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thebookishlibrarian's review against another edition
Jess Jones is bold, single and overweight, and she doesn’t apologize for any of it. She is who she is, and is fine with the way things are. She begins to think differently, however, when Own Clothes Day happens at school. She is used to wearing a uniform every day, and now she feels pressured into wearing the perfect thing to school. To make things worse, she splits her leggings and someone calls her fat, which has never bothered her before that moment. It is then that she realizes that she may have been too comfortable with herself, and now she has to figure out what to do about it.
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.
_chaeyoung's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Jesobel Jones, daughter of a rockstar (dad) and a model (mom) and sister to a 'thin, explosively beautiful' girl, always has an opinion. She isn't rude, or mean (like Zara) but she can speck up for herself and doesn't bother about other people's opinion. She is loved by her friends, studies really well and Jess sees no need to apologize for her rambling house, her imperfect family, her single status ... or her weight. Jess is who she is. She makes her own cupcakes and she eats them, too. She loves to eat and cook food. Its her passion, her interest. That is, until an incident at her school where she wonders if she should try losing some weight? The story begins as so -High schooler Jesobel Jones begins her story on Own Clothes Day at School—the exciting, or dreaded day, depending on who you are. She gets ready with her friends, experimenting in her own style, but soon starts to consider her public persona vs. her self-image and whether or not her love for cooking, baking, and all things food is affecting her social status. On this infamous day in school, Jess starts out with a mishap with the school bully and ends with a party invitation by her crush. The story follows Jess and her journey from fitting in to her ultimate self-discovery, all the while learning some lessons about family, friendship, love, and being herself. This fun read is told from the perspective of Jess—an engaging and easily relatable narrator. Anna Mainwaring has captured what it's like to be a teenager and brings about all the feelings about being in high school—the hopes, the fears, and everything in between.
SPOILER ALERT:
She ends up with Alex :)
SPOILER ALERT:
She ends up with Alex :)
hannahnana73's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this. Such a relatable girl. Total queen of sass/girl who eats life:)
sienaro's review against another edition
3.0
“Being happy really winds up people who hate you. It’s the best revenge.”
Observation #1- This book has a unique take on fat culture, fat shaming, loving yourself, and accepting others. Jesobel Jones is fat, funny, and fabulous.
Observation #2- The language in this book is very middle grade and although the morals are good for any age group, it overall seems just a bit juvenile for some of the topics it takes on.
Observation #83- Jess is obsessed with boys. This is realistic and almost daresay comforting. Her, Hannah, and Izzie are like nearly every set of friends under the age of 18 that I’ve encountered in the real world, quirks and all.
Observation #25.5- There were way too many characters which lead to a lack of development. Why was Dom even there? And his other guy, Frank? Mike? Tommy? Little puppies falling around our almost fully developed friend roles. That’s not even including Bex, Sana, Ms Brown, Imogen, Lara/Tara and the many other characters that were mentioned too often to not be discussed.
Observation #10- Cute, fun, funny, and at times quotable, this is a perfect weekend read on vacation. Not too interesting, not too captivating, but overall a little heartwarming.
Observation #1- This book has a unique take on fat culture, fat shaming, loving yourself, and accepting others. Jesobel Jones is fat, funny, and fabulous.
Observation #2- The language in this book is very middle grade and although the morals are good for any age group, it overall seems just a bit juvenile for some of the topics it takes on.
Observation #83- Jess is obsessed with boys. This is realistic and almost daresay comforting. Her, Hannah, and Izzie are like nearly every set of friends under the age of 18 that I’ve encountered in the real world, quirks and all.
Observation #25.5- There were way too many characters which lead to a lack of development. Why was Dom even there? And his other guy, Frank? Mike? Tommy? Little puppies falling around our almost fully developed friend roles. That’s not even including Bex, Sana, Ms Brown, Imogen, Lara/Tara and the many other characters that were mentioned too often to not be discussed.
Observation #10- Cute, fun, funny, and at times quotable, this is a perfect weekend read on vacation. Not too interesting, not too captivating, but overall a little heartwarming.
illiteratezombie's review against another edition
4.0
I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway.
