I'm not really blown away by Cookie at all. I like that she's not afraid to call out buffoonery against plus-sized people, but I just never fell for her. Maybe she was too snarky for me. And I sho' didn't care for her 31-year-old-grown-behind-man-abusing-his-power love interest.

His nice-then-nasty personality was fun to an extent. Him and Cookie one-upping each other was fun. Good banter. When he progressed beyond that, I was kind of over it.

The funeral was the absolute best part. Everything else is pretty forgettable. ( )

Weird, weird, relationships and timelines that hinder more than propel. ( )

CW: Fat shaming, extreme dieting, poor body image, arsehat parents, sexual content.

I'm going to rip the band aid off and come right out and say that I did not like Cookie. At all. She was an angry and unhappy person when she was fat, and still quite an angry and unhappy person when she was skinny. She was capable of being as cruel to others as they were to her. I know there was some kind of epiphany about self-love in there somewhere but all the agro leading up to that spoiled it for me. She was petulant and down right spiteful at times.

The dieting seemed to be quite extreme and she seemed to be constantly depriving herself of food. I'm not a dietician or a doctor so I can't comment on whether that kind of weight loss strategy is healthy , but common sense would dictate that it was not.

I don't know guys, it just felt like some of the messages were a bit 'off'. I mean the funeral scene people, really? And the super uncomfortable relationships with both of the love interests. They weren't romantic or loving.

Sorry, but this just wasn't for me. The only aspects I enjoyed were the Australian chick and the 'young blogger and aspiring designer' storyline. ( )

I fell in love with this book from the prologue, where the author explains this is not a Cinderella story of getting thin, but that the first chapter was based on a true experience of how she was treated on a flight based on weight. Which really strikes home in a visceral way.

But I digress. Kelly DeVos has SUCH a great writing voice. Cookie is fun, upbeat, sardonic at times, and such a great narrator. Told in dual timelines, this book examines her journey as a blogger and budding fashion designer, her experiences with others in the industry, and also how she is treated differently at various points in her life because of her weight. Tommy, I fell in love with from the very first time he appeared on page, and alternated between wanting to slap at times and hug for being so real and incredibly imperfect. You can’t help but cheer for him and Cookie’s friendship as it goes through those turbulent growing up times, and appreciate Cookie’s strength as she insists on who she is and who she will be valued as. LOVED this one.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
( )

I did not love this.

Cons:
*Marketed as a YA, but doesn't really feel like one, just because the plot flashes back to high school half of the time, doesn't make it YA.
*Power imbalance--I can't be the only one who sees big red flags with the fact that she is sleeping with her 11-12 year older "boss/intern advisor" designer Gareth Miller. Helloooo, ick.
*For a book that is supposed to be soooo body positive (see Twitter) Cookie sure hates herself for 95% of it.
*Product placement--thinly veiled Weight Watchers, Lean Cuisine, Vita-water.

Pros:
*Ms. deVos writes with the real voice of someone who has struggled with weight and all the societal issues that entails.

I really wanted more from this book after hearing all the hype. ( )