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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Exactly the sweet happy book I needed! BIG HURRAY for fat girl and gay girl representation! A diverse cast! A guy and a gal being good friends! Really well put together book. The ending cheated just a little bit in my opinion, but I’m more than willing to let it go.
P. S. Animal style is overrated. It just tastes like onions and salad dressing.
P. S. Animal style is overrated. It just tastes like onions and salad dressing.
more queer love stories, pls! this was adorably cute and enjoyable.
i keep saying this, which is getting annoying even for me, but the super chatty dialogue and inner voice made me feel old af.
i keep saying this, which is getting annoying even for me, but the super chatty dialogue and inner voice made me feel old af.
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
I didn’t think I was going to enjoy this book but towards the end I was absolutely ravenous to find out what happens. It takes a bit to feel like there’s going to be an actual conflict but the conflict ends up being fairly satisfying and atypical of a teen romance novel. I thought I’d have trouble being invested in Abby and Jordi and their friends but I really did. This is a really great LGBTQ+ teen romance novel and a great book about body positivity.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I loved seeing sapphic love that was very normal teenage love. No homophobia, no dramatic coming out, just regular miscommunication drama and teen fluff. Similarly liked seeing a fat protagonist who just got to be fat and cute, minus the comments from the mom.
What I didn’t like was that her fatness boiled down to “just believe that you’re worthy,” when she sets up very clear and real issues that fat people face.
“And it’s okay that the world doesn’t; I don’t need it to…I like how I look…but people…can be so mean when you’re fat. As if fat makes you stupid or dirty or irresponsible.”
This is a very real issue for fat people in the world, and especially on the internet, but her friends all try to talk her out of it by saying she’s still beautiful, hot, worthy etc. It’s two different issues they’re looking at. Abby describes her own doubts about her worth, which is where it’s valid for loved ones to step in and remind her, but mixing it with her real fears as a fat person just misses the mark.
I’m also overall tired of the “thin people finally convince a fat person that they’re worthy of love” storyline, but still would prefer that to “convince a fat person that their experience with fatphobia is unfounded.”
I also would’ve liked to see more of her experience as a fat person in the world. She describes the lack of representation and access in fashion, but she still goes to a festival and finds shorts that fit her at a random booth, she has no issue sitting on stools at the diner, and it leans way too far into the “good fatty” by having her walk everywhere and “balance” the burgers she eats. The comments about I don’t want to have a heart attack at seventeen because I ate so many burgers are straight-up fatphobia that’s just??? Okay? Because the fat character said it??
I loved the friendship with Jax and actually really liked him, and it made me mad that she spent so much time annoyed at their friendship. The one page issue with him felt unnecessary.
It was frustrating that Abby’s friends kept telling her to talk to Jordi after the show by saying Jordi was justified in doing what she did. Absolutely agree that a conversation needed to happen, but Jordi was in no way justified! Wish the friends had been told off for their victim blaming.
Why did these teens drink so much? I thought for sure it would come up as a bigger plot point, but it was just like “la di da, having a beer,” when they could’ve just been drinking soda. (Maybe this is more about me being a nerd as a teen who definitely wasn’t around drinking so not realizing it’s something that happens. But to me it didn’t add anything to the story.)
The ending was satisfying, although the whole thing wrapped up way too quickly. The writing style was fun and easy and kept me reading. Love how the Best Burger ended up - that made me laugh as a Californian!
What I didn’t like was that her fatness boiled down to “just believe that you’re worthy,” when she sets up very clear and real issues that fat people face.
“And it’s okay that the world doesn’t; I don’t need it to…I like how I look…but people…can be so mean when you’re fat. As if fat makes you stupid or dirty or irresponsible.”
This is a very real issue for fat people in the world, and especially on the internet, but her friends all try to talk her out of it by saying she’s still beautiful, hot, worthy etc. It’s two different issues they’re looking at. Abby describes her own doubts about her worth, which is where it’s valid for loved ones to step in and remind her, but mixing it with her real fears as a fat person just misses the mark.
I’m also overall tired of the “thin people finally convince a fat person that they’re worthy of love” storyline, but still would prefer that to “convince a fat person that their experience with fatphobia is unfounded.”
I also would’ve liked to see more of her experience as a fat person in the world. She describes the lack of representation and access in fashion, but she still goes to a festival and finds shorts that fit her at a random booth, she has no issue sitting on stools at the diner, and it leans way too far into the “good fatty” by having her walk everywhere and “balance” the burgers she eats. The comments about I don’t want to have a heart attack at seventeen because I ate so many burgers are straight-up fatphobia that’s just??? Okay? Because the fat character said it??
I loved the friendship with Jax and actually really liked him, and it made me mad that she spent so much time annoyed at their friendship. The one page issue with him felt unnecessary.
It was frustrating that Abby’s friends kept telling her to talk to Jordi after the show by saying Jordi was justified in doing what she did. Absolutely agree that a conversation needed to happen, but Jordi was in no way justified! Wish the friends had been told off for their victim blaming.
Why did these teens drink so much? I thought for sure it would come up as a bigger plot point, but it was just like “la di da, having a beer,” when they could’ve just been drinking soda. (Maybe this is more about me being a nerd as a teen who definitely wasn’t around drinking so not realizing it’s something that happens. But to me it didn’t add anything to the story.)
The ending was satisfying, although the whole thing wrapped up way too quickly. The writing style was fun and easy and kept me reading. Love how the Best Burger ended up - that made me laugh as a Californian!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia
Moderate: Alcohol
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
"...because I also look happy. It shows in my smile and my eyes and even how I'm standing with an ease I have never actually felt in my bones."
This is a really lovely queer YA romance and coming-of-age story. It explores themes of fatphobia, body positivity, and beauty standards as well as looking at friendships and family relationships alongside the central romance and self-growth aspects. It's also really genuinely funny and definitely has that romcom feel to it.
Overall it's a really wholesome story with a range of great messages, but I do wish that the issues with our protagonist Abby's mother had been delved into more deeply as I was a bit unsatisfied with how things were left between them. Other than that, though, I did really enjoy this and would definitely recommend it for a YA romance with a great mix of fun and loveliness on one hand and exploration of more serious topics on the other.
This is a really lovely queer YA romance and coming-of-age story. It explores themes of fatphobia, body positivity, and beauty standards as well as looking at friendships and family relationships alongside the central romance and self-growth aspects. It's also really genuinely funny and definitely has that romcom feel to it.
Overall it's a really wholesome story with a range of great messages, but I do wish that the issues with our protagonist Abby's mother had been delved into more deeply as I was a bit unsatisfied with how things were left between them. Other than that, though, I did really enjoy this and would definitely recommend it for a YA romance with a great mix of fun and loveliness on one hand and exploration of more serious topics on the other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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
It was a cute read, I thought the girls relationship was so cute and made me happy. Though I feel like the ‘conflict’ was very obvious and felt over too quickly, and then the one page beef with Jax was also odd? I would’ve liked this more drawn out I think
This was such a cute WLW summer romance! It's very YA and in that sense it's nice that younger readers get the representation they deserve. Abby and Jordi have very teenage issues, but the book doesn't make them seem like they're any less important or that the characters are dumb for feeling the way they feel.