3.5/5 stars

🐻 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc!


✨It was only fine. Not that good of a novel but i wouldn't mind reading more from the author

14yo Haylah wants to be a stand up comic. She constantly watches comedy shows on the internet, keeps a journal of funny things, and is genuinely hilarious. But actually standing up in front of an audience is out of the question. Until, attending an "open-mic" evening at a local pub with friends, Haylah finds that someone signed her up to go on, which wasn't a total disaster (well almost, sort of, yes, it was a disaster). She has a crush on Leo, 2 years older, he's the guy she went to see at the pub. Leo, preparing his routine for the "London Young Comic of the Year" contest, asks Haylah's input. Well, one thing leads to another and Haylah's crush turns serious - but is Leo serious too, or are her friends right, and he's just using her? 

Haylah is a "big" girl, and while she seems totally comfortable in her own skin, she does some things that tells the reader she's not - like having everyone call her "Pig" and stress-eating chocolate. I loved the look inside a comic's perspective, taking the difficult and putting a funny spin on it. Totally laughed out loud! Haylah reminded me of Louise Rennison's Georgia in "Agnes Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging." It was really funny, but the look at relationships, friends, family, divorce, boyfriends, body image, being smart, and celebrating yourself made this an all around gem. Looking forward to recommending "Pretty Funny for a Girl".

I absolutely flew through this book!! It was an incredibly fast read, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.  I really enjoyed the comedy portions of this book. It was fun and I loved having that aspect. However, there was an emphasis on the main character's weight. She was obviously extremely insecure and I don't feel like that was dealt with. There were many many comments made by Haylah about herself, much too often to not become a plot point in the story. That isn't something that should be encouraged in young girls, and if it is included in a book, I feel that it should be explained and worked on by the character. That was my main issue with this book, other than that I enjoyed it.

"Pretty Funny for a Girl" has a good concept for the plot - however, it is a bit slow for my taste. I feel that would be better if the plot was a bit faster and maybe included some more actual action. Great jokes though.

I read this book over a week ago and I'm still smiling fondly every time I recall it. This book was flat-out funny. Even better, it managed to hit that delightful niche of being what I would term a true 8th-grade book. The content and subject matter is mature enough to be interesting and relevant to 8th-grade students, but not so mature as to move it solidly into high school YA levels. I intend to include this book as a future option for book clubs with students. I really appreciate the storyline of a girl facing the unfortunately common reality of choosing between getting the guy and sacrificing her own identity and dreams. These themes are so important to have conversations around with teenage girls. I highly recommend this book!

Haylah is good at joking about life, even when it can be hard. One day she plans to be stand up comedian. When Leo comes into her life, she sees an opportunity of a lifetime. However, everyone warns her not to trust him. 

This is a great book that promotes body positivity. We've never read about a female comedian either. We're excited to see what Elliot has in store next.

I would include a content warning due to the amount of fatphobia and bullying included throughout this book. Otherwise this is fun story full of funny jokes. I enjoyed seeing Haylah find herself and become more confident in her comedy.

The premise of a proudly fat female protagonist who aspires to be a stand-up comic drew me in. I loved the main character and the attempt at fat positivity. We certainly need books like this featuring girls with comedy chops. That said, it's hard to know what age group I'd recommend this book for. The characters seem to behave much younger than their age. The dialogue feels inauthentic - at once too mature and other times very juvenile. It was also unfortunate that so much of the comedic material centered around the protagonist's body. An entertaining read that came close, but didn't quite meet the mark.

I like some of the points this book makes. It points out inequalities in the entertainment industry particularly when it comes to humor. And the central focus isn't even on that inequality but rather on self-confidence. Accepting yourself as you are and having the confidence to go after your dreams. I also like that there's no addressing of Haylah's weight. I mean, she brings it up a lot. It's a fact of her life. But she isn't trying to lose weight. While I might have liked to see the acknowledgement that her relationship with food isn't entirely healthy, her tendency to eat her feelings and comfort her brother with treats, she's pretty comfortable with herself. It's not an especially complex book and might have benefited from a little more depth of character. Still a fun read.

I just didn't connect with the main character in the way I was hoping I would. PArts of her characterization seemed to contradict each other, and the voice didn't really seem natural to me. I remember in one of the first few chapters she referred to her own boobs as "chesticles" which just doesn't seem like something any teen girl I've ever interacted with would do unironically. That's just one example of the sort of moments that really pulled me out of the story. I didn't end up finishing it so I can't give a super accurate rating, but I wasn't enjoying myself while reading.

This book is about Haylah Swinton, a teenage girl who dreams of being a stand up comedian. She goes by the nickname Pig as she is overweight and decided to embrace the name instead of allowing people to bully her.

