Title: Fat Chance, Charlie Vega
Author: Crystal Maldonado
Publisher: Holiday House
Release Date: February 2, 2021
Pages: 352
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Coming of age as a Fat brown girl in a white Connecticut suburb is hard.
Harder when your whole life is on fire, though.
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? UGHHH. Everything is now officially a MESS.
A sensitive, funny, and painful 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.
Buy it on Barnes & Noble or Amazon
**Thank you so much to Edelweiss and Turn the Page Tours for sending me an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour!**
Charlie Vega is friendly, artistic, and loves writing. She posts her own stories online but not many people know about it. She's also always there for Amelia, her best friend, whenever Amelia needs someone to talk to. All this is part of how great of a person she is but people only tend to look at her based on the outside. Fat.
I don't mean to seem shallow, but it's like, when everyone goes out of their way to tell you "what a pretty face" you have, you notice.
Charlie's always known that she should love and embrace her body and who she is but that’s not always easy. Her mother, peers, and Amelia make it hard for her because they all seem so perfect. Her mom often makes snide remarks about the way she looks doesn't help with her self-confidence either.
That said, it's true Amelia embodies a lot of the characteristics my mom wishes I possessed. I sometimes can't blame her. I wish I could be more like Amelia, too.
Then Brian comes along, changing her life's expectations.
The absolute best part about daydreams is that you can have it all.
Star Rating: ★★★★☆ (4)
I loved how it talked about Charlie's insecurities about herself because even though we don't always do it on purpose, we are constantly comparing ourselves to others around us. Not everyone fits society's so-called "normal" standards and that is OKAY but we all feel the pressure to fit in.
Charlie's relationship with Brian was cute and her friendship with Amelia was fun to read about. I enjoyed reading about characters that weren't perfect because let's be real, we aren't perfect either.
Overall, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega was an exciting read that helped me get through another crazy week of school. It was relatable in many ways and I really enjoyed it!
**Check down below to see the full blog tour schedule consisting of amazing author interviews, reviews, and more!**
About the Author
Crystal Maldonado is a young adult author with a lot of feelings. Her debut novel, FAT CHANCE, CHARLIE VEGA (Holiday House), will be released on Feb. 2, 2021. By day, she is a social media manager working in higher ed, and by night, a writer who loves Beyoncé, shopping, the internet, and being extra. She lives in western Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and dog. Visit her website at https://www.crystalwrote.com.
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