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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I really, really liked this story and I think it's a great book about a queer Black girl which has been largely flying under the radar. The plot does have one too many strands, I think, and I wish that had been fixed. However, I still very much recommend it.
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Siiiiiiiiigh.
I wanted to love this book. This book addresses some good things, but it was a jumble of too many things. It needed a good editor to streamline the narrative. What could have been fun ended up being a slog.
I think I get some of what the author was going for. Winnie is a lot of things to a lot of people. She loves people fiercely, and makes the people who are important to her a priority. But, we have threads of her brother, her cousin, her ungirlfriend (yeah . . . that never gets less confusing), her possible new boyfriend, her grandmother . . . I think if the book had focused on a couple of these relationships, instead of trying to focus on ALL of them, it might have been a more satisfying book.
I ended up gritting my teeth to finish it, because I was 50% in and liked enough about it to keep going. It did get better, in the last few chapters a few of the threads came together, but there was a line about her talking to Dallas on the phone in future, and telling him stories that he can't be sure are 100% true, and if we'd gotten that insinuation at the BEGINNING of the book, I might have been more understanding of this book as a whole.
There are just a lot of elements that don't seem believable, but I wouldn't put it in a magical realism category. It's just, impossibly idyllic small town, Hallmark-level Summer King and Queen contest and cooking competitions, fairy godmother seamstress making custom outfits . . . it required credulity at times.
I wanted to love this book. This book addresses some good things, but it was a jumble of too many things. It needed a good editor to streamline the narrative. What could have been fun ended up being a slog.
I think I get some of what the author was going for. Winnie is a lot of things to a lot of people. She loves people fiercely, and makes the people who are important to her a priority. But, we have threads of her brother, her cousin, her ungirlfriend (yeah . . . that never gets less confusing), her possible new boyfriend, her grandmother . . . I think if the book had focused on a couple of these relationships, instead of trying to focus on ALL of them, it might have been a more satisfying book.
I ended up gritting my teeth to finish it, because I was 50% in and liked enough about it to keep going. It did get better, in the last few chapters a few of the threads came together, but there was a line about her talking to Dallas on the phone in future, and telling him stories that he can't be sure are 100% true, and if we'd gotten that insinuation at the BEGINNING of the book, I might have been more understanding of this book as a whole.
There are just a lot of elements that don't seem believable, but I wouldn't put it in a magical realism category. It's just, impossibly idyllic small town, Hallmark-level Summer King and Queen contest and cooking competitions, fairy godmother seamstress making custom outfits . . . it required credulity at times.
I won this in a goodreads giveaway. Things this book does wonderfully: captures complicated family dynamics, sibling bonds, friendship, being on the cusp of adulthood. Winnie’s mom’s messages to her were incredibly soothing to read, and especially since Winnie’s parents aren’t perfect, but willing to do the work they need to do to fully support her. At times the world building of Misty Haven felt a little forced, as did the Royals premise, but the characters were incredibly lovable, and I loved Claire Kann’s choice not to resolve things with Granny.
Claire Kann’s second novel was relatable to me in many ways. I appreciated Winnie’s struggle for acceptance from her family and people around her. To be a Black, queer fat woman is to be subjected to endless microagressions and silencing tactics all the time. Especially within Black families, when elders think they’re right because they’re older. The strife between Winnie and her Granny resonated so hard, as I had a similar relationship with my grandparents growing up.
I also enjoyed reading about Winnie’s relationship with her brother Winston. That was my favorite thing about this book. The fierceness of Winnie’s love and support for him was so heartening. I loved all their little moments of support and unwavering protection of one another.
Unfortunately, the bulk of this story centered around a thruple, which was not conveyed in any of the snippets I’d seen of this book. I may have hesitated to read this if I’d known because polyam relationships and conflicts don’t really interest me. I found Winnie’s....ungirlfriend (?) Kara to be obnoxious and manipulative. While this conflict was addressed in the book, I didn’t appreciate that Winnie was so easily forgiving and did a lot of Kara’s emotional work (especially considering Winnie is Black and Kara is white.) I liked Dallas, all around good boy and Misty Haven King, but felt that his and Winnie’s developing relationship was centered around him being forced to accept the jealousies and rigid terms of Kara and Winnie’s vaguely defined queerplatonic friendship.
I tried to be sympathetic towards the growing and learning theme that’s ubiquitous in YA cus that’s the point right, but honestly a lot about how Kara treated Dallas and her immaturity towards communicating with Winnie doesn’t sit right with me. It didn’t seem realistic or fair for Dallas to feel like things were as hunky dory as Kann portrayed them to be at the end.
Considering all the themes packed into this book, Kann has done a great job of writing a sweet, snarky, and perfectly summery follow up to Let’s Talk About Love (which I absolutely adore.) I wish I could’ve given it a higher rating, but nonetheless Winnie’s personal journey (without all the relationship drama) makes it worth the read.
Tender and relatable on so many levels.
I love the subtleties of this book. Just ace peeps being ace and living their lives without turning this book into an educational primer on the ace spectrum. I appreciated the storyline with the grandmother. Family dynamics are hard, and it's so important to learn to draw your boundaries and be your own person, and that's okay. I'm so glad teens get an opportunity to see that with this book.
I love the subtleties of this book. Just ace peeps being ace and living their lives without turning this book into an educational primer on the ace spectrum. I appreciated the storyline with the grandmother. Family dynamics are hard, and it's so important to learn to draw your boundaries and be your own person, and that's okay. I'm so glad teens get an opportunity to see that with this book.
3.5 rounded up! Thank you to XPresso Blog Tours & Swoon Reads for providing me with an ARC copy of If It Makes You Happy in exchange for an honest review!
Note: Any quotes used in this review are from the ARC copy & may not match up with the final copy!
