Description: Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she’s been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules–like “no making waves,” “avoid eating in public,” and “don’t move so fast that your body jiggles.” And she’s found her safe space–her swimming pool–where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It’s also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie’s weight will motivate her to diet. Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie might finally be able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life–by unapologetically being her own fabulous self.

Description: Ashish Patel didn’t know love could be so…sucky. After being dumped by his ex-girlfriend, his mojo goes AWOL. Even worse, his parents are annoyingly, smugly confident they could find him a better match. So, in a moment of weakness, Ash challenges them to set him up. The Patels insist that Ashish date an Indian-American girl—under contract. Per subclause 1(a), he’ll be taking his date on “fun” excursions like visiting the Hindu temple and his eccentric Gita Auntie. Kill him now. How is this ever going to work?

Sweetie Nair is many things: a formidable track athlete who can outrun most people in California, a loyal friend, a shower-singing champion. Oh, and she’s also fat. To Sweetie’s traditional parents, this last detail is the kiss of death. Sweetie loves her parents, but she’s so tired of being told she’s lacking because she’s fat. She decides it’s time to kick off the Sassy Sweetie Project, where she’ll show the world (and herself) what she’s really made of.

Ashish and Sweetie both have something to prove. But with each date they realize there’s an unexpected magic growing between them. Can they find their true selves without losing each other?

Review: I absolutely adore Sandhya Menon's debut novel, When Dimple Met Rishi, but I have been curious to see what the author did which Rishi's brother, Ashish's story. I am happy to report that I love his story even more. There's Something About Sweetie is a contemporary romance that is full of heart while also tackling fat shaming, identity, privilege, and self confidence.
  Ashish Patel is the rich and handsome basketball star of Richmond Academy. Bummed after being dumped by his college girlfriend and his self confidence taken a big beating, he challenges his parents out of a moment of weakness to make good on their constant threat to find him a suitable Indian American girl to date. Their choice is Sweetie Nair, Piedmont High’s track star. When Ashish’s mother proposes the match, Sweetie’s mother adamantly insists that their children are not compatible. The Patels are extremely affluent, but the main reason Mrs. Nair refuses is because Sweetie is fat and is trying to protect her daughter from social humiliation.
  Sweetie embraces her body and does not feel ashamed about it. Her weight is always the focus of her mother's concerns whether it is Sweetie's diet or her lack of drive just to "lose some weight". Overhearing her mother's refusal to Mrs. Patel hurts Sweetie deeply and sparks her to start the "Sassy Sweetie Project" in which she will overturn all her insecurities into strengths. The Sassy Sweetie Project is my favorite part of this story. It upends the makeover trope which often seen in teen movies of the geeky girl being hot under her frumpy clothes. This project is personal for Sweetie and it shapes her character arc really well and strongly. She becomes assertive and takes matters into her own hands to live her best life even if it means agreeing to the Patels’ four-date contract without telling her parents.
 Ashish and Sweetie accept the arrangement, each feeling they have something to prove to themselves. For Ashish the relationship is his way to bounce back to the person he use to be and for Sweetie is an empowering move to prove to herself that she is desirable and deserves love. Both characters have vulnerabilities and wonder if this arranged match will work, and not knowing what will happen when Sweetie’s parents find out. Ashish and Sweetie share narrative duties, and both are flanked by supportive friends and caring parents—even if their approaches to love is flawed and can be painful at times. It is a pleasure to watch Ashish and Sweetie fall for each other in the quiet moments and allowing them the space and pace to make decisions, succeed or fail, learn, and blossom. I know some reviewers have see Sweetie as someone who is magically perfect, but I disagree. She waivers in her self confidence which felt real and her perseverance to fight is really admirable. Kudos to the author on creating a fat character who is not ashamed of her body nor focused on physical descriptions.


Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language, mostly in the form of texting, and some crude humor. Recommended for Grades 8 and up.