Rating: 3.5 - 4 stars.
First, I think I read this at the right time, since June was a pretty slow month for me where I hardly got any reading done. It was exactly what I needed tbh. This book was a quick read and it was pretty fun and lighthearted for the most part. With that said, I'm not going to go crazy in depth. (Because I don't really nitpick and tear into books I enjoyed.)
One gripe that I did sort of have was the narration. There were times where I felt Jess rambled a little too much, and I'm not a fan of using internet speak in the narration itself(ex: IMHO, LMFAO). But, other than that, I thought it flowed pretty well.
I did like how we never really got to know how much she weighed. I didn't feel like it mattered all too much anyway. In addition to that, I also liked how her weight loss journey with her running and eating habits where kind of put in the background. It didn't become the main focus of the story, but I also thought for a second she was kind of slowly giving up. So when she tries on the dress I thought, "Oh she really did commit."
I don't really have too much to say on the characters. I loved Jess and her sassy comebacks and confidence. We need more characters that aren't afraid to snap back with some remarks of their own. You know, by actually saying them, and not thinking them in the narration. So that was refreshing.
There was drama, dumb decisions, wholesome moments, enraging moments, and happy moments. It was a great summer read.
Rating: 3.5 - 4 stars.
First, I think I read this at the right time, since June was a pretty slow month for me where I hardly got any reading done. It was exactly what I needed tbh. This book was a quick read and it was pretty fun and lighthearted for the most part. With that said, I'm not going to go crazy in depth. (Because I don't really nitpick and tear into books I enjoyed.)
One gripe that I did sort of have was the narration. There were times where I felt Jess rambled a little too much, and I'm not a fan of using internet speak in the narration itself(ex: IMHO, LMFAO). But, other than that, I thought it flowed pretty well.
I did like how we never really got to know how much she weighed. I didn't feel like it mattered all too much anyway. In addition to that, I also liked how her weight loss journey with her running and eating habits where kind of put in the background. It didn't become the main focus of the story, but I also thought for a second she was kind of slowly giving up. So when she tries on the dress I thought, "Oh she really did commit."
I don't really have too much to say on the characters. I loved Jess and her sassy comebacks and confidence. We need more characters that aren't afraid to snap back with some remarks of their own. You know, by actually saying them, and not thinking them in the narration. So that was refreshing.
There was drama, dumb decisions, wholesome moments, enraging moments, and happy moments. It was a great summer read.
powisamy's review
Full review to come...
When I got an email to join the blog tour for Rebel With A Cupcake, I was really excited as I enjoyed Tulip Taylor and really wanted to read her follow-up release in the UK although this book has been published in other territories before. After reading what Rebel With A Cupcake was about, this was even more obvious as a fat person myself I like to read books with the main character who are also this way. While I did enjoy Rebel With A Cupcake, I did have some problems with it but it still gets across the message that you can be bold and beautiful delivering positive messages that everyone needs right now.
So I will get the negatives out the way first, I noticed some small errors in the book such as missing speech marks and this kinda annoying to me as well as the fact that it mentions A* although the numbering system is now in play. I know that it is an older book but it could have been updated.
I am also not a big fan of girl hate which this book kind of features and did affect my reading experience but I also think that the book does also have some key female relationships and friendships that did help with this issue. While Jess and her friends are not perfect, no friend group is and this was also just in general nice to read about.
Jess is herself just a great character, she breathes positivity and goes on a really nice journey in the book. I think that it was nice to see her progress throughout the book and grow to be the best version of herself that she could be. I think it is also great of other people to see her and she is just, in general, a fiery character who definitely knows who she is and is proud of it.
I think that family is often side-lined in a lot of YA but I think that Rebel With A Cupcake does this so well and it was nice to read about the family dynamics. I think that a lot of this comes in the form of Cat and how much she opposed Jess. Both are very different but I think that they offer so much to each other that it was great to see them both grow. I also really like her Gran. It may just be because I miss my Nans at the moment but yeah I liked her as a character.
