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howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)
This was not only adorable (I'm a little obsessed with the way little Simon and his beasties are illustrated), it was also really well-thought out! It begins with showing off the beasts Simon's anger creates and how much fun he has with them at first, but quickly progresses into Simon's regrets as he recognizes that his friends don't want to play with him now that he's given into his anger so much. My favorite detail is that it even touches on his frustrations with himself as he tries to figure out what's "wrong" with him. There are also some resources for parents and caregivers in the back that would be great for a parent grappling with an angry child.
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I should preface this review by saying, at the time of writing this review (January 2019), I've yet to see the new Aquaman film and I have no familiarity with these characters and storyline. I don’t know if that made me more or less likely to enjoy this standing on its own, but I thought it was a pretty fun story regardless. Mera is a fairly stereotypical, run-of-the-mill superhero/princess type, and there’s really nothing about this story or these characters that stands out as original, unique, or creative, but despite all of that, it’s a likeable (if predictable) plotline with really stunning artwork. If you’re looking for something to blow you away, I doubt it’ll be Mera: Tidebreaker, but if you’re just looking for a good time with some action and a cool oceanic setting, she’s your girl.
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Kid Gloves looks like another cutesy book about pregnancy, but it's a lot more than that. It also features myths and facts about pregnancy, some interesting history regarding how far obstetric medicine has come, tidbits about medical struggles, and most notably, a long section on infertility and miscarriages.
There's a point Lucy makes at one point that really resonated with me, as a fellow miscarriage survivor: If 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, why aren't 25% of media portrayals of pregnancies acknowledging that? Instead, we live in a world where people are made to feel guilty, ashamed, and/or tragically alone after a miscarriage, and we have to do better. It isn't fair for anyone to suffer these traumas alone.
While it got a bit boring at times, overall, I thought Kid Gloves was an interesting pregnancy memoir. I'm not sure I would give it to an expectant mother, because I think it would have terrified me to read about Lucy's emergency c-section and pre-eclampsia in such vivid details, but it was still fascinating to read about and heart-warming to know that everything turned out okay for Lucy and her little family in the end.
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
There's a point Lucy makes at one point that really resonated with me, as a fellow miscarriage survivor: If 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, why aren't 25% of media portrayals of pregnancies acknowledging that? Instead, we live in a world where people are made to feel guilty, ashamed, and/or tragically alone after a miscarriage, and we have to do better. It isn't fair for anyone to suffer these traumas alone.
While it got a bit boring at times, overall, I thought Kid Gloves was an interesting pregnancy memoir. I'm not sure I would give it to an expectant mother, because I think it would have terrified me to read about Lucy's emergency c-section and pre-eclampsia in such vivid details, but it was still fascinating to read about and heart-warming to know that everything turned out okay for Lucy and her little family in the end.
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This is an incredibly thoughtful and sweet, nonpartisan take on what it really means to be an American. It's not about the politics or the fireworks and apple pie, it's about holding on to those old (and, too often, forgotten) ideas that everyone deserves to be treated equally and with fairness and kindness. I think this is a great nonfiction read for anyone with small children, regardless of background, and could be a great asset in teaching the little ones about empathy and equality.
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Here's the thing about Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You: it is bizarre and creepy and incredibly subversive, which are all amazing things as far as I'm concerned, but there's one small problem. It makes it really difficult to review without spoiling anything. That's not a complaint by any means, but I wanted to be up-front with why this review will be so short and vague.
Given that it's a novella (and an incredibly quick read, even for its length), and that the action starts up pretty fast and never really lets up, the best thing you can do is go into this knowing as little as possible about the events that will unfold.
All I'm going to say is that it was fun, weirdly hilarious at times, a little campy, and I loved it a lot and definitely need to read more from this author in the future.
Thank you so much to Tor.com for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Given that it's a novella (and an incredibly quick read, even for its length), and that the action starts up pretty fast and never really lets up, the best thing you can do is go into this knowing as little as possible about the events that will unfold.
All I'm going to say is that it was fun, weirdly hilarious at times, a little campy, and I loved it a lot and definitely need to read more from this author in the future.
Thank you so much to Tor.com for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was one of the cutest middle grade graphic novels ever. It was so fluffy, and had so many heartwarming moments, and an incredibly diverse cast of characters! It follows this young girl, Faith, who's been convinced to join her school's soccer team by a popular girl she wants to impress. The team is broken up into a few cliques, and there are some characters who seem to fit certain stereotypes (like the hot girly girls, or the punk band girls, etc.), but we're given tiny windows into their lives to see what makes them the way they are, or the battles they're quietly fighting (like the glimpse into the "mean girl"'s average morning that showcases loud, emotionally neglectful parents).