If you like this book try: Dumplin' by Julie Murphy, The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

  You, Me, and Him is a quick and for the most part an enjoyable read about the complexities of friendship and romantic relationships. Please note that this review is based on the advanced reader's copy that I received from the publisher via Netgalley. You, Me, and Him is now available in bookstores and/or libraries.

Description: Maggie and Nash are outsiders. She’s overweight. He’s out of the closet. The best of friends, they have seen each other through thick and thin, but when Tom moves to town at the start of the school year, they have something unexpected in common: feelings for the same guy. 

Review: When I first heard about You, Me, and Him, it reminded a lot of the archetypes common in YA. The novel is aware of the cliches surrounding its story and its characters, but it manages to plant some seeds of complexity if you are willing to give the book a shot and dig deeper into the story. 
 What kept me reading You, Me, and Him are the characters. Our protagonist and narrator, Maggie, is a self deprecating outsider and knowingly labels herself as the fat girl. She has been painfully aware of her weight, a sensitive topic which her mother constantly addresses. She is fine living on the outskirts of her high school social circle by hanging out with her best friend Nash who happens to be gay and working at a cool but underused record store where she blasts songs by The Smiths. I wanted to hug Maggie many times and wished she would realize how awesome she is as a person. It just takes her a long time and heartache to fully understand and appreciate herself in particular with accepting her body image as someone who is healthy and active while not necessarily being a size two as well as someone worth loving.
  The inevitable unrequited love triangle forms when Tom, the new cute guy at school comes into play. Nash calls dibs on Tom and tries to make a move, however, Tom possibly likes Maggie, who in turn might like Tom but is scared to lose Nash in the process. Each character's expectations along with both the positive and negative aspects of their personality come into play in various aspects of the narrative, each with their own motive. The author does a good job in addressing the complexities of friendship from the thin line of wanting to be loyal versus being a pushover, when to be selfless vs. being selfish. 
 All of the protagonists, but especially Maggie, are pushed to ask themselves what expectations other people have of them and whether or not they have accepted these as their own. I really liked the epiphany Maggie has toward the end of the book which pushes her to stand up for herself, but I felt this important aspect of the book was rushed towards the end of the book. I would have liked the author expand on Maggie's evolving relationship with her mother along with delving into Nash's personal story. I also thought the argument between Nash and Maggie resolved too quickly after they were not on speaking terms for weeks. I also wanted to know what Tom truly felt rather than see him flip flop on his decision and not use his constantly moving as an excuse for his behavior. Though I liked the message about self acceptance and strong friendships and was pleased that the book did not end neatly, I thought You, Me, and Him was a decent story though it is not one that will stick with me.   

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language, crude humor, attempted sexual assault, and underage drinking. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: Fat Cat by Robin Brande, The Misfits by James Howe, Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by David Levithan and Rachel Cohen

I'm trying to catch up on some of my reading. In the meantime, enjoy a guest review by my good friend Jules. Take it away, Jules!
*****

I recommended Scrambled Eggs at Midnight by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler for anyone who enjoyed Polly Schulman’s Enthusiasm. I felt obligated at that point to do a review of it.


Review: I entirely enjoyed Scrambled Eggs at Midnight. This YA novel starts out with a grumpy, fifteen year old girl and my first reaction was, “Oh how cliché.” She proves her case, however; she has good cause to be grumpy. Still, I was weary of where the story was going to go from there. I was smiling by the middle of the second chapter, completely sucked in by Eliot's charm. Beginning with Calliope, each chapter alternates between Calliope and Eliot's perspectives to pull us along the course of the summer they met and fell in love. The plot is simple, but its simplicity lets the writing shine. There is color, texture, aromas and physical sensations. These two teens live entirely too much inside their own heads, and they know it, but their thoughts make them very relatable. How can you not love a girl who describes the silences that arise between people with colors or a boy who is exceptionally observant? Add to that a usable recipe for barbecue sauce, cherry chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, interesting factoids, a list of odd landmarks across the United States (I have personally been to three locations on the list,) and the Ten Commandments of Weight-loss??

