Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Fat Chance, Charlie Vega

Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado

30 reviews

legalplanner's review

emotional reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This was a book that I was hooked into early. But I also was very frustrated. Overall I felt like most of the character development was good and it was a quick read that packed a punch for me. I was very happy with the diverse nature of the characters, even thought it follows the same four characters generally (would have loved to see more of the others) their background and origins were very diverse and it was a nice not all white cast.

About the book: possible spoilers for theme.

It had similar vibes to Dumplin, but Charlie felt less toxic to others in my eyes. She wasn’t leading one boy on while having feelings for another like the former. Her behavior to her best friend didn’t scream bad news until about 60-75% of the way through the book which was hard to see that turn. It’s also hard to see the mothers hate the daughters in curvey/body positive books. While I know that is a reality for many people it was sometimes hard to watch that relationship between Charlie and her mom. Overall the eventual growth and the feel good ending was nice.

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samharlow85's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

The characters were so likable in this book that I give it a pass for not having much going on and dragging a little bit at parts. I thought it was such a nice, inclusive young adult representation that I would highly recommend for a light, sweet read.

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caribbeangirlreading's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

Review – Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado

“They say you can’t really be with someone until you can love yourself, but I’m learning that it can also sometimes take the admiration and support of someone else to help you get there. I was already on the path to seeing my own self-worth, but . . . took my hand and made the route less lonely.”

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega is a charming and heartfelt coming-of-age tale about a brown, plus-sized Puerto Rican girl growing up in Connecticut. The book tackles our relationships to our parents, our bodies, our cultures, and ourselves.

LIKED

*Cast of characters – I really liked Charlie, Amelia, and Brian. Teenaged me would have totally been friends with them.

*Charlie got her HEA!

*Cover – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

DISLIKED

*Way too much telling when showing would have been more than enough. Young (and not so young readers) are smarter than that.

*Themes were presented but not properly (or superficially) explored, specifically Charlie’s relationship with her mom and Charlie’s latinidad.

*The author wanted so badly to make Charlie a woke brown girl that she was THIS CLOSE to preachiness.

IT’S COMPLICATED

*Narration – I loved that the book was narrated from a first person pov by Charlie. You truly got to feel her joy, her pain, her insecurities. Unfortunately, too many times Charlie would be in the middle of doing/being, the book would stop cold, and Charlie would become the third-person narrator. It made for clunky reading.

*Making Charlie's mom (the only Anglo/white character in the story) the "bad guy” was lazy writing on the part of the author. Making Charlie's mom a skinny, white-passing Latina would have made for a much more complex and nuanced story.

This book was lovely. I love today’s young readers get to see themselves reflected in the pages of a book. But I also think that young readers reading diverse stories deserve better writing and editing, not just woke stories.

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

This is a YA romance that isn't afraid to step up and discuss body image issues and self esteem. Those conversations were important and I think Charlie's journey is one that a lot of teens will relate to. The writing in this was engaging, I just felt like the pacing was a bit off.

This has nothing to do with the writing or the story, but can publishers stop putting plot points in the summary that don't happen until like the last 4th of the book??? Who even approved that?? Stop putting spoilers in the book jacket summary!

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bookcaptivated's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

4.0

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its_me_kitty_reads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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montyroz's review against another edition

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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

4.0

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kylieqrada's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

3.75

3.5 - 4 ⭐s. I am always here for a fat heroine, especially a fat WOC who loves herself (for the most part, as we all can relate to, I think). This book was a fun, quick, and surprisingly deep read that explores mother daughter relationships and friendship dynamics in a really interesting way. The cast of characters is very diverse, and the love interest is also fat, which *swoon*. Only giving it a slightly lower rating because I just don't think it will stick with me for long.

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alylentz's review against another edition

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funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

3.5

This was super cute. I especially loved the discussions of fat acceptance that were included in here that I think could be especially powerful for teen readers. The casual queer representation (her best friend Amelia is pan, her boyfriend's parents are queer women) was also great. Sometimes the writing did feel a little stiff and the pacing was a little slow for my taste, there is a lot to love in this book--especially the way the relationship with her mom is explored--that will definitely have me checking out further work by this author.

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literarymarvel's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Such a cute book that tackles body shaming and body positivity themes. I loved Charlie and Amelia and Brian as characters, and the writing was funny and inspiring. It was a bit too predictable, though.

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