“...not only do the stories of my ancestors matter, but my story matters too. They were here and I am here. And I will make good use of this breath.”

Lena is in such a good place in her life when her world gets rocked by an unexpected confession on her wedding day. We then follow her as she struggles to get her life back on track and still hold on to her sense of self.

I can’t even begin to express how much I loved this book. It’s more than a story of a large Black woman dealing with fatphobia, racism, and heartbreak. It’s a story about being seen, about realizing that you are a person, you are human, and you have the right to exist and take up space. It not only acknowledges Lena, but it acknowledges the Black people who have come before, who shaped history, and it acknowledges the Black people today who just want to live.

The book doesn’t flinch away from the struggles and the pain that Lena faces on a daily basis, but it also deeply celebrates the love and happiness in her life. It reflects thoroughly on universal themes of trying to be a good mother, trying to find love, trying to keep up with the changes of time, and trying to understand the loss of loved ones. All of this in an interesting vignette/poem style that keeps the reader engaged.

I don’t buy books often, but I can’t wait to purchase this one when it comes out. I know it’s one that I’ll want to return to often, just to soak in those words and reflections, and tell myself that, like Lena, I am here, I am here.

Renee Watson’s “Skin & Bones” was a page-turner for me. Lena Baker – the protagonist – faces realistic situations covering all aspects of her life. To begin with, she is a smart and attractive Black woman who happens to be exceedingly overweight. We get to know Lena - and her supporting village of family and friends – through her many roles as a daughter, mother, friend, and fiancée. She deals with complicated romantic relationships, racism, and struggles inwardly about her weight, especially when faced with insensitive comments from health providers and outright body shaming from strangers. Watson, like her character Lena, is from Portland, Oregon and we learn some interesting Black history facts about Oregon. Overall, it is a captivating story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review.

How could I pass up reading a book written for adults by Renee Watson? I love her books for middle grade and young adult readers. This book didn't disappoint. Lena is a 40-year-old large Black woman with a young daughter, supportive parents, two close girlfriends, a fulfilling job and is about to get married. Her life changes on her wedding day and she has to reevaluate her life. I loved going along on Lena's journey. The Portland setting was familiar from her other books.

This book was a refreshing read, offering themes of sisterhood, mother-daughter relationships, romance, self-care, and self-discovery. Although the format was initially confusing, I grew to love it as I continued reading. Lena's complex character was compelling.

I’m already looking forward to reading this again. Skin & Bones" by Renee Watson swept me away from the very first page and held me captivated until the end.

LETS TALK ABOUT IT💬👏🏾: like the cravings you get at night I devoured this book in one sitting. I was enthralled in Lena's world and the history of Black Portland. Watson's writing style, deliberate and lyrical, felt like a poetic dance through Lena's life. The writing format won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but having read a book recently that had a similar style, I’m a fan. I actually preferred it. The format, reminiscent of journal entries or vignettes, lent an intimate and personal touch to the narrative, making Lena's experiences all the more relatable and real. I even found myself looking up all the historical events she included. She writes “Words are like that. They follow, linger, stay a while. Here I am, carrying what is not mine. Heavy.” We are carrying her words.

As a woman whose weight has always fluctuated, Lena's struggles with self-love and societal judgment hit close to home. I found myself sitting within her experiences, from the careful selection of words used to describe her, to the all-too-familiar scenario at the doctor's office, and on the airplane. But "Skin & Bones" is so much more than a story about body image. It's a rich tapestry woven with themes of trauma, love, community, grief, self-awareness, motherhood, forgiveness, and sisterhood. Through Lena's eyes, we are invited to explore the forgotten history of Black Oregon, to celebrate the power of women's connection in wine nights and kitchens, and to navigate the everyday challenges of life with grace and resilience.

Reading this book felt like uncovering hidden treasures with every turn of the page. I was highlighting left and right. Watson's storytelling is a masterclass in nuance and depth, offering a poignant reflection on the experiences of Black women in America. It's a story that will resonate deeply with those who have walked similar paths and offer profound insight to those seeking to understand.
A large part of Lena’s journey is also her relationship with her daughter and mom. Motherhood is a huge part of this book, exploring what it means to show up—in love, as a parent, as a friend—and how we must show up for ourselves to be present for others. It also touches on the importance of community and reaching out when we falter, reminding us that connection and support are essential.