   The dialog is witty and clever on par with Gilmore Girls. The larger theme is of learning to ask for what you need and getting needs met. I can entirely recommend this as a great by-the-pool summer read. My single criticism is that it was over too quickly.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is none really. A pretty clean romance story. Recommended for Grades 6 and up.

If you liked this book, try:  Dream Factory by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler

  I was struck by a Young Adult Symposium that discussed the phenomenon of fat literature. I had to reread it several times to make sure my mind did not translate phat with fat. Surely, I thought it was a typo until I saw this description of the seminar:

As more teens struggle with their weight, YA lit is increasingly featuring vibrant, complicated main characters that happen to be overweight. But as the “Fat Lit” genre matures, it finds itself torn between fostering positive body image and “fat acceptance” among teens while at same time acknowledging the psychological and physical health issues often present with obesity.

Then I got to thinking that yes, indeed, I have just finished reading two books that would perfect fit into this genre: Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee and Fat Cat by Robin Brande. Both of these books have an overweight female protagonist who are trying to build their self esteem as well as get healthy amongst other obstacles they face. I thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast these titles as I read them back to back. Both of the books were great reads and they differed slightly on how the main characters dealt with their weight. What fascinated me about both books is that yes, weight is an issue, but it was actually a product of how the each of the characters are living their lives. Let's take a look at Artichoke's Heart first.

Description of Artichoke's Heart: Rosemary decides she is sick of being overweight, mocked at school and at Heavenly Hair, her mother's beauty salon. She decides to take control when she finds out that her mother has been diagnosed with cancer. Trying to become healthy and having a boyfriend for the first time, Rosemary soon discovers that people are not perfect.

Review: In first half of the book, Rosemary discusses her insecurities of being overweight. She takes solace in junk food and uses it as her coping mechanism. She is constantly mocked at school for her weight and is given advice from everyone on how she should 'control herself'. After she finds out her mother is sick, Rosemary realizes that how her mother is dealing with her illness is not that different on how she is dealing with her weight and relationships. She soon creates a strict diet and exercise routine, which allows her not only to lose weight, but also to go outside of her social and psychological comfort zone. Her relationship with her boyfriend is sweet and honest. There are parts that were kind of unrealistic such as Rosemary being pursued as friend by a popular girl. Also, I couldn't help but wonder if Rosemary would succeed socially without losing weight. I'd like to think so. Overall, Artichoke's Heart is a fun read. Rosemary is a sassy, smart and funny heroine. The serious issues of weight and cancer are handled with humor and don't drag the book down. The Southern dialect at first slowed my reading speed, but I got over that hump and thought it gave the book personality.

Rating: 4 stars

Now let's see how Fat Cat differs from Artichoke's Heart:

Description of Fat Cat: Ever since being called Fat Cat in middle school, Catherine has been trying to deal with her weight. When she is given science project for her class where she must emulate the ways of how hominims, the earliest ancestors of human beings, lived by eating an all-natural diet and foregoing technology. 

Review: Cat is first and foremost a scientist. When she is given a science project about eating healthy and abstaining from using technology, she thinks this is the perfect time for her to change. What first starts out as a passion to win first place in the science fair now becomes a life-changing event. What I loved about this book is that Cat not only studies the science behind obesity and healthy living, she also explores how becoming healthy has changed how she interacts with other people. As a result of slimming down, she gains confidence, starts to like herself, and begins to attract the attention of the opposite sex, which never happened before. Cat and her friends are smart, witty, and very observant. I would love to hang out with them. It was refreshing to read a book where intelligence is just as sexy or more so than physical appearance.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of caution on both of these books: There is mild language in both books as well as scenes of underage drinking at a high school party. I'd recommend these books to 7th graders and up.

Curriculum Connections:  Health and Science


If you like these books, try: The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler and My Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught.