Big Boned by Jo Watson Book Review!

 

Title: Big Boned
Author: Jo Watson
Publish Date: September 21st, 2021
Publisher: Wattpad Books
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy!

Can she be herself in a one-size-fits-all world?

Lori Palmer is the new girl at Bay Water High, where students prize glossy hair, beach bodies, and school spirit above all else. She misses her old school―where her talent as an artist carried more weight than she does―and longs for her old family life, before her parents got divorced and her mom reinvented herself.

So Lori decides that the only way to survive the rest of the year is to blend into the background, but her plans go awry when she discovers that the most popular (and hottest) guy at Bay Water High, Jake, is a volunteer at her brother’s school. When her brother befriends Jake’s sister, Lori is suddenly thrust into his unfamiliar and exhilarating world of water polo, parties, and stargazing.

But with her relationship with her mother deteriorating, old anxieties resurface and Lori finds a new artistic release that unknowingly ignites a powerful movement. When the authorities start asking questions, Lori realizes that finding her voice might have gotten her into a world of trouble…but sometimes standing up for what you believe in is as important as standing up for yourself.

Penelope's Review

Omigosh this was such a cute read! I was kind of expecting it to be overly dramatic and unrealistic, but it ended up being a really great blend of fiction and reality. Lori is a teenaged girl who hates her body, and has to overcome a lot of terrible things in her life to get to a place of positivity. She has an autistic younger brother, divorced parents due to an affair, and she sees a therapist. There is a lot to unpack, believe me! 

Lori meets fellow classmate Jake, aka the hottest guy at school, through her younger brother when he and Jake's little sister become friends. Before long, their connection is taking off and Lori isn't quite sure what to do about her growing feelings for him because she views herself in such a negative light. Now, I've seen some reviews that have really bashed the way Lori speaks about herself in the beginning and while I feel that everyone is 100% entitled to their own opinion, I do just want to point out that the way she feels about herself is the way SO many girls, regardless of size, feel about themselves. I've even had the majority of these thoughts cross my own mind and seeing them on paper honestly had the opposite effect for me - it made my feelings feel...valid! Like I'm not the only one out there with these issues. And as I continued to read, and saw how Lori evolved and how she began to see herself as beautiful, it really struck a chord with me. I think to start the book any other way would have felt... fake. The whole point of this story, in my humble opinion, is to show how cruel girls can be to their own selves, how absolutely terrible they can view their own bodies... and then show how much your mindset an be turned around, and how truly wonderful you can feel in your own skin.

I thought this book did a really fantastic job of keeping things real, and touching on a lot of different issues. I loved loved loved the budding romance between Lori and Jake - even though sometimes I was so frustrated with Lori's reactions lol! I totally get it, but it didn't stop me from yelling "Girl what are you doing?!?!" at the page haha! 

Overall, this is a really cute book, easy to get through, that touches on issues without being too heavy. I think it's a great book for alot of different age groups, and look forward to reading whatever this author comes up with next.

Rating: 4/5 Devils!