Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read an arc version of this book!

Big Boned focuses on Lori Patty Palmer, an artistic 17-year-old who has recently moved from Johannesburg to Cape Town. She misses city life and recognizes that her family is moving to provide a more supportive environment for her 9-year-old brother, Zac (who is on the autism spectrum), and to help her Mom expand her business. As the title suggests, Lori is on the heavier side. Some of the language at the start of the book could be triggering to folks navigating body image (ex. "my pale, flabby thighs that touch, my stomach that oozed..those flappy bits of fat on your arms that jiggle when you wave at people"). However, Lori does grow throughout the book!

There are a lot of humorous moments throughout this book (ex. "...he was stupidly good looking. The kind of good looking that should not be allowed to exist in nature. It was almost unnatural. As if he was the product of some secret CRISPR experiment), and it is ultimately a feel-good, body-positive, therapy-positive book. Some of the writing feels disjointed, and as though one more round of editing could make it feel smoother, but the actual plot and characters -- love it. I would gratefully add a copy to my classroom library. ( )

When invisible demons combine with visible ones, overcoming the combination can be overwhelming. This is Lori's lot when you meet her. She's fat (her description), has just had to transfer from the school where she had a comfort zone and two real friends, and has parents who seem to have abandoned her following their divorce.
She suffers from a toxic inner voice and panic attacks, not to mention her new school has no art program. She's reduced to being primary caretaker for her younger brother Zak who's on the autism spectrum when not being bullied by girls at school.
Then circumstances have her crossing paths with Jake, the hottest guy at her new school, and she's unsure if she's seeing and experiencing what seems to be happening. Following their intriguing getting to know each other dance makes for a great read, complete with her discovering a whole new outlet for her artistic expression and a very cool new therapist who understands her extremely well. This is an extremely positive and fun story to read with a cast of characters who are all realistic. ( )

What happens when we adopt the one-size-fits-all mentality that has been expected of society for far too long? Jo Watson has taken this question and answered it in a very cute way with Big Boned.

Lori has always felt different. She never looked like the popular girls and growing up , she learned early that kids can be cruel, driving her to an Art school where she thrived until her mom decides to uproot her and her brother and move outside the city forcing Lori to enter a new school, one where everyone and everything seems perfect, Well, everything except Lori herself that is.

With sharp wit and beautifully crafted prose, Big Boned addresses many difficult themes, shattering stereotypes with her multidimensional characters and expertly crafted, highly relatable metaphors woven throughout the story this is an adorable rom-com perfect for teens.

It did take me a bit to get in to the story but once I did I was hooked. This is the type of YA novel I wish I had had available to me when I was a pre-teen, and one that I will be sure to put on my daughters shelf as soon as possible. I highly recommend this for anyone above the age of 12 or so.

Don't miss the opportunity to experience the magic this gem has to offer us and our children!

Thank you to netgalley, Wattpad Publishing, and Jo Watson for providing an advanced e-copy for me to read and share my honest opinion. ( )

Triggers: bullying, neurodiversity, obesity, body shaming, anxiety/panic attacks

Lori Palmer, whose parents have divorced and whose mother has uprooted Lori and her younger brother from their lives in Johannesburg, South Africa to move them to Cape Town so she can become a high-end realtor. Lori was attending an arts high school, had friends, and was shoo-in to attend a prestigious art school after graduation. Lori’s been bullied most of her 17 years for being obese. When she moves to Cape Town, she expects more of the same but without the protection that her two best friends provided her. The new school is focused on its sports programs. Lori is full of self-loathing and self-bullying. She hates herself and she hates her new life. She enters therapy (again) only this time her therapist is not a run-of-the-mill kind of therapist, who just happens to be fat, too. Lori starts to come into her own when she starts doing urban art ala Banksy.

This is an outstanding YA book told in the first person. The reader is inside Lori’s head listening the voices tell her she’s worthless, her father abandoned her, her mother is crazy, etc., etc. It is sometimes painful to read this book, but the writing is so good, the reader is hard pressed to put the book down without reading one more page and one more chapter.

The main characters, Lori, her brother Zac, and Jake, the star water polo player at Lori’s high school are really well-drawn, three-dimensional complex characters. The secondary characters, like Lori’s mother and the mean girls at school, are similarly well-written.

This is a book about hope, about facing one’s fears and overcoming them, about findings one’s passion in the small things, and about becoming who you are supposed to be. The fact that it is a YA book and so very well written are added bonuses.

Thanks to Wattpad and Edelweiss for an eARC. ( )

Big Boned is the classic story of what it means to "fit in" in a world that may not fit you. The story focuses on Lori Palmer and her adventures as a new student at Bay Water High School. The Bay Water students seem to care more about someone's outward appearance more than their inner self. When Lori starts at Bay Water, she finds herself missing how her life was before, when her parents were still together, and she could let her art speak for her.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a bit harder for me to feel like I related to Lori as I am now, not because her experiences were unfamiliar, but because it's been a hot minute since I was in high school. However, I definitely remember feeling a lot of the same feelings that Lori expresses throughout her experiences. Watson's writing style is very familiar, and I found myself feeling like I had witnessed certain scenes as I read them. Through0ut this book, Jo Watson really drove home the point that it is okay to ask for help, it's totally normal to have a strained relationship with your family members (just because they're your family doesn't mean you won't have moments of frustration with them), and it's okay to love yourself no matter what you look like.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5 (rounded to 3)

Big Boned will be available for purchase starting September 21st. Be sure to add it to your Goodreads shelf and see where it's available for purchase. Also, be sure to check out Jo Watson's website!

I was lucky enough to be able to read this Advanced Reader's Copy through my partnership with NetGalley. All opinions are my own. ( )