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bookswithbain's review against another edition
5.0
I freaking loved this! It's the YA book that I never knew that I needed so desperately and I wish I had read this aged 16.
Bluebell, BB or Big Bones has taught me how to love my body, how to embrace myself, and how to start a healthy relationship with exercise and food. I've never felt so seen by a book or read a m/c so relatable. This incredibly powerful feminist YA contemporary should be required reading for all teens.
Bluebell, BB or Big Bones has taught me how to love my body, how to embrace myself, and how to start a healthy relationship with exercise and food. I've never felt so seen by a book or read a m/c so relatable. This incredibly powerful feminist YA contemporary should be required reading for all teens.
anniekslibrary's review against another edition
3.0
I thought this was quite a refreshing, unique read! It remind me a little of Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging when it comes to the humor, and I really liked the body positivity and BB's self esteem. There wasn't a lot more substance to it though, and I felt like the storyline was a bit rushed - it would have been nice to see more plot points resolved.
justanotherbookontheshelf's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.0
Very funny and feel-good!
thebibliophilegirl's review against another edition
3.0
I've been looking out for more YA contemporary books about fat girls... Or even girls who aren't comfortable with the size of their body or how they look. Because, I'm one of those girls, so I'm always on the lookout for good representation of this in YA. I'd heard a lot about Big Bones throughout the blogosphere and I was interested to see whether it was the type of book that I was looking for, so I decided to request a copy and see what I thought.
A heart-warming teen story from the unique voice of Laura Dockrill, about Bluebelle, aka BB, aka Big Bones - a sixteen-year-old girl encouraged to tackle her weight even though she's perfectly happy, thank you, and getting on with her life and in love with food. Then a tragedy in the family forces BB to find a new relationship with her body and herself. Moving, memorable and hilarious."
To be honest, I have no idea what I think of this book. Part of me thinks that it was an enjoyable read, but then part of me thinks that it was just strange and it did take me a very long time to read. This is actually quite strange for me because contemporaries take me a matter of hours to read, but I think that I was reading this for about a few weeks? Or something like that, anyway.
When I was talking about this book in one of my wrap up videos, I felt like I couldn't explain my thoughts about this book in a very cohesive way, and I think that's because I liked it... And I didn't like it...
As aforementioned, this book is about a girl who identifies as fat. One day, she goes to the doctors for her monthly weigh-in, and the doctor says that Bluebelle has to lose some weight and really look after herself. Bluebelle then strikes up and agreement with her Mom. Her Mom says that is Bluebelle goes to the gym and keep a food diary for the doctor, then Bluebelle can drop out of school and start an internship.
The concept of the book is very interesting, but I don't think that it was executed in a particularly amazing way. During the first.. 10% of this novel I really wanted to DNF it. For the first 70% of the novel, it was just Bluebelle keeping her food diary and not really doing anything exciting. It wasn't until AFTER this 70% point that she started looking after herself. There was also the problem with the CHARACTER of Bluebelle. She she was funny at first because she was so confident in who she was and she didn't care what other people thought of her, but then as the story carried on, she started to become really annoying and I found her to be quite unlikeable.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have Dove (Bluebelle's sister), who is just amazing. She does parkour and is so brave. She has brilliant banter with Bluebelle which gives them such a nice relationship to read about, and I just think that she's a much more interesting character.
One of the positives about this book was that, even though Bluebelle had to keep a food diary, she treated it like a PROPER diary where she would be telling the doctors about her day and her crush on a boy... her personal feelings... So technically, this whole novel IS her food diary, and I thought it was such a unique way of telling the story, because it fitted in with what the character had to do in the story but then also acted as the way of telling the story. Bluebelle loves herself, she loves her fat, loves her food and she's proud of it. She shows us that it is okay to love food, to love to eat, and to try and feel comfortable in your body and to not feel pressured by society to look a certain way. However, she also teaches us that even though you might be overweight, you still have to take care of yourself and your body. It's such an important message to add and it's what made this book so special to me.
As for the actual content: it broke my heart at times. Some situations, memories, trains of thought were so familiar to me as for 10 years, I have suffered with anxiety about my body.. It reminded me of everything I had to go through. I do love how there isn't any actual mention of bullying in Big Bones since it isn't only the bullying you struggle with when you're overweight. It's so much more than that.
Overall, Big Bones was an ok read. It wasn't ground-breaking. But, there was something there that made me feel emotional, and even thought the story didn't start until 70% of the book, it was enjoyable.
Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Trigger warnings: fatphobia, anxiety, weight struggles
A heart-warming teen story from the unique voice of Laura Dockrill, about Bluebelle, aka BB, aka Big Bones - a sixteen-year-old girl encouraged to tackle her weight even though she's perfectly happy, thank you, and getting on with her life and in love with food. Then a tragedy in the family forces BB to find a new relationship with her body and herself. Moving, memorable and hilarious."
To be honest, I have no idea what I think of this book. Part of me thinks that it was an enjoyable read, but then part of me thinks that it was just strange and it did take me a very long time to read. This is actually quite strange for me because contemporaries take me a matter of hours to read, but I think that I was reading this for about a few weeks? Or something like that, anyway.
When I was talking about this book in one of my wrap up videos, I felt like I couldn't explain my thoughts about this book in a very cohesive way, and I think that's because I liked it... And I didn't like it...