I am a sucker for a good romance and Rebel With A Cupcake offers quite a good one in the form of Alex. I think that although the superior candidate was always Alex, it was good to see her relationship with Matt so that she could grow as a person and learn who really was right for her. I did think that it was going to be hit or miss with the romance towards the end but you know that love always prevails.
I obviously think that body positivity is mainly important for this book. It was again great to see Jess became a Rebel With A Cupcake. I also loved the blog post and it was really powerful and what I needed to see someone finally accept who they were and be proud. I think that it would be great if everyone who felt crappy about their body could read this because everyone needs just a little hope at this time.
The Verdict:
Rebel With A Cupcake is a powerful and important novel that tells readers that you are great just the way that you are.
When I got an email to join the blog tour for Rebel With A Cupcake, I was really excited as I enjoyed Tulip Taylor and really wanted to read her follow-up release in the UK although this book has been published in other territories before. After reading what Rebel With A Cupcake was about, this was even more obvious as a fat person myself I like to read books with the main character who are also this way. While I did enjoy Rebel With A Cupcake, I did have some problems with it but it still gets across the message that you can be bold and beautiful delivering positive messages that everyone needs right now.
So I will get the negatives out the way first, I noticed some small errors in the book such as missing speech marks and this kinda annoying to me as well as the fact that it mentions A* although the numbering system is now in play. I know that it is an older book but it could have been updated.
I am also not a big fan of girl hate which this book kind of features and did affect my reading experience but I also think that the book does also have some key female relationships and friendships that did help with this issue. While Jess and her friends are not perfect, no friend group is and this was also just in general nice to read about.
Jess is herself just a great character, she breathes positivity and goes on a really nice journey in the book. I think that it was nice to see her progress throughout the book and grow to be the best version of herself that she could be. I think it is also great of other people to see her and she is just, in general, a fiery character who definitely knows who she is and is proud of it.
I think that family is often side-lined in a lot of YA but I think that Rebel With A Cupcake does this so well and it was nice to read about the family dynamics. I think that a lot of this comes in the form of Cat and how much she opposed Jess. Both are very different but I think that they offer so much to each other that it was great to see them both grow. I also really like her Gran. It may just be because I miss my Nans at the moment but yeah I liked her as a character.
I am a sucker for a good romance and Rebel With A Cupcake offers quite a good one in the form of Alex. I think that although the superior candidate was always Alex, it was good to see her relationship with Matt so that she could grow as a person and learn who really was right for her. I did think that it was going to be hit or miss with the romance towards the end but you know that love always prevails.
I obviously think that body positivity is mainly important for this book. It was again great to see Jess became a Rebel With A Cupcake. I also loved the blog post and it was really powerful and what I needed to see someone finally accept who they were and be proud. I think that it would be great if everyone who felt crappy about their body could read this because everyone needs just a little hope at this time.
The Verdict:
Rebel With A Cupcake is a powerful and important novel that tells readers that you are great just the way that you are.
shemyshines98's review against another edition
3.0
I love Jesobel! I like that she stays true to herself! Being overweight isn't exactly fun when you have ignorant people living in this world, but she owns it! That's something that I will always love and respect! To sum it up, Jes loves to bake and cook. She fancies Matt the cutest boy ever, falls for him and then bam! He goes after the girl who has the most ugliest personality ever. Zara. In the end, he dumps her to go to London for a boy band. :/ What made me love Jesobel was her post to her favorite blogger, Imogen who encouraged her to say her truth. No matter how terrifying if was for her. And man, did she speak the truth! "Because you can only win at life if you can wear a bikini with pride." *sarcasm* Even though I'm finally at a place in my life where I am hella comfy with my body, Jesobel encouages me to seriosuly not give a damn about what others think. I love food and food loves me! Got a problem? Take a damn number! In the end, Alex, Hannah's brother falls for her and it's a happy ending! And I'm not mad about it because she deserves it! <3
"....and I hate to break it to you, but thin people are miserable, too, sometimes. Thin people can have low self-esteem. Being thin isn't some magic fix to all life's troubles. You still might not like your instagram pictures. The environment is still going to hell in a handcart. It's not going to boost your scores in tests. It just means you're a bit smaller. End of."