Lemme get the negative out of the way so that I can get to raving about If It Makes You Happy. The plot & scene transitioning felt messy at times — one second, we’re in one place & the very next, we’re somewhere new. This is honestly such a small nitpick, and the only complaint that I have on this Contemporary read.
If It Makes You Happy has quite a bit of representation (Black! Fat! Queer! Poly!), which is what sticks out most in this read. & all of this representation is from our main character, Winnie. I love Winnie. She’s unapologetic & confident & fights for what she believes in. She makes a lot of comments on what it’s like being a fat girl & wow, as someone who’s in the obese range (uh? Screw the BMI is what I always say) — her commentary is absolutely relatable.
I adored all of Winnie’s relationships; her romantic interest in Dallas, her queerplatonic relationship with Kara, her sibling relationship with Winston (which I’ll get to in one moment!) & her relationship with her cousin, Sam. There’s such a strong bond between Winnie & everyone mentioned — honesty & communication is key when it comes to any kind of relationship & it’s something that’s practiced a lot in this book (– although, there is conflict in terms of lies, but spoiler alert: things work out, because that’s just the kind of book this is).
My all-time favorite relationship in this book isn’t romantic whatsoever — it’s the relationship between Winnie & her younger brother, Winston. I’ve always been a sucker for a good bronamic (Get it? Bro? Dynamic?..) It’s clear that Winnie & Winston would do anything for the other, and I absolutely adored them throughout the entire read.
If It Makes You Happy tackles a lot of topics such as racism, misogyny & fat-shaming & to me, Claire Kann tackles these topics well. As mentioned above, her commentary on being fat is extremely relatable. At one point, Winnie discusses how ‘everyone hates fat people’ & when a fat person pisses them off, their weight is the first thing they go for when they retaliate. Let me tell y’all — I’ve pissed off a lot of men in my lifetime & their comeback seems to be them finding some unique way of calling me fat.
There’s also a couple of minor things that I enjoyed about If It Makes You Happy, such as the fact that the restaurant is called Goldeen’s, named after the Pokemon! Plus, I’m a sucker for books that have a restaurant setting, because I can relate to busy lunch shifts & all that fun stuff.
If It Makes You Happy is your typical YA Contemporary filled with representation — it’s a quick & easy read, and I’d definitely recommend!
Note: Any quotes used in this review are from the ARC copy & may not match up with the final copy!
I wasn’t sure why I loved myself as much as I did. Never really questioned it.
Lemme get the negative out of the way so that I can get to raving about If It Makes You Happy. The plot & scene transitioning felt messy at times — one second, we’re in one place & the very next, we’re somewhere new. This is honestly such a small nitpick, and the only complaint that I have on this Contemporary read.
If It Makes You Happy has quite a bit of representation (Black! Fat! Queer! Poly!), which is what sticks out most in this read. & all of this representation is from our main character, Winnie. I love Winnie. She’s unapologetic & confident & fights for what she believes in. She makes a lot of comments on what it’s like being a fat girl & wow, as someone who’s in the obese range (uh? Screw the BMI is what I always say) — her commentary is absolutely relatable.
I adored all of Winnie’s relationships; her romantic interest in Dallas, her queerplatonic relationship with Kara, her sibling relationship with Winston (which I’ll get to in one moment!) & her relationship with her cousin, Sam. There’s such a strong bond between Winnie & everyone mentioned — honesty & communication is key when it comes to any kind of relationship & it’s something that’s practiced a lot in this book (– although, there is conflict in terms of lies, but spoiler alert: things work out, because that’s just the kind of book this is).
You’re a jerk & I love you.
My all-time favorite relationship in this book isn’t romantic whatsoever — it’s the relationship between Winnie & her younger brother, Winston. I’ve always been a sucker for a good bronamic (Get it? Bro? Dynamic?..) It’s clear that Winnie & Winston would do anything for the other, and I absolutely adored them throughout the entire read.
If It Makes You Happy tackles a lot of topics such as racism, misogyny & fat-shaming & to me, Claire Kann tackles these topics well. As mentioned above, her commentary on being fat is extremely relatable. At one point, Winnie discusses how ‘everyone hates fat people’ & when a fat person pisses them off, their weight is the first thing they go for when they retaliate. Let me tell y’all — I’ve pissed off a lot of men in my lifetime & their comeback seems to be them finding some unique way of calling me fat.
But I am. It’s not a bad word to me at all. I get what you hear when saying it: I’m calling myself ugly or unlovable or it’s the horrendous state of slovenly being. That’s not what I’m saying, and it’s not my fault almost everyone has been conditioned to think that way.
There’s also a couple of minor things that I enjoyed about If It Makes You Happy, such as the fact that the restaurant is called Goldeen’s, named after the Pokemon! Plus, I’m a sucker for books that have a restaurant setting, because I can relate to busy lunch shifts & all that fun stuff.
If It Makes You Happy is your typical YA Contemporary filled with representation — it’s a quick & easy read, and I’d definitely recommend!
This is a quiet book, very character driven, but the characters are so remarkable. A fat Black girl getting ready for college, already in a queerplatonic relationship and crushing hard on a guy she wants a romantic relationship with. I loved her friend group and her family dynamic - they were close, but things were still complicated. And I loved that this was not a book about miscommunication, as so many can be, but a story about personalities that work together and ones that don't and when to decide it's not worth forcing things.
If you love Gilmore Girls and the cozy, small town feel of it and the complexities of the relationships, then this is absolutely the book you need because it has all the charm, but it's better and more inclusive.
If you love Gilmore Girls and the cozy, small town feel of it and the complexities of the relationships, then this is absolutely the book you need because it has all the charm, but it's better and more inclusive.
Just when I thought I couldn’t love Claire Kann more, she gave me Winnie