In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights.
Vicky Skinner
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Kate’s father has been pressuring her to be perfect for her whole life, pushing her to be the best swimmer she can be. But when Kate finds her dad cheating on her mom, Kate’s perfect world comes crashing down, and Kate is forced to leave home and the swim team she's been a part of her whole life. Now in a new home, new school, and faced with the prospect of starting over, Kate isn't so sure that swimming is what she wants anymore. But when she decides to quit, her whole world seems to fall apart. But when Kate gets to know Michael, the cute boy that lives across the hall, she starts to think that starting over might not be so bad. There's only one problem: Michael has a girlfriend.Kate spent the last ten years of her life working to be the best in order to earn her father's love, until he betrayed her and her family. Forced to start over in a new town, in a new school, in a new home, she had to figure out what swimming really meant to her, and if it even still belonged in her life.
As the pressures of love, family, and success press down on her, can Kate keep her head above water?
- Pro: I am a fan of feeling the feels, and Skinner definitely delivered. Kate's anguish with separating swimming from her father was palpable. Her emotions were raw and real, and I really felt her pain as she struggled with trying to remember why she swam or if she ever enjoyed it at all.
- Pro: Kate also wrestled with who she was without swimming. I love journeys of self discovery, and Kate had a long journey ahead of her. But I had faith in Kate. She had a lot more inner strength than she thought she did, and I found myself rooting for her to find herself and find some peace.
- Pro: Michael and Kate together was romance gold for me. They had a great connection, and I really felt the stirrings of love between them. The situation was a little bit awkward, but I thought Skinner built a good enough case to explain the hows and whys, and I was ok with all of it.
- Pro: The relationship between Kate and her sister was pretty wonderful. The whole family was kind of falling apart, but they were all still there for each other.
- Pro: The final chapters were really strong for me. There were a lot of really joyful things that happened, which left me in a happy place. I was really glad with the path Skinner chose for these characters.
- Pro: I am a fan of sports in books, and I was really glad that swimming was featured quite prominently in this story. The life of an elite athlete fascinates me, and getting a peek into their lives is always so eye-opening.
I made a water/swimming-based playlist for the HOW TO BREATHE UNDERWATER release next week! Jam with me!https://t.co/3sfPzSuj2Z— Vicky Skinner (@vickyskribenten) August 9, 2018
Maggie Ann Martin
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Savannah is dreading being home alone with her overbearing mother after her sister goes off to college. But if she can just get through senior year, she'll be able to escape to college, too. What she doesn't count on is that her mother's obsession with weight has only grown deeper since her appearance on an extreme weight-loss show, and now Savvy's mom is pressuring her even harder to be constantly mindful of what she eats.I will alway support a book that promotes body positivity, and this one also happened to feature a main character I totally fell in love with.
Between her mom's diet-helicoptering, missing her sister, and worrying about her collegiate future, Savvy has enough to worry about. And then she meets George, the cute new kid at school who has insecurities of his own. As Savvy and George grow closer, they help each other discover how to live in the moment and enjoy the here and now before it disappears.
- Pro: Savannah was too fabulous, and charmed the pants off me. She was smart and full of life. She was driven, confident, and lots of fun. I absolutely loved her, and I loved her, because she loved herself. No approval needed.
- Pro: The sisterhood Savannah shared with Ashley was really wonderful. These two were pretty adorable together, and supported each other through their parents' divorce and their mother's weight loss journey. They were so much more than sisters to one another, they were best friends, and even though Ashley was away at college, she was there when Savannah really needed her.
- Pro: I really found George sort of adorable, and the scenes he shared with Savannah were precious. I loved his nerdy t-shirts, his pineapple pizza, and his musical prowess.
- Con: This may just be me, but there were some loose ends, and some of the resolutions seemed a little rushed, but I still really enjoyed all these subplots and just wanted more.
- Pro: I really liked the way Martin challenged the reality weight loss industry. Those shows have created unreasonable standards and expectations for people, and it was an interesting way to explore healthy/unhealthy weight loss as well as the impossible beauty standards that exist.
- Pro: The fat rep was pretty great. Martin really touched on those things, which I think a lot of people, who have never been overweight are not aware of. Your jiggly bits being exposed and touching someone else, not being able to shop in the same store as your thin friend, being made to feel self-conscience when you eat in front of people, being thought of as invisible or "less than", because you don't fit the size-0 beauty standard.
- Pro: Grace and Savannah were a great team, and I always love a healthy and positive female friendship.
Y'ALL. You can listen to the first five minutes of the TO BE HONEST audiobook right now!! How cool is that?! https://t.co/w3H030KH0j— Maggie Ann Martin (@maggersann) August 10, 2018
Non Pratt
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Amulet
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Based on the hit graphic-novel series from BOOM! Studios, the publisher behind Lumberjanes, Giant Days follows the hilarious and heartfelt misadventures of three university first-years: Daisy, the innocent home-schooled girl; Susan, the sardonic wit; and Esther, the vivacious drama queen. While the girls seem very different, they become fast friends during their first week of university. And it's a good thing they do, because in the giant adventure that is college, a friend who has your back is key--something Daisy discovers when she gets a little too involved in her extracurricular club, the Yogic Brethren of Zoise. When she starts acting strange and life around campus gets even stranger (missing students, secret handshakes, monogrammed robes everywhere . . .), Esther and Susan decide it's up to them to investigate the weirdness and save their friend.Though I had never read the graphic novels upon which this book is based, I was still all in from the very first page. As soon as I was introduced to these three ladies, I knew I wanted to know them better.
