ps_a22's review
3.0
The way Bluebelle got treated because of her obesity really bothered me. Our behaviour and how we treat someone shouldn’t change based on how much they weigh. That is stupid and dogmatic. We are better than that. Also, this book was WAY too long. It was fun reading about BB’s passion for food and the elaborate description of the things she ate but the book lacked a key plot to give it a backbone and hence became tedious. It was 400 pages. That's at least 100 too many. All in all, it was an interesting read but lasted way longer than it should’ve.
carmen_jimenezv's review
4.0
Big Bones is the first YA novel that I have read in 2018 and I am glad I requested a digital copy from NetGalley. It was a lovely reading experience because Dockrill really knows how to write and the story was hilarious.
BB is awesome, her experiences brought back memories from when I was a teenager myself and her way of looking at life was refreshing. This is a story about body confidence and getting to accept who we really are – both physically and mentally.
It’s an easy read, very well written, funny, raw and honest. The book is intended to be Bluebelle’s food diary but in it, she also writes about her family, her thoughts and feelings, her aspirations, feminism and body positivity. To be honest, I’ve never read something like this before – this is not a book about a toxic relationship with food, in fact, it’s quite the opposite and it’s empowering.
The story was believable and I think it was only once or twice where I found myself doubting the plot. The characters were warm and seeing the heroine being so happy in her own skin was inspirational.
It’s a story about food, friends, boys and family but above all is a story about trying to be healthy, taking care of oneself and finding balance. I loved the development of BB’s attitude and genuinely enjoyed every page. All in all, this book is success and I hope everyone gets the chance to read it.
BB is awesome, her experiences brought back memories from when I was a teenager myself and her way of looking at life was refreshing. This is a story about body confidence and getting to accept who we really are – both physically and mentally.
It’s an easy read, very well written, funny, raw and honest. The book is intended to be Bluebelle’s food diary but in it, she also writes about her family, her thoughts and feelings, her aspirations, feminism and body positivity. To be honest, I’ve never read something like this before – this is not a book about a toxic relationship with food, in fact, it’s quite the opposite and it’s empowering.
The story was believable and I think it was only once or twice where I found myself doubting the plot. The characters were warm and seeing the heroine being so happy in her own skin was inspirational.
It’s a story about food, friends, boys and family but above all is a story about trying to be healthy, taking care of oneself and finding balance. I loved the development of BB’s attitude and genuinely enjoyed every page. All in all, this book is success and I hope everyone gets the chance to read it.
apireading's review
3.0
Porté par un excellent premier personnage, ce livre n’arrive cependant pas à répondre à toutes les promesses qu’il annonce. Les jolies réflexions sur la grossophobie et la confiance en soit sont vite gâchées par les énumérations incessantes d’aliments.
Plutôt feel good, ne vous attendez pas a beaucoup de péripéties, il ne se passe quasi rien. Heureusement que Bluebell sauve la donne par sa personnalité.
Plutôt feel good, ne vous attendez pas a beaucoup de péripéties, il ne se passe quasi rien. Heureusement que Bluebell sauve la donne par sa personnalité.
alishaduh's review
2.0
Okay so this book's story was generally okay and I liked the message of getting healthier that went with it. However, virtually everything else I was either 'meh' about or 'no.' about.
I'll start with something good. Some of the descriptions about fat-phobia (for lack of a better word) and what it's like to be fat were so spot on I really really related to them!! It felt like I was the one writing the book at those moments and they were so well written.
But those mere 5/6 paragraphs throughout the whole thing were really the only decent bit of writing.
Let's talk about the writing (!!!) in general. It was honestly so bad. The constant use of capitals WHERE THEY WEREN'T NECESSARY!! And the use of exclamation marks in every 5th sentence was !!!! Annoying!!! Also, some of the thoughts that were supposedly going through BB's (which is a silly nickname in my opinion because no one's going to call someone BB which takes more effort than saying Bluebelle) were so... All I can say is it's exactly as if an adult, who's forgotten mostly what it's like to be a teenager, would've written. E.g 'GRRRR!!!!!' no, no & no.
The romance was rushed as well. Like yeah, they may've had secret crushes on each other and may have shown it a tiny bit but like... Wheeling her out of work and then asking 'lol do u wanna be my girlfriend?' was so damn fast... I was not about that.
Also, the way they talked about Dove after her accident?? It was like she'd died or something! And being confined to a wheelchair for six months is not the worst thing in the world and you don't need to live life 'recklessly' because your sister can't for a couple of months...
I don't know, I just don't think this book lived up to my expectations.
I'll start with something good. Some of the descriptions about fat-phobia (for lack of a better word) and what it's like to be fat were so spot on I really really related to them!! It felt like I was the one writing the book at those moments and they were so well written.
But those mere 5/6 paragraphs throughout the whole thing were really the only decent bit of writing.
Let's talk about the writing (!!!) in general. It was honestly so bad. The constant use of capitals WHERE THEY WEREN'T NECESSARY!! And the use of exclamation marks in every 5th sentence was !!!! Annoying!!! Also, some of the thoughts that were supposedly going through BB's (which is a silly nickname in my opinion because no one's going to call someone BB which takes more effort than saying Bluebelle) were so... All I can say is it's exactly as if an adult, who's forgotten mostly what it's like to be a teenager, would've written. E.g 'GRRRR!!!!!' no, no & no.
The romance was rushed as well. Like yeah, they may've had secret crushes on each other and may have shown it a tiny bit but like... Wheeling her out of work and then asking 'lol do u wanna be my girlfriend?' was so damn fast... I was not about that.
Also, the way they talked about Dove after her accident?? It was like she'd died or something! And being confined to a wheelchair for six months is not the worst thing in the world and you don't need to live life 'recklessly' because your sister can't for a couple of months...
I don't know, I just don't think this book lived up to my expectations.
hannahrox23's review
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-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? Yes
5.0
hanihoney's review
4.0
really good coming of age story with family friendship and love. but most importantly self confidence and self love. so cute
ayshaactually's review
1.0
This was one of the worst books I read in 2019, I thought this would be such a fun read, I was so excited to read this unfortunately I hated it.
claire60's review
3.0
This book is a YA book about young woman who is struggling to accept herself because people focus on her weight, it wasn't always easy to read, having been an overweight teen, some scenes were very familiar. There is a lovely relationship between the main character and her sister which is fundamental to the book and an important reflection of complex adult relationships and their affects on the children.
kmatch's review
4.0
3.5 stars. I went in thinking this was a complete body positivity fest. I didn’t get that vibe however. It’s more of a look inside of a persons mental status. Showing the struggle inside her head with knowing she’s overweight and knowing she’s being judged and then also making up being judged. Sometimes we are so insecure that we just know in our head that the people around us are surely judging us. I get this. She is trying to convince herself she doesn’t give a damn.
BB is also quite a bit self-absorbed. Towards the end she gets called out on that, but then the others end up apologizing to her for calling her out. I wish she could’ve had a little more self-realization on that part of herself.
The best quotes from the book are “Funny how women are the ones that suffer the most attack and punishment for their bodies when they are the ones that have to change the most” when referring to a mom’s body.
“Self-love needs reminding.”
BB is also quite a bit self-absorbed. Towards the end she gets called out on that, but then the others end up apologizing to her for calling her out. I wish she could’ve had a little more self-realization on that part of herself.
The best quotes from the book are “Funny how women are the ones that suffer the most attack and punishment for their bodies when they are the ones that have to change the most” when referring to a mom’s body.
“Self-love needs reminding.”