be able to put it down. Watching Kat's growth from where she was at the beginning of the book was one of the most interesting and uplifting character developments that I have read in a while. I normally am not so emotionally tied to characters in what I read, but I couldn't help find myself smiling or trying not to throw the book down in anger at character's actions at certain points throughout my read-through. A Good Kind of Crazy is an amazing book full of growth, love, and self discovery that left me both wanting more and satisfied with Kat's growth and self made happiness.

[Tarun Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's complicated?
Is it life or survival or both may be.

That's the reason I feel,a book is the biggest greatest teacher telling magni lessons worth living a lifetime.

My recent read,which had my attention by its title is a roller coaster of emotions that knew no limits and boundaries.
This book revolves around an ordinary girl named Kat,who search for finding the true purpose of her life.
Little she knew, that life's plan are far wide than her imagination.

Breaking the monotony of her life,she's take a step ahead to move out of the box and enter the level of life.

This read is an eloborative work of the author that suits all who loves to read detailed narratives which will take a lot from you. The extravagant writing style and the impressive delivery of the story added the next level of spice to the tale.

You'll find yourself puzzled with what the author has hidden for you at the end. An engaging and entertaining read to go for.

[Ashley Hedden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Good Kind of Crazy was a good read by Majken Selinder Nilsson. Kat has been struggling with the feeling that she lost herself. Then she finds out that her husband has had an affair with a much younger co-worker. She decides to make a change and drives away from her life. She visits with her childhood friend and former business partner, Jen. She has become a successful caterer in Hollywood. Jen's next project takes her to the shoot of a TV show in Canada. At the last minute Jen can't go and talks Kat in to going in her place. She is blindsided when she meets the handsome and younger Irish star, Ian Gregory. At first he is rude and arrogant, but later becomes her friend and eventually lover. Things get complicated and she has to decide what is most important to her. I enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read more.

[Lola Olarinde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Undying optimism and a faith in nature and the goodness of humans is what this book inspired. At a time when society is much focused on individualism, Majken shows how in relationships one can still focus on self respect without throwing the other party under the wheels. It’s a signifying story of love, betrayal, and rebirth in the midst of it. While it is optimistically moral, punishing offenders proportionately, it gives a sense of fairness of life. There is a good mix of suspense, a good plot and well defined characters. In all a good read with a feel of morality that is more commonly evoked in the theater.

[Ally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually don't find much enjoyment in womens fiction/romance, but this was an amazing book. The characters were so fun to get to know, and more realistic than most charcters in romantic books. With all the publicity stunts and paparazzi problems it always kept me interested.

[Kim Hulse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the story, and getting to know the characters. I loved that she found her self and realized her own worth. Love the love story on it too.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

Not my usual genre,but very well written. A good story with strong characters...some you'll love, and some you'll love to hate.

[Angi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t stop reading

I loved the story of this book. I couldn’t put it down. I will absolutely recommend this book to everyone! I love that the scenes are passionate without being over the top and risqué. It takes a lot for me to give 5 stars and this book absolutely deserves every one of them!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Once I dove in, I didn’t want to put it down. I really related to the characters and couldn’t wait to see what happened next. This is a great book and I highly recommend it.

[Kimberly Vancoughnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Insightful, introspective, funny and thoroughly entertaining. Strong female characters especially the lead. Male lead amazing example of a modern man. I highly recommend this book. I laughed, cried and couldn't put the book down.

[Chris Maddix · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Good Kind of Crazy is a very nice book. I felt that every inch, every page of it was loaded with likeable, believable characters. Main character Kat, 43, proud mom of 3 kids, was doing her best in her relationship with her often-absent accountant husband, James, reconciling herself in reassurance that his frequent departures were job-related. Meanwhile, James was enjoying a relationship with a co-worker whose name he shortened, in conversations with his wife, to the more masculine-sounding Sam. In James's absence, Kat developed a wistful attraction to an actor named Ian, by watching his television program. Accompanying wayward James on his business trip to Las Vegas, Kat accidentally overheard about his tryst from none other than Sam when she boasted about her relationship with Kat's husband to a friend while in the restroom. From there, the marriage between Kat and James slowly but relentlessly fell apart. Trying to figure out where her life should go next, Kat rejoined friend Jen in a catering business and found herself on location in Canada, feeding her television hero, Ian. After a rocky beginning, Kat and Ian developed a loving relationship, overcoming the hurdles of job, publicity, and Kat's family, including James.

