Search This Blog
April Reviews Link-Up
May Reviews Link-Up
June Reviews Link-Up
July Reviews Link-Up
August Reviews Link-Up
September Reviews Link-Up
October Reviews Link-Up
November Reviews Link-Up
December Reviews Link-Up
2024 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (3)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (2)
- North Carolina (2)
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma (1)
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont (1)
- Virginia (1)
- Washington (1)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (1)
- Canada (1)
- England (7)
- France (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Italy (1)
- Scotland (2)
- The Netherlands (1)
2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
Saturday, January 18, 2014
"Weighty" Novel Entertaining, Relatable
1:00 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Being a plus-sized teen is no fun. No fun at all. Just ask 16-year-old Ann Galardi. Her weight makes it tough to fit into the cute fashions everyone else is wearing, let alone a swimsuit that doesn't make her look like a whale. And forget about attracting a hot guy. They don't even glance her way. It doesn't help that Ann lives with her petite, perfectly-disciplined stepmother. Nope, that just makes everything worse.
When her favorite aunt asks Ann to be a bridesmaid at her upcoming wedding, Ann panics. The thought of trying to squeeze her size 17 body into some hideous gown is enough to make her break out in hives. There's only one solution: get rid of the excess pounds. Ann's only got 10 weeks to melt off 45 of them, so she needs a diet that's fast, easy and guaranteed to work. When she sees an infomercial for a miracle weight loss plan, Ann's sold. It's a spendy little diet, but she's committed. Vowing to tell no one what she's doing, Ann starts the program. As she struggles to stick with it, she makes some huge discoveries—not just about herself, but also about friendship, acceptance and her not-as-perfect-as-she-seems stepmom. Armed with this new knowledge, can Ann reach her goal in time? What if she can't do it? What if she can?
So, I've noticed a lot of "weighty" fiction on the market lately. It's an interesting issue (genre?), one that's increasingly relevant, even in the teen world. These books appeal to me, especially when they're all about learning to accept yourself no matter what size you are (which most of them are). I have no problem empathizing with a heroine like Ann—anyone who's ever been swimsuit shopping or gotten stuck in a too-small garment in a too-public dressing room can feel her pain. And yet, I felt like she didn't struggle quite enough to learn her lesson about self-acceptance. Does that sound heartless? Probably, but I felt like her attitude shifted too suddenly to feel realistic. Other than that, I enjoyed 45 Pounds (More or Less) by K.A. Barson. It's not going to make my favorites list, but the novel's entertaining, funny, relatable and sends an important message that women of all ages need to hear.
(Readalikes: Um, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (no F-bomb), depictions of underage drinking/partying, and sexual innuendo
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
9 comments:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)
Reading
Listening
Followin' with Bloglovin'
-
-
-
-
Daily Prompt 22 April Monday6 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth16 hours ago
-
Happy Earth Day!18 hours ago
-
What I'm Reading This Week (April 22, 2024)20 hours ago
-
Hyde, Catherine Ryan "When I found you"21 hours ago
-
A Secret Between Them + Giveaway22 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Plans for Wyrd & Wonder 20241 day ago
-
Secrets of a Scottish Isle by1 day ago
-
Sunday Salon: April 21, 20242 days ago
-
-
-
Sunday Post3 days ago
-
-
-
Reading as a retreat from reality5 days ago
-
Novel Love Story1 week ago
-
Invisible Woman by Katia Lief1 week ago
-
Reading Recap March 20242 weeks ago
-
Waiting on Wednesday - Think Twice2 weeks ago
-
-
March Monthly Wrap-up3 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?6 months ago
-
6/25/23 Extra Ezra9 months ago
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?1 year ago
-
-
-
-
-
Grab my Button!
Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ▼ 2014 (133)
- ► 2013 (183)
- ► 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)
Good to know...I've been interested in this book for awhile, being a weighty teenager/adult for awhile. And an interesting point about readalikes -- would have been nice to have a book like that back in the day when I was a teen.
ReplyDeleteI agree -- I think books like these help kids, especially, to be more empathetic toward those who struggle with weight or any other issue, for that matter.
DeleteI have this one on my Kindle but haven't read it yet. It sounds interesting enough. I'm glad you enjoyed it even if it was somewhat unrealistic.
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy it overall, but it was definitely a bit far-fetched. In more than one way.
DeleteHave you read SKINNY by Donna Cooner? It's about a teen who gets gastric-bypass surgery. I've heard terrific things about it, great reviews, etc.
ReplyDeleteI have a copy of SKINNY, just haven't read it yet. It does sound really good -- I'll have to get to it sooner rather than later.
DeleteI have read other books like this one based on how you are describing it; girl has X problem and suddenly one day embraces X and feels okay about herself. It is great that weight is being an issue of discussion, but it is a shame that it is not being done super well.
ReplyDeleteMost of these types of books have a similar message, which is great. I just wanted to see Ann go through a more realistic struggle before she had her epiphany.
DeleteI just finished (after reading you review). I enjoyed it. Thanks!
ReplyDelete