My thanks to NetGalley for letting me review this book. I'll be the first to admit it has been a long time since I was in the 7h grade. A very long time. Though I do tend to pass a lot of 5th graders on my way to my son's drop off line. I noted recently some of them talk like Natty and her friends, so imagine 7th graders must also right? This book was a good read. But I thin I expected too much from it when I saw it was like "Ted Lasso" but for young adults. I was expecting pop culture jokes and the like as you get from the Lasso show. However, those jokes never came. I def noted the toxic positivity from Natty and at times it made me not want to read it because of how "happy" she always acted. My other personal opinion is that the story wrapped up too quickly for my preference in how any book ends. I was also hoping for an epilogue to the story, but there wasn't one.

This Advanced Reader’s Copy was provided by HarperCollins Children's Books via NetGalley. Absolutely, Positively Natty will be released on May 9th, 2023.

Also, there will be SPOILERS so I’m letting you know in case you didn’t see the spoiler tag.

Absolutely, Positively Natty by Lisa Greenwald is one of the most depressing books I’ve ever read and that means that the book accomplished what I wanted to accomplish. Lisa Greenwald wanted to create a book that tackles “Toxic Positivity” and I’d say that she somewhat succeeded. The book is about a girl named Natty and how she deals with the aftermath of her parent’s separation. They don’t say they’re divorcing per se but the book focuses on the mom taking time to understand herself because of her depression. Natty and Her dad move in with her paternal grandparents in her dad’s old stomping grounds, Miller Creek. Her dad is in a depressive state for a while, sleeping for days, barely eating, and is off work on a sabbatical. So Natty has to deal with her parents separating, her father being a shell, and acclimating to her new home Miller Creek. It’s a lot for anyone, especially a child to deal with so she decides to ignore everything bad and force herself to be positive. This leads her to ignore and downplay the problems of everyone around her and delude herself into thinking she can fix her parent's marriage by making Miller Creek their new permeant home.

The book is 171 pages and we spend a lot of the book in a repetitive state of Natty internalizing her fear and anxiety while ignoring her friend's issues by saying that they can make it better by focusing on the positives, “Good Vibes Only”. The book took me two days to get through because of the cycle of Nattty talking to her depressed mother who doesn’t want to come back because she’s not ready to see everyone, Natty on the verge of tears and sickness from stress, trying to be overly positive to the detriment of everyone, including herself was tough to get through. Cause most importantly it’s depressing and sad. Which is what the book is trying to commentate on. But, it’s also frustrating to read. Then again it’s pretty realistic. In a divorce usually the parents kind of forget the child so they’re left to stew in their own thoughts. This manifests in Natty thinking that she has to save her parent's marriage when that’s not her job. Natty creates a Pep Squad in the school in order to make it cool for her mom and places it as the one thing that can fix her mom’s depression. But then her dad gets a bit better and starts hanging with her Advisory teacher, which causes rumors that her dad is dating. This stresses her out so she tries to bribe everyone to get into Pep Squad to make her mom come back. There’s a weird subplot where the town is in an economic depression which means the school refuses to provide a budget to pay teachers and provide supplies for kids. The teachers plan a strike and that brews in the background until the day of the Pep Rally. Natty thinks this huge event will make everyone not depressed and act as a way to convince her mom to come back. This so happens to be the same day the teachers act on the strike, which feels a bit inappropriate. The book indicates that Natty is emotionally holding back to the point of her stomach and head hurt. So it would have made sense for her to portray a panic attack to a middle school audience. The book is already really sad so at this point, you should have just gone in. But the author uses a teacher strike for better rights to be the thing that ruins the Pep Rally and that causes Natty to break down. I get that she was using Pep Rally as a way to avoid her feelings so when that one thing is taken away, you unravel. But to be like “Wow this darn teacher strike really did it” felt weird. I don’t think the author meant it to come off like that but still. The teacher’s strike last for a few days which means that they’re off from school. Natty is just depressed, her dad finally talks to her which doesn’t do much, and one of her friends comes to talk to her. The book ends with the whole Pep Squad coming together to cheer her up, tell her how much she did for them and to let her feelings out instead of internalizing them, goodbye Toxic Positivity.