On top of how lovely the story line is and how well it reminds the reader to not judge based on appearances and to give everyone a fair chance, it also has so much rep it's incredible. There are characters of all sizes and skin colors (including a few fat girls and a hijabi, 2 reps we don't see much of in GNs!), and there's a ton of queer rep—Faith is questioning, a few girls are openly queer, and one character even comes out as trans during the events unfolding.
The whole book was absolutely precious and lovable, and I know this is one I'll be recommending for a long time to come.
Thank you so much to First Second for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
On top of how lovely the story line is and how well it reminds the reader to not judge based on appearances and to give everyone a fair chance, it also has so much rep it's incredible. There are characters of all sizes and skin colors (including a few fat girls and a hijabi, 2 reps we don't see much of in GNs!), and there's a ton of queer rep—Faith is questioning, a few girls are openly queer, and one character even comes out as trans during the events unfolding.
The whole book was absolutely precious and lovable, and I know this is one I'll be recommending for a long time to come.
Thank you so much to First Second for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
#1 Binti ★★★★★
#2 Home ★★★★☆
#3 The Night Masquerade ★★★☆☆
#1-3 Complete Trilogy Edition ★★★★☆
They say that when faced with a fight you cannot win, you can never predict what you will do next. But I’d always known I’d fight until I was killed.
I’ve been meaning to pick up these novellas for ages, so I was really excited to get the opportunity to review the entire trilogy now that it’s been released in a bind-up. This is a series that starts off really strong—enough so that I’d say the first book, Binti, is one of the most enjoyable novellas I’ve ever read, as well as one of my favorite adult sci-fi reads ever.
While the first novella lacks a bit in world-building, it more than makes up for that absence with character development. I loved Binti as a character and really treasured her thirst for knowledge and her bravery despite all of the immense obstacles trying to hold her back from her future. Okwu, on the other hand, I had mixed feelings about at first, but quickly came to treasure as a character despite the rocky nature of their meeting.
#1 Contagion ★★★★★
#2 Immunity ★★★★☆
I am a huge fan of sci-fi/horror mash-up stories, whether they’re in books, film, whatever, and after how much I enjoyed Erin Bowman’s Vengeance Road duology last year, I knew I had to check this out! It was one of my most anticipated releases of 2018, but I was also a little bit nervous because I wasn’t 100% sure whether Erin’s writing would translate as well to this setting.
It got in us and most are dead. Decklan flew for help. Don’t trust the kid.
Thankfully, it absolutely did, and I was hooked from the very first page. This story was fast-paced, creepy, and full of intrigue and back-stabbing. There are so many different catalysts coming together to create this perfect storm of dread and suspense, whether it’s the infection itself, the people who already are infected, the storms on the planet they’re trapped on, malfunctioning equipment, or even just the fear that comes with not knowing who on their team they can or can’t trust—the distress rolling off of these characters is downright tangible, and you can’t help but fall right into that fear alongside them.
“Trust me when I say the last thing you want to test is the power of nature.”
Not only is the fear factor there, but the atmosphere in the storytelling is fantastic. Part of why I struggle with sci-fi sometimes is that it can be hard to fully immerse myself, but with Contagion, I felt like I was right there on Achlys with the crew. Something unique to this story, among other “infection” stories, is that everything feels perfectly plausible and imaginable, which lends another layer to the terror—there’s no major suspension of disbelief required to get sucked in to this one.
Every lie he’d told—every half truth he’d yet to utter—was purposeful. If the Odyssey crew didn’t fight him, he could potentially save them all.
On top of everything else, the story switches perspectives (all in third person, so it flows very smoothly), constantly giving you just pieces here and there of a character’s motives. Right to the end, even the reader can’t ever be entirely certain of who to trust, and it’s such a fantastic touch! There are several characters, each of them genuinely important, though some feel more three-dimensional than others, of course, such as the teen girls who serve as our two primary “narrators”: Thea, a Korean-Turkish biomedical intern, and Nova, a queer black pilot with a sight impairment (and the representation is executed well, in my opinion).
“Follow the bloody footprints, they said. What could go wrong, they said.”
All in all, Contagion was a delightful read from start to finish. I never once found myself bored, and honestly, now all I can think about is how long I’m going to have to wait on the sequel, which I desperately need right now! So, if you’re a fan of sci-fi or horror (but especially both), I strongly recommend this one.
