fireweed15 's review for:

If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann

4.0

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This was a charming read! I like how Winnie's personality just shines through the pages, and how the narration feels like a conversation-- Winnie is someone I would have happily been friends with. I love how the book goes out of its way to remind readers that fat ≠ unhealthy, and that's coming from a fat kid with health issues. I also appreciate the complexity of Winnie's relationship with her grandmother. Families and intrafamily relationships are complicated, and sometimes we don't get neat happy endings... and that's okay, and it was nice that the book reflected that. What I wasn't as fond of was the relationship drama. I appreciate good queer rep as much as the next guy, but at times it was petty at best, and slowed the story down at worst, forcing me to knock off a few points in the review.