In the end, "Skin & Bones" is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, a reminder that even in the face of adversity, there is hope, healing, and the promise of a brighter tomorrow. As Lena reflects, "My whole life they have been a real-life fairy tale. Not in the way that they have everything they want, but in the way of things always working out in the end."

Thank you to NetGalley & Little, Brown, & Company for this arc

This story is so well done. Covering a range of topics like body image and racism, this book at once swept me off my feet while being informative. There are several topics in this book I will never fully understand, but the general idea of love is something I think we all can grasp. Also, the idea of finding oneself is beautifully illustrated in this.

Out May 7, 2024!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for access to this title. I am auto-approved for this publisher.

I LOVED this book. There are a lot of great reviews of this title already and I feel that I am probably going to repeat their praises.

Read this book if you like
✔ Realistic Situations
✔ Adult Female Relationships
✔ Books set in Portland Oregon
✔ Mother-Daughter Relationships
✔ Handsome Preacher Fiancees
✔ Community Driven stories
✔ Learning more about black history in Portland.
✔ Plus-size characters in the spotlight.

Expected Publication Date 07/05/24
Goodreads Review 20/04/24

#skinbones #NetGalley.

I am now a huge fan of Renee Watson, after reading “skin and bones.” I enjoyed reading about Lena Baker, a 40-year-old woman who struggles in a society who treats being fat as a flaw in character. It is a story of forgiveness, self-love and sisterhood, with some historical aspects weaved in. I would highly recommend this book to other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for allowing me to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lena Baker is a 40 year old Portlander with a great career, loving daughter, and caring fiance.
But on the day of her wedding, a confession leaves her in pieces. This book follows her as she reckons with betrayal, motherhood, forgiveness, and her identity as a fat Black woman living in a world that doesn't want her taking up space.
This is the first book by Renée Watson I have ever read, and I have fallen in love with her writing style. This is novel but it is also lyrical and poetic.
There is so much nuance in this story. Lena knows her worth, but it doesn't mean it is easy living in a world that treats fatness as a character flaw, as something shameful. A world that sees Blackness as inferior. Watson completely captures the dichotomy of knowing your value, your strength, your truth, but having to daily be confronted by those who devalue you. Lena not only struggles with this dichotomy - she is trying to figure out how best to model herself for her young daughter.
"I don’t know which is harder, being a Black girl or raising a Black girl."
Through Lena's job we also get to learn about the Black History of Portland, it's gentrification, and the struggles it (and all of America) still has to face.
This book may not be an easy read - it discusses fatphobia and racism on most every page. But it is beautiful and important. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
Expected publishing date: May 7, 2024
Thank you @netgalley and @littlebrown for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge Renee Watson (@harlemportland) fan, especially her Middle Grade Ryan Hart Series, with the first book being a favourite read aloud for my class, Ways to Make Sunshine. When I saw that she had an adult book available to read on Netgalley, I immediately requested it.

I LOVED this book. I'll admit I wasn't sure if I would in the first few chapters. Watson starts things off with a doctors appointment scene where main character, Lena, is being made to feel less than because of her weight. I know there are some women out there with a positive body image at any size, but I am definitely not there yet and so this doctors office scene hit hard for me and I wondered whether this book might trigger some anxiety and trauma for me. I'm so glad I stuck with it though because it is such an incredible book and it actually ended up doing the opposite of what I was afraid of. Don't get me wrong, it did not cure any of my body positivity and white coat syndrome issues, but it reminded me that there are so many different shapes and sizes and the only one who knows my body completely is me.

Beyond that, I loved the unique perspectives, historical information, black rights and empowerment, and mental health and relationship challenges this book covered. With tiny chapters on such a range of subjects, this book is easy to get absorbed in and while entertaining, also has a lot of things to reflect on and learn about. I would highly recommend this book and can't wait to see what Watson comes out with next (Middle Grade, Adult or anything in between!) Keep your eye out for this one, it hits shelves May 7th!

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher @littlebrown for giving me the chance to read this book!

Great read. Loved the way the author bore their soul on the pages. Every poem hit me in the feels would definitely recommend.

