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chick's review against another edition
Gonna need more than a fat person finding love or whatever for the first time
allieonreading's review against another edition
4.0
Very cute YA rom-com. It had a great balance of personal things and the romance. The romance itself was adorable and very relatable for a first love. I really enjoyed Charlie and her journey.
kelseyreads17's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
jonesam30's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
chilemangooo's review against another edition
5.0
I have never in my 32 years felt so seen by a book. Representation. I wish as a teenager I was able to read this. So real, raw, and emotional. I feel like this book helped me resolve some childhood trauma. 1000%
What a blessing, we love a plus size sized Latinx queen telling her relatable story!
What a blessing, we love a plus size sized Latinx queen telling her relatable story!
shilten_k's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
tatyanavogt's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book, It had issues, it wasn't perfect and there were things that upset me and bothered me but most of that was by design. Because Charlie Vega had to deal with some unpleasant things as a plus sized girl. I really like how the author handled the different parts and I'm interested in reading more from them.
- Her mother sucked a lot, and she reminded me of my own mother (although my mom is supportive and not as crappy). But they both say shitting things when they are trying to be helpful and make things about themselves that arnt..
- I liked the friendship although I was annoyed with the conflict.. I am happy that it didn't happen immediately, like there was a build up still but friends having issues because of boys is a trope I don't enjoy and it seems to be very popular in books.
Spoiler
- Her mother sucked a lot, and she reminded me of my own mother (although my mom is supportive and not as crappy). But they both say shitting things when they are trying to be helpful and make things about themselves that arnt..
- I liked the friendship although I was annoyed with the conflict.. I am happy that it didn't happen immediately, like there was a build up still but friends having issues because of boys is a trope I don't enjoy and it seems to be very popular in books.
dorhastings's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
How this book ended up on my TBR: I think I first came across this book within the context of The StoryGraph's Genre Challenge 2024, for the prompt "a middle grade book with queer representation". I then heard about the author and her new book, The Fall of Whit Rivera (which I also want to read), in her interview with Virginia Sole-Smith for the Burnt Toast Podcast (I do not do podcasts, but I do read newsletters several months after they are published).
This was a great read. The main character, Charlie Vega, is a fat Latina teenager (and, for the purposes of the prompt, her best friend is a Black teenager who identifies as pansexual). This is a bit of a rom com, but to me, the book is just as much about family, antifatness, and friendship.
Charlie and Amelia are best friends, but Amelia is more popular and more traditionally beautiful, and Charlie feels as though folks are constantly counting her as second to Amelia, if she counts at all. On top of that, Charlie is something of a romantic who has had no romantic experience (and beyond that, she is teased by and taken advantage of by her classmates). Eventually Charlie does develop a love interest, and the feelings seem mutual, but at some point Charlie questions how the other person, Brian, could truly want her over someone else.
There is a lot that is unique about this novel, and a good portion felt, for lack of a better word, true. I remember those feelings as a fat teenager (and, to a certain extent, they they are still with me). It doesn't help that Charlie's mom was fat but recently lost a good deal of weight after the death of Charlie's dad. As a result, she dramatically shifts her attention to Charlie's weight. She believes she's being encouraging, but she's really displacing her own negative feelings of her own body. This is not to say that she doesn't love her daughter, though we truly don't see a whole lot of that in the book. What she is doing is something that is common among the friends and family of fat people: they express overwhelming concern for the fatness of their person, and say all manner of hurtful things with the best of intentions. It's clear that Charlie's mom has a lot of growth ahead of her; she's seeking the recognition and admiration of friends and family for her accomplishments (aka losing weight) and going overboard with drinking and attention-seeking.
Amelia, for her part, doesn't really understand how fatness works, of what it's like to not be able to go to the popular clothing stores because you'll never fit into anything there (I absolutely felt those moments she and Charlie went shopping, and Charlie just hung out in the accessories section; I can't tell you how many times I did that). I hated, HATED shopping until I found shops like Lane Bryant and Torrid. Amelia is offended when Charlie finally drops the truth bombs on her, and she's frustrated by the guilt she feels upon hearing how much Charlie felt like she lived in Amelia's shadow. But Amelia shows an astounding amount of maturity and reflexivity, acknowledging Charlie's feelings while pointing out that she herself does not have a perfect life. Their friendship, and their ability to get over conflict, is a strong highlight of this book. I would recommend it for this reason alone, if I was restricted to one reason.
