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lawbooks600's review against another edition
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
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Death, Body shaming, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Grief, and Fatphobia
Full trigger warnings: Body shaming, internalised body shaming, racism, internalised racism, cultural appropriation, eating disorder, restrictive dieting, grief and loss depiction, death of a father in the pastftmemobrew89's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Racism
theswordandthesea's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I’ve been reading less and less YA lately but this one was so worth it. I wish every teenager who’s struggled with self-image and insecurity would read this (basically: every teenager). Charlie’s story is incredibly sweet and relatable. Her contentious relationship with her weight-obsessed mother is also very relatable. Is anything more complicated than the relationship between a teenage girl and her mother? Brian was bound to be a pretty perfect love interest since not only is he written by a woman, he’s raised by two of them. There’s so much to love in here. Even in the difficult moments of the story, this book felt like a warm hug.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Racism
mrsherrera's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, Bullying, Fatphobia, and Racism
rachreadshella's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Body shaming, Death of parent, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Racism
bookcrushin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
loved this, and really wish I had a book like this when I was a teen, the fat awareness, and fatphobia was so on point - brought me back to being a teen and having those same feelings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, and Body shaming
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Racism, and Bullying
Minor: Alcohol and Eating disorder
karcitis's review against another edition
emotional
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, and Bullying
Moderate: Racism, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Alcohol
jessoehrlein's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Fatphobia
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Racism
aly_young's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Alcohol, Body shaming, Cursing, Death of parent, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Bullying, and Racism
nitya's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Read for MLIS elective
4 stars alone for the LJ mention in the author's thank yous tbh 😭😭
This book was fantastic, and I loved the plus size rep, strong female friendships and romance!!! I just wish there was more depth to Mrs. Vega's redemption, she really didn't apologize enough for her abuse.
4 stars alone for the LJ mention in the author's thank yous tbh 😭😭
This book was fantastic, and I loved the plus size rep, strong female friendships and romance!!! I just wish there was more depth to Mrs. Vega's redemption, she really didn't apologize enough for her abuse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Death of parent