ems_booknook 's review for:

The Words by Ashley Jade, A. Jade

2.0

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I almost gave this 3 stars because it was addictive and I read it really fast but I actually put it down and was seriously bewildered. The first section of the book I struggled with the plus size rep, I don’t take issue with representing a reality that a lot of the time fat kids get bullied at school and it’s awful but I do take issue with the implication that fat kids don’t have friends??? Like why did she have no friends? She was really nice, quite confident, intelligent, there was no reason for her to be friendless it was weird to me.

Second section read like a bully romance to me, I don’t take issue with a bully romance but it felt like this book didn’t realise it was one? As much as I have my moments where I found Phoenix funny he was soooooooo problematise and a walking bright red flag.

Finally the ending, proposing witching minutes of her finding out her dad was essentially dead? What the actual fuck???

Phoenix redeems himself somewhat after this disastrously timed proposal but not enough to really make up for the entire mid section of the book.