This book felt powerful with the messages it sent without making them the only thing the book was about. Haylah is overweight but her goal throughout the book isn’t to get skinny and fit in, she is happy with herself and doesn’t feel the pressure to change herself.

The writing of this book was fantastic. It’s very rare a book has me laughing out loud but this one managed to do that. Haylah felt naturally funny which made for a really entertaining book.

The plot was fantastic, Haylah really went on a journey of embracing her true self and gaining self confidence for herself and her talent.

The characters are brilliant in this book. They are all well developed, realistic characters. Haylah and her friends reminded me of me and my friends at school. There is a diverse cast of characters through the book but they aren’t just there for the sake of diversity they are fully developed well rounded characters.

I absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants a good laugh!

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, I feel it really captured the feel of a first love. I loved Haylah, I thought she was well written and brilliantly funny. Her feminist approach to loving herself regardless of her struggles with her own body image was just perfect. Love yourselves ladies, you are beautiful. 

I really related to Haylah because I also turn to self deprecating humor and make fun of myself before anyone else can. I really saw myself in her. This book really explores the “you are your own worst critic”’ saying. You could really feel her internalized pain and how hard she was fighting with the image she has of herself more so than what others thought about her. 

I really loved the story arc in this, it was raw, realistic, and just a good read. I recommend this to anyone who has a teen daughter or is a teen themselves! 

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

Haylah Swinton is an English teen who's not like the other girls. She's a curvy girl and she knows it - she adopted the nickname "Pig" so the bullies would have nothing to hold against her - and she loves comedy. From Tina Fey to Caitlin Moran and beyond, she's watched them all and would love nothing more than to have her name among theirs one day. For now, though, she's helping her single mom raise her four-year-old brother, Noah, hanging out with her besties, Chloe and Kas, until Leo Jackson enters the picture. He's good-looking, has a killer smile, and does a stand-up routine during a school assembly that leaves Haylah gobsmacked! Finally having someone to talk comedy with, she secretly sneaks jokes she's written into Leo's locker, and is thrilled when he incorporates them into his routine at his dad's club. The two start spending time together when Leo asks for her help writing material for him to perform at an upcoming youth comedy contest in London, and Haylah's crush goes stratospheric, but her friends wonder if he really likes her for who she is, or for what she can do for him: write the jokes that will put him in the spotlight?

Pretty Funny for a Girl is all about feminism, the funny, and the heartbreak of a first crush. Haylah is a brilliantly written character who owns who she is, even while struggling with body image, friendships, and family. She knows she's curvy, and by calling herself "fat" and taking on cruel nicknames like "Pig" before anyone else can level them at her, she's internalizing a lot of pain that she'll need to deal with - but she'll be darned if anyone else gets to her more than she gets to herself. A body-positive teen who wishes everyone else would get over it, she doesn't want to change who she is at heart, and knows she has a lot to offer, whether it's on the comedy stage or in a relationship (friend or romantic).

If you loved Dumplin', you'll love Pretty Funny for a Girl. Put this in your YA collections and check out Book Riot's list of body positive YA novels for more ideas. Publisher Peachtree has a free, downloadable discussion guide and excerpt available.

Enjoyed this quite a lot. Relatable a whole lot. Interesting and made me want to read it.

Some hikes were super funny. Really liked the main lead. Sometimes did want to shake her but that was because I fell for how sweet and vulnerable she was.

Sophomore Haylah Swinton wants to be a comedian. She eats, sleeps, dreams, and breathes comedy. She uses comedy to cheer up her friends when they’re down. She uses it to deflect bullies. She uses it when she’s taking care of her 4-year-old brother when her mom is working the overnight shift as a nurse. It’s her singular obsession. 

While her two best friends are getting into makeup and clothes and boys, Haylah is making notes about things she thinks is funny. But when they get stuck in a school assembly and see some schoolmates showing off their various talents, it was senior Leo that catches her eye, and her ear, with his stand-up set. 

Haylah doesn’t think Leo would ever notice her. She’s a little overweight and adopted the nickname “Pig” to deflect getting teased about her weight. Plus she’s two years younger, and she’s not a girlie girl. But she overhears Leo say that he needs some new material for his next set, Haylah writes down a joke and slips it into his locker, unsigned. When she sees him find the note, read it, and laugh, she knows she’s on to something. 

Suddenly, Haylah’s life is getting more complicated. She has her crush on Leo, and she’s trying to write jokes for him. She’s trying to keep up her friendships, even though she feels like she’s growing apart from from her two besties. And then her mom brings home a “friend” from work, a bearded man who doesn’t wear socks, and Haylah is worried (and a little nauseated).  Socklessness aside, Hayleh worries about her mom. She’d been devastated when her dad had left her and Haylah and Noah, and Haylah wants to make sure her mom doesn’t get hurt like that again. 

And then, Haylah has one bad night. Someone puts her name up for an open mic night, and she’s called onstage to do a comedy set with no preparation. It starts out okay but ends with humiliation. In the aftermath, she pushes away her friends, her mom, and her mom’s new boyfriend. The only person she things is still on her side is Leo, but her friends said he’s just using her. 

Will Haylah figure out a way to make things right, for her friends, for her family, and for herself? Will she finally find her comedic voice and the self-confidence she needs to take back that microphone? 

Pretty Funny for a Girl is a fun, smart, and funny look at being a teenaged comic wannabe. Author Rebecca Elliott takes all that angst and confusion of being a teenager and packs it into the fantastic character of Haylah. She’s strong and strong-minded, certainly not perfect, but funny and interesting and willing to go after what she wants. She’s a great role model for kids to look up to and a lot of fun to read about. 

I really enjoyed reading this one. I liked the characters and rooted for Haylah to find her way. The jokes were funny, the dialogue was realistic, and it was just lots of fun. I did find the weight-shaming a little off-putting. I realize that it is a thing that happens (I’ve been a big girl most of my life, so I really get it), but there was just so much that it got painful to read. But other than that, I was very impressed with this young adult novel, and I would recommend it to young women who are looking to find their voice and their confidence. 

Egalleys for Pretty Funny for a Girl were provided by Peachtree Publishing Company and Myrick Marketing & Media, LLC, through NetGalley, with many thanks.

This book had some major funnies, feel good moments and awkward teenage moments that makes it pretty related to most people. The MC is a kick ass future comedian who is a feminist, a loving sister and daughter and not perfect. You can’t help but root for her even in her less than shining moments.

It's super exciting that there's a book about stand-up comedy, and it's written from the perspective of a girl! That instantly drew me to this book. As a lover of stand up comedy, this book definitely took humor to heart as well as thought about the craft of writing humor. Haylah is a relatable and believable character and would fit in with comic who often feel like they're outside the normal circle. Haylah has a really unique voice that sets her apart from other young teens--especially voices of young adult fiction characters. Overall, this book has a really interesting hook, relatable characters, and stand up bread crumbs for readers to eat up.

This is just a wonderful, feel good, humorous YA novel that I loved.

The main highlight of the story is the theme. The author writes the story in such a charming manner where you smile throughout the tale. The concept is unique and fun and emphasizes on self-empowerment. It does not matter how you look as long as you love yourself and are confident.

I loved Haylah as the lead and thought she was hilarious. She is not perfect in any manner, and she is over emotional and impulsive at times. But she tries her best to fit in and be part of the crowd. Although she struggles with self-esteem issues, I loved how she matures in the story. Some of the conversations made me laugh so much, like when she tries to explain Noah about babies, and how she tells Leo that she wants to be a communist. Moreover, I love that she doesn’t let her weight affect her, and takes a remark like ‘pig’ and turns it to her advantage. All the supporting characters are also wonderful. Noah is adorable as the younger brother, and I loved Haylah’s friends Kas and Chloe. Ruben is also a sweetheart.

I also enjoyed the side story of where her mother dates Ruben. It is never easy sharing a loved one when you are young and possessive. I think the author beautifully talked about this in a realistic manner. The author has a wonderful talent for writing comedy and drama and merge it seamlessly. I hope the author writes many more such novels, because this was just perfect!

Overall, I highly recommend this book if you a nice contemporary read with lots of humor.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC via netgalley in exchange for an honest review
DNFed @29% -- 1.5/5 stars
Unfortunately, I failed to connect with Haylah, our main character, in this one and that ultimately made it hard for me to enjoy the story. I struggled with get into the book because of my dislike for Haylah. I found her immature, rude, and judgement. I also thought she was quite annoying. One thing that I found to be really annoying about Haylah was how she tells readers that she forgets she’s fat and doesn’t think about it often, but then she makes a comment in her mind about being fat on almost every page! The impression I got from the character was a kind of “woe-is-me” everything sucks complaining sort of tone which I can’t stand. 
I think the author’s writing style would work better for younger readers. This is a YA book, but it definitely felt aimed towards the younger side of YA. The humour was pretty juvenile, and I didn’t really find it funny personally. 
Again, this one didn’t work for me, but I think it could be good for younger readers (13-15ish).

Thanks to Netgalley for providing this ARC.

I really loved this book. It was a lot of fun, very funny and with awesome representation.
The writing was good and it was fastpace.
The characters were lovely and Noah has become one of my favorites.

The only thing I didn't like was <spoiler alert> 
Leo was a "bad" guy. Would have liked to see it played out nice, which never happens in ya.
Did like the ending though.