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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
This story was adorable! Parts of it were even syrupy sweet but I even enjoyed that as it didn't quite cross the cheesy line. The story follows a plus size blogger, Abbie, (a pink haired lesbian) as she falls in love and has her first relationship with Jordi, a photographer. There is a lot of angst and conflict with friends and a bit of a subplot as Jordi and her new friend, Jax (who I loved) spend time together rating burgers for an app his dad is making. However, that part was so small that I was surprised it was part of the title. Despite being an easy breezy summer time read, the story has themes of body acceptance, family dynamics, family acceptance, friendship, and belonging. It was predictable but made me happy. Everything wrapped up neatly in the end in a cotton candy sweet way and it made me smile.
This book was ok I guess, but it could have been better.
It follows Abby a seventeen-year-old girl who applies for an internship in her favorite boutique "Lemonberry", which could guarantee her a permanent position next fall for her senior year. But when meeting the owner she discovers that she will be competing for the job with another intern, Jordi. They fall in love, drama ensues, you know the usual YA shenanigans.
I really liked the representation in this novel. The main character, Abby is a fat lesbian who has never been in a relationship and never expected to be in one because in her mind that sort of thing only happens to leads and she always felt like a sidekick. She is also a fashionista who runs a blog about plus-sized fashion and is an overall social media expert. The concerns Abby had about her size and her life in general compared to her friends were relatable. I also appreciated how the author showed how Abby’s attitude about her body is complicated because even though she encourages fat people to embrace and accept themselves, basically dedicates her blog to fashion catered to plus sized people and is always proud of her outfits and her sense of fashion she still has some issues accepting compliments about herself and letting people see her on social media.
However, I had some big issues with this novel. All the characters except for Abby didn't feel like real people. They had names, lines, and some characteristics and even then it was hard to tell the difference between them. For example, Abby's friends: apart from Malia, who's her best friend, we don't get to really know them at all. I don't even remember their names. They were just there. Even Jordi who's more present in the book is not fleshed out, at the beginning we get a description of her, we know that she's an artistic type, she loves photography and she's quite good at it hence why she was chosen for the internship in the first place. She's quiet and mysterious. She's nice . . . etc and that's all she is.
Another issue that bothered me in the book was how quickly Abby and Jordi's relationship started. I don't feel like there was sufficient build-up for them. And after they got together there was no significant development in their relationship. I mean all they did was go on a couple of dates and make out in one of their rooms.
But the thing that bothered me the most was how all the problems and conflicts were either glazed over, resolved too quickly or not at all.
SPOILERS AHEAD !!!
Abby’s problems with her mother were kind of dropped/forgotten? We got a really weird conversation where the mother was making excuses for her behavior (expecting/hoping her daughter dates a guy even though she came out as a lesbian, wanting her daughter to lose weight and going as far as wanting to use her in a before/after weight loss marketing thing for her online healthy food brand ) and never actually acknowledged how her actions were wrong nor did she apologize to Abby. And it wasn’t mentioned or implied that she changed or at least tried to.
Abby forgave Jordi for using pictures of her without her permission in a photography exposition, just like that? After some weak (IMO) apology, even though she made a big deal about them. And then she told Jordi to put the pictures up again ?! I didn’t really get why she did that. I guess all it takes is your girlfriend to tell you repeatedly that you’re beautiful and you’ll just magically accept yourself in a week.
And of course just like that the shop owner tells Abby and Jordi they can both have jobs in the fall but they’ll get paid less or whatever (this literally happened in a sentence in the last paragraph) and happy ending for everyone!!!!
It goes without saying that the ending felt rushed and missing something.
It follows Abby a seventeen-year-old girl who applies for an internship in her favorite boutique "Lemonberry", which could guarantee her a permanent position next fall for her senior year. But when meeting the owner she discovers that she will be competing for the job with another intern, Jordi. They fall in love, drama ensues, you know the usual YA shenanigans.
I really liked the representation in this novel. The main character, Abby is a fat lesbian who has never been in a relationship and never expected to be in one because in her mind that sort of thing only happens to leads and she always felt like a sidekick. She is also a fashionista who runs a blog about plus-sized fashion and is an overall social media expert. The concerns Abby had about her size and her life in general compared to her friends were relatable. I also appreciated how the author showed how Abby’s attitude about her body is complicated because even though she encourages fat people to embrace and accept themselves, basically dedicates her blog to fashion catered to plus sized people and is always proud of her outfits and her sense of fashion she still has some issues accepting compliments about herself and letting people see her on social media.
