This book was just so wonderful! It was definitely body positive, and I loved that Ariel, nickname Cupcake, was happy with herself. But it was also realistic in that just because she was okay with her body, it didn’t mean other people wouldn’t still be rude, and that those rude remarks couldn’t still get to her.

The story was about so much more than that though. Ariel had so many layers, as well as the other characters in the story. There was Lana, another homecoming princess, who felt she should be the winner. But when we got to see her family, well it pointed out a bit about why she was the way she was, and even gave her a chance to show some growth. There were also lots of other characters in the story, the stereotypical types of high school characters, but all had such great back stories and their behavior was more than what you would expect.

And wow did this school make a major production about their homecoming court. Of course as someone who was never involved in that aspect of high school when I was that age, I was definitely not someone who would ever be nominated, maybe that’s how it always is? I’m sure it was embellished for a fictional story and dramatic additions to the story, but it was really neat.

The love interest, Rhys, was one that like Ariel at the beginning I was unsure how to take. But soon he grew on me, just as he did on Ariel, and I think I could fall in love with him along with her.

And as much as there is a certain very well known book series that I love and always geek out over when I read about it in books, I like that this author used a more current title by Sarah J. Maas for the characters to bond over. It was also fun to hear all the different movies, rom-coms especially, that were talked about.

Loved this one, as much as I seem to have loved every other book I’ve read for this author!

Review first posted on Lisa Loves Literature.