Fat Chance, Charlie Vega, why did I wait so long to read this book? I have been hearing about this title for quite a while and I completely regret sleeping on it. This book is a hard hitting YA book about being a fat WOC in high school. Charlie is adorable, everything about her is wonderful- but her life isn't all roses. 

Charlie dreams of being kissed, and she is about to celebrate her 17th birthday. As the story begins, a boy shows interest in her. Is he being sincere? Is this a big joke? I won't comment more on that. 

As the novel continues, we dive into the relationship between Charlie and her mother, who has recently lost a significant amount of weight. Charlie's mother seems to have suddenly forgotten what it means to live in a fat body, taking Charlie shopping in straight size stores and constantly nagging her for her size and choices. This book really takes a deep look at dysfunctional mother/daughter relationships around fatness. 

If this is a sensitive topic for you, enter with caution. It was very, very hard for me but I also loved it because Maldonado wrote it so well. It was so accurate to my experience with fat phobia from a parent. I'm tearing up again now thinking about this book as it relates to my trauma. Which is all to say, READ THIS BOOK (if you can). It is beautiful, it is complicated and messy, it is fat love and joy and the complicated road to self acceptance and boundaries with people who just can't get it together. If you are like me and just can't resist a well written, diverse hard hitting YA, snap this up immediately!