4.5/5 ⭐️

This book is a story about a high school girl, Lori, who is a size 16 and deeply insecure about her body. She has to move to a new city and new school, and ends up in Cape Town.🌊☀️ She gets really hung up on everyone in the school being more “bikini body ready” than her. And it’s hard not to empathize with her; the narratives she tells herself about her body and how it indicates her lower worth, is sad because it feels familiar.

But this book is really about Lori taking back control of her life. She loves her little brother, Zac, but due to him being autistic, she does a lot of caring for him, taking on more responsibility than one high-schooler should. However, Zac helps her make friends with Jake, the most popular guy in school, since his sister is friends with Zac.

Lori slowly starts realizing that the only person judging her body - is her. She’s her own worst critic. She goes through this realization and begins to focus on her art, which is her passion.🌺

Yes, there’s a cute guy, and there’s some teenage flirting happening, but ultimately this book is about Lori coming to the realization that she’s great, just the way she is, even if she’s the last person to see it.

✨Thank you to Netgalley and Wattpad Books for a free copy of the ebook, in exchange for my honest review.✨

DNF -did not finish. I decided not to keep reading this novel because I did not connect with the writing and plot. Thank you, netgalley and publisher for the early copy.

I loved the messages that this book contained: it is ok to be you, it is ok to not be skinny, you can love yourself no matter what you look like. I loved the protagonist's journey of coming to love herself. Highly recommend!

A novel about finding yourself, even when life gets you down, complete with cute boys, adoring siblings and a stunning setting -- South Africa.

Lori is the brand new girl at Bay Water High, where students prize glossy hair, beach bodies, fame, and school spirit above all else. She misses her old school, where her talent as an artist carried more weight than she does, and longs for her old family life, before her parents got divorced and her mom reinvented herself, and she wasn’t the sole caretaker for her little brother.

So Lori decides that the only way to survive the rest of the year is to blend into the background, just as she had done before, but her plan is soon destroyed when she discovers that the most popular (and hottest) guy at her school, Jake, is a volunteer at her brother’s school. When her brother befriends Jake’s sister, Lori is suddenly thrust into his unfamiliar and exhilarating world of water polo, parties, and stargazing.

But with her relationship with her mother deteriorating, old anxieties resurface and Lori finds a new artistic release that unknowingly ignites a powerful movement. When the authorities start asking questions, Lori realizes that finding her voice might have gotten her into a world of trouble…but sometimes standing up for what you believe in is as important as standing up for yourself, even if you get in trouble with the law.


Overall this book was amazing. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in advance in exchange for an honest review.

Lori Palmer’s life is upended after her parents divorce and her mom de idea to move them from Johannesburg to Capetown so her brother can attend a special school. Her brother is on the spectrum and her mom wanted the best schools and most advantages she could give him. Her mother’s motives weren’t all about her brother though. She also wanted a new start, a new career and a re-branding now that she was a single mom. No one considered Lori and how it would be for her to leave her art school and her friends.she had carved a niche out for herself and now she had to leave it all.

What made matters even worse they were moving to a place where the beach was king. And Lori hated the water, hated bathing suits and mostly hated her body.

Lori has to navigate all these issues and more as she starts school and a new life. Can she belong in a place where she feels so out of place?

This is the story of a girl trying to overcome all kinds of obstacles but the main one is the image she has of herself due to the constant bullying and belittling she has had to endure. It is a story of courage, self-acceptance and finding your own way even when the road blocks are many.
*I received this ARC from Metgalley in exchange for a fair review.

I wish I had this book when I was in middle/high school. I would have (secretly!) loved it, and it would've given me the representation I needed, as a kid who had disordered eating and pretty intense self-hatred. I really appreciated how authentic Lori's inner voice is, and while I know she came across as whiny and annoying sometimes, I mean.. yeah, that's kind of how it goes as a self-loathing teen, you know? They/we can be pretty whiny and annoying.

I also appreciated the representation of children/siblings with neurological differences. I think it was done well, and handled with care.

"We don't get Jake Jones-Evans - star water polo player, hottest guy at school - unless we're in the pages of some unrealistic YA book that totally throws social conventions out the window and sets itself in this totally made-up world where fat girls win and the guy looks past all her cellulite and sees the girl inside. We don't get that." This was followed by a great response from Lori's therapist, and then went into a slight detour about body positivity.. all of it felt very real and emotional, and the author should be proud to have been able to put these thoughts on paper in a way that could resonate so well.

