Puddin'

So stinking cute! I loved all the characters in this novel and I wanted to be in their friend group (and I'm an adult!). Told through the alternating storylines of Millie, an overweight teen who wants to attend journalism camp and get closer to her crush, and Callie, a seemingly perfect soon to be dance captain who lives for dancing. When Callie gets caught in a prank that goes wrong she finds herself having to work with Mille, a girl she would have otherwise never talked too. Callie soon discovers that everyone who she  thought was a friend has turned their back on her and the only one who is giving her a chance is Millie and her friends. Maybe being a mean girl isn't so great and maybe she can actually develop some real friendships and get her life back on track. Wonderful and full of body positivity!

A Merry Little Meet Cute

I am a huge Hallmark Christmas movie fan so I was jacked to read a book that was a play on one of my favorite guilty pleasure. Teddy, a pornography producer decides to "diversify" and wants to produce a clean Christmas romance for the Hope Channel. He makes a new LLC and everything so no one can link him back to his real "business." A few days before shooting is set to take place, disaster occurs. A lot of the production crew and the female lead are out. In a hasty move he fills the slots with some porn crew and even casts Bianca von Honey, a plus size porn star as the lead. He is praying to god no one will catch on and the filming will go off without a hitch. Only there is one hitch, the reformed bad boy pop singer, now lead actor on set, knows EXACTLY who "Bee" is, he has subscribed to her content for years. How can they keep this all under wraps?! Sexy, full of positive sex work, and cute. Would definitely read more like this!

Pumpkin

Sassy, sweet, and endearing, Pumpkin will instantly win over fans. The third book in the Dumplin' series focuses on Pumpkin, an open gay, overweight teen boy who is just ready to get on with his life and begins stage three - out and proud in a new city, a chance to be who he wants to be. He and his lesbian twin sister are both out - to their parents, friends, and school - but Pumpkin wants more. When his favorite plus size drag queen makes it all the way through the reality show only to lose to the small queen; Pumpkin is furious. Alone in his room he decides to put on makeup, lip-sync in the camera, and create an audition tape for his favorite reality drag show telling them how he really feels about their shameful body standards. Pumpkin won't ever send it in - but it was cathartic and a lot of fun. He shows his twin sister, Clem, who shows some people, who show some people, and the next thing you know, Pumpkin is nominated as prom queen. It's mortifying. Pumpkin is so close to going to Austin and getting away from the bullies and now he has to suffer through people mocking his "audition tape" and nominating him to prom court. But the joke is on them because through spite and gumption; Pumpkin is going to leap even further out of the closet and really give them something to talk about. Joyful and fun! 

Dear Sweet Pea

This book was precious. Patricia (known to everyone as Sweet Pea) is having a rough end to seventh grade. Her parents are divorced and living on the same street in nearly identical houses. They're trying to be real chill about it, splitting their time with her; but it's making it more confusing for Sweet Pea. Why can't they just be together as a family? To make matters more confusing she's having mixed feelings about her frenemy Kiera (maybe she's not all that bad?) and her best friend Oscar is upset that she's not telling him everything.  The thing is though, Sweet Pea made a promise to her neighbor (the advice columnist) to keep a secret but it may blow up in her face. Cute, charming, and dealing with lots of issues that middle school teens face: bullying, weight, divorce, friendship, and trying to fit in. The reason it's not a 5 star book to me, is that at times, Sweet Pea sounds far too mature for her age, sometimes her voice just seemed to be "too much" for her age and it lost it's believability factor. Other than that it was great! 

Dumplin'

I love this book soo much I wish I could eat it up. Literally. Where was this book when I was a fat socially awkward teenager? As an adult, I related to this book, I can only imagine how much I would have related to this book as a teenager. Willowdean is fat. Not that fat is a bad thing, she just knows what she is and there is no hiding from it. She's confident and loud and she has her best friend Ellen by her side. She is unstoppable. That is until boys get into the mix. Suddenly she becomes self conscious. And it's not like her best friend will understand, she's skinny and perfect, she doesn't have rolls. To honor her recently deceased aunt (another self-professed fat girl) and to prove her peers that fat doesn't have to be ugly she enters the annual Miss Teen Blue Bonnet beauty pageant and inspires some other "ugly" girls to try out as well. They're going to start a revolution on beauty standards and self-confidence!  Willowdean's mother is horrified, she runs the competition and is convinced that her fat daughter is entering as a joke. Her best friend Ellen sticks by her side until Willowdean tells her that she doesn't want her to enter the pageant because she's already beautiful. A huge rift occurs, what's a fat girl to do? Inspiring, laugh out loud funny. A must read for anyone who has ever dealt less than perfect in their own skin.