All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to HarperTeen for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
You can find this review and more on my blog, or you can follow me on twitter, bookstagram, or facebook!
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As someone who struggles with her own mental health, I’ve appreciated the recent uptick in representation in the YA book world—as it’s so necessary and I think it can do so much good, especially for young readers coming to terms with their own mental health—but there are two things I’ve found sorely lacking: nonfiction presented in an interesting and approachable manner from authors that readers already know and love, and representation that reflects even the more marginalized segments of the mental illness community.
With this in mind, you can imagine how ecstatic I was when I learned that (Don’t) Call Me Crazy would fill both of those needs.
The first thing I have to rave about is the wide variety of representations offered in this book. Not only are there authors from so many different backgrounds—queer, trans, bi/multiracial, Latinx, and/or Native, to name a few—but there are so many important diagnoses and topics discussed.
There’s Dior Vargas’ discussion of how hard it is to be a person of color with a mental illness in a society that depicts MI as a “white” issue, S. Jae-Jones’ narrative of what it feels like to be the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, Mike Jung’s relation of autism (and the fact that it is not an illness to be cured, no matter what certain “activism groups” claim)… In fact, I’m just going to include a list at the bottom of this review.
Something else I loved about this collection is that there are so many different viewpoints on healing/coping. There are stories encouraging, others encouraging therapy or meditation, and even one I related very strongly to, where Heidi Heilig discusses feeling like “A Bad Crazy” for choosing not to medicate or to strongly pursue a “cure” for the time being. No writer ever vilifies another path to coping or healing; the general theme is that we do what we need to do in order to survive and pursue peace in life. The finishing piece from s. e. smith, “Call Me Crazy”, even talks about reclaiming slurs and hurtful terms, fighting back against stigmas, and being proud of ourselves—mental illnesses and all.
This may go without saying, but please practice self-care while reading this collection, as there are certainly quite a few triggering topics. There are discussions of sexual assault, abusive family members, eating disorders, hospitalizations, self-harm (including the comic by Yumi Sakugawa, which depicts a cartoonish character harming themselves), transphobia, racism, sexism, suicidal ideation, attempted suicide, ableism, and more.
Finally, I just wanted to share a few of my stand-out favorites and the ones that meant the most to me on a personal note:
→ Ashley Holstrom’s thoroughness in branching off from a discussion of trich to describe its sister illness, dermatillomania, which I have dealt with literally as long as I can remember and have never seen depicted in a book, nonfiction or otherwise.
→ S. Jae-Jones’ commentary on how the romanticization of mental illness in women causes an environment that is not conducive to women seeking and receiving the help they need.
→ Heidi Heilig’s admittance that she considers herself “A Bad Crazy” for not seeking out a cure or treatment for her mental illness—I think a lot of people will be able to relate to this.
→ Amy Reed’s story of her struggles with addiction, in which she reminds us that healing is a forever process.
→ Jessica Tremaine’s history of her disordered eating habits and the desperate need for control that they stemmed from.
→ MILCK’s narrative around the combination of anorexia and depression—and just as notably, the underlying message that nothing is stronger than a woman who is brave enough to love herself in a society that tries to tear her down.
→ Emery Lord’s incredibly relatable piece on depression, numbness, and the general lack of desire to exist—I literally feel like Emery Lord and I are mental illness soul sisters after reading this, and I cried, a lot, because talk about feeling seen.
→ Victoria Schwab’s explanation for why she stays so busy. Her reasoning is precisely the same as my own need to constantly be doing something, even if it’s at the risk of “being present”—and her struggles with obsessive thoughts even began in the same way that mine did, by revolving around an all-consuming fear of losing her parents as a child. From another kid who grew up compulsively listening for the sounds of my parents continuing to breathe while they slept, I see you, Victoria. ♥
Those are just a few of the gems in this collection, though, and I think there is honestly something in this book for everyone and anyone who has any experience with mental illnesses of their own. I cannot recommend this collection highly enough, and hope that it will become a staple item in teen libraries everywhere. Between the stories of hope and healing, the resources offered, and even the uplifting comics and fun lists of movies and books with healthy rep, this is a fantastic resource and one that I will be recommending to friends and loved ones for years to come.
Thank you so much to Algonquin Young Readers for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
With this in mind, you can imagine how ecstatic I was when I learned that (Don’t) Call Me Crazy would fill both of those needs.
