Reviews with content warning for Body shaming - Her Good Side

this was such a freaking cute book!!! i'm a sucker for the fake relationship trope and all the "practice" moments that come along with it, and i was EATING IT UP in this one!! i really liked bethany and jacob so much individually and absolutely loved them as a couple. i'm very glad that this was dual pov because hearing them both say "i like them, but they obvi don't like me like that" made me feel soooooo much. this definitely on my "favorite YA reads" list for sure!

⚠️: body shaming, fatphobia, mentions of pandemic

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kaschaller's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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inge345's review

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This was sooooo cute! In this YA romcom, Bethany and Jacob start to fake date to practice how to be a better girl- and boyfriend.

Bethany is a basketball star and was once caught crying over the thought of having sex. Jacob loves photography and was dumped twice in two months for being too shy. They agree to practice dating together, so that Bethany can get less anxious around boys and Jacob can get more comfortable in talking to girls.

I liked the relationship between Bethany and Jacob. They were so cute together, even when they were still just friends. The fake dating aspect was well executed, it got me rooting for them!
I also liked that both Bethany and Jacob wanted to wait for the right person, and until they were ready, to have sex. They didn't bulge under the peer pressure, and they just took it slow.
The writing style of Rebekah Weatherspoon is great. It's easy to read and got me giggling from time to time.

The book was pretty diverse. There were black, asian and white characters, and there were queer side characters. I liked how the characters being queer wasn't a big thing in this book, but that it was treated as a normal thing (as it should be!).

Trigger warning: fatphobia/body shaming (minor).

*Thanks to NetGalley and PenguinTeen for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

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kayceeisbookish's review

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

3.75

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stephsbooktalk's review against another edition

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4.5

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for an advance copy of this book!

This book will be published on May 30, 2023.

This is my first Rebekah Weatherspoon book & won't be my last! She has been an author I have been wanting to explore but just haven't gotten around to it until now.

"..but he picks that exact moment to do this entirely erotic hair flip. He usually keeps it up, but maybe he lost his hair tie during the day.

"Okay, that was hot," Tatum says.
"Yeah, I'm in trouble.""

I absolutely adored this book!! It is labeled as a swoony YA which is an accurate description. This gave me all the feels I needed between Bethany and her crushes. It definitely felt like an accurate portrayal of high school. The only thing that was a little weird (but perhaps in the high school sphere of current culture this is okay?) was that it is okay for a girl to start dating her friend's (recent) ex boyfriend? I am not sure if that is appropriate in any context or age.

Despite the fact that Jacob briefly dated Bethany's friend, I really liked them as a couple! I thought they complimented well together. I like how their friendship was gradual & that they shared similar experiences/reputation among their peers. I love that each have their passions - Jacob with filming & Bethany with her love of cooking. I love that he was there to help Bethany to stand up to her moms about her dislike of basketball & how Jacob always manage to take photos of Bethany "of her good side" and she could see what he saw. They were just so cute together & love all their moments.

I did think the end kind of was rushed & wrapped up a little too nice. I don't want to divulge more into that without giving away the conflict & resolution. But it just happened quick & suddenly things were okay.

"I like food 'cause good food taste delicious. Did that cause me to gain weight? Sure did, but I'm pretty sure it didn't turn me into a bad person."

This quote above gave me such life that I want it pinned to everything I do. As a larger body person, this hit me in so many ways. Even as a reminder to myself that I am still a good person despite what my size is. I am in my mid 30s and still deal with self consciousness and being comfortable with myself. Reading about these characters who their size doesn't bother them gives me such hope and it's always rewarding to have their weight not be the main focus of the book. There was also a moment where Beth she talks about how people don't want to touch you while you are fat and my goodness I felt that to my core!!!! While in high school and in my early 20s while dating, that was such a fear of mine.

Also just want to point out that this book has a bunch of different rep which was amazing to read.

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