Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Goodreads Synopsis
Meet Greta.
She’s funny.
She’s flawed.
She’s hiding so much behind her big smile she’s forgotten who she is.
But Greta is about to discover that the key to being happy is…being you.
Greta Gale has played the part of the funny fat one her entire life, hiding her insecurities behind a big smile. But size doesn’t matter when you can laugh at yourself, right?
Until Greta realises she’s the only one not laughing. And deep down, she’s not sure if she’ll ever laugh again.
But with her world feeling like it’s falling down around her, Greta is about to discover she’s stronger than she feels. And that sometimes the best moments in life come when it’s all gone a bit pear-shaped…
Review
Please be aware that this book does contain trigger warnings for drug addiction.
This is my first Carmel Harrington and I don’t think it will be the last. My Pear-Shaped life is a very uplifting book which reminds us that we are good enough even if we don’t fit current social norms. Greta is a very realistic character and I very quickly found myself rooting for her to get better.
I do feel like the synopsis of this book is slightly misleading as while the story does focus on Greta’s struggles with her weight, the main plot point in this story is her addiction to sleeping pills. I didn’t have an issue with this as I feel like not many books touch on the topic but I did feel a little blindsided going into the book.
Unfortunately, I did find myself getting a little bit bored in the second half of the book when her and her uncle decide to go to America. Whilst I loved the Wizard of Oz references, I felt that there was a lot of chapters that honestly were not needed. As much as I loved her Uncle Ray in this story I honestly felt like his plot line fell incredibly flat and was over so fast!
Overall it was a quick and pleasant read which focuses on the importance of self-worth and leaning to love yourself.
Rating: 3/5 stars