You need to believe in your value for you, even if you're not some flawless ethereal being, even if not everyone will see what makes you special, even if your story is a little chaotic. We're all messy, Charlie So when everything's a mess, it seems to me like you just need to give yourself room to breathe.</i>
This book makes me hopeful for younger folks who are fat. They have so many opportunities for sharing and learning that we did not have at that age. They have support and a language to speak. At no point is Charlie upset at herself for being fat, and she identifies herself as fat with no discernable discomfort (something that I have had to work at).
I loved Maldonado's writing style, and I didn't love Charlie, but I liked her quite a bit. I like that she had a lesson to learn as well: while others were comparing her to Amelia, she was doing the same thing. You can't stop other folks making those comparisons, but you can certainly take responsibility and change your own mindset. Again, her friendship with Amelia was the best part of this book, to me, and Charlie's relationship with her mom was visceral.
This was a great read. The main character, Charlie Vega, is a fat Latina teenager (and, for the purposes of the prompt, her best friend is a Black teenager who identifies as pansexual). This is a bit of a rom com, but to me, the book is just as much about family, antifatness, and friendship.
Charlie and Amelia are best friends, but Amelia is more popular and more traditionally beautiful, and Charlie feels as though folks are constantly counting her as second to Amelia, if she counts at all. On top of that, Charlie is something of a romantic who has had no romantic experience (and beyond that, she is teased by and taken advantage of by her classmates). Eventually Charlie does develop a love interest, and the feelings seem mutual, but at some point Charlie questions how the other person, Brian, could truly want her over someone else.
There is a lot that is unique about this novel, and a good portion felt, for lack of a better word, true. I remember those feelings as a fat teenager (and, to a certain extent, they they are still with me). It doesn't help that Charlie's mom was fat but recently lost a good deal of weight after the death of Charlie's dad. As a result, she dramatically shifts her attention to Charlie's weight. She believes she's being encouraging, but she's really displacing her own negative feelings of her own body. This is not to say that she doesn't love her daughter, though we truly don't see a whole lot of that in the book. What she is doing is something that is common among the friends and family of fat people: they express overwhelming concern for the fatness of their person, and say all manner of hurtful things with the best of intentions. It's clear that Charlie's mom has a lot of growth ahead of her; she's seeking the recognition and admiration of friends and family for her accomplishments (aka losing weight) and going overboard with drinking and attention-seeking.
Amelia, for her part, doesn't really understand how fatness works, of what it's like to not be able to go to the popular clothing stores because you'll never fit into anything there (I absolutely felt those moments she and Charlie went shopping, and Charlie just hung out in the accessories section; I can't tell you how many times I did that). I hated, HATED shopping until I found shops like Lane Bryant and Torrid. Amelia is offended when Charlie finally drops the truth bombs on her, and she's frustrated by the guilt she feels upon hearing how much Charlie felt like she lived in Amelia's shadow. But Amelia shows an astounding amount of maturity and reflexivity, acknowledging Charlie's feelings while pointing out that she herself does not have a perfect life. Their friendship, and their ability to get over conflict, is a strong highlight of this book. I would recommend it for this reason alone, if I was restricted to one reason.
You need to believe in your value for you, even if you're not some flawless ethereal being, even if not everyone will see what makes you special, even if your story is a little chaotic. We're all messy, Charlie So when everything's a mess, it seems to me like you just need to give yourself room to breathe.</i>
This book makes me hopeful for younger folks who are fat. They have so many opportunities for sharing and learning that we did not have at that age. They have support and a language to speak. At no point is Charlie upset at herself for being fat, and she identifies herself as fat with no discernable discomfort (something that I have had to work at).
I loved Maldonado's writing style, and I didn't love Charlie, but I liked her quite a bit. I like that she had a lesson to learn as well: while others were comparing her to Amelia, she was doing the same thing. You can't stop other folks making those comparisons, but you can certainly take responsibility and change your own mindset. Again, her friendship with Amelia was the best part of this book, to me, and Charlie's relationship with her mom was visceral.