However, I had some big issues with this novel. All the characters except for Abby didn't feel like real people. They had names, lines, and some characteristics and even then it was hard to tell the difference between them. For example, Abby's friends: apart from Malia, who's her best friend, we don't get to really know them at all. I don't even remember their names. They were just there. Even Jordi who's more present in the book is not fleshed out, at the beginning we get a description of her, we know that she's an artistic type, she loves photography and she's quite good at it hence why she was chosen for the internship in the first place. She's quiet and mysterious. She's nice . . . etc and that's all she is.
Another issue that bothered me in the book was how quickly Abby and Jordi's relationship started. I don't feel like there was sufficient build-up for them. And after they got together there was no significant development in their relationship. I mean all they did was go on a couple of dates and make out in one of their rooms.
But the thing that bothered me the most was how all the problems and conflicts were either glazed over, resolved too quickly or not at all.
SPOILERS AHEAD !!!
Abby’s problems with her mother were kind of dropped/forgotten? We got a really weird conversation where the mother was making excuses for her behavior (expecting/hoping her daughter dates a guy even though she came out as a lesbian, wanting her daughter to lose weight and going as far as wanting to use her in a before/after weight loss marketing thing for her online healthy food brand ) and never actually acknowledged how her actions were wrong nor did she apologize to Abby. And it wasn’t mentioned or implied that she changed or at least tried to.
Abby forgave Jordi for using pictures of her without her permission in a photography exposition, just like that? After some weak (IMO) apology, even though she made a big deal about them. And then she told Jordi to put the pictures up again ?! I didn’t really get why she did that. I guess all it takes is your girlfriend to tell you repeatedly that you’re beautiful and you’ll just magically accept yourself in a week.
And of course just like that the shop owner tells Abby and Jordi they can both have jobs in the fall but they’ll get paid less or whatever (this literally happened in a sentence in the last paragraph) and happy ending for everyone!!!!
It goes without saying that the ending felt rushed and missing something.
*4.5
This was such a fun read! As a plus sized, pink haired, quirky fashion loving person myself it feels like Abby was a character after my own heart.
I really loved the story and the messages presented (even if they were a bit too obvious near the end).
Abby and Jordi were cute too, but definitely not my favourite part of the story. I think it was because there wasn't much of build up before they started dating, so for me there relationship felt a little lacklustre in elements of the book.
Overall, such a cute one which I will definitely be reaching for if I need a pick me up.
This was such a fun read! As a plus sized, pink haired, quirky fashion loving person myself it feels like Abby was a character after my own heart.
I really loved the story and the messages presented (even if they were a bit too obvious near the end).
Abby and Jordi were cute too, but definitely not my favourite part of the story. I think it was because there wasn't much of build up before they started dating, so for me there relationship felt a little lacklustre in elements of the book.
Overall, such a cute one which I will definitely be reaching for if I need a pick me up.
I give it three stars because most of the conflict was caused by the main character being dumb and not a lot happened to other than that.
"People get so worked up when I'm honest about not wanting the world to see me, even though I don't know why that isn't a normal, accepted attitude. I'm so tired of hearing that there's something beautiful about me, when I'm not arguing that. Of course my girlfriend thinks I'm beautiful, of course Malia thinks I look great when I spend so much effort on my look, of course Jax thinks I'm fuckin' cute. They have something invested in me while the world doesn't. And it's okay that the world doesn't. I don't need it to...."
I really liked Abbey's friendship with Jax.
"People get so worked up when I'm honest about not wanting the world to see me, even though I don't know why that isn't a normal, accepted attitude. I'm so tired of hearing that there's something beautiful about me, when I'm not arguing that. Of course my girlfriend thinks I'm beautiful, of course Malia thinks I look great when I spend so much effort on my look, of course Jax thinks I'm fuckin' cute. They have something invested in me while the world doesn't. And it's okay that the world doesn't. I don't need it to...."
I really liked Abbey's friendship with Jax.
QUICK TAKE
The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the best burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding is a much needed, one of a kind young adult novel that addresses weight stigma and LGBTQA+ issues in a beautiful way. I wish this book had been around when I was a teenager!