".... Food brings people together and puts smiles on their faces."
".... Food is not the enemy. People are."
".... If you don't like how someone looks, maybe keep it to yourself. There's an idea. How someone else looks is nothing to do with you at all.
Nothing.
Nada."
Reading her post made me scream with empowerment!! I was like, "Go Jes!!!! You betta say it louder for the ignorant punks in the back!!!" I'm going to eat a whole ass cake to myself with nothing but gloriousness and happiness!
Yeah, this was a good read. Def a fav. <3
"....and I hate to break it to you, but thin people are miserable, too, sometimes. Thin people can have low self-esteem. Being thin isn't some magic fix to all life's troubles. You still might not like your instagram pictures. The environment is still going to hell in a handcart. It's not going to boost your scores in tests. It just means you're a bit smaller. End of."
".... Food brings people together and puts smiles on their faces."
".... Food is not the enemy. People are."
".... If you don't like how someone looks, maybe keep it to yourself. There's an idea. How someone else looks is nothing to do with you at all.
Nothing.
Nada."
Reading her post made me scream with empowerment!! I was like, "Go Jes!!!! You betta say it louder for the ignorant punks in the back!!!" I'm going to eat a whole ass cake to myself with nothing but gloriousness and happiness!
Yeah, this was a good read. Def a fav. <3
hitbooksnotgirlz's review against another edition
3.0
A little too cheesy for my liking, but the message within the story held a lot of value.
shemyshines98's review against another edition
3.0
I love Jesobel! I like that she stays true to herself! Being overweight isn't exactly fun when you have ignorant people living in this world, but she owns it! That's something that I will always love and respect! To sum it up, Jes loves to bake and cook. She fancies Matt the cutest boy ever, falls for him and then bam! He goes after the girl who has the most ugliest personality ever. Zara. In the end, he dumps her to go to London for a boy band. :/ What made me love Jesobel was her post to her favorite blogger, Imogen who encouraged her to say her truth. No matter how terrifying if was for her. And man, did she speak the truth! "Because you can only win at life if you can wear a bikini with pride." *sarcasm* Even though I'm finally at a place in my life where I am hella comfy with my body, Jesobel encouages me to seriosuly not give a damn about what others think. I love food and food loves me! Got a problem? Take a damn number! In the end, Alex, Hannah's brother falls for her and it's a happy ending! And I'm not mad about it because she deserves it! <3
"....and I hate to break it to you, but thin people are miserable, too, sometimes. Thin people can have low self-esteem. Being thin isn't some magic fix to all life's troubles. You still might not like your instagram pictures. The environment is still going to hell in a handcart. It's not going to boost your scores in tests. It just means you're a bit smaller. End of."
".... Food brings people together and puts smiles on their faces."
".... Food is not the enemy. People are."
".... If you don't like how someone looks, maybe keep it to yourself. There's an idea. How someone else looks is nothing to do with you at all.
Nothing.
Nada."
Reading her post made me scream with empowerment!! I was like, "Go Jes!!!! You betta say it louder for the ignorant punks in the back!!!" I'm going to eat a whole ass cake to myself with nothing but gloriousness and happiness!
Yeah, this was a good read. Def a fav. <3
"....and I hate to break it to you, but thin people are miserable, too, sometimes. Thin people can have low self-esteem. Being thin isn't some magic fix to all life's troubles. You still might not like your instagram pictures. The environment is still going to hell in a handcart. It's not going to boost your scores in tests. It just means you're a bit smaller. End of."
".... Food brings people together and puts smiles on their faces."
".... Food is not the enemy. People are."
".... If you don't like how someone looks, maybe keep it to yourself. There's an idea. How someone else looks is nothing to do with you at all.
Nothing.
Nada."
Reading her post made me scream with empowerment!! I was like, "Go Jes!!!! You betta say it louder for the ignorant punks in the back!!!" I'm going to eat a whole ass cake to myself with nothing but gloriousness and happiness!
Yeah, this was a good read. Def a fav. <3
booksandladders's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Full review to come on Books and Ladders!
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Full review to come on Books and Ladders!