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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Winnie is getting ready to go to college in the fall. But before that she's going to spend her summer working at her Granny's diner and a lot unravels from her, the relationship that means the most to her, the guy she hates, her relationship with Granny and her dreams to own Granny's diner one day.
This is a decent coming of age story, but honestly, it kinda dragged for me. There is a heck of a lot of fatphobia, and no real acceptance in the end and that really annoyed me. Winnie's Granny is actually the worse sort of person, and Kara reallllly annoyed me at times.
I did love the representation not only of a black fat queer heroine, but of a lot of other things too. Overall it was good, but it had so much more potential then came out of it.
This is a decent coming of age story, but honestly, it kinda dragged for me. There is a heck of a lot of fatphobia, and no real acceptance in the end and that really annoyed me. Winnie's Granny is actually the worse sort of person, and Kara reallllly annoyed me at times.
I did love the representation not only of a black fat queer heroine, but of a lot of other things too. Overall it was good, but it had so much more potential then came out of it.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
There are too many subplots. The fatphobia is triggering. The romance seems like it will be an annoying love triangle which I'm not in the mood for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Infidelity
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I think I've aged out of YA. That's all
Once again, Claire Kann knocks it out of the park with representation. I never thought I would be able to read a young adult book featuring a bisexual in a queerplatonic and polyamorous relationship, but here we are! I love how Winnie grows over the course of the book, and how she realizes her worth in a way that's different from other young adult books. Also, Winnie's humor shines through the narrative, and made me laugh out loud multiple times.
My one criticism of the book is that it is sometimes hard to understand who is talking. Kann doesn't always use dialogue tags as needed, especially in scenes with more than two characters. It sometimes takes several re-reads of a conversation to fully grasp what's being said by whom.
Also, the Goodreads plot description is wrong. Winnie's family is not at risk for losing the diner without winning the contest. The book is more about Winnie navigating complex relationships than the contest, though the contest does play into those relationships.
My one criticism of the book is that it is sometimes hard to understand who is talking. Kann doesn't always use dialogue tags as needed, especially in scenes with more than two characters. It sometimes takes several re-reads of a conversation to fully grasp what's being said by whom.
Also, the Goodreads plot description is wrong. Winnie's family is not at risk for losing the diner without winning the contest. The book is more about Winnie navigating complex relationships than the contest, though the contest does play into those relationships.
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Winnie is thrilled to be spending her last summer before college working at her Granny's diner, Goldeen's. She'll get to spend time at her favorite home-away-from-home with her favorite people: her Granny, her 'baby' brother Winston, her cousin Sam, and her ungirlfriend Kara. But her plans for an easy summer quickly go awry in a quick series of events: first she is unexpectedly chosen as the Haven Summer Royalty Queen and thrust into the spotlight--a place she'd really rather not be. Then both Kara and cute Dallas volunteer to be her consort--and when Dallas wins the tiebreaker, suddenly things are not good between Winnie and Kara. Then Winnie loses her cool when the town doctor berates her about her weight, and suddenly everyone has an opinion about Winnie's appearance and her Granny is furious and meddling. Add in a cooking competition, some geese from hell, a grumpy little brother and a clingy cousin, and Winnie's easy summer is a thing of the past. What's a girl to do?
A fantastic sophomore novel from Claire Kann, "If It Makes You Happy" is a tale of love, friendship, family, and handling crises like a Boss. Winnie is a Queen of Communication, which I adore from a YA novel, as it sets up a positive example in dealing with friends, family, and romantic interests when there are problems rather than simply assuming (or mis-assuming) the situation. It also is a great example of what to do when you communicate and the other person doesn't listen. The ending is bittersweet because of this, but, again, is incredibly important. Winnie's voice is perfect: mature and independent, but still young and sorting life out. Her love of herself, her family, and her friends shines on every page--even when they're not all getting along.
The long and short of it is, "If It Makes You Happy" will, well, make you happy!
(Also, be on the lookout for a cameo appearance from "Let's Talk About Love" protagonists Alice and Takumi!)
Winnie is thrilled to be spending her last summer before college working at her Granny's diner, Goldeen's. She'll get to spend time at her favorite home-away-from-home with her favorite people: her Granny, her 'baby' brother Winston, her cousin Sam, and her ungirlfriend Kara. But her plans for an easy summer quickly go awry in a quick series of events: first she is unexpectedly chosen as the Haven Summer Royalty Queen and thrust into the spotlight--a place she'd really rather not be. Then both Kara and cute Dallas volunteer to be her consort--and when Dallas wins the tiebreaker, suddenly things are not good between Winnie and Kara. Then Winnie loses her cool when the town doctor berates her about her weight, and suddenly everyone has an opinion about Winnie's appearance and her Granny is furious and meddling. Add in a cooking competition, some geese from hell, a grumpy little brother and a clingy cousin, and Winnie's easy summer is a thing of the past. What's a girl to do?
A fantastic sophomore novel from Claire Kann, "If It Makes You Happy" is a tale of love, friendship, family, and handling crises like a Boss. Winnie is a Queen of Communication, which I adore from a YA novel, as it sets up a positive example in dealing with friends, family, and romantic interests when there are problems rather than simply assuming (or mis-assuming) the situation. It also is a great example of what to do when you communicate and the other person doesn't listen. The ending is bittersweet because of this, but, again, is incredibly important. Winnie's voice is perfect: mature and independent, but still young and sorting life out. Her love of herself, her family, and her friends shines on every page--even when they're not all getting along.
The long and short of it is, "If It Makes You Happy" will, well, make you happy!
(Also, be on the lookout for a cameo appearance from "Let's Talk About Love" protagonists Alice and Takumi!)
emotional
lighthearted
slow-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
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved the main character of this book! I love how she was written and could relate to a lot of her feelings and actions. The story did feel like it was everywhere. From the beginning, I felt that this was just kind of a story about a girl's summer before college. Though, I felt that there was a lot that was never explained. It bothered me how Kara's sexuality was never fully explained. I think she was supposed to be Asexual. They just made it seem like there was something wrong with her or that she wasn't "good enough". Which is incredibly sad. It also bothered me that the reader is supposed to understand the hints or the subtext. When Winnie would tell Kara that anyone added to the relationship would be "In addition too" implies that they are Poly? It could have been stated that Kara would always be her primary partner instead of dancing around and saying "We come as a package". I really did enjoy the story, but I feel there could have been more inclusive language. Especially for a story about a Queer woman in a small town.