The book is not saying “The day is saved” and she’s magically okay. But the lesson boils down to having a support group that you feel comfortable talking about things with, that you’re not alone. It also tells kids that in a divorce, it’s not their job to fix their parent’s marriage. In regards to Toxic Positivity, it shows how it can deaden you to the world around you. Which can make you victim blame others who are going through their hardships. It’s not only toxic to you but to everyone around you and when you’re in these kinds of situations you want to have friends, not lose them.

I respect what the book is trying to accomplish and the fact that it was a hard read means that it did its job. But I wish the book was more balanced in its message and that we get more time for the healing rather than implying that she’ll be fine because the book is at its conclusion. The mom doesn’t get enough development than just being depressed but it’s meant to be a short story for Middle schoolers so that’s fine.


Overall, while I had my issues with some of the plot points and plot structure. I’m glad that this book is able to get its intended point across in a way that will act as a way to help the kids that read it. It’s admirable in spite of its flaws. I’d give Absolutely, Positively Natty a 3 out of 5.

I recently read "Absolutely Positively Natty" by Lisa Greenwald and it was a delightful and heartwarming middle-grade novel that I would highly recommend to others. The book tells the story of Natty, a young girl who has to deal with the aftermath of her mother's departure by moving to her dad's childhood hometown of Miller Creek.

What I loved about this book is how it tackles some serious themes like divorce, family dynamics, and the importance of mental health in a way that is relatable and easy to understand for young readers. Natty's character is well-developed and her journey from being a positive and optimistic girl to dealing with the reality of her situation is handled with care and sensitivity.

The supporting characters in the book are also well fleshed out, and the relationships between them are realistic and heartfelt. The pep squad storyline was a fun addition to the plot, and I appreciated the author's message about the importance of balance in life, and how it's okay not to be positive all the time.

Overall, "Absolutely Positively Natty" is a great read for young readers who are going through difficult times or just need a reminder of the power of friendship and optimism. I give this book 4/5 stars and would definitely recommend it to others.

The power of positive thinking is Natty's rule. Facing a new home, new family structure, and new school, Natty is over the top positive about it all. The cast of characters she meets at the run down middle school, react in varying ways to her energy. Underneath all of the positivity, Natty keeps her true emotions hidden. Natty comes to see the importance of sharing all her emotions, good, bad, and indifferent. That it is essential to everyone's health and well being.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Lisa Greenwald and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Natty's mom has decided she needs a break from her family, so Natty and her dad decide to move back to his childhood hometown and in with her grandparents. Natty now has to start middle school over with kids she doesn't know. Natty is absolutely positive though that everything will work out. It is important to Natty to always maintain a positive attitude no matter what. She is determined to get her dad off the couch and back to work, get her mom to return to the family and get her town to be more peppy by starting a pep club at her new school.

What will happen though when Natty can no longer be positive and peppy?

I enjoyed this middle grade novel! I loved Natty and her positive attitude. I did also like though, that Natty learned it's okay to have other feels other than positive ones and that she learned how to handle and react to those emotions.

Spot on. Middle School is hard enough without being the new girl in town as well. Natty is surfing the waters of her parents' impending split, while trying to stay above the waves of depression and anxiety by being positive- extremely, ultra-positive. Her new friend scoffs at Natty's "Good Vibes Only" patch, telling Natty that sometimes, life is just plain hard with not enough good vibes to make things better. Most of the middle school vernacular sounds right, if not sometimes a little * too* good. Natty's grandparents and parents are written realistically and all the characters' behavior is believable. I could see this story actually come to life. I will definitely be purchasing this book for my school library . Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reading copy.

Relatable and fun. This charming book would make a great addition to any classroom, lending itself well to lessons encouraging students to confront the ways toxic positivity has affected their own lives. I enjoyed how the characters came to truly embrace their inner selves/desires. We've been discussing conformity quite a bit in my 7th grade class and I think this book can provide students with insight on how the pressure to confirm looks outside of classroom discussion.

