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I'm unsure how I feel about this book. There were a lot of things I liked about it, but there were also some things that I didn't like.
The protagonist of this book is "fat" (her words not mine) and she feels comfortable in her skin, until she doesn't (at the pool, when her boyfriend touches parts of her, etc.). That's all fine for me. I mean even people who feel most comfortable in their skin can have times when they don't. It was refreshing (to me) to read a book--especially a YA book--that has a "fat" protagonist who feels mostly comfortable with herself and one where she's not obsessing about losing weight, or feeling the need to be thin. I know that I didn't have that type of self assurance at her age and it was nice to read about someone that age who does.
I'm just not sure that I can agree, though, that it's a "body positive" book. There was a fair amount of negativity against the thin girls in the book and to me, a body positive book should be positive for both--you shouldn't shame the thin girls in the novel, just because they are thin. To me, body positivity isn't just about accepting yourself when you're fat/overweight and not giving a f*** about what people think of you; it's also accepting people for who they are and not judging them based on the fact that they're thin. Willowdean in general, is pretty judgmental about the people she interacts with; I might expect something different from someone who was seemingly comfortable in their own skin.
Too, some of the "drama" in the book just didn't ring true, to me--especially the fight with Ellen (the resolution of which was just way too fast and not satisfying (for me)), and the "breakup" with her boyfriend.
I did find that the characters were realistically drawn and I enjoyed reading it--enough to continue with book 2 (a companion novel, not a sequel), but I think there were just too many issues that I had with the book to rate it higher.
The protagonist of this book is "fat" (her words not mine) and she feels comfortable in her skin, until she doesn't (at the pool, when her boyfriend touches parts of her, etc.). That's all fine for me. I mean even people who feel most comfortable in their skin can have times when they don't. It was refreshing (to me) to read a book--especially a YA book--that has a "fat" protagonist who feels mostly comfortable with herself and one where she's not obsessing about losing weight, or feeling the need to be thin. I know that I didn't have that type of self assurance at her age and it was nice to read about someone that age who does.
I'm just not sure that I can agree, though, that it's a "body positive" book. There was a fair amount of negativity against the thin girls in the book and to me, a body positive book should be positive for both--you shouldn't shame the thin girls in the novel, just because they are thin. To me, body positivity isn't just about accepting yourself when you're fat/overweight and not giving a f*** about what people think of you; it's also accepting people for who they are and not judging them based on the fact that they're thin. Willowdean in general, is pretty judgmental about the people she interacts with; I might expect something different from someone who was seemingly comfortable in their own skin.
Too, some of the "drama" in the book just didn't ring true, to me--especially the fight with Ellen (the resolution of which was just way too fast and not satisfying (for me)), and the "breakup" with her boyfriend.
I did find that the characters were realistically drawn and I enjoyed reading it--enough to continue with book 2 (a companion novel, not a sequel), but I think there were just too many issues that I had with the book to rate it higher.