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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.75. I read the first 50 or so pages of this book genuinely thinking it’d be my next five-star read, but certain things happened that made my rating go downhill. But first, things I did like. The atmosphere of this read was lovely and summery, a perfect match for the current weather where I live. I also liked the exploration of the sister/twin relationship, and the fat rep. I appreciated how Lily knew her body was totally okay, but doubted herself because of the fatphobia of others - this felt incredibly realistic. Also, the relationship between Cassie and Lily was so wonderful (until the last chapter - I’ll go into that in a bit). I enjoyed how clueless Lily was about her own feelings, and Cassie’s.
However, there were a some things I didn’t like. First of all, while I thought the whole posters sub-plot was an important addition to the story, it was dealt with very heavy-handedly and without any real depth. The next couple of things are spoilery.First up, the infidelity situation was handled so poorly by her? Why didn’t she tell her mum right away? Also, the whole reasoning behind not telling the guy’s wife, that it wasn’t Lily’s business, is such bullshit. Like, she recognised the woman didn’t deserve to be cheated on, but not that she didn’t deserve to be in the dark about her shitty husband??
Next up, the situation with Cal just wasn’t handled well. He didn’t get an on-page proper apology from Lily, who lead him along even though she knew she didn’t want to be with him. The guy was planning to stay in the UK for longer to be with Lily and see where things went, and Lily didn’t immediately use this opportunity to break up with him. And then when she did break up with him, he was totally chill and understanding about being lead on. Ew.
And finally, my last problem was with the last chapter, which disappointed me to no end. At that point Rutter had spent the entire book building the tension between Cassie and Lily and you know they’re going to declare their feelings and get together. Up to this point, I had been loving the development of the relationship between the two. But the get-together was so LACKLUSTRE; it really felt like Rutter tripped and fell at the last hurdle. There was no real emotional reaction from Lily or Cassie that the person who they had been in love with for two years loved them back. It was like, “oh, well that’s over with then. Now we know. Moving on.”
So yes, we started out strong with this one and it got progressively more frustrating and disappointing. By no means a bad read, but it didn’t end up floating my boat like I wanted it to.
However, there were a some things I didn’t like. First of all, while I thought the whole posters sub-plot was an important addition to the story, it was dealt with very heavy-handedly and without any real depth. The next couple of things are spoilery.
And finally, my last problem was with the last chapter, which disappointed me to no end. At that point Rutter had spent the entire book building the tension between Cassie and Lily and you know they’re going to declare their feelings and get together. Up to this point, I had been loving the development of the relationship between the two. But the get-together was so LACKLUSTRE; it really felt like Rutter tripped and fell at the last hurdle. There was no real emotional reaction from Lily or Cassie that the person who they had been in love with for two years loved them back. It was like, “oh, well that’s over with then. Now we know. Moving on.”
So yes, we started out strong with this one and it got progressively more frustrating and disappointing. By no means a bad read, but it didn’t end up floating my boat like I wanted it to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Islamophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
A cute, gorgeous and fun summer read! I loved Lily Rose. I think that Bethany Rutter is great at capturing what it feels like to be a teenager with everything looming ver you as you work out how to be true to yourself.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Melt My Heart is a boundlessly energetic and cutesy teen romance novel that sees Lily Rose, a fat, seventeen year old girl from Weston Bay, on a mission to step out of her comfort zone and try New Things before she has to go away to university. Part of her plan involves dating which is foreign territory for her, unlike her hot twin sister, Daisy, but thankfully she has her best friend, Cassie on hand to help.
I loved the way this book started, I was immediately on board within the first few pages. The writing has a presence that grabs your attention from the outset. I also loved the bisexual and fat representation and how these aspects of one's personality are things to be celebrated despite daily microaggressions that constantly typify the experiences of people like Lily and Cassie.
This book did really irk me inasmuch as I enjoyed it; I loved how authentic it was but it also felt hurried in places as though I was reading an abridged version of actual events. Certain story arcs ended before they even began and the development of the story overall felt more surface-level than I would've liked. It was so skeletal that for some sections, you could get away with just reading dialogue (not that I did that).
This book is really conscientious, but I had a few niggling issues in terms of how it represents different communities, such as the couple of occasions where Muslim hijabi women have their hijabs referred to as headscarves rather than by its actual name. I might be reading too much into things (since Muslim women also use the term 'scarf' as well as 'hijab' interchangeably) but there's an element of erasure in not defining things as they are and instead using words that might sound more palatable.
Despite my issues with the rushed nature of this book, I have to take into consideration the audience that Melt My Heart is primarily aimed at. As a light-hearted, teen romance (kind of coming-of-age) story, the breeziness of it will go down well with younger readers, especially those who can see something of themselves in Lily's lovable character.
I loved the way this book started, I was immediately on board within the first few pages. The writing has a presence that grabs your attention from the outset. I also loved the bisexual and fat representation and how these aspects of one's personality are things to be celebrated despite daily microaggressions that constantly typify the experiences of people like Lily and Cassie.
This book did really irk me inasmuch as I enjoyed it; I loved how authentic it was but it also felt hurried in places as though I was reading an abridged version of actual events. Certain story arcs ended before they even began and the development of the story overall felt more surface-level than I would've liked. It was so skeletal that for some sections, you could get away with just reading dialogue (not that I did that).
This book is really conscientious, but I had a few niggling issues in terms of how it represents different communities, such as the couple of occasions where Muslim hijabi women have their hijabs referred to as headscarves rather than by its actual name. I might be reading too much into things (since Muslim women also use the term 'scarf' as well as 'hijab' interchangeably) but there's an element of erasure in not defining things as they are and instead using words that might sound more palatable.