“Crazy” is not a singular—or definitive—experience.
—Kelly Jensen
The first thing I have to rave about is the wide variety of representations offered in this book. Not only are there authors from so many different backgrounds—queer, trans, bi/multiracial, Latinx, and/or Native, to name a few—but there are so many important diagnoses and topics discussed.
I have significance, for I am a human being, entire.
—S. Jae-Jones
There’s Dior Vargas’ discussion of how hard it is to be a person of color with a mental illness in a society that depicts MI as a “white” issue, S. Jae-Jones’ narrative of what it feels like to be the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, Mike Jung’s relation of autism (and the fact that it is not an illness to be cured, no matter what certain “activism groups” claim)… In fact, I’m just going to include a list at the bottom of this review.
They did not know the extent of my talent for smiling when I was a tornado inside.
—Amy Reed
Something else I loved about this collection is that there are so many different viewpoints on healing/coping. There are stories encouraging, others encouraging therapy or meditation, and even one I related very strongly to, where Heidi Heilig discusses feeling like “A Bad Crazy” for choosing not to medicate or to strongly pursue a “cure” for the time being. No writer ever vilifies another path to coping or healing; the general theme is that we do what we need to do in order to survive and pursue peace in life. The finishing piece from s. e. smith, “Call Me Crazy”, even talks about reclaiming slurs and hurtful terms, fighting back against stigmas, and being proud of ourselves—mental illnesses and all.
Nothing is as powerful as a woman who embraces herself, without apology.
—MILCK
This may go without saying, but please practice self-care while reading this collection, as there are certainly quite a few triggering topics. There are discussions of sexual assault, abusive family members, eating disorders, hospitalizations, self-harm (including the comic by Yumi Sakugawa, which depicts a cartoonish character harming themselves), transphobia, racism, sexism, suicidal ideation, attempted suicide, ableism, and more.
People do not tend to know when I am pretty freakin’ unwell. For a lot of reasons. I don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable or burdened or—often, I just don’t want to talk about it.
—Emery Lord
Finally, I just wanted to share a few of my stand-out favorites and the ones that meant the most to me on a personal note:
→ Ashley Holstrom’s thoroughness in branching off from a discussion of trich to describe its sister illness, dermatillomania, which I have dealt with literally as long as I can remember and have never seen depicted in a book, nonfiction or otherwise.
→ S. Jae-Jones’ commentary on how the romanticization of mental illness in women causes an environment that is not conducive to women seeking and receiving the help they need.
→ Heidi Heilig’s admittance that she considers herself “A Bad Crazy” for not seeking out a cure or treatment for her mental illness—I think a lot of people will be able to relate to this.
→ Amy Reed’s story of her struggles with addiction, in which she reminds us that healing is a forever process.
→ Jessica Tremaine’s history of her disordered eating habits and the desperate need for control that they stemmed from.
→ MILCK’s narrative around the combination of anorexia and depression—and just as notably, the underlying message that nothing is stronger than a woman who is brave enough to love herself in a society that tries to tear her down.
→ Emery Lord’s incredibly relatable piece on depression, numbness, and the general lack of desire to exist—I literally feel like Emery Lord and I are mental illness soul sisters after reading this, and I cried, a lot, because talk about feeling seen.
→ Victoria Schwab’s explanation for why she stays so busy. Her reasoning is precisely the same as my own need to constantly be doing something, even if it’s at the risk of “being present”—and her struggles with obsessive thoughts even began in the same way that mine did, by revolving around an all-consuming fear of losing her parents as a child. From another kid who grew up compulsively listening for the sounds of my parents continuing to breathe while they slept, I see you, Victoria. ♥
Those are just a few of the gems in this collection, though, and I think there is honestly something in this book for everyone and anyone who has any experience with mental illnesses of their own. I cannot recommend this collection highly enough, and hope that it will become a staple item in teen libraries everywhere. Between the stories of hope and healing, the resources offered, and even the uplifting comics and fun lists of movies and books with healthy rep, this is a fantastic resource and one that I will be recommending to friends and loved ones for years to come.
