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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I love this book. I reread it constantly. The message is so good. All about being yourself and not caring what others think.
A really boring book about a fat girl and how she feels when it comes to her mother, her boyfriend, her perfect family, highschool and sex.
A brilliant YA novel. Mackler is a master at capturing teenage insecurities and the ugly self loathing of negative body image. Virginia struggles with her weight and her self image, leading her to doubt that anybody would truly find her attractive. The story becomes complicated when her older Byron is kicked out of school because of sexual assault. Virginia’s world is rocked and she has to reevaluate her entire outlook.
The end of this book is fantastic and must read for fans of female protagonists and characters who learn to love themselves through hardships and hard work.
The end of this book is fantastic and must read for fans of female protagonists and characters who learn to love themselves through hardships and hard work.
Virginia Shreves is undeniably chunky - the fat kid in a family of skinny, pretty people. Her sophomore year in high school isn't starting out well eitehr - her best friend has moved across the country for the year, her brother just got kicked out of college for the semester and her mom is making Virginia see a doctor about her "weight problem." Much angsting abounds.
First, this is one of my favorite book titles ever. It cracks me up every time I read it. That fact that the majority of the book is far from humorous and majorly depressing in many ways makes the title feel a bit discordant. I definitely had different expectations from this book based on the title. Instead it was mostly a coming of age, angsty teenager book. This is one of those books that makes me so very, very, very thankful I left high school behind a long time ago and my teenage hormones are a faint memory.
I have to admit, the book did make me think a bit about the way we view body image and the pressure on teenage girls, and girls in general, to conform to an accepted standard of beauty. Virginia's self-destructive tendencies were painful to read about made me feel disconnected from her. At times I wanted to shake her so hard! But in the end she does have a lot of character growth and come into her own, thank goodness, so the book redeemed itself. The ending is expected but satisfactory. I like that Mackler didn't feel the need to make Virginia into a perfect girl - but rather help her to find peace with who she is and accept and accentuate that. It's a good message for teens that should be repeated more often.
Overall not a bad book and one I wouldn't mind my daughter reading when she's a tween.
First, this is one of my favorite book titles ever. It cracks me up every time I read it. That fact that the majority of the book is far from humorous and majorly depressing in many ways makes the title feel a bit discordant. I definitely had different expectations from this book based on the title. Instead it was mostly a coming of age, angsty teenager book. This is one of those books that makes me so very, very, very thankful I left high school behind a long time ago and my teenage hormones are a faint memory.
I have to admit, the book did make me think a bit about the way we view body image and the pressure on teenage girls, and girls in general, to conform to an accepted standard of beauty. Virginia's self-destructive tendencies were painful to read about made me feel disconnected from her. At times I wanted to shake her so hard! But in the end she does have a lot of character growth and come into her own, thank goodness, so the book redeemed itself. The ending is expected but satisfactory. I like that Mackler didn't feel the need to make Virginia into a perfect girl - but rather help her to find peace with who she is and accept and accentuate that. It's a good message for teens that should be repeated more often.
Overall not a bad book and one I wouldn't mind my daughter reading when she's a tween.
This was an amusing book narrated by a teen girl that has both heart and a message. Virginia thinks she is the lone imperfect member of her impossibly perfect family until a devestating phone call involving her idol of a brother brings everything crashing down around her and her family. Virginia has to learn how to pickup the pieces of her life on her own and then defend her hard-won independence from her helicopter parents. Funny and sweet.
(Ages 13+ for scenes of heavy petting, some language, date rape)
Slightly dated to the early 00's (Ani love! Eyebrow rings! Purple hair!). V. readable story of HS sophomore fat girl Virginia as she struggles with her friend's departure, her non-relationship with Froggy IV (Fat Girl Rule: go farther than non fat girls), her parent's desire for her to slim down, and the reveal that her gorgeous older brother has date raped a girl. Issue novel much? But it's deftly handled and doesn't seem too "issue-y" and Virginia's voice is defined and strong.
Slightly dated to the early 00's (Ani love! Eyebrow rings! Purple hair!). V. readable story of HS sophomore fat girl Virginia as she struggles with her friend's departure, her non-relationship with Froggy IV (Fat Girl Rule: go farther than non fat girls), her parent's desire for her to slim down, and the reveal that her gorgeous older brother has date raped a girl. Issue novel much? But it's deftly handled and doesn't seem too "issue-y" and Virginia's voice is defined and strong.
Good book. The narrator is not-your-typical outsider who thinks everyone else has it so much easier than her. She is the youngest daughter in a wealthy family who doesn't feel like she fits in at home, school, or really anywhere. Not a unique premise for a YA novel but Mackler gives Virginia a unique voice as she struggles to overcome some pretty awful challenges.
Teen angst. Fat girl. Crazy family. Isolation. Sad story.