- Pro: This book was pure fun. I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I read it. Giant Days combined great characters, snappy banter, and pitch perfect tone to produce a fabulous reading experience for me.
- Pro: I loved how different each of the women were, yet how well they complimented each other. There was a great synergy, when they were together, and I loved watching this friendship take shape.
- Pro: Non Pratt captured those early days at university so well. The feeling of being out of place, being a little lost, missing your home and your old life. All of this plus academic demands can be quite stressful, and I thought that came across really well in the book.
- Pro: The whole Yogic Brethren plot was sort of hilarious. I couldn't help but think of the Scoobies during those scenes, which just added to the fun.
- Pro: There was a ton of satire in here, which delighted me to no end. Well done!
- Pro: This book had the three Hs: humor, hijinks, and heart, which always makes this girl happy.
Overall: A fun and entertaining look at the lives of first years, which does a fantastic job capturing the highs and lows of university life. I hope we get to explore more Giant Days with Daisy, Susan, and Esther.
** ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.
Have you read any of these books?
Let us know in the comments!
To Be Honest totally caught my eye when I saw the arc release but since I've basically sworn off arc's... I passed it by. (Gah!) I *love* the sound of Savannah and she seems like just the kind of character we need more of - and not just in YA! Confident and loving herself - and body size had nothing to do with it. Go Savannah! It sounds like Martin really covered a lot of important angles regarding weight, societal expectations and pressures, and body positivity.
ReplyDeleteSavvy is character people will enjoy getting to know. I was surprised at all the different ways Martin attacked the topic, but I thought she did a really good job.
DeleteYAAAS OMG TO BE HONEST LOOKS SO GOOD! I am all for women who are confident in their own skin, and I'm so glad the fat rep was awesome. Plus hellooooo I need to meet this cute, nerdy George! ;)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed it, and it was really Savannah who drove my enjoyment. She was fabulous!
DeleteHow to Breathe Underwater sounds interesting to me. Thanks for the reviews!
ReplyDeleteIt was really good. Besides the dad and boy drama, there was this other storyline with her sister, which I really liked as well.
DeleteI’m definitely going to have to read To Be Honest now. I’ve seen it around and wondered about it but your raving convinced me.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many great things in that book.
DeleteI read the first one and can't remember what I thought O_O
ReplyDeleteI do want to read To Be Honest soon.
Karen @ For What It's Worth
OK, I just checked Goodreads and I have not read ow to Breathe Underwater - which explains why I don't remember it lol I have it on my giveaway pile though so...a new mystery lol
DeleteThank goodness we have Goodreads to help us remember. Once I bought a book I already had and read, because I forgot I had and read it. I usually love Swoon titles, and both the Swoon books were great for different reasons.
DeleteOh wow, all of these sound wonderful! I'm especially drawn to How to Breathe Underwater. It definitely sounds like my kind of read :)
ReplyDeleteThere are some really emotional parts in that story and lots of drama too. I found myself very engrossed in the story.
DeleteI am so happy that you enjoyed all of these. How to Breathe Underwater sounds like my kind of book! I don't think that I have heard of it before, so I will definitely have to add it to my TBR. I love a great sports story. :)
ReplyDeleteI normally am all over Swoon titles, and I try to read as many debuts as possible. I have not read a ton of books featuring swimmers, and I liked the way Skinner blended the sport into the story.
DeleteHow To Breathe Underwater sounds great, I love the premise and that swimming is a big deal in the story. Plus she did a playlist too- how cool!
ReplyDeleteGiant Days looks pretty fun, and even though I've seen the graphic novels mentioned here and there, I didn't really know what they were about. Now I do and they sound fun!
I love that first year at college. It's such a HUGE transition, and this group of young women were a great group to follow. I really want to check out the graphic novels now.
DeleteTo Be Honest sounds really good; I feel bad for the MC that her mother harps on her so much about her weight! But it's nice to see she has a great relationship with her sister.
ReplyDeleteThe mother was obsessed with her weight-loss, and I really had trouble sympathizing with her during a good part of the book, because of the way she tried to tear Savannah down, but there is redemption, at least a little bit.
DeleteHow to breathe underwater is calling me. I love swimming, and I love books which include swimming in them. Then it has a good romance AND sister relationship too? Ah, it's almost too good to be true. I am glad How to be Honest had great body positivity and that you liked the main character too! I still need to read Forbidden by Non Pratt DD: But then I want to try some of Pratt's other reads afterward too.
ReplyDeleteI was really surprised by the amount of swim talk in the book. She talks about her training and meets, and it was cool when she was teaching swimming too. Giant Days was my first Non Pratt book, and I really liked the style. I will definitely read more Non Pratt books.
DeleteYou make them all sound so good, Sam! To Be Honest is the one that I am most curious about. Glad these all worked well for you.
ReplyDeleteTo Be Honest was really great. Savannah made that story, and I do think important to have book featuring fat protagonists, who don't hate themselves, and can be smart, have friends, and even seem attractive to another person.
DeleteHow To Breath Underwater sounds really good, I'd not heard of that but I think I'll add to the TBR because I think I'd probably enjoy that. You're the second blogger I've seen review To Be Honest and it sounds just as good from your review. I'm keeping it on the bookish radar because there needs to be more books where fat shaming is called out a bigger MC doesn't hate their body but loves themself instead. I didn't even realise there was a Giant Days book, I still need to read the graphic novels but I might check out the book too.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really solid group of books. To Be Honest was my favorite of the "fat rep" books that have been released lately. Savannah was just really special. Other reviewers are saying that Non Pratt did an excellent job capturing the personalities of the characters from Giant Days. I really liked those three, and am curious about the graphic novels.
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