Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
A little all over the place, but sweet and funny and portrayed a style of relationship i don't think I've ever seen in fiction! I'm not sure how much I *liked* that relationship, because I felt that some of Kara's insecurity and unease about the future wasn't well resolved, but I'm so happy to have read about it.
Another thing I found refreshing in a YA novel: the balance of showing awesome, involved parents without sacrificing the main character's independence. The text conversations and phone calls between Winnie and her folks were warm and hilarious, while the physical distance from them gave her lots of room to explore and figure out how she related to her grandma as a grown (in her words) almost-adult.
Another thing I found refreshing in a YA novel: the balance of showing awesome, involved parents without sacrificing the main character's independence. The text conversations and phone calls between Winnie and her folks were warm and hilarious, while the physical distance from them gave her lots of room to explore and figure out how she related to her grandma as a grown (in her words) almost-adult.
✔️thematically dark read
✔️ diversity
Wow. Damn. I did it!!
So a lot of my childhood was echoed in this novel. A lot of triggering subjects and scenes which were executed expertly. Claire Kann respects teens emotional reactions and validates their choices through sound character logic and that teen spirit that crushes adult indifference. The characters had fantastic relationships with each other. Also fuck yes polyamory.
I had some problems with the descriptions and some imagery. They were sometimes drawn out with distracted me from scenes.
Cute small town novel. This one makes me wanna pick up more books with this setting, but I know I'll be disappointed because Winnie won't be there calling out all that dumbass social conditioning
✔️ diversity
Wow. Damn. I did it!!
So a lot of my childhood was echoed in this novel. A lot of triggering subjects and scenes which were executed expertly. Claire Kann respects teens emotional reactions and validates their choices through sound character logic and that teen spirit that crushes adult indifference. The characters had fantastic relationships with each other. Also fuck yes polyamory.
I had some problems with the descriptions and some imagery. They were sometimes drawn out with distracted me from scenes.
Cute small town novel. This one makes me wanna pick up more books with this setting, but I know I'll be disappointed because Winnie won't be there calling out all that dumbass social conditioning
Winnie is one of those characters that I have been waiting a long time to see in contemporary literature. She is a strong, independent black female who is fat and queer. Winnie isn’t here for anyone’s judgements about her body or her sexuality. She’s brutally honest and speaks her mind without a filter. Winnie is my spirit animal.
Winnie recently finished high school, which means college is on the horizon for the fall. During the summer, she stays with her grandmother (like she does every summer) in Misty Haven to help run the diner, which she hopes to be hers one day. Those dreams seem to be quickly fading though since her grandmother can no longer afford to keep the diner open. Winnie devises a plan to enter and win a cooking competition for a reality TV show.
The relationships in this book are complicated to say the least, which is refreshing since most relationships are. Winnie and Kara are ‘ungirlfriends’, which means that they always have each other and definitely care for each other, but they are choosing not to put a label on their relationship. (While I do follow this logic, by calling yourself an ungirlfriend, that is still a label but that’s just my two cents.) To complicate matters even more, the gorgeous Dallas shows interest in Winnie as well. She brushes off his advances since Winnie is convinced that pretty boys don’t like fat girls (I get this from an esteem point of view, but that’s just wrong). This creates a love triangle that gets a bit messy through different points of the book.
I wasn’t much of a fan when it came to Granny, but she reminded me of what it’s like growing up black. Granny constantly criticized Winnie’s weight and refused to treat her like an adult (even though Winnie is 18 years old). She still calls her child and belittles any opinions that she has. One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to anyone (family included) is commanding respect but not offering it in return. Respect goes both ways, which is something that Granny definitely needs to learn.
Overall, If It Makes You Happy was a refreshing story that gave a much needed voice and representation to anyone who can remotely relate to Winnie. If you love YA/NA contemporary literature that is character driven then you don’t want to miss this one.
Thank you to Swoon Reads for providing an ARC giveaway win and Xpresso Book Tours for the eARC. This did not influence my decision. All opinions are my own.
Winnie recently finished high school, which means college is on the horizon for the fall. During the summer, she stays with her grandmother (like she does every summer) in Misty Haven to help run the diner, which she hopes to be hers one day. Those dreams seem to be quickly fading though since her grandmother can no longer afford to keep the diner open. Winnie devises a plan to enter and win a cooking competition for a reality TV show.
The relationships in this book are complicated to say the least, which is refreshing since most relationships are. Winnie and Kara are ‘ungirlfriends’, which means that they always have each other and definitely care for each other, but they are choosing not to put a label on their relationship. (While I do follow this logic, by calling yourself an ungirlfriend, that is still a label but that’s just my two cents.) To complicate matters even more, the gorgeous Dallas shows interest in Winnie as well. She brushes off his advances since Winnie is convinced that pretty boys don’t like fat girls (I get this from an esteem point of view, but that’s just wrong). This creates a love triangle that gets a bit messy through different points of the book.
I wasn’t much of a fan when it came to Granny, but she reminded me of what it’s like growing up black. Granny constantly criticized Winnie’s weight and refused to treat her like an adult (even though Winnie is 18 years old). She still calls her child and belittles any opinions that she has. One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to anyone (family included) is commanding respect but not offering it in return. Respect goes both ways, which is something that Granny definitely needs to learn.
Overall, If It Makes You Happy was a refreshing story that gave a much needed voice and representation to anyone who can remotely relate to Winnie. If you love YA/NA contemporary literature that is character driven then you don’t want to miss this one.
Thank you to Swoon Reads for providing an ARC giveaway win and Xpresso Book Tours for the eARC. This did not influence my decision. All opinions are my own.
I loved this book for Winnie's strong voice, the well imagined town, her family dynamic, and the difficult questions Winnie has to face.
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2019/comments_08/if_it_makes_you_happy.html
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2019/comments_08/if_it_makes_you_happy.html
I'm not a huge contemporary reader, but this one ended up being really cute to me. I liked it a lot.
Being a "larger person", I related to how Winnie felt about a lot of things. Not sure I totally got the "ungirlfriend", but loved how she was so committed to the close relationships that she had formed around her. Though, I was left sort of sad in the end with the Winnie/Grandma relationship. I understand frustrations when you are so much like a person, and that you are both stubborn, but I was disappointed in her with how she left that relationship in the end of the book.
I'd love to see a 2nd book from this story! See how college goes for Winnie and how her relationships develop with that thrown in the mix!
Being a "larger person", I related to how Winnie felt about a lot of things. Not sure I totally got the "ungirlfriend", but loved how she was so committed to the close relationships that she had formed around her. Though, I was left sort of sad in the end with the Winnie/Grandma relationship. I understand frustrations when you are so much like a person, and that you are both stubborn, but I was disappointed in her with how she left that relationship in the end of the book.
I'd love to see a 2nd book from this story! See how college goes for Winnie and how her relationships develop with that thrown in the mix!
Thank you to Swoon Reads, Xpresso Book Tour and Netgalley for providing me with a digital Arc in exchange for an honest review!
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Honestly, Winnie is the best. And her story is about being Queer without being a coming out story, which is refreshing.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
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:
Yes