Reviews tagging 'Fatphobia'

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero

12 reviews

luna_bear's review

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Abortion, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Sexism, and Violence

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

told in the format of a journal interspersed w/ poems and even a zine, gabi, a girl in pieces reads like a YA classic w/ its story of identity, family, friendship, relationships, and grapples w/ the world.

the main character gabi is painfully, frighteningly relatable w/ her sturggles w/ body image, eating, complicated relationship w/ family, and her narrative voice is wry and at times hilarious. it's satisfying to see her grow and evolve thruout the novel, gradually thinking critically abt the world around her and the way girls are treated in her cultural context, and eventually speaking up and making her voice heard.

there's a lot going on in this short book, w/ quintero tackling numerous topics and issues, and tho it can feel a lil overwhelming at times, it's also realistic. there's addiction, teen pregnancy, rape culture, coming (and getting kicked) out, body image, internalized misogyny, and cultural pressure, to name a few. quintero approaches them all w/ equal parts realism and empathy. furthermore, the poems - esp those abt gabi's family - can be particularly touching, while the zine poems are technically great yet incisive.

i only wish things didnt peter out for cindy and sebastian towards the end, w/ gabi seeming hyperfocused in her own head. also i cant help but be a lil confused as to why many boys suddenly flock to gabi when nothing abt her has rly changed internally or externally. the narrative can also get repetitive at times, w/ some things mentioned or happening over and over, blurring many of the events tgt into one indistinct blob. the end couldve been less abrupt too.

while this novel contains serious themes and topics, it addresses and explores them w/ empathetic realism thru a humorous and wry narrative voice; an inevitable YA classic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Grief, Addiction, Body shaming, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Misogyny

Moderate: Abortion, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content

Minor: Excrement and Rape

wonderful_'s review

emotional funny inspiring reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Fatphobia, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Abortion, Body shaming, and Rape

Minor: Child abuse and Suicide

asaugustine's review

funny 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

4.0

I picked this book up because it was in my classroom library and the cover was… provocative. I really enjoyed the epistolary style, and felt like it moved the story along at a quick pace. I also appreciated the honesty with which the book tackled complex issues; the internal conflicts felt very real, and the ebbs and flows of Senior year were also quite realistic - I appreciated how not all of the conflicts occurred at the very end of the novel, because, you know, sometimes problems happen in the middle of January in the midst of a school year. 

I would best describe this book as a grittier version of “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter”, advancing many of the same themes and tropes, but with a slightly older audience in mind. A good read, although I will reserve it for only a few of my eighth grade students who are mature enough to handle the material. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Rape, Body shaming, and Abortion

nitya's review

dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

3.0

Read for MLIS elective

I really liked the epistolary/diary style format! Gabi was such a honest and wonderfully flawed character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Misogyny

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Addiction, Child abuse, and Homophobia

Minor: Ableism, Infidelity, and Rape

lilybear3's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion and Body shaming

Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia

aconfundityofcrows's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense 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

5.0

This hit me in all the right places.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Homophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abandonment, Ableism, Abortion, Drug use, Excrement, Infidelity, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Cursing

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, and Dementia

ginadapooh's review against another edition

emotional funny 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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

queen_emmy's review

emotional funny inspiring sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

Gabi is a loveable narrator and hearing the story in “diary” format directly from her gives the reader almost omniscient insight into who she is and how she thinks. She and her friends all go through their fair share of tough situations during their final years of high school, but they are fiercely loyal to one another and always have each others’ backs. While parts of this book are hard to read because such likable characters are struggling, I think this book paints the issues that some teens face in a very honest light and I felt that this was one of those books that needed to be written.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, and Homophobia

ashylibrarian's review against another edition

Made it to page 31. This was a book I was assigned for a class. I did not get around to reading it for the week and did not have an interest in continuing it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Addiction, Fatphobia, and Body shaming