Representations—listed by author, in order of appearance:
Ashley Holstrom: trichotillomania, dermatillomania
Dior Vargas: imposter syndrome, borderline personality disorder (BPD)
Sarah Hannah Gomez: OCD, bipolar II
Stephanie Kuehn: misophonia/4S
Mike Jung: autism
Christine Heppermann: phobias, abuse
S. Jae-Jones: bipolar
Monique Bedard (Aura): erasure of MI in Native communities
Heidi Heilig: bipolar
Emily Mayberry: PTSD
Amy Reed: addictions, abuse
Jessica Tremaine: anorexia, bulimia
Reid Ewing: body dysmorphia
Susan Juby: alcoholism
MILCK: anorexia, depression
Libba Bray: OCD, anxiety
Emery Lord: depression, suicidal ideation
Gemma Correll: anxiety (multiple comics)
Clint Van Winkle: PTSD/PTS
Esme Weijun Wang: anxiety
Victoria/V. E. Schwab: obsessive thoughts
Kristen Bell: depression
Mary Isabel: PTSD, abuse
Lisa Jakub: anxiety
Meredith Russo: depression, suicidal ideation, attempted suicide, body dysmorphia, experiencing transphobia
Yumi Sakugawa: self harm (comic)
Kelly Jensen: depression, anxiety
Adam Silvera: depression, suicidal ideation
Hannah Bae: paranoia
S. Zainab Williams: depression (comic)
Nancy Kerrigan: disordered eating
s. e. smith: depression, misdiagnosed BPD, “craziness”
NOTE: I took notes while reading, but apologize if I missed anything represented in any specific stories. I opted not to include the authors’ races or sexual/gender identities in most of these because I wasn’t familiar with all of the authors and did not want to make any assumptions or out anyone without their consent.
Thank you so much to Algonquin Young Readers for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I don’t read “fluffy” contemporary titles very often; if I do, it’s probably either because it’s a random, rare exception, a nostalgic favorite, or diverse in some way that I can’t pass up the opportunity to promote the story and author. To Be Honest falls into that last category, and as soon as I heard about this book, I knew I absolutely had to get my hands on it.
To Be Honest is an own-voice story about a fat girl named Savannah, who’s learned to love her body regardless of its size. Fat rep is not something we see often in stories, but it’s slowly becoming a little more common, and I think that’s so important, because we’re finally getting to see in YA books that, just because a character is plus-size, doesn’t mean they’re a villain, or a slob, or a bad person.
Not only does Savvy deal with her weight and the way the world interacts with her, she also has a very toxic home life with a mother who, ever since going on a fad weight loss reality television show, has brought home an obsession with fitness that has reached an unhealthy level. She starts off by promoting a balanced diet and exercise, but it gradually ramps up until she’s trying to coerce Savannah into disordered eating habits. The entire issue stems from something that fat people are very familiar with, something we call “concern trolling”, which is where a person uses the guise of health concerns to harass, belittle, and/or mock overweight people.
It’s not only crucial that Savannah breaks down why her mother’s actions are harmful, but also that it comes from her mother in the first place. A lot of people will say that “concern trolling” comes from their own family members most often. Not only can it cause some pretty hurtful effects, but it rarely works, instead making people feel discouraged, self-conscious, and attacked.
Savannah has some incredible quotes here and there as she talks about how she has grown to love her body, even if she still has her moments of self-consciousness. We get to see firsthand that being plus-size doesn’t make her unhealthy, but that she also doesn’t have to obsess over weight loss and eat nothing but salads to deserve the basic air she breathes. She’s so empowering, and every time she ranted or went on a tangent, all I could think about was how much a younger Destiny needed stories like this, instead of cruelty from extended family members and crash diets that let to eating disorders. I want to put this book in the hands of every young girl, regardless of size, as we can all use a friendly reminder that we deserve to love our bodies and the amazing things they do for us.
Savannah’s story isn’t all about her weight or her strained relationship with her mother; it’s also about her sister Ashley (her best friend, who happens to be queer and proud), her friend Grace and Grace’s cousin George (who both are Colombian), and how the three of them help Savvy not only with life in general, but with her anxiety disorder, too. As someone who also has severe anxiety, I thought the representation of Savannah’s symptoms and panic attacks was done so well, and I loved that her loved ones never treated her like a burden or as though she could just turn off her anxiety. There’s also a really fun underlying story arc as Savvy and Grace, as school journalists, investigate some unfairness between the boys’ and girls’ sports teams.
Finally, there’s the romance, which was absolutely adorable. I don’t want to get too personal (I think I’ve done that enough in this review already!), but the interactions between Savvy and George reminded me so much of myself and my partner when we first met! The friendship graduating into awkward, sweet flirting, and the fact that neither of them seem to be able to grasp how they landed the other—it’s so sweet and fluffy and cutesy, and I really enjoyed watching them come together.
