This book is enjoyable! I don’t think the court plot is exceptional, but I enjoyed the characters and the romance! It just sort of feels like tower of dawn did? Like an expanded novella.

I have a lot of feelings about this book. Not preachy, not unrealistically positive, and full of real, ugly, painful, honest thoughts people like me have going through daily life. Don’t skip this one.

I really do love this book. The characters have such heart, and the romance is, oh, absolutely excellent. Where it shines, though, is in the discovery of humanity through the eyes of a person who didn’t really know how sheltered she was. Margaret is as empathetic as she is ignorant, and her journey to understanding is so lovely to read. I love Thornton’s earnest, tender thoughts and his transformation in the book as well. So lovely.

This is a glorious little book. As an adult I found it moving, and I know it would have had a massive impact on me as a kid. I hope fat kids and their parents will take this message to heart.