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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
I can’t remember the last time a book actually made me laugh so loud (and so many times) on a crowded Metro train. This book was its own kind of perfect and I didn’t expect it. Read it and delight!
hopeful
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
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was okay. Maybe my expectations were skewed, since I expected the pagent to play a much different role than it did based on the books description. Will was an interesting character, but I am not sure I felt as connected to her as I should have. Perhaps I was keeping her at an arm's distance? I think the book was good, it just didn't match what I had expected in my head.
One of the few times I will say the movie was better than the book.
I didn’t like the second romantic interest. I thought the mom was pretty unsupportable ant unlikable through most of it. The ended felt forced, the friendship, the boy, the mom all coming together unrealistically and neatly. I will watch the movie for a third time to feel good about Willowdean and her life.
I didn’t like the second romantic interest. I thought the mom was pretty unsupportable ant unlikable through most of it. The ended felt forced, the friendship, the boy, the mom all coming together unrealistically and neatly. I will watch the movie for a third time to feel good about Willowdean and her life.
I'd like to read a book with a fat main character who is not obsessed with their weight. I don't think a page went by where Willowdean doesn't obsess and harp on her appearance or the appearance of others. It got old quick, and didn't strike me as realistic. This book definitely highlighted the fact that most of the books I read have no body diversity. I sure hope that changes.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
So, I heard people complaining about Willowdean because she was not self confident, she cared about what other people think about her and so on. I mean, yeah. Yeah, sure. But let me tell you one thing, for me that was exactly what made it so relatable and fun. Because honestly, how could a teen girl actually be one hundred percent confident in her body? I swear everyone has at least one thing they are self-concious about - no matter how they look - and they learn to accept it as they become older. Right? They learn. And that's exactly what this book is about. It's not about being confident, it's about learning to be confident. About learning to stop caring about what other people think and start loving your body. Of course Will was feeling terrible at one point. That's completely normal, we all do, we all have moments like that when we hate ourselves, our bodies, even though we may hate that we care. And yes, it feels like every YA book has a love triangle, but come on. It's so much more real! You want a story with character like Will but feeling 100% percent confident in her body, a character who doesn't give a sh*t about all the haters at school that keep annoying her like every day, about a girl who falls in love with the one and only boy? About a girl that's unreal?
For me, the book was not perfect, sure, but it was soo so relatable. It reminded me of myself and my feelings a lot. I loved Willowdean's journey.
For me, the book was not perfect, sure, but it was soo so relatable. It reminded me of myself and my feelings a lot. I loved Willowdean's journey.
Such a great YA book.
It has a powerful message every teenager needs to hear if they ever doubt themselves.
It has a powerful message every teenager needs to hear if they ever doubt themselves.
4 ⭐️ // just as good as the movie, although different (but not in a bad way)
Willowdean Dickson is an avid Dolly Parton fan, the daughter of a former beauty queen, and a self-proclaimed fat girl who never thought she’d care about her bigger body…until Private School Bo (who is a 10 on every girl’s scale) takes an interest in her. Now she’s suddenly self-conscious about the parts of her she long thought she had embraced, and her new insecurities are driving a wedge between her and her life-long best friend Ellen. In an attempt to prove to herself (and her mom, the mean girls at school, and really, everyone) that she doesn’t care what anyone thinks, she enters Clover City’s teen beauty pageant.
I give 4⭐️ to books I enjoyed but will accept criticisms for. Normally this means that I can see some things that might turn some readers away but they didn’t for me, but in this case there’s one critique I actually have.
That critique is Mitch. He’s such a good character (minus the fact that his best friend is a total tool and he’s not sure how to deal with him). This guy is so good to Willowdean (which she definitely acknowledges), it makes me mad that he doesn’t get a good resolution or a happy ending for himself. I definitely saw how Bo and Williams belong together, but the thing about the love triangle trope is that it only goes over well when the point who gets left out either proves to be undeserving or gets their own happy ending. Neither of these things happen for Mitch, which frustrates me.
That aside, I enjoyed just about everything else in this story. The pacing was engaging, the writing style was easy, and both the plot and characters were real. This book shows the issues teenagers navigate—from the intense pressure to be accepted while also being special, to the complexities of friendships, to the rawness of grief, to the frustration of family relationships, to the longing of being comfortable in your own skin. All of these things are shown in vivid color during this story, which is something I think other novels sometimes struggle to do. But it makes this sorry highly relatable to a variety of readers.
In comparison with the movie, I think the movie chose to streamline and simplify make perfect sense. However, I did appreciate the depth the book gives us about Bo. The romantic subplot of this novel complements the main plot without overshadowing it, and part of that is because we get more scenes between Bo and Will. We get to experience the confusion she wrestles with when it comes to his attraction to her, but we also get to see him grow into a guy worthy of her.
I’d recommend this novel to anyone looking for a good story that depicts the realities of growing up, who doesn’t mind or wants a strong romantic subplot. But there is a love triangle, so if that’s not your trope (only mentioning because it’s not really mine either), try to keep an open mind. Other than that, it’s a great read.