“I don't mean to scare myself but leaving school is like leaving the womb for the second time.”
― Laura Dockrill, Big Bones
As aforementioned, this book is about a girl who identifies as fat. One day, she goes to the doctors for her monthly weigh-in, and the doctor says that Bluebelle has to lose some weight and really look after herself. Bluebelle then strikes up and agreement with her Mom. Her Mom says that is Bluebelle goes to the gym and keep a food diary for the doctor, then Bluebelle can drop out of school and start an internship.
The concept of the book is very interesting, but I don't think that it was executed in a particularly amazing way. During the first.. 10% of this novel I really wanted to DNF it. For the first 70% of the novel, it was just Bluebelle keeping her food diary and not really doing anything exciting. It wasn't until AFTER this 70% point that she started looking after herself. There was also the problem with the CHARACTER of Bluebelle. She she was funny at first because she was so confident in who she was and she didn't care what other people thought of her, but then as the story carried on, she started to become really annoying and I found her to be quite unlikeable.
“People look at bigger people and assume we shouldn't feel the need to ever get hungry because we have enough fat stored up to last us until our dying day. As if we can nibble off our sides like we're made of peach.”
― Laura Dockrill, Big Bones
On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have Dove (Bluebelle's sister), who is just amazing. She does parkour and is so brave. She has brilliant banter with Bluebelle which gives them such a nice relationship to read about, and I just think that she's a much more interesting character.
One of the positives about this book was that, even though Bluebelle had to keep a food diary, she treated it like a PROPER diary where she would be telling the doctors about her day and her crush on a boy... her personal feelings... So technically, this whole novel IS her food diary, and I thought it was such a unique way of telling the story, because it fitted in with what the character had to do in the story but then also acted as the way of telling the story. Bluebelle loves herself, she loves her fat, loves her food and she's proud of it. She shows us that it is okay to love food, to love to eat, and to try and feel comfortable in your body and to not feel pressured by society to look a certain way. However, she also teaches us that even though you might be overweight, you still have to take care of yourself and your body. It's such an important message to add and it's what made this book so special to me.
"If they don't want to be skinny, that's just as offensive as calling somebody fat. Funny how people think it's rude to go round calling people fat but not skinny. Skinny people get self-conscious too."
- Laura Dockrill, Big Bones
As for the actual content: it broke my heart at times. Some situations, memories, trains of thought were so familiar to me as for 10 years, I have suffered with anxiety about my body.. It reminded me of everything I had to go through. I do love how there isn't any actual mention of bullying in Big Bones since it isn't only the bullying you struggle with when you're overweight. It's so much more than that.
Overall, Big Bones was an ok read. It wasn't ground-breaking. But, there was something there that made me feel emotional, and even thought the story didn't start until 70% of the book, it was enjoyable.
Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Trigger warnings: fatphobia, anxiety, weight struggles
franalibi's review against another edition
3.0
I read this because it was featured in the Lush Book Club (yeah Lush Cosmetics has a book club!) and I reaaally fancied a light hearted young adult read! And this is what I got!
It’s super lighthearted and funny - a bit like the Angus, Thongs, (etc.) series - with a huge tablespoon of cheesiness. (Get it because this is a book about a girl and her love for food??)
Bluebelle is sixteen and has a love affair with food, but after a trip to the doctors about her weight, she’s asked to keep a food diary. And this is what we as the reader see. And boy did it make me hungry.
I gave this three stars because don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it and would happily read it again because I loved her relationship with her family, friends and food. And the best part is that it projected body positivity throughout! But there were parts when she just got a *tad* annoying - and the cheesiness was TOO CHEESY.
It’s super lighthearted and funny - a bit like the Angus, Thongs, (etc.) series - with a huge tablespoon of cheesiness. (Get it because this is a book about a girl and her love for food??)
Bluebelle is sixteen and has a love affair with food, but after a trip to the doctors about her weight, she’s asked to keep a food diary. And this is what we as the reader see. And boy did it make me hungry.
I gave this three stars because don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it and would happily read it again because I loved her relationship with her family, friends and food. And the best part is that it projected body positivity throughout! But there were parts when she just got a *tad* annoying - and the cheesiness was TOO CHEESY.
reading_and_dreaming's review against another edition
3.0
First off, A+ for food descriptions. I was hungry the entire time I was reading - like drooling slightly. I may have sent my husband on some food runs.
I did struggle with the ableist language - both about being overweight and wheelchair bound - and I had issues with the treatment of the wheel chair in general. It turned BB taking care of herself into something she was only doing because Dove couldn't, and I wasn't a huge fan of that "growth".
I did struggle with the ableist language - both about being overweight and wheelchair bound - and I had issues with the treatment of the wheel chair in general. It turned BB taking care of herself into something she was only doing because Dove couldn't, and I wasn't a huge fan of that "growth".
kathrynkaupa's review against another edition
1.0
Fucking ableist bullshit. It’s meant to be all body positive, but those sections fell flat for me, and actually just felt mean.
And don’t get me started on the wheelchair bits. Nope. Big nope
And don’t get me started on the wheelchair bits. Nope. Big nope
krystalsalenski's review against another edition
DNF.
I hated the main character. So much I couldn’t bear to read it. Hopefully the next book I pick up is more enjoyable.
I hated the main character. So much I couldn’t bear to read it. Hopefully the next book I pick up is more enjoyable.