mehsi's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for a review.
First of all the good parts, well, that is easy. Everything up to almost the last page was fun, interesting and I really liked it.
Emery was likeable, though I wanted to shake her at times. She became fat because she likes eating junkfood, and not just junkfood, but mountains of it. I sometimes was disgusted by how she described all that food and how she all sneaked it in and ate it.
I loved how she gradually changed and though lots of things went wrong, she stayed strong and kept going.
Her family however... Her mom is obsessed with how she looks (and uses botox for extra firmness), her sister is (thanks to mom) addicted to her weight and how she looks, her dad... well he is mostly MIA.
I really didn't like how the didn't support her most of the times. They thought she would give up, wouldn't make it. And that made me sad, a family should support their family members, and parents should be there for their kids, not just leave them hanging.
I really liked the reality tv show, that was a fun idea to do and added an extra twist to the whole: Girl has to diet theme.
Ben, ah Ben. He was cute and sweet, and he deserved better.
Now for the -1 star; the ending. I absolutely, seriously HATE endings like in this book. Making me all excited, making me all want that ending because of everything that happens (the twists! The diet! Ben!) and then BAM. And I am really really sad. I absolutely loved the book up until the ending.
But this kind of ending? It should be forbidden. Now I still got many questions left, things still open and waiting to be closed. It is a shame. :(
If you don't mind sudden endings, and you do like: reality shows, punky big girls, bad parenting and a girl trying to diet, then this book is for you.
First of all the good parts, well, that is easy. Everything up to almost the last page was fun, interesting and I really liked it.
Emery was likeable, though I wanted to shake her at times. She became fat because she likes eating junkfood, and not just junkfood, but mountains of it. I sometimes was disgusted by how she described all that food and how she all sneaked it in and ate it.
I loved how she gradually changed and though lots of things went wrong, she stayed strong and kept going.
Her family however... Her mom is obsessed with how she looks (and uses botox for extra firmness), her sister is (thanks to mom) addicted to her weight and how she looks, her dad... well he is mostly MIA.
I really didn't like how the didn't support her most of the times. They thought she would give up, wouldn't make it. And that made me sad, a family should support their family members, and parents should be there for their kids, not just leave them hanging.
I really liked the reality tv show, that was a fun idea to do and added an extra twist to the whole: Girl has to diet theme.
Ben, ah Ben. He was cute and sweet, and he deserved better.
Now for the -1 star; the ending. I absolutely, seriously HATE endings like in this book. Making me all excited, making me all want that ending because of everything that happens (the twists! The diet! Ben!) and then BAM.
Spoiler
Just stops, drops and stays dead. We get a 2 months after chapter with nothing much disclosed.But this kind of ending? It should be forbidden. Now I still got many questions left, things still open and waiting to be closed. It is a shame. :(
If you don't mind sudden endings, and you do like: reality shows, punky big girls, bad parenting and a girl trying to diet, then this book is for you.
sjj169's review against another edition
3.0
Sixteen year old Emery is fine with who she is. Her family and the people around her are the ones who have a problem with her. Well not exactly her...it's her weight. Emery is overweight.
That's right, kids. I'm officially the Big O. And I don't mean Oprah.
That might not be a problem but in this family it is. Her dad is a former basketball player turned fitness guru (or something like that-he was vague to me), mom is a botoxed former model and then sister Angel is sure to be the next big star.
Then Emery is approached to do a reality TV show. For one million dollars she has to lose 50 pounds in fifty days.
Emery is no pushover and she completely thinks it is a stupid idea.
"You think going on a reality show will make me more normal? Have you seen reality TV shows lately? I have three words for you: Honey Boo Boo."
She finds out then that her family is having some financial problems and she pretty much is needed to do this show.
Her life is completely turned around by trainers, dieticians and a counselor. Then the sudden fame. I cannot image being a teenage girl and being on live TV and weighing myself. The author, who is male does a pretty bang up job with being inside a young females head.
I will admit to loving most of this book but there are times when the story wasn't wrapped up well and then some of the plot just felt that 'it had to go somewhere it might as well be this' kinda stuff.
For a young adult book it also does have some cussing and sex and stuff...if you worry about that. It also has some standing up for yourself when you are a fat chick too. (I've said before how I wish books like these were around when I was a teenager.)
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.
That's right, kids. I'm officially the Big O. And I don't mean Oprah.
That might not be a problem but in this family it is. Her dad is a former basketball player turned fitness guru (or something like that-he was vague to me), mom is a botoxed former model and then sister Angel is sure to be the next big star.
Then Emery is approached to do a reality TV show. For one million dollars she has to lose 50 pounds in fifty days.
Emery is no pushover and she completely thinks it is a stupid idea.
"You think going on a reality show will make me more normal? Have you seen reality TV shows lately? I have three words for you: Honey Boo Boo."
She finds out then that her family is having some financial problems and she pretty much is needed to do this show.
Her life is completely turned around by trainers, dieticians and a counselor. Then the sudden fame. I cannot image being a teenage girl and being on live TV and weighing myself. The author, who is male does a pretty bang up job with being inside a young females head.
I will admit to loving most of this book but there are times when the story wasn't wrapped up well and then some of the plot just felt that 'it had to go somewhere it might as well be this' kinda stuff.
For a young adult book it also does have some cussing and sex and stuff...if you worry about that. It also has some standing up for yourself when you are a fat chick too. (I've said before how I wish books like these were around when I was a teenager.)
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.
katsmiao's review against another edition
4.0
This book keeps you wanting to keep reading and find out what Happens.
It's so honest it sometimes makes you cringe because it is more honest than most people admit to themselves.
Emery is funny, smart, irreverent and real. She changes and grows throughout the story which is what you want your heroine to do.
The end Sucked. I spent all this time rooting for her, that the end felt like I was cheated. The book ended too abruptly and in a way I didn't like at all.
Other than that the book is well written, witty, breezy and fun to read.
It's so honest it sometimes makes you cringe because it is more honest than most people admit to themselves.
Emery is funny, smart, irreverent and real. She changes and grows throughout the story which is what you want your heroine to do.
The end Sucked. I spent all this time rooting for her, that the end felt like I was cheated. The book ended too abruptly and in a way I didn't like at all.
Other than that the book is well written, witty, breezy and fun to read.
ellieroth's review against another edition
5.0
Publicado originalmente: El Extraño Gato del Cuento
Hay libros que al tan solo verlos me hago a la idea que los voy a odiar, sobre todo últimamente que mi feminismo se ha hecho notar, la primera impresión que da el nuevo libro de Ken Baker, es sobre un libro sumamente superficial, uno que alaba la nueva cultura de matarse de hambre. Pero como me gusta renegar, obviamente tenía que leer How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love.
Por la puntuación que le puse, te habrás dado cuenta que mi primera impresión era totalmente errónea.
Emery es un personaje que me fue imposible odiar, tiene una sinceridad ligeramente ácida la cual hace seguir la historia bastante divertida. Siempre se me ha hecho un poco difícil sentirme conectada a un personaje bastante bitchy como es Emery ¿Por qué? Porque soy bastante tímida, solo que Baker nos trae un personaje tan real, muy adolescente, eso sí, pero que no es difícil sonreír con ella, renegar con ella. Lo que sí no vas a sentir, es pena por ella, Emery no se deja apalear fácilmente, es de respuestas rápidas y sabe que llorando en su cama no soluciona nada.
Su punto débil: el final, pero esto es por falta de explicación, me quedé un poco en el aire a pesar de que llega a explicarse en el epílogo, no es el qué sino el cómo se de desarrolla lo que me dejó un poquito confundida.
How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love está lleno de cultura pop actual, sobre el poder de las redes sociales hoy en día. Una historia bastante divertida con buen mensaje. Si alguna vez te has preguntado que hay detrás de un reality show, este libro te dará la respuesta.
Twitter || Blog || Pinterest || Goodreads
Hay libros que al tan solo verlos me hago a la idea que los voy a odiar, sobre todo últimamente que mi feminismo se ha hecho notar, la primera impresión que da el nuevo libro de Ken Baker, es sobre un libro sumamente superficial, uno que alaba la nueva cultura de matarse de hambre. Pero como me gusta renegar, obviamente tenía que leer How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love.
Por la puntuación que le puse, te habrás dado cuenta que mi primera impresión era totalmente errónea.
Emery es un personaje que me fue imposible odiar, tiene una sinceridad ligeramente ácida la cual hace seguir la historia bastante divertida. Siempre se me ha hecho un poco difícil sentirme conectada a un personaje bastante bitchy como es Emery ¿Por qué? Porque soy bastante tímida, solo que Baker nos trae un personaje tan real, muy adolescente, eso sí, pero que no es difícil sonreír con ella, renegar con ella. Lo que sí no vas a sentir, es pena por ella, Emery no se deja apalear fácilmente, es de respuestas rápidas y sabe que llorando en su cama no soluciona nada.
Su punto débil: el final, pero esto es por falta de explicación, me quedé un poco en el aire a pesar de que llega a explicarse en el epílogo, no es el qué sino el cómo se de desarrolla lo que me dejó un poquito confundida.
How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love está lleno de cultura pop actual, sobre el poder de las redes sociales hoy en día. Una historia bastante divertida con buen mensaje. Si alguna vez te has preguntado que hay detrás de un reality show, este libro te dará la respuesta.
Twitter || Blog || Pinterest || Goodreads
probablyytori's review against another edition
2.0
More reviews at YA Book Queens!
2.5 Stars
NOTE: I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
To be truthful, I wasn't completely sure about this book at first. I was about thirty percent in and the characters seemed too unrealistic and too shallow. I thought about how maybe by the end of the book characters' behaviors would be explained in one way or another and that they would grow. Well, I was right. They did.
My favorite aspect of this book was either the characters or simply just Emery's, the main girl's, sarcasm. I'm one to root for the sarcastic, hilarious girl, and Emery's that girl in How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love. Oh, and let's talk about that monster of a title. It's hilarious and it's intriguing; it's what brought my attention to the book in the first place! I usually don't like long titles, but this one I actually like.
Along with the characters' shallowness, I really just didn't like Emery's family. At first (I make a lot of assumptions about books that usually end up being wrong by the end, but oh well) I thought that they were all carbon copies of each other. Angel and their mother are extremely uptight about their weight and are exceptionally superficial. Like I said, originally I thought they were carbon copies of cliches but then I came to realize that Angel was the way she was because of their mother and not because she was simply shallow on her own. There's a scene in the book where Angel and Emery have a sister heart-to-heart, and I loved that particular scene to bits.
This book shows a lot about the structure of a dysfunctional family as well as loyalty and trust, which is something that I also really enjoyed about this book. Although I'm partial to action and adventure, I still do quite like the books that focus around family. Along with family, this book sends a strong message to girls. Despite the fact that losing fifty pounds in fifty days is not healthy, Emery represents something that every teenage girl must face in society--rejection. I think by the end of the book that Emery handles the rejection (and approval since she's famous in the book by the end) in such a way that creates a strong female figure for young girls. She's tough and she learns that although the media makes it seem like being skinny is everything, it really isn't.
On a random side note, Emery's menu from when she was fat made me want to hurl. I pride myself on being a semi-healthy human being, and Emery's eating habits did not agree with me whatsoever.
In conclusion, I think this book is well worth the read if you're looking for a fast and fun book. It sends me a good message in my opinion and although I didn't give it five stars or even four, I did enjoy it. It just wasn't a favorite and there were parts about it that I didn't like, particularly the characters. Characters are a big deal to me. They always will be.
2.5 Stars
NOTE: I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
To be truthful, I wasn't completely sure about this book at first. I was about thirty percent in and the characters seemed too unrealistic and too shallow. I thought about how maybe by the end of the book characters' behaviors would be explained in one way or another and that they would grow. Well, I was right. They did.
My favorite aspect of this book was either the characters or simply just Emery's, the main girl's, sarcasm. I'm one to root for the sarcastic, hilarious girl, and Emery's that girl in How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love. Oh, and let's talk about that monster of a title. It's hilarious and it's intriguing; it's what brought my attention to the book in the first place! I usually don't like long titles, but this one I actually like.
Along with the characters' shallowness, I really just didn't like Emery's family. At first (I make a lot of assumptions about books that usually end up being wrong by the end, but oh well) I thought that they were all carbon copies of each other. Angel and their mother are extremely uptight about their weight and are exceptionally superficial. Like I said, originally I thought they were carbon copies of cliches but then I came to realize that Angel was the way she was because of their mother and not because she was simply shallow on her own. There's a scene in the book where Angel and Emery have a sister heart-to-heart, and I loved that particular scene to bits.
This book shows a lot about the structure of a dysfunctional family as well as loyalty and trust, which is something that I also really enjoyed about this book. Although I'm partial to action and adventure, I still do quite like the books that focus around family. Along with family, this book sends a strong message to girls. Despite the fact that losing fifty pounds in fifty days is not healthy, Emery represents something that every teenage girl must face in society--rejection. I think by the end of the book that Emery handles the rejection (and approval since she's famous in the book by the end) in such a way that creates a strong female figure for young girls. She's tough and she learns that although the media makes it seem like being skinny is everything, it really isn't.
On a random side note, Emery's menu from when she was fat made me want to hurl. I pride myself on being a semi-healthy human being, and Emery's eating habits did not agree with me whatsoever.