I’m going to be honest, this book broke my heart a little. It is written in an easy to read manner and in some ways seems lighthearted which showcases the depth of its topic because Natty is also putting on a show and trying to hide her real feelings.
I loved Natty from the start. She was going through so much, and she did not know how to cope with it. I think a lot of kids are going to be able to identify with her and her struggles. She was trying to put on a happy face thinking that it would fix everything. I love how she learned that sometimes positivity will not fix problems that sometimes things are just hard.
And I love how nothing is technically solved in this book. Natty gains friends though, and she learns the importance of talking about her feelings. I think that lesson will be very helpful for kids and their parents because Natty’s dad had no idea how to talk to her.
I think I was a bit frustrated by Natty’s friends though, especially Mack because she seemed very abrasive and honestly kind of a jerk to Natty. I understand how she and Natty were foils to each other, but she still irritated me a bit. I think she did show Natty the importance of saying when things are bad though. But she also had to learn how to let Natty express her feelings which I think she did eventually learn.
I would definitely recommend this book. It is a heartbreaking and important read that is both entertaining and helpful in learning how to talk about your feelings.

Content Warnings
Natty’s mom has depression. It’s not graphic about what happened, but she eventually ends up leaving Natty and her dad

Highlights:
Importance of talking about feelings
Friends from different cliques
Seeing behind people’s masks
Friendships
Only light romance

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required

This was a good story for middle school kids who are just trying to carry the weight of adult problems in their life especially those dealing with divorce.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital advanced copy. This book tells the story of Natty a teenage girl who has just moved to Miller Creek with her dad to live with her grandparents. The town is struggling and Natty and her family are struggling with her mother's depression, and her inability to show up for Natty. Natty tries to make everything positive, including by starting a pep squad at her middle school. Even though things do not go as planned for Natty, she ends up finding new friends in Miller Creek and coming to terms with the reality that she can sit with her negative feelings and frustrations. This was a sweet and genuine read! I really enjoyed Natty and her new friend Mack!

This book was amazing! I was really able to relate to the characters, and it just felt sort of...real, if that makes sense. I loved the themes of friendship and forgiveness, which were shown as Natty and the other girls grew closer. I really liked the part when Natty realized that even if things weren´t perfect she could rely on her friends. Overall, amazing book, would definitely recommend.

I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity.

Natty is positive. Things are great, they're going to get better, everything is fine. When she and her dad move in with her grandparents in the struggling town of Miller Creek, she decides to start a school pep squad to make things better. It doesn't matter that she's the only Jewish kid in the school, that her Dad is on medical leave and her mother is off on her own after a depressive episode, that her best friend in Miller Creek has lost her home and had to move into a cheap apartment, that her best friend at her old school is struggling socially, that the new school is under-resourced, that Natty is sleeping on a futon in the attic, and so on. Nope, just think positive, and it all goes away...or does it?

This is a beautiful book on the fact that life isn't always perfect, and no part of positive thinking can make it so, but that, at the same time, you can make changes in your own life. Natty will be relatable to a lot of kids, as will Mack, Luna and the other kids. This is an excellent, thought provoking book that deserves a place in classrooms and communities.

This is an absolutely heartbreaking story of a young teen, Natty, who does not want to be sad. She does not want to be sad that her mother has left the family to “find” herself. She does tnot want to be sad that she has forced to move to small, depressing town, away from her friends. She does not want to be sad about her father’s depression.

Nope, good vibes only is her motto, so she starts a pep squad, amongst middle grade kids who hate their school, and hate school spirit, and the last thing they would want to do is cheer for anything.

This keeps the sadness at bay. This keeps her from feeling anything but happiness. This is how she figures she will stay happy.

And of course, life doesn’t work like that.

Clever book about things not being what they seems. Good for middle grade readers to have stories like this, where there is a secondary story below the surface, trying hard to bubble out.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

You can’t help but smile at every bit of this uplifting book! Natty is continually optimistic, and it slowly starts to catch on with her new classmates. When she decides to start a pep squad in hopes that mom will come back to see her, her fellow students are skeptical. However, they do show Natty their support and make posters, learn dance moves, and cheer on the teams. When they are supposed to have their first pep rally, Natty receives some unpleasant news. Can she still put on a happy face and go forward?