I really could not get into this book. The writing style is not for me. I couldn’t determine whether I was supposed to be reading first person fiction, poetry or what. The subject matter definitely drew me in, and I truly wish it’d read like a “regular” story so that I could’ve enjoyed it more…or at all. I get the draw and appeal of wanting to both do and be something different in a world that feels saturated with sameness. This just—in my opinion—was not the way to go about it.

This didn't grab me on my first attempt but when I returned a month later I couldn't put it down. Gorgeous, gripping adult debut from Renee Watson.

This book was like a breath of fresh air. It had everything I enjoyed. Sisterhood, mother-daughter relationships, romance, self care, discovery of self. The format that the author wrote it in was new to me, and At first I was a bit confused, but as I kept reading, I ended up loving the format. Lena was character that was complex but much needed.

The black history chapters were informative.

Overall this book was very good and I will be telling my fellow reader friends to obtain it.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher & of course the author for gifting me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story was a love letter to Portland from a perspective not often told. As someone who grew up in Portland, I've loved Renee Watson's books because of the connection and nostalgia I feel while reading them. This first dip into adult fiction has forever cemented her as the incredible and versitile writer that she is. The topics addressed in this story are difficult, but necessary. I loved the historical tie-backs to Black Portland specifically; I felt the prose style chapters really lended well to this complex story and helped lighten up what at times are very serious and deep conversations about race, bodies, beauty, and belonging.

Description

At 40, Lena Baker is at a steady and stable moment in life—between wine nights with her two best friends and her wedding just weeks away, she’s happy in love and in friendship until a confession on her wedding day shifts her world.

Unmoored and grieving a major loss, Lena finds herself trying to teach her daughter self-love while struggling to do so herself. Lena questions everything she’s learned about dating, friendship, and motherhood, and through it all, she works tirelessly to bring the oft-forgotten Black history of Oregon to the masses, sidestepping her well-meaning co-workers that don’t understand that their good intentions are often offensive and hurtful.

Through Watson’s poetic voice, skin & bones is a stirring exploration of who society makes space for and is ultimately a story of heartbreak and healing.

My Take:
Not quite a novel in verse-but equally lyrical- the promise of the description is delivered in a way that holds weight and releases breath. I read the uncorrected copy from NetGalley and will certainly read again when it is published May 7, 2024.

I absolutely loved my reading experience with this book & found it hard to put it down. I love how Watson so succintly portrays the unique culture of the place I call home, Portland, Oregon - all the things we’ve done right and those we done wrong, for which we need to make reparation. I love how she recognizes the role of libraries and librarians to preserve and share our stories. It’s about loving and valuing ourselves and our communities. It’s about honoring the foundations given us by our past generations and passing them down to our children - our legacy to future generations. It’s very much a story about family relationships, friendships with a family vibe, and how we bring up our children.

At 40, Lena Baker has a pretty good life. She's got a good job, a wonderful daughter, supportive friends, and a loving finance. Then on the day of her wedding a confession is made and it turns her world upside down. Lena is forced to pick up the pieces of her life, all the while trying to boost her daughter's self esteem, while she is struggling with hers.

I must admit that for the first 1/2 of Skin and Bones, I was unsure if I liked it. It's not because it wasn't well written, it definitely is. However, it is written in a way I've never experienced before. The chapters are short (which I love) and can be current time, a flashback, sharing history, or even what seems to be poetry. However, after awhile I realized that even though I wasn't used to that kind of book, I really liked it. Skin and Bones was a hard book to put down.

It must be noted that Lena deals with a lot in this book; fatphobia, racism, loss, just to name a few (check your trigger warnings). Her journey was both heartbreaking and inspiring and I thoroughly enjoyed watching her grow.

Ultimately, I really loved Skin and Bones! The characters were loveable and the journey was one that captivated me from beginning to end. If you're looking for a book that is empowering for plus size women, especially black women, I highly recommend it.

I received an advanced reader copy from Netgalley before publication May 7th 2024.
I was excited about this one, but unfortunately I wasn't enjoying it. I stopped at about 35% of the way through because I couldn't get connected to the characters. The pop culture references felt clunky, and it made me feel disconnected from the story. I liked Renee Watson's writing style and would be interested in reading more of her work in the future!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC! I enjoyed this book. I think a lot of people will relate to the story of our main character. Fat, Black women will be able to relate to this. I can't wait for more people to get to read this.