A Good Kind of Crazy is a special book. There wasn't a character throughout that I wouldn't have welcomed a relationship with, and that surprisingly included James. I had problems with the story's predictability - I wasn't 1/10 of the way through the book before I guessed what would happen to everyone. I also had some trouble with the belabored expressions of thoughts and feelings throughout the novel. It had almost a soap opera-style atmosphere as every emotion was sensed, poked, prodded, and analyzed. Neither of these drawbacks, however, mean that the book lost its grace. It strikes me that many people approach life as Kat does, painstakingly examining every aspect of every encounter. It also strikes me that this would be an excellent read over a weeklong summer vacation at the beach, because the time spent on the vacation would be recalled as having been shared with Author Nilsson's special characters.

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s definitely an interesting read, even if it’s not my usual cup of tea. I will say I just moved south and it matches the vibes perfectly lol. The cover and just the book itself feel like they’re in need of a little workshop. However, it’s a good story and once I got past the first chapter I was fully immersed. It made me feel like I was watching one of those soap operas. Kind of like the one that caught Kay’s eye in the first place haha. It’s also really eye opening, like I couldn’t be in a situation more different than the main character but this author made me sympathize and relate to the author’s frustrations in a way I wasn’t expecting. Her husband and mother sucked and just the whole thing was soooo frustrating like it genuinely felt like I was I’m the situation myself for a bit there. All in all a good one.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have four criteria for a good novel: characters that I like (or are fun to hate on, as the case may be), quality dialog, an engaging but character-driven story line and (unless it's fantasy) character improvement based on realistic decisions. This book hit each of them quite well. I could identify with Kat through the whole book, feeling her pain, struggle and ultimate self-realization each step of the way. The situation is one many women have found themselves in and that added to the very real-feeling world this book created. The dialog is well-crafted and I really cared about the characters and how they carried the story instead of the other way around. I really felt like I knew them, almost to the point that I wouldn't be surprised to run into them in the grocery store. Thank you for a wonderful read!

[Trisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Kat told him that she didn’t care if she had to hide in the shadows, as long as she could be with him".

I read this for a book club that is going to have an author visit. I just wish I'd liked it more.
I found the story to be pretty typical - it's a mix somewhere between romance and unrealistic New Adult. It's also at least 300 pages too long - most romance or New Adult are between 250 and 350 pages. This one is over 550 pages!

I found the characters interesting, if a bit too squeaky clean (I'm pointing a finger at you, Ian). I appreciated understanding who they were but thought there was way to much telling and not enough showing or letting me get to my own conclusions.

I like the cover. I wish I'd liked the story as much.

[Wisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

personal rating : 3⭐
spoiler-free!
first of all, the biggest thanks to @booktasters and the author for giving me this opportunity to read this art!

First of y'all, yes the title is intriguing enough for me to agree to give this book a try. I enjoyed reading this book but not enough for me to get engaged with the whole story. My thoughts, I think this book is a so-so read but I surprisingly can get through it. I have mixed feelings about Kat when I shouldn't have that. Some of her actions and behaviour made me wonder if I should support her fully (perhaps I did support her but not throughout the story) Maybe because my lack of experience made me have this kind of thought but truly, it gave me a lot of advice through the writing.

There are also some parts I feel dragged for some reason but it's okay, I still love the description so I give it a go for that part <3 A little advice from a simp for a romance story, a long description is fantastic but perhaps arranging more beautiful words will make this story even more beautiful <3

But overall, I did enjoy reading this book and I do know this book has potential as it did leave me with a lot of good messages.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Booktasters for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.

Up front, this is normally not my kind of read but I thought I'd try it, so take that into account.

The premise and settling we're fun, lots of places for adventure in Canadian Rockies but the language, dialogue we're clunky and repetitive. The way characters spoke to each other or kept repeating the same lines took me out of the story.

I think this book is for someone who wants a light romance and one storylined novel.