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bookishmillennial's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
I had so much fun with this book. We have a fat lesbian MC, Jo, who has her eye set on the editor position of the school newspaper. She desperately wants to get into Columbia journalism school, and knows this is the next step. However, when she doesn't get it and her besties Audrey (Korean) and Oliver (Jewish) get the positions instead, her hopes are quite deflated. She is assigned the volleyball beat (I didn't know this lingo before lol so like truly, you learn something new everyday) instead, and has to cover her ex-friend and current enemy, Mackenzie (Mack) West. Mack was actually in the same friends group as Jo's older brother Charlie, who is enjoying his first year of college. Jo and Mack's newfound close proximity for the next four months forces them both to confront their past falling out, and to understand each other better.
While the ex-friends-to-lovers sapphic romance was fine, what really stood out to me was Jo's arc, specifically in regards to her relationship with her mom, and her body as a fat teenager. I appreciated the dialogue that Jo opens up with how her mom talks about bodies, weight, diets, and fitness. Jo says a line that talks about how she feels like her mom talks about movement and food in a way that feels as if she is punishing herself, and it comes off as fat-phobic and not very body respectful or positive.
I also personally really welcomed and applauded the way Jo names how exhausting it is to be the fat person in the room. For example, there's a scene where Jo takes her dog to the dog park, and Jo discusses feeling too approachable as a fat person, in that people think you truly are so grateful that you would even deign to talk to them, that they can just unload anything they want on you. Fat people are not the NPC in your game, and not everyone wants to talk to you! I cackled when she told the lady at the dog park, "Actually, I am fat," in response to "You're not fat." Like who do you think you're helping when you say things like this?! You're framing "fat" as negative, as bad, as unappealing. So shut up! Especially us thin or non-fat folks, please shut up!
The third-act conflict is wild, but I also appreciated how deeply our MC messed up. It speaks to real life. I already know it's not going to be some of yalls favorite, but WHATEVER! Teenagers are fucking messy, stop pretending like they're not. They grow up to be messy adults, so I don't understand the describing the MC as "unlikeable" or "selfish" or "judgmental" - so? So are you! So am I! We are human?! We all have antisocial, judgmental, selfish moments, so I just find those comments unimpressive and unoriginal. Enjoy your "good vibes only" frame you got from TJMaxx. Stop deeming anyone who is not Susie Sunshine "unlikeable". People have a right to be hostile, to be untrustworthy, to be apprehensive. Thanks!
I had so much fun with this book. We have a fat lesbian MC, Jo, who has her eye set on the editor position of the school newspaper. She desperately wants to get into Columbia journalism school, and knows this is the next step. However, when she doesn't get it and her besties Audrey (Korean) and Oliver (Jewish) get the positions instead, her hopes are quite deflated. She is assigned the volleyball beat (I didn't know this lingo before lol so like truly, you learn something new everyday) instead, and has to cover her ex-friend and current enemy, Mackenzie (Mack) West. Mack was actually in the same friends group as Jo's older brother Charlie, who is enjoying his first year of college. Jo and Mack's newfound close proximity for the next four months forces them both to confront their past falling out, and to understand each other better.
While the ex-friends-to-lovers sapphic romance was fine, what really stood out to me was Jo's arc, specifically in regards to her relationship with her mom, and her body as a fat teenager. I appreciated the dialogue that Jo opens up with how her mom talks about bodies, weight, diets, and fitness. Jo says a line that talks about how she feels like her mom talks about movement and food in a way that feels as if she is punishing herself, and it comes off as fat-phobic and not very body respectful or positive.
I also personally really welcomed and applauded the way Jo names how exhausting it is to be the fat person in the room. For example, there's a scene where Jo takes her dog to the dog park, and Jo discusses feeling too approachable as a fat person, in that people think you truly are so grateful that you would even deign to talk to them, that they can just unload anything they want on you. Fat people are not the NPC in your game, and not everyone wants to talk to you! I cackled when she told the lady at the dog park, "Actually, I am fat," in response to "You're not fat." Like who do you think you're helping when you say things like this?! You're framing "fat" as negative, as bad, as unappealing. So shut up! Especially us thin or non-fat folks, please shut up!
The third-act conflict is wild, but I also appreciated how deeply our MC messed up. It speaks to real life. I already know it's not going to be some of yalls favorite, but WHATEVER! Teenagers are fucking messy, stop pretending like they're not. They grow up to be messy adults, so I don't understand the describing the MC as "unlikeable" or "selfish" or "judgmental" - so? So are you! So am I! We are human?! We all have antisocial, judgmental, selfish moments, so I just find those comments unimpressive and unoriginal. Enjoy your "good vibes only" frame you got from TJMaxx. Stop deeming anyone who is not Susie Sunshine "unlikeable". People have a right to be hostile, to be untrustworthy, to be apprehensive. Thanks!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Fatphobia, Toxic friendship, Lesbophobia, and Bullying
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