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Summary
Summary
Coming of age as a Fat brown girl in a white Connecticut suburb is hard. Harder when your whole life is on fire, though.
A NEW ENGLAND BOOK AWARD WINNER!
Charlie Vega is a lot of things. Smart. Funny. Artistic. Ambitious. Fat.
People sometimes have a problem with that last one. Especially her mom. Charlie wants a good relationship with her body, but it's hard, and her mom leaving a billion weight loss shakes on her dresser doesn't help. The world and everyone in it have ideas about what she should look like- thinner, lighter, slimmer-faced, straighter-haired. Be smaller. Be whiter. Be quieter.
But there's one person who's always in Charlie's corner- her best friend Amelia. Slim. Popular. Athletic. Totally dope. So when Charlie starts a tentative relationship with cute classmate Brian, the first worthwhile guy to notice her, everything is perfect until she learns one thing--he asked Amelia out first. So is she his second choice or what? Does he even really see her?
Because it's time people did.
A sensitive, funny, and painfully honest coming-of-age story with a wry voice and tons of chisme, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega tackles our relationships to our parents, our bodies, our cultures, and ourselves.
An NPR Best Book of the Year!
A POPSUGAR Best New YA Novel!
A Cosmopolitan Best New Book!
A Bustle Most Anticipated Debut!
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up--Charlie Vega is struggling, and who can blame her? She's continuously bullied by her mother about her weight, resigned to being overshadowed by her thin and popular best friend Amelia, withdrawn from her Puerto Rican extended family after the death of her father, and tossed aside by her admittedly unworthy crush. When she meets a new coworker, Brian, it's not easy to let go of her insecurities in pursuit of her own happiness. Charlie's romantic journey is adorable, perfectly encompassing all the giddy hopes and insecurities of first love. Maldonado dumps all the old tropes that have so often portrayed teenage boys as being manipulative and mean until finally realizing that maybe a female character is worthwhile. Here, love interest Brian is constant, compassionate, and kind from the beginning. The teenage characters act out with some high school melodrama, especially Charlie and Amelia as they adjust to their changing friendship. However, they own and apologize for their actions, demonstrating an emotional maturity and self-awareness not always credited to teenagers. Charlie's mother's tentative acceptance of her isn't convincing enough to overcome the fat-shaming and emotional abuse she demonstrates throughout the story, however, it's Charlie's personal growth that matters the most. She starts out knowing that she should love and accept herself, but believing it is hard. Getting there is worth the bumps along the way. The characters are diverse and authentic--Charlie's dad was Puerto Rican and her mother is white, Amelia is pansexual and Black, and Brian is Korean American with two moms. VERDICT Sweet and sincere, Charlie Vega's journey is a delight.--Alyssa Annico, Youngstown State Univ., OH
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this winsome, body-affirmative YA novel set in New England, a self-described fat Puerto Rican American teen wrestles with insecurity and familial pressure to lose weight as she journeys toward love and self-acceptance. Sixteen-year-old high schooler Charlotte "Charlie" Vega has never dated anyone but yearns for the real-life version of the swoonworthy romances she writes online. In her day-to-day life, Charlie contents herself with daydreaming ("I imagine being kissed about a hundred times a day") and hanging out with her supportive best friend Amelia, who is Black. That all changes, however, when her handsome Korean classmate and coworker, Brian, expresses an interest in dating her. But as Charlie's insecurities about her worthiness as a romantic interest begin to surface, she must work through her doubts before she sabotages the relationships closest to her heart. In a book containing themes reminiscent of Julie Murphy's Dumplin', debut author Mal- donado melds sunny prose with incisive commentary on society's fatphobia, complex mother-daughter relationships, and the struggle to fully love oneself. Though the story's narrative beats tread familiar territory, Charlie's emotional arc hits all the right notes, resulting in a warm and insightful coming-of-age tale. Ages 14--up. Agent: Tamar Rydzinski, Context Literary. (Feb.)
Booklist Review
Maldonado's witty rom-com and coming-of-age story explores the life and times of Charlie Vega, who feels out of place as a fat, Brown girl in her neighborhood of slim, white suburbanites. Intelligent, creative, and charismatic, Charlie just wants to be liked, but she struggles against her mother's body-shaming toxicity, and a negative self-image has impacted her confidence and happiness, even as she warily pursues a relationship with a boy who might have a romantic connection to one of her closest friends. With a memorable cast that brings fresh faces and voices to a typically homogenous genre, this title focuses on the positives of the often difficult and confusing high-school experience: genuine friendships and allies, powerful first crushes, and discovering oneself. There are, of course, plenty of mortifying moments filled with drama, suspense, chisme, and even betrayal, but Charlie's optimistic outlook, despite the challenges that come with her identity, will attract a widespread audience of romance lovers and expand their idea of what a romantic lead can look like.