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geckobookcooks's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
hopemoser97's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. I think there were a lot of goods and a few bads to this book, so I'm going to list them out as best as I can. TW (for the book, not the review) potential sexual-assault & eating disorder triggers.
+A 16 year old fat girl who embraces her body the way it is and who isn't ashamed of her love of food (I wish I could have been as confident as a 16 year old girl who society deemed fat)
+A cute relationship between sisters
+Realistic family interactions
+A cute (albeit underdeveloped) romance subplot
+The understanding that you can exercise without having the goal of weight loss
+Written in a realistic teenager point of view
+/- A cute friendship between the main character and her best friend, although we could have seen more of it, especially since the friend gives the main character some healthy pushback when she is being stubborn
-The nurse's words to the main character at the beginning of the book - I understand this was done in order to initiate the main concept and plot of the book, but it definitely could be triggering if you're someone who has struggled with body image and/or eating disorders
-The mom's inconsistency in her relationship with the main character - it kind of seems like she is unhappy about her daughter being fat for a lot of the first half of the book, but then she says multiple times that she doesn't mind her daughter being fat, and her opinion is just kind of wishy-washy
-The visit to the nurse at the end of the book could have dealt without mentioning that the main character lost weight, and instead focused on her lifestyle changes
-The lack of a real conclusion regarding the main character's career/education - she was supposed to have an apprenticeship lined up by the time school started, and she didn't, so what will she be doing?
-There is a weird part where the main character describes an activity from her childhood with her sister that is Very Uncomfortable to read and feels sexual-assault adjacent, despite the sister (the victim) seemingly being okay with it, and the perpetrator (the main character) kind of almost brags about it. It made me feel yucky.
I will say, I have read a few of the reviews for this book, and it seems like the two main critiques are that the main character is a "spoiled brat" or just otherwise unlikeable, and that there is some ableism by the main character when her sister suffers an injury. I think these are kind of moot points and not really something that needs to be the main focus, because I think these go to the fact that the main character is 16 years old and still trying to figure her life out. Yes, she is a little selfish and kind of unlikeable in parts, but there are many likeable elements of her personality as well, including her willingness to stand her ground, her love for herself and her family, etc. Yes, she makes snap judgements about others while complaining about others doing the same to her, but that is part of being a teenager as well. As far as the ableism goes, I see what people are saying, but it also seems like many of those people did not finish the book. The main character is upset by her sister's injuries and decline in mobility, and she makes a big stink about how unfair it is that her sister can't do the things she loves anymore because they are too physical, and she acts like her sister can't do *anything* because of her injuries. But this attitude from her only lasts for about 50 pages or so, and then she has a realization (in part due to an argument with her friend) that she has been approaching the situation wrong. By the end of the book, she is advocating for accessibility in public spaces. I think the book was good enough overall that it may be worth sitting through the cringey ableist talk in order to finish the book.
+A 16 year old fat girl who embraces her body the way it is and who isn't ashamed of her love of food (I wish I could have been as confident as a 16 year old girl who society deemed fat)
+A cute relationship between sisters
+Realistic family interactions
+A cute (albeit underdeveloped) romance subplot
+The understanding that you can exercise without having the goal of weight loss
+Written in a realistic teenager point of view
+/- A cute friendship between the main character and her best friend, although we could have seen more of it, especially since the friend gives the main character some healthy pushback when she is being stubborn
-The nurse's words to the main character at the beginning of the book - I understand this was done in order to initiate the main concept and plot of the book, but it definitely could be triggering if you're someone who has struggled with body image and/or eating disorders
-The mom's inconsistency in her relationship with the main character - it kind of seems like she is unhappy about her daughter being fat for a lot of the first half of the book, but then she says multiple times that she doesn't mind her daughter being fat, and her opinion is just kind of wishy-washy
-The visit to the nurse at the end of the book could have dealt without mentioning that the main character lost weight, and instead focused on her lifestyle changes
-The lack of a real conclusion regarding the main character's career/education - she was supposed to have an apprenticeship lined up by the time school started, and she didn't, so what will she be doing?
-There is a weird part where the main character describes an activity from her childhood with her sister that is Very Uncomfortable to read and feels sexual-assault adjacent, despite the sister (the victim) seemingly being okay with it, and the perpetrator (the main character) kind of almost brags about it. It made me feel yucky.
I will say, I have read a few of the reviews for this book, and it seems like the two main critiques are that the main character is a "spoiled brat" or just otherwise unlikeable, and that there is some ableism by the main character when her sister suffers an injury. I think these are kind of moot points and not really something that needs to be the main focus, because I think these go to the fact that the main character is 16 years old and still trying to figure her life out. Yes, she is a little selfish and kind of unlikeable in parts, but there are many likeable elements of her personality as well, including her willingness to stand her ground, her love for herself and her family, etc. Yes, she makes snap judgements about others while complaining about others doing the same to her, but that is part of being a teenager as well. As far as the ableism goes, I see what people are saying, but it also seems like many of those people did not finish the book. The main character is upset by her sister's injuries and decline in mobility, and she makes a big stink about how unfair it is that her sister can't do the things she loves anymore because they are too physical, and she acts like her sister can't do *anything* because of her injuries. But this attitude from her only lasts for about 50 pages or so, and then she has a realization (in part due to an argument with her friend) that she has been approaching the situation wrong. By the end of the book, she is advocating for accessibility in public spaces. I think the book was good enough overall that it may be worth sitting through the cringey ableist talk in order to finish the book.
sc104906's review against another edition
2.0
I received this as an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
BB, short for Blue Belle or Big Bones, is forced to track her weight, after a scary asthma episode. BB is willing to follow the doctor's orders and keep a food diary, if her mother lets her drop out of school. BB's parents are pretty unplugged, since they are wrapped up in their own romantic drama about whether they want to be together or not. BB and her little sister, who is an avid parkour aficionado, rely on each other. BB is trying to get an internship at her work in a local coffee shop, but her crappy manager is making it almost impossible. When a tragedy occurs in her family, BB is forced to take a harder look at her direction in life and decisions.
BB is a caricature of a fat person. She could be so much more than what she was on the page. BB has a great talent with cooking and I was disappointed that this never turned into anything more than a vehicle to get more high calorie food into her mouth. I was far more interested in the little sister's storyline than BBs. The romance never really achieved anything beyond the surface.
BB, short for Blue Belle or Big Bones, is forced to track her weight, after a scary asthma episode. BB is willing to follow the doctor's orders and keep a food diary, if her mother lets her drop out of school. BB's parents are pretty unplugged, since they are wrapped up in their own romantic drama about whether they want to be together or not. BB and her little sister, who is an avid parkour aficionado, rely on each other. BB is trying to get an internship at her work in a local coffee shop, but her crappy manager is making it almost impossible. When a tragedy occurs in her family, BB is forced to take a harder look at her direction in life and decisions.
BB is a caricature of a fat person. She could be so much more than what she was on the page. BB has a great talent with cooking and I was disappointed that this never turned into anything more than a vehicle to get more high calorie food into her mouth. I was far more interested in the little sister's storyline than BBs. The romance never really achieved anything beyond the surface.
casssmith2022's review
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I need a part 2
aurorabulgaris's review against another edition
2.0
I love how positive the main character is about her obesity and how accepting she is towards her own body. But my good impressions of her end there. She's insufferably self-centered and entitled, making every situation about her, when it isn't. It was incredibly annoying at times. Overall the book would've been much more enjoyable if Bluebelle was a nicer person. And the gym hype she got right from the get go was a bit of a letdown. As a fat girl who wasn't lucky enough to fall in love with exercise from day one, it's just another disappointment from a book I hoped would be about a fat girl being happy irrelevant of her plus-sizeness.
melindagallagher's review against another edition
3.0
I was a little disappointed because I was really looking forward to reading this book. It was so much about food that it was almost gross. BB was loveable, but while she maintained that she didn't care about being fat and that she really liked herself, she really didn't. There is a lot of potential here, but I don't think it completely fulfilled it.
greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Alcohol, Body shaming, Vomit, Animal death, Eating disorder, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, Excrement, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic friendship
managedbybooks's review against another edition
1.0
I went in to this with high hopes, but just within the first 30 pages there were a few racist and homophobic comments and it all turned extremely ableist when a secondary character ends up in a wheelchair.
savannawaddle's review against another edition
1.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a complimentary arc of My Ideal Boyfriend is a Croissant by Laura Dockrill in exchange for my honest review.*
tw / a flashback of BB forcing herself to throw up (even using a hanger to complete it) and fatphobic comments. /
This book seems to be mostly meant to be fun, in the beginning it definitely does reference the fat politics when it comes to home doctor’s and the medical field treat fat people. They assume that they’re only sick because they’re fat and don’t look at anything else, or actually treat them like a client.
The character’s arc transitions at the end, after something tragic happens, she begins to lose her appetite and it eventually resolves, but as a thin person I don’t believe I have the right to comment on how that could effect/not effect some within the fat community, so I wanted to make any readers aware.
There is basically no plot (until like half way in) and very character driven, which is usually find but I couldn’t connect with almost any of the characters. However, I did love the sweet relationship between BB and Max and I also enjoyed Dove’s character.
Fat rep is SO IMPORTANT, but this particular book wasn’t for me, and I can’t say if the fat rep was done well or not. It didn’t really keep my attention and bounced back and forth so confusingly. There was a tone shift halfway through the course, and it didn’t work for me. There were some parts that were fun, and BB was overall proud to be who she is and her love of food and life.
tw / a flashback of BB forcing herself to throw up (even using a hanger to complete it) and fatphobic comments. /
This book seems to be mostly meant to be fun, in the beginning it definitely does reference the fat politics when it comes to home doctor’s and the medical field treat fat people. They assume that they’re only sick because they’re fat and don’t look at anything else, or actually treat them like a client.
The character’s arc transitions at the end, after something tragic happens, she begins to lose her appetite and it eventually resolves, but as a thin person I don’t believe I have the right to comment on how that could effect/not effect some within the fat community, so I wanted to make any readers aware.
There is basically no plot (until like half way in) and very character driven, which is usually find but I couldn’t connect with almost any of the characters. However, I did love the sweet relationship between BB and Max and I also enjoyed Dove’s character.
Fat rep is SO IMPORTANT, but this particular book wasn’t for me, and I can’t say if the fat rep was done well or not. It didn’t really keep my attention and bounced back and forth so confusingly. There was a tone shift halfway through the course, and it didn’t work for me. There were some parts that were fun, and BB was overall proud to be who she is and her love of food and life.