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A review by theveronicareview
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
5.0
Charlie Vega struggles with a lot. She struggles with her mother, with her body image, and with always coming in second to her best friend, Amelia. These hardships plague her, day in & day out, making her feel unseen, unwanted, and unimportant. Eventually, Charlie is finally able to develop a romantic relationship with her new friend, Brian, and things start to look up. However, when their friendship goes awry because of Charlie's new relationship, Amelia, in a fit of anger, reveals to Charlie that Brian actually asked her out first. Coming in second to Amelia yet again, Charlie's new life is immediately turned upside down. Now, she must find peace, love, and inspiration within herself to understand where her troubles truly originate so she can move past them in a way that is healthy and full of self-love.
This was a deeply personal read for me. I read it in less than a day & am definitely experiencing a book hangover. Fat Chance, Charlie Vega is a love letter to all persons who have struggled with negative body image & with the obstacles that kind of mindset creates. It is full of understanding, solidarity, and tough love. The characters that you're supposed to like in this book, truly are extremely likeable. The plot moves quickly. The situations and dialogue are realistic. The emotions and experiences our characters go through are raw and familiar. The underlying message is clear without being preachy - and it is so very inspiring.
I've been "a fat brown girl" my entire life, so I can relate to a lot of what Charlie said, did, and thought. If I could, I would send this book to my younger self, and my younger self would cry just as much as "present" me did while reading this. For every moment where I resonated with Charlie, I placed a flag on the page and, as you can see in the second picture, I resonated with her throughout the entire book. In my opinion, Charlie perfectly represents the way I've constantly toed the line between confidence & self-deprecation, depending on others to lift me up when I should've been lifting myself up all along. The blurb on the cover says this book feels like a hug - and that is one thousand percent true.
This was a deeply personal read for me. I read it in less than a day & am definitely experiencing a book hangover. Fat Chance, Charlie Vega is a love letter to all persons who have struggled with negative body image & with the obstacles that kind of mindset creates. It is full of understanding, solidarity, and tough love. The characters that you're supposed to like in this book, truly are extremely likeable. The plot moves quickly. The situations and dialogue are realistic. The emotions and experiences our characters go through are raw and familiar. The underlying message is clear without being preachy - and it is so very inspiring.
I've been "a fat brown girl" my entire life, so I can relate to a lot of what Charlie said, did, and thought. If I could, I would send this book to my younger self, and my younger self would cry just as much as "present" me did while reading this. For every moment where I resonated with Charlie, I placed a flag on the page and, as you can see in the second picture, I resonated with her throughout the entire book. In my opinion, Charlie perfectly represents the way I've constantly toed the line between confidence & self-deprecation, depending on others to lift me up when I should've been lifting myself up all along. The blurb on the cover says this book feels like a hug - and that is one thousand percent true.