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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Not what I thought it would be like at all. I was expecting this to be grittier and more mature. Told in diary format 17/18 year old Gabi often sounds more 13/14 and at times her chatty tone really got on my nerves. I liked that topics explored- sexuality, class, drug use, queerdom, pregnancy.. but I felt like the author was ticking teen drama boxes and it would have been better to just pick one or two and go more in depth. Gabi talks about loving her city but I didn't get any real feel for the place, similarly she 'loves' her friends but there isn't much dialogue etc cos of the diary format so it is hard to feel her relationships are sincere.
In saying all that, I did want to finish it and there were parts I really liked. I liked that it included a zine, I liked her courage and her belief in her right to be fat and her right to be a woman even though she had so many crappy messages from those around her.
I would recommend 'Manstealing for Fat Girls' by Michelle Embree
In saying all that, I did want to finish it and there were parts I really liked. I liked that it included a zine, I liked her courage and her belief in her right to be fat and her right to be a woman even though she had so many crappy messages from those around her.
I would recommend 'Manstealing for Fat Girls' by Michelle Embree
I loved this book. Quintero has created such a strong voice for Gabi and I grew to love her in this book. I loved her sense of humor and in reading her diary I laughed out loud more than once. A great book that I will be sharing with my students and I will be looking out for more from this author.
DNF. This book wasn’t terrible, but it just didn’t grab me. I needed to put it down because I want to read other things and it’s holding me back. Written as journal entries and poetry. I like the idea of the book, but just wasn’t invested.
I loved this book. It has so much voice and Gabi deals with so much.
funny
inspiring
medium-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
I listened to this as an audio book. This was geared more toward a younger audience but I still thought the lessons about being a teenager were insightful.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Summary:
Gabi is a teenage girl who takes her diary entries seriously. She pours her life details on each page, making them feel very personal to read. We see her navigate through her various interpersonal relationships, trauma, grief, a parent battling drug addiction, an unhealthy relationship with the other, and more.
Review:
Her writing brought back so many memories from my time in high school, and although some may say it was too melodramatic, I thought it was just the right amount of emotion and energy. This was a close-to-home type of read for me. It’s so RAW, and at times it felt so intimate. Sometimes it felt like someone I knew just put their diary in my hands and entrusted me with it- to read all of their entries with love, understanding, patience, and a tissue box (or two) by my side. Other times I felt like I was reading letters and we were just catching up. With that being said, there were a bunch of topics that we never explored deeper such as body image, being gay in Latinx culture, bullying, drug addiction, pregnancy, etc.. However, because this is a YA novel, these topics do allow for readers to become curious and start up a conversation about it.
I loved the book. I loved the representation, Gabi’s sass, and the realness of each entry. I had no expectations jumping in, and Isabel Quintero somehow exceeded them.
Gabi is a teenage girl who takes her diary entries seriously. She pours her life details on each page, making them feel very personal to read. We see her navigate through her various interpersonal relationships, trauma, grief, a parent battling drug addiction, an unhealthy relationship with the other, and more.
Review:
Her writing brought back so many memories from my time in high school, and although some may say it was too melodramatic, I thought it was just the right amount of emotion and energy. This was a close-to-home type of read for me. It’s so RAW, and at times it felt so intimate. Sometimes it felt like someone I knew just put their diary in my hands and entrusted me with it- to read all of their entries with love, understanding, patience, and a tissue box (or two) by my side. Other times I felt like I was reading letters and we were just catching up. With that being said, there were a bunch of topics that we never explored deeper such as body image, being gay in Latinx culture, bullying, drug addiction, pregnancy, etc.. However, because this is a YA novel, these topics do allow for readers to become curious and start up a conversation about it.
I loved the book. I loved the representation, Gabi’s sass, and the realness of each entry. I had no expectations jumping in, and Isabel Quintero somehow exceeded them.
I am not a teenage latin girl. I've been out of high school for 17 years. I am fat, but other than that, I shouldn't have related to this story and surely there are parts of this story that I'll never understand fully.
That being said, this book found me at a time in my life where I am constantly questioning myself and it wasn't until the very end that it hit me like a taco truck that the moral of this story is to be yourself. All your pieces matter, they form a perfect you. There will be consequences, there will be pain, but the happy ending for everyone, not just Gabi, is in the finding of oneself.
A masterwork that I found myself thinking that if I had a daughter I'd want her to read.
That being said, this book found me at a time in my life where I am constantly questioning myself and it wasn't until the very end that it hit me like a taco truck that the moral of this story is to be yourself. All your pieces matter, they form a perfect you. There will be consequences, there will be pain, but the happy ending for everyone, not just Gabi, is in the finding of oneself.
A masterwork that I found myself thinking that if I had a daughter I'd want her to read.
Okay, I just loved this book. I feel like my colleagues at work are probably sick of me going on about how good it is. And Thank Goodness for people like Kelly Jensen and awards like the Morris Award or else I probably would not have picked up this book and I would be missing out.
Gabi's voice is SO REALISTIC. I truly felt like I could have been reading the actual diary of a 17-year-old girl. And even though I have nothing in common with Gabi culturally or even the experiences that she goes through, 17-year-old me would have strongly identified with her. I would hand this to teens who love diary stories and real characters that they can root for, and anyone who loves the honesty of Anne Frank's diary because even though this is a fictional story, the truths about life and love and hard times come through beautifully.
Gabi's voice is SO REALISTIC. I truly felt like I could have been reading the actual diary of a 17-year-old girl. And even though I have nothing in common with Gabi culturally or even the experiences that she goes through, 17-year-old me would have strongly identified with her. I would hand this to teens who love diary stories and real characters that they can root for, and anyone who loves the honesty of Anne Frank's diary because even though this is a fictional story, the truths about life and love and hard times come through beautifully.
I liked the character of Gabi very much. Her voice seems very authentic. I will look forward to more from the author.