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anabel_unker 's review for:
Suck It in and Smile
by Laurence Beaudoin-Masse
*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*
This book contains discussions on: disordered eating, bullying, cheating (emotional and physical)
Ellie, former fat girl and current high-profile influencer, makes her living by promoting her wellness and fitness tips to over 500,000 followers (on instagram). She has achieved everything she could hope for-- massive weight loss, a perfect singer boyfriend, parternships and deals with companies she believes in. However, beneath the glossy surface, things are falling apart in her life. She begins to fall in love with someone NOT her boyfriend and Ellie is slowly realizing that everyone in her life have hidden agendas.
I wanted to love this book. I think it was written and translated at an important time-- when influencers are at their peak. Getting a 'behind the scenes' look into what goes into making an influencer was very eyes opening, and it really reminded me (and I'm sure other readers) that most of it is fabricated.
However, SUCK IT IN AND SMILE fell flat for me. Ellie never really developed as a person, instead deciding to take her emotional affair to the physical level in some of the last chapter. She began developing disordered eating, and any attempts at acknowledging fatphobia or the issues with perpetrating an ideal body type were talked about in long, rambling paragraphs but never really translated to action by the characters. Ellie also began working with her former friend (and bully), but no confrontation ever happened between the two-- there was this constant back and forth of 'I think I can trust her' to 'This is why I can't trust her'. This story, overall, felt like only half of a full book.
This book contains discussions on: disordered eating, bullying, cheating (emotional and physical)
Ellie, former fat girl and current high-profile influencer, makes her living by promoting her wellness and fitness tips to over 500,000 followers (on instagram). She has achieved everything she could hope for-- massive weight loss, a perfect singer boyfriend, parternships and deals with companies she believes in. However, beneath the glossy surface, things are falling apart in her life. She begins to fall in love with someone NOT her boyfriend and Ellie is slowly realizing that everyone in her life have hidden agendas.
I wanted to love this book. I think it was written and translated at an important time-- when influencers are at their peak. Getting a 'behind the scenes' look into what goes into making an influencer was very eyes opening, and it really reminded me (and I'm sure other readers) that most of it is fabricated.
However, SUCK IT IN AND SMILE fell flat for me. Ellie never really developed as a person, instead deciding to take her emotional affair to the physical level in some of the last chapter. She began developing disordered eating, and any attempts at acknowledging fatphobia or the issues with perpetrating an ideal body type were talked about in long, rambling paragraphs but never really translated to action by the characters. Ellie also began working with her former friend (and bully), but no confrontation ever happened between the two-- there was this constant back and forth of 'I think I can trust her' to 'This is why I can't trust her'. This story, overall, felt like only half of a full book.