Title: Big Boned
Author: Jo Watson
Publisher: Wattpad Books
Genre: Young adult
Pages: 392
My Rating: 9.5/10
This book comes out 21st of September.
Pre-order on Amazon or Book Depository
Big Boned
Lori Palmer has been through a lot. A few years ago, she almost drowned because stupid kids were bullying her and pushing her under the water. Her dad had an affair with someone. And now she has to go to a normal school again. She was happy at her art school, but Lori’s mother wanted to move. She is scared of what everyone might think of her, especially now when she finds out that she is the biggest girl at this school.
But then there is Jake, the popular kid. Apparently, they have something in common. They both have a brother/sister who is different from other kids. Lori’s brother has autism. They start to hang out because their brother/sister like to play with each other, but Lori starts to like Jake too…. A lot!
Review
I was asked to read this new book by Jo Watson, which is definitely an honour. If you’ve been following me here on my blog or maybe on my Instagram, you might know I love her books a lot! When I start reading her books I know I want to finish them before bed, because I can’t stop reading. Jo Watson normally writes about adults, but this one is about teenagers. And I LOVED IT. It was so good.
Lori and I have two things in common: having an autistic brother and being bullied. I was not fat-shamed, I was skinny shamed actually. But the bullying was still terrible, I even moved schools too just like Lori. So yes, I liked Lori because I kind of knew what she was going through. Oh, and I love that she starts to grow her own succulent at the end of this book. Because that is what I am doing right now. I also have like 10 baby succulents right now.
Anyway, back to the story. This book has basically everything. It is about fat-shaming, bullying autism but also about finding your voice and hope. Even though this book is about heavier topics about extreme bullying and anxiety, there was still a beautiful ending. Lori finds her voice and starts helping the community, she starts loving herself for who she is.
Just like Jo Watson’s other books, this was also a book I couldn’t stop reading. I had to take a break because I needed to eat something but that was probably my only break. I really loved this story. It is relatable and I think it can be relatable for most of us. Jo’s writing style is amazing and all of the characters were well written. You really get to know the other characters as well, their actions and their motivations behind every action. I loved the Jake character a lot, but also Thembi.
Why you should read this book? Because the story is so well-written, because the characters feel like real people, because this story is about bullying, dealing with trauma, anxiety/panic attacks. I think a lot can relate to that. Because I did! These days I don’t read a lot of books about teenagers anymore, but this one was definitely worth it. I really enjoyed it.