Wrecking Ball was published by Amulet Books in 2019. The Heffleys receive an unexpected inheritance and decide to renovate their house — a decision that plunges the family into chaos: incompetent contractors, hidden structural problems, budget catastrophes, and the discovery that living in a construction zone is worse than living in the original house.
The novel satirizes the home-renovation culture that dominates American television and social media, using the Heffleys’ experience to show the gap between the HGTV fantasy and the reality of construction work.
Collecting Wrecking Ball
First edition (Amulet Books, New York, 2019): Hardcover with illustrated boards.
Market values:
- First edition, first printing: $15–$25
- Later printings: $5–$10
Projected values (2026–2036): Modest appreciation.
The Home Renovation Nightmare
Every homeowner recognises the Wrecking Ball experience: the initial excitement, the discovery that walls hide horrors, the contractor who disappears mid-job, the budget that doubles and then triples. Kinney channels this universal domestic nightmare through Greg’s perspective, where the chaos is compounded by the fact that he has no investment in the house’s improvement — he just wants his bedroom back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the series take place in a real town? No. Kinney has said the setting is a generic American suburb, deliberately avoiding specific geography so that readers everywhere can see their own town in it. However, Kinney grew up in Fort Washington, Maryland, and many of the suburban details are drawn from that environment.