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bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
The reason I like to go into books blindfolded is because I like to go in with absolutely zero expectations. This book was a great example of why that worked so well; I of course knew the basics, that this had a fat main character (I read it as part of a reading challenge me & my friend @themargherita.s on IG are hosting, #TheDiverseBaseline), and that the main character was a teenager. That's about it! I was delighted to find a vulnerable exploration of a sixteen-year-old Puerto Rican teen's experience being fat, Brown, and artistic in the Massachussetts suburbs.
This is very much a character-driven novel presented to us as a slice-of-life for Charlie with slower pacing. We meet Charlie's best friend Amelia, who is Black and pansexual (and thin!), Brian, who is Korean and has two moms, and Charlie's mom, who is obsessed with losing weight and makes it crystal clear that she wants Charlie to lose weight too. There is a bit of a plotline around a crush and an award ceremony, but most of the book meanders through as Charlie struggles to find her footing with each of her relationships.
About those relationships:
- Charlie and Amelia: I deeply related to and appreciated the representation of this kind of friendship. It is so clear that Amelia rides hard for Charlie, but she doesn't recognize how her privilege of being smaller/thinner operates in every day settings. She doesn't realize Charlie can't just borrow clothes from her, and that going shopping is not that accessible for people in Charlie's clothing size either. Amelia is also posited as the girl everyone wants, the attractive one, etc. Charlie can't help but feel forgotten and hidden in the shadows behind Amelia's spotlight. Charlie knows Amelia does not have malicious intent, but it's hard to not be jealous of or upset with Amelia when Charlie constantly feels like the "fat friend" or like a direct line to Amelia for people who want to pursue Amelia. I felt their dynamic, and especially their argument towards the end, was so realistic and I loved the complexity of teenage friendships represented here.
- Charlie and Brian: I know a lot of people probably hated their third-act conflict, and I get it. I really do! However, this also felt so realistic for me! It made me cringe, thinking about how much I have let my fear of looking stupid keep me from making choices that actually probably would have felt so fulfilling and nice. Charlie has been made a fool of so many times because of her proximity to Amelia, and she can't help but try to protect herself and her heart when it comes to Brian. I could see exactly where Charlie was coming from, even if it sounds goofy or immature. She is 17, let her be 17??? This totally tracks for how I handled conflict, rejection, and disappointment when I was a teenager (not everything is about me, but I really do get why she made certain choices!). I was also sympathetic to the way that Brian got frustrated with Charlie, and was glad he called her in to really reflect on the choices she was making.
- Charlie and her mom (whose name I am forgetting, I'm sorry, I listened to the audiobook and I'm blanking): Woof. Big old woof. To be frank with you, the reason I connected so much to this book was because of the rampant fatphobia that Charlie experienced, and a majority of it was from her own mom. I had been dieting from adolescence up until a few years ago, and along with this, was an eating disorder. The religion of thinness in our culture fucks up people beyond belief; I ache for the 18-year-old Brittany who compared herself to her friends, celebrities, and classmates, who aimed for some unattainable goal to feel worthy and beautiful, as if that was the only thing I had to offer the world. Charlie's mom actively emotionally abuses her throughout the entire novel, and while it was challenging to read, I was so proud of Charlie towards the end for how she moved forward with how she felt about herself and her body, regardless of her mom's expectations and fatphobia. Charlie's mom is not unique; there are plenty of people in this world spouting off some fatphobic bullshit, but I hope with more stories like these, and with more of us speaking out against that harmful rhetoric, that we can foster more body neutrality and body respect, little by little.
My favorite part of the book was the night of Charlie's big birthday party, because it was a turning point for her, as Charlie recognized and named what she needed in that moment to be content.
Ultimately, I don't want to spend my entire life hating my body, and hating myself. This book was a reminder that diet culture fucking sucks the life out of any joy in the room, fatphobia does NO ONE any good, and that love, especially parental love, should not come with conditions. I think I *needed* this book at this specific moment in time, and I'm really grateful I read it.
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Grief and Death of parent
thehomiemona's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Cursing and Alcohol
nafsaila's review against another edition
4.0
Her best friend Amelia is loved by everyone, but Charlie says she doesn't mind sharing her with her other friends and wonderful family. Can Charlie get over their differences to maintain their life-long friendship?
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
I would've liked to see more conversations between Charlie and Amelia and Charlie and her mom about the issues Charlie had with them and the issues she had with herself because of what she perceived of them. It seemed like Charlie would just have to suffer the constant low-key emotional abuse from her mom and no one was going to do anything about it.
The characters themselves- some I really liked some I had mixed feelings on. Loved Charlie's cousins. When she said how they would kind of make fun of her for not knowing Spanish reminded me of my cousins making fun of me for not knowing Indonesian. Would've liked to see how Charlie interact with her mom's side of the family though! I overall liked Charlie but there were so many moments in the book where I got annoyed or frustrated with her and rolled my eyes at the things she said/did. Same goes for Amelia but to a lesser extent since she wasn't the main character/focus. Brian was def the most consistently liked main/minor character for me although there were times I was like "he's TOO sweet/perfect/understanding" and i would've liked if Charlie could've gotten out of her own head and realized that he probs gets a lot of her body insecurities because he's chubby/fat too. But she's a teen and I remember when I was a teen and wrapped up in my insecurities. I think I'm just getting old haha
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Death of parent and Alcohol
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Death of parent and Alcohol
brokenbodybitch's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Alcohol
bookcrushin's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Bullying, Racism, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Eating disorder and Alcohol
karcitis's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Racism, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Alcohol
aly_young's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Death of parent, and Alcohol
michaelion's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The only real problem with this book is the sheer amount of current pop culture references. Like, yes it's contemporary, but this book is amazing, wonderful, great, damn near perfect, beautiful, stellar, insert more synonyms here!!! And if not for the pop culture references, I think this book could've been a timeless classic instead of just a modern one.
I wasn't just in the mind of a fat brown teenage girl, I was me again. (Except, I'm black.) Me, just a few years ago. Me, right now. Me, feeling something more than the buzzword representation. I wanna hold this book to my chest and tattoo the letters on to my heart. I want my nonexistent kids to read this book and know they are worthy, they are beautiful, they are loved, and here's the reasonable, sometimes realistically frustrating, sweet book that will show them that, if they didn't know it already.
What a lovely book to start with as my introduction back into reading! 🥰
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Minor: Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol