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cranberrytarts 's review for:
If It Makes You Happy
by Claire Kann
I discovered this book while browsing NetGalley. I don't usually read YA, but the cover caught my eye (I absolutely adored it..that girl is super cute) and the blurb was interesting, so I decided to give it a try. It started out great. I like Kann's writing style - simple, yet beautiful. The story flowed well and I was really feeling Winnie, her family and the town.
Sadly, things went downhill around page 40. I thought I was getting a fun story about a girl trying to save her granny's diner, and that's not what it was. Part of the problem stems from the stream-of-consciousness writing style. The chapters don't really seem to go anywhere. They're just a collection of scenes, rather than part of an overreaching storyarc. Every thought Winnie has is on paper for us to read, so the chapters feel like rambly thoughts, rather than a story that's headed somewhere. The blurb mentions a baking contest, but aside from a slight mention, there was little of that in the story. Winnie is supposedly happy with who she is, but suddenly the entire focus of the story was on her weight.
This may have worked better for me if I'd gone into with different expectations. As it is, I'm not invested enough in the story or the characters to continue.
Sadly, things went downhill around page 40. I thought I was getting a fun story about a girl trying to save her granny's diner, and that's not what it was. Part of the problem stems from the stream-of-consciousness writing style. The chapters don't really seem to go anywhere. They're just a collection of scenes, rather than part of an overreaching storyarc. Every thought Winnie has is on paper for us to read, so the chapters feel like rambly thoughts, rather than a story that's headed somewhere. The blurb mentions a baking contest, but aside from a slight mention, there was little of that in the story. Winnie is supposedly happy with who she is, but suddenly the entire focus of the story was on her weight.
This may have worked better for me if I'd gone into with different expectations. As it is, I'm not invested enough in the story or the characters to continue.