A review by lawbooks600
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado

emotional slow-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

3.0

Representation: Biracial (half white and half Latina, but self-identifying as brown and Fat,) Black and Asian characters 
Score: Six and a half out of ten.

This one was alright. I wanted to read Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado for a while but put it off for a few months before finally getting it at a library. I glanced at the blurb, which didn't seem too unappealing, but the ratings were below four stars, so I lowered my expectations. When I closed the final page, I thought it was okay.

It starts with Charlie Vega recounting her life as a self-identified Fat (uppercase) brown (lowercase)  girl with her (white) mother, and her dynamics with other people at school. It sure sounds like a slow beginning in the opening pages when I think about it, and the pacing continues to be this way from there. I liked the message of accepting yourself as who you are, but Fat Chance, Charlie Vega tried to do too much and I didn't know what the central storyline was supposed to be. 

There are two narratives: one is a romance and another is a discussion on issues like body shaming and racism, and the narrative tried to do both at once but didn't concentrate on any, but perhaps only focusing on one would be better. I found the juxtaposition between the lighthearted first theme and the serious second theme to be jarring, too. The giddy tone was hard to read at times, and so was the toxic dynamic of Charlie and her mother, but at least I liked the characters, though they were not easy to connect or relate with, even though Charlie developed her character. The exploration of intersectionality is also an appreciated touch. Did I mention Charlie's (Latino) father passed before the plot started? The climax is enjoyable as Charlie starts a relationship with Brian, then they broke up, and then got back together again.
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