To Be Honest was one of the cutest things I’ve read in ages. My only complaint is that I wish it had been longer, but I think that’s a pretty good “complaint” to have, since it just means I loved the story so much, I wanted even more of it. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a cute contemporary read, but especially to anyone who’s looking for a little body positivity in their life. Thank you so much, Maggie, for writing this story—it meant so much to me.
All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Swoon Reads for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
“News flash: fat isn’t a bad word, Mom. It’s the twenty-first century. I have blue eyes. I have blond hair. I’m fat. Literally nothing about my life is changed because that word is associated with my physical appearance. I’m sorry that someone taught you to hate yourself because of your body somewhere along the way, but I’m not going to let you pull me down with you.”
To Be Honest is an own-voice story about a fat girl named Savannah, who’s learned to love her body regardless of its size. Fat rep is not something we see often in stories, but it’s slowly becoming a little more common, and I think that’s so important, because we’re finally getting to see in YA books that, just because a character is plus-size, doesn’t mean they’re a villain, or a slob, or a bad person.
How was I supposed to follow up to that? Say that the thinspirations around the house were good for everyone? That her tiny backhanded comments about my weight inspired me to become fit? All both of those things did was make me feel worse and completely discourage me.
Not only does Savvy deal with her weight and the way the world interacts with her, she also has a very toxic home life with a mother who, ever since going on a fad weight loss reality television show, has brought home an obsession with fitness that has reached an unhealthy level. She starts off by promoting a balanced diet and exercise, but it gradually ramps up until she’s trying to coerce Savannah into disordered eating habits. The entire issue stems from something that fat people are very familiar with, something we call “concern trolling”, which is where a person uses the guise of health concerns to harass, belittle, and/or mock overweight people.
“I know that parents shouldn’t be allowed to make their kids feel like shit unless they buy into their culty dogma.”
It’s not only crucial that Savannah breaks down why her mother’s actions are harmful, but also that it comes from her mother in the first place. A lot of people will say that “concern trolling” comes from their own family members most often. Not only can it cause some pretty hurtful effects, but it rarely works, instead making people feel discouraged, self-conscious, and attacked.
It took everything within me not to add some extra hashtags, like #LoveYourBody or #AllBodiesAreGoodBodies.
Savannah has some incredible quotes here and there as she talks about how she has grown to love her body, even if she still has her moments of self-consciousness. We get to see firsthand that being plus-size doesn’t make her unhealthy, but that she also doesn’t have to obsess over weight loss and eat nothing but salads to deserve the basic air she breathes. She’s so empowering, and every time she ranted or went on a tangent, all I could think about was how much a younger Destiny needed stories like this, instead of cruelty from extended family members and crash diets that let to eating disorders. I want to put this book in the hands of every young girl, regardless of size, as we can all use a friendly reminder that we deserve to love our bodies and the amazing things they do for us.
This was why I very rarely hung out with new people—their unknown reactions made me more nervous than it was worth most of the time.
Savannah’s story isn’t all about her weight or her strained relationship with her mother; it’s also about her sister Ashley (her best friend, who happens to be queer and proud), her friend Grace and Grace’s cousin George (who both are Colombian), and how the three of them help Savvy not only with life in general, but with her anxiety disorder, too. As someone who also has severe anxiety, I thought the representation of Savannah’s symptoms and panic attacks was done so well, and I loved that her loved ones never treated her like a burden or as though she could just turn off her anxiety. There’s also a really fun underlying story arc as Savvy and Grace, as school journalists, investigate some unfairness between the boys’ and girls’ sports teams.
Of course he wasn’t interested in me. He was adorable, charming, and actually nice. I was a sometimes-mean and generally unagreeable chubby girl.
Finally, there’s the romance, which was absolutely adorable. I don’t want to get too personal (I think I’ve done that enough in this review already!), but the interactions between Savvy and George reminded me so much of myself and my partner when we first met! The friendship graduating into awkward, sweet flirting, and the fact that neither of them seem to be able to grasp how they landed the other—it’s so sweet and fluffy and cutesy, and I really enjoyed watching them come together.
I blushed a deep red all over. “Can I appoint you as my official hype man?”
To Be Honest was one of the cutest things I’ve read in ages. My only complaint is that I wish it had been longer, but I think that’s a pretty good “complaint” to have, since it just means I loved the story so much, I wanted even more of it. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a cute contemporary read, but especially to anyone who’s looking for a little body positivity in their life. Thank you so much, Maggie, for writing this story—it meant so much to me.
All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Swoon Reads for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!