Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Emily Daly, a stylish and hilarious seventeen-year-old who is about to start her final year at school, is ‘fat’ and absolutely loves herself. She’s witty, she’s an amazing advice giver and she has a great friend group who support her no matter what.
Before school starts, Emily can’t help but feel like she’s missing out on love so when she meets Joe at a house party, he instantly becomes her every thought. She’s completely enamoured with him and will do anything to bump into him again at the record store he helps his parents run.
Emily can’t help but be on cloud nine when the two finally spend time together, but it isn’t long before the doubt starts to creep in. When Joe act’s strangely when the two are in public Emily starts to wonder whether its her body that’s holding him back. To add on top of her internal struggles her mother is constantly starting fad diets every week and pressuring Emily to lose weight.
Emily is fighting a constant battle to stay true to who she is and not change for anyone but it’s hard when people are basically telling her that her body is holding her back.
I honestly didn’t realise how much I needed a book like this in my life. It was everything I wanted and more. Emily is such a strong character and has an amazing personality that it’s almost impossible to love her. As a big girl myself I connected so much with Emily and honestly wish I had her mindset, she loves herself and is so confident in her own skin.
This book is at times hard hitting and I felt myself tear up while reading it. Emily is struggling with what every girl at one point suffers from. Doubt. Doubt that you’re pretty enough, doubt that you’re not skinny enough because that’s what the media has implanted in everyone’s head. This is a book about self-acceptance that every young person needs to read.
I honestly loved this book so much and even read it in one sitting because I found it impossible to put down. My only qualm with it is I wish I had read it when I was seventeen, this is a book my younger self really needed.
Another thing I really loved with this book is how Bethany Rutter touched on the fact that these doubts carry on from being a teenager into adulthood. Emily’s mother is incredible self-conscious about her weight, constantly trying different diets in order to lose weight because she isn’t happy in her own skin.
I honestly do recommend reading this book. This is a story about loving yourself and never settling for anything less then what you deserve. It’s a lesson that everyone should learn no matter what size you are.
Rating: 5/5 stars
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