Despite my issues with the rushed nature of this book, I have to take into consideration the audience that Melt My Heart is primarily aimed at. As a light-hearted, teen romance (kind of coming-of-age) story, the breeziness of it will go down well with younger readers, especially those who can see something of themselves in Lily's lovable character.
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-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
This is a YA, sapphic friends-to-lovers journey of self discovery. Lily Rose is twin to Daisy, identical except in their weight. Lily often feels inferior, she’s scared to leave home with uni looming over her in September, and she’s especially scared to leave her best friend Cassie.
First off, this book has amazing fat representation. So often, fat rep in YA isn’t body positive or neutral, which is what young people need to see. I don’t want to read about someone hating themselves and their body, it’s far too relatable for many people, and can reinforce things that people are already feeling about themselves. But the representation in this was positive/neutral and perfect. Alongside fat rep there was obviously LGBTQIA rep, and a BIPOC love interest! So my diverse ass was loving this.
I am not usually a romance reader, I usually find them too slow, too soppy, or too spicy🥵 I didn’t feel super compelled to pick this one up because of this, but I still enjoyed it all the same. Romances without toxic characters, the miscommunication trope, or needless smut are a big no, but this one doesn’t have any of that! This is a cosy one, it’s tame, but it’s YA so that’s only appropriate!
Lily goes through a relatable journey of self discovery, it’s definitely a real coming of age tale. Terrified to leave her family and go to uni, terrified to leave her best friend, and eventually terrified to admit she’s in love with her. I’d definitely say that this is a relatable story for many people.
I think if it was a book that was more my genre, I’d score it a bit higher! But because I struggled with the pacing and didn’t feel compelled to pick it up, I’m going to score this one a ⭐️⭐️⭐️5, which is still a good rating.
I highly recommend to anyone looking for more body positive rep, people who are fans of cosy romances, or people looking for more LGBTQIA rep.
CWs: biphobia, fatphobia, general prejudice, alcohol
Melt My Heart by Bethany Rutter
.
Oooooh where to begin. This book is bloody brilliant. I read it in two big chunks because the characters and writing were so delightful.
.
Lily and her twin sister Daisy have one last summer at home before they are due to set off to different unis. It's a daunting prospect for Lily who will miss her home, her safety net and her best pal Cassie. She decides to do a new thing each day of summer. This leads to romance, to standing up and being an active ally, and to some home truths.
.
It is also a very queer book. The queerness is a slow build, but when it hits it's true and joyous. I've not seen bi representation like this before in a novel and I LOVED it.
.
.
~~ semi spoilers below ~~
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.
I loved that when Lily came out, she was met with 100% love and understanding from her mum and sister, and also from the boy she'd been dating all summer. THIS is the positive rep we love to see. There is obviously a place for books that navigate the all too real experiences of coming out which involve trauma and homophobia, but it's also great to have media that models how the world could and should be. Schitts Creek is another great example of this.
.
I also loved that Bethany very clearly and openly spoke about the book's queer representation before the book was released. It wasn't used as a twist or a quirky plot device.
.
Oooooh where to begin. This book is bloody brilliant. I read it in two big chunks because the characters and writing were so delightful.
.
Lily and her twin sister Daisy have one last summer at home before they are due to set off to different unis. It's a daunting prospect for Lily who will miss her home, her safety net and her best pal Cassie. She decides to do a new thing each day of summer. This leads to romance, to standing up and being an active ally, and to some home truths.
.
It is also a very queer book. The queerness is a slow build, but when it hits it's true and joyous. I've not seen bi representation like this before in a novel and I LOVED it.
.
.
~~ semi spoilers below ~~
.
.
I loved that when Lily came out, she was met with 100% love and understanding from her mum and sister, and also from the boy she'd been dating all summer. THIS is the positive rep we love to see. There is obviously a place for books that navigate the all too real experiences of coming out which involve trauma and homophobia, but it's also great to have media that models how the world could and should be. Schitts Creek is another great example of this.
.
I also loved that Bethany very clearly and openly spoke about the book's queer representation before the book was released. It wasn't used as a twist or a quirky plot device.
Yet another cute contemporary, I guess you could say it's a coming-of-age one. I was looking for more wlw books to read in June because I think that's a genre that I never usually go for but always want to. For some reason mlm books are much more popular. So I got recommended this and I'm so grateful for that recommendation.
Especially considering that I would never usually go for a story, which is centered around fatphobia and a larger main character, it's definitely something out of my comfort zone because I guess I have a preconstructed stereotype that a book like that will include lots of hate and moaning. However, this one doesn't. I really did enjoy it!
I won't talk much about the storyline because I feel like with contemporary books it's better to just go in blind. All I'll say is that it takes place during the summer before university so after the main character has done her A-levels and it does talk a bit about moving to uni and that kind of stuff.
So that could help you relate to the characters a bit more because the book also looks at the fears around that.
Definitely would recommend if you're looking for a sweet relaxing story, but also one that tackles important issues and teaches you to love yourself/do what you want.
Especially considering that I would never usually go for a story, which is centered around fatphobia and a larger main character, it's definitely something out of my comfort zone because I guess I have a preconstructed stereotype that a book like that will include lots of hate and moaning. However, this one doesn't. I really did enjoy it!
I won't talk much about the storyline because I feel like with contemporary books it's better to just go in blind. All I'll say is that it takes place during the summer before university so after the main character has done her A-levels and it does talk a bit about moving to uni and that kind of stuff.
So that could help you relate to the characters a bit more because the book also looks at the fears around that.
Definitely would recommend if you're looking for a sweet relaxing story, but also one that tackles important issues and teaches you to love yourself/do what you want.