TELL ME MORE
I am a big fan of young adult fiction, and I was overjoyed to pick up Amy Spalding’s book The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the best burger in Los Angeles) after attending a talk that she held close to where I live. While the young adult genre is becoming more diverse, I was never able to find books that featured LGBTQA+ characters when I was a teenager. Nor was I able to find books that addressed weight stigma, which is something that I dealt with quite a lot. Spalding’s book features both issues by portraying the main character as a Lesbian teenager who struggles with weight stigma and poor self-confidence as a byproduct. Spalding’s writing was spunky and endearing, and I ate up this book in about two days.
Abby Ives is a Lesbian fashion blogger who features fashion for women of size but struggles with her own insecurities surrounding her weight. She often refers to feeling like the best friend to the main character in a rom-com, but the novel features her story without glamorizing her straight best friend’s love story that is occurring simultaneously. After being granted an internship with a local fashion designer, Abby finds herself sharing the internship with a photographer named Jordi who quickly becomes her first love. Abby has never been in a relationship before and was convinced that no one would ever want to be with her, which brings up her own insecurities throughout her relationship with Jordi. Spalding presents Abby’s concerns with her weight in a realistic and heartbreaking way as they become an issue with her self-confidence and ability to be intimate.
In other Lesbian/Gay romance novels I have read I found that they are often either too explicit or not explicit enough which separates the stories too far from straight romance novels. However, The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the best burger in Los Angeles) was not this way. Spalding’s writing normalized the romance between Abby and Jordi without oversexualizing or undersexualizing their story, which made it a great first book to read in the Lesbian romance genre if you are wanting to explore this area.
The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the best burger in Los Angeles) is a beautiful look at first love, LGBTQA+ issues, and weight stigma as it affects self-confidence and intimacy. I am so enlightened to see the young adult genre becoming more and more diverse. Amy Spalding is a gift to the young adult community, and I highly suggest this book for anyone looking to explore more diverse reads that are entirely relatable.
The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the best burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding is a much needed, one of a kind young adult novel that addresses weight stigma and LGBTQA+ issues in a beautiful way. I wish this book had been around when I was a teenager!
TELL ME MORE
I am a big fan of young adult fiction, and I was overjoyed to pick up Amy Spalding’s book The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the best burger in Los Angeles) after attending a talk that she held close to where I live. While the young adult genre is becoming more diverse, I was never able to find books that featured LGBTQA+ characters when I was a teenager. Nor was I able to find books that addressed weight stigma, which is something that I dealt with quite a lot. Spalding’s book features both issues by portraying the main character as a Lesbian teenager who struggles with weight stigma and poor self-confidence as a byproduct. Spalding’s writing was spunky and endearing, and I ate up this book in about two days.
Abby Ives is a Lesbian fashion blogger who features fashion for women of size but struggles with her own insecurities surrounding her weight. She often refers to feeling like the best friend to the main character in a rom-com, but the novel features her story without glamorizing her straight best friend’s love story that is occurring simultaneously. After being granted an internship with a local fashion designer, Abby finds herself sharing the internship with a photographer named Jordi who quickly becomes her first love. Abby has never been in a relationship before and was convinced that no one would ever want to be with her, which brings up her own insecurities throughout her relationship with Jordi. Spalding presents Abby’s concerns with her weight in a realistic and heartbreaking way as they become an issue with her self-confidence and ability to be intimate.
In other Lesbian/Gay romance novels I have read I found that they are often either too explicit or not explicit enough which separates the stories too far from straight romance novels. However, The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the best burger in Los Angeles) was not this way. Spalding’s writing normalized the romance between Abby and Jordi without oversexualizing or undersexualizing their story, which made it a great first book to read in the Lesbian romance genre if you are wanting to explore this area.
The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the best burger in Los Angeles) is a beautiful look at first love, LGBTQA+ issues, and weight stigma as it affects self-confidence and intimacy. I am so enlightened to see the young adult genre becoming more and more diverse. Amy Spalding is a gift to the young adult community, and I highly suggest this book for anyone looking to explore more diverse reads that are entirely relatable.
I loved Abby. I loved having a plus-sized MC with style and a sense of self. I thought Jax was a nice character and loved that he actually seemed to have some depth. Mainly I felt connected to the characters and what they had going on, and I had a good time hanging out in L.A. with everyone. This story has a strong sense of place, and is a perfect summer read (she said in January).
AH I LOVED IT! cute little romance, the narrator (abby) is extremely bubbly and it came across very well. not a big rom-com fan but i loved loved loved this book! not ashamed to say i shed a tear in a few places :D