In conclusion, I think this book is well worth the read if you're looking for a fast and fun book. It sends me a good message in my opinion and although I didn't give it five stars or even four, I did enjoy it. It just wasn't a favorite and there were parts about it that I didn't like, particularly the characters. Characters are a big deal to me. They always will be.
cowmingo's review against another edition
2.0
Received from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
Emery's fat. She tells us that over and over and over again. Hey, Emery? Guess what? I'm fat too. As the title suggests, by the end of the book Emery is no longer fat. Yet she's still a mess. I had hope for her given that she had a strong personality, seemed to know what she wanted in life and started to show some insight into her reasons for turning to food as a coping mechanism. Instead, we are left with a twist ending that felt more like a cop out than a resolution to the story. I may still be fat but at least I'm working on my issues and not running from them!
Emery's fat. She tells us that over and over and over again. Hey, Emery? Guess what? I'm fat too. As the title suggests, by the end of the book Emery is no longer fat. Yet she's still a mess. I had hope for her given that she had a strong personality, seemed to know what she wanted in life and started to show some insight into her reasons for turning to food as a coping mechanism. Instead, we are left with a twist ending that felt more like a cop out than a resolution to the story. I may still be fat but at least I'm working on my issues and not running from them!
reilly_k_'s review against another edition
4.0
Great read, I read this in less than a day. Easy read but does touch some points that are overlooked or not looked into enough. I am not overweight but I still related to this girl's problems... very enjoyable.
tjlcody's review against another edition
2.0
It had the potential to be so much better, given the topic.
First and foremost, I wasn't terribly fond of Emery. Her mother and sister weren't shining examples of excellent people, but it's a little damn hypocritical of Emery to complain about stereotypes when she then is perfectly happy to apply them to everyone around her. Her attitude grated on me throughout the story, probably more-so given that I've read similar books where the author managed to make the heroine snarky but not an asshole.
Second, the preaching. I saw someone else touch on this, but the tone got just a touch too preachy in too many parts. Don't get me wrong- if feminism's your thing that's great, go for it, but there were parts where I was gritting my teeth and felt that Emery and the author writing her were preaching to me about it and I really wasn't too crazy about it.
Third- and maybe what sealed it- was that it was a little too stereotypical for me. Having read books like "45 lbs More or Less" and seen just how beautifully the weight-obsessed mother can be humanized and understood better, it bugged me a bit that this was yet another book about weight that fell into the "mother is a superficial bitch about her kid's weight for no other reason than that she's just a superficial bitch" trope.
First and foremost, I wasn't terribly fond of Emery. Her mother and sister weren't shining examples of excellent people, but it's a little damn hypocritical of Emery to complain about stereotypes when she then is perfectly happy to apply them to everyone around her. Her attitude grated on me throughout the story, probably more-so given that I've read similar books where the author managed to make the heroine snarky but not an asshole.
Second, the preaching. I saw someone else touch on this, but the tone got just a touch too preachy in too many parts. Don't get me wrong- if feminism's your thing that's great, go for it, but there were parts where I was gritting my teeth and felt that Emery and the author writing her were preaching to me about it and I really wasn't too crazy about it.
Third- and maybe what sealed it- was that it was a little too stereotypical for me. Having read books like "45 lbs More or Less" and seen just how beautifully the weight-obsessed mother can be humanized and understood better, it bugged me a bit that this was yet another book about weight that fell into the "mother is a superficial bitch about her kid's weight for no other reason than that she's just a superficial bitch" trope.
nisforneville's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This book had me laughing quite often. The author makes some pretty good points about the standards imposed on young girls these days. This is a pretty fast and entertaining read.
This book had me laughing quite often. The author makes some pretty good points about the standards imposed on young girls these days. This is a pretty fast and entertaining read.
wordnerd153's review against another edition
3.0
The book starts out a bit slow, with a protagonist who isn't particularly likable. The author seems to be trying quite hard to make Emery sound like a self-aware, sarcastic teenage cliche. Once Emery signs on to be part of a reality show that will chronicle her attempt to lose 50 pounds in 50 days, the story picks up and Emery becomes a more realistic and well-rounded character. The book is a pretty accurate depiction of what it's like to be an overweight teenage girl in the U.S. (I was one, so I speak from experience), and the author throws a few unexpected twists in to keep the reader guessing at what Emery will suffer through next. I did find the ending quite abrupt, especially considering that it took awhile for the story to pick up the pace. I was satisfied with how the story ended, but not with how quickly and easily everything was wrapped up. Overall, I would recommend this book to teenage girls who enjoy feisty, intelligent female protagonists and who are fascinated by the idea of reality TV.
*I received a free copy of the book through NetGalley - just a disclaimer
*I received a free copy of the book through NetGalley - just a disclaimer