That being said, I appreciate that Lori had a lot more on her journey than just the romance story arc. Reading about her coming into herself as a friend, sister, and artist was really heartwarming. This is definitely a book I would put in my middle school classroom library (if it didn't have the sexual content! in which case, I'd save it for high school at least - the main character is 17, so this age range is better suited for the book due to that content - otherwise, it'd be great for middle school too).

TW: Internalized fatphobia, bullying, drowning
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BIG BONED follows plus sized Lori Palmer at her new high school. There, she finds the voice she needed to elevate her art, confidence, love and friendship, healing from the pain of her parents messy divorce and the torment she endured at her old school.
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The story was nice enough, but it felt a little over the top, I guess? I just didn’t connect with the writing because it felt too contrived for me to lose myself in the story. I did like seeing Lori grow and come to love and accept her body! I think this will be a fun read for many, this one just missed the mark for me.
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3/5 stars, BIG BONED by Jo Watson is available September 21, 2021!
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Thank you to Wattpad Books and Netgalley for sending me an eARC to review.

Review Locations
Goodreads: July 27, 2021
Storygraph: July 27, 2021
TikTok @meghanlew_: July 27, 2021

Okay this book was such a fun and quick read for me. I don’t know how to describe it but this book just makes me smile.

I have been fat for basically all my life and while I personally did not relate to the main characters struggles as a fat person, I know many fat people who do. So personally I think the fat rep was good. While I didn’t relate to all of the main characters struggles I still really felt for her and loved seeing her grow. Most people have a time in their life with they have to learn to love themselves.

I did like the romance aspect of it and I loved that it didn’t take over the main characters journey or self love.

Lastly the pacing was great I never felt like the writing lingered on one scene for to long. A lot of times when a book has a lot of self reflective moments they can drag on forever, but hat was not the case here. I also think the main characters path to self love was done well in the sense that it wasn’t a straight line and it didn’t happen instantly.

I almost quit this book 45 pages in. I am glad I didn’t.

I found the MC whiny and I worried it was going to be a “not like other girls” story. Instead what happened was reading about a young adult coming into her own, learning to find her own voice.

I really really resonated with the MC, I struggled with really bad social anxiety until I was in college, a result of family issues and bullying in middle school. I really enjoyed reading this! I especially loved the positive nonchalance to therapy and other typically rough topics

*Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing the chance to read the book, in exchange for a honest review *

Overall I really liked the book. I am definitely not small and wear 18 size pants so I can relate to the inner thoughts Lori has and the bullying. I could see myself in this character and connect to what was going through mentally, physically, and emotionally. The romance was cute and I think a lot of teens will enjoy the realness of the character and her thought process.

Thank Jo Watson for showcasing a body positive and empowering story.

4.5 stars

Can I just say how hyped I am for this body positivity contemporary ya novel? I am halfway through it and loving it already! As someone who isn’t exactly a size 2 or fits into society norms I resonate with the MC so much and adore that this is not only an own voice novel but also a romance novel as well!

Really great book with great fat representation. I also loved the authenticity about mental health and neurological differences. The friendships and family relationships were a slam-dunk. This book nailed what it is like to feel like the new kid who does not fit in. I need more books in my library that are about fat people and approach the topic of weight and bodies in this way. It's filling a need for sure.

This dive into the inner thoughts of a self conscious high school girl definitely took me back to my own days in high school, and made me take a look at my own inner critic now too. Lori Palmer is the new girl at Bay Water High, having recently moved to the area with her mother and her brother. Lori is artistic, and used to life at her old school surrounded by other artistic and creative students. But at her new school, it seems like everyone is picture perfect with magazine style and skinny, perfect bodies.

Lori immediately feels like she doesn’t fit in, and she struggles to feel comfortable. When she meets Jake, the popular jock, she finds herself drawn to him and the parts of him that other people don’t get to see. Because it turns out his life isn’t as picture perfect as it seems either. The story explores the ways that Lori struggles with her inner critic, the opinions of others, and her own crumbling relationship with her mother, as well as how the lives of those around her aren’t as perfect as they appear.

I liked how the story touched on themes of trauma, bullying, infidelity, violence against women, and learning to be comfortable in your own skin. The work that Lori does with her therapist offers a great metaphor that I will definitely think about long after closing the book. This is a great read for young adults and adults alike, and it will remind readers to ignore the cruel voices in their head and celebrate what makes them special.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

3.75 stars ⭐️ ?

“I’m just saying that your fears are stopping you from having the things in life that you want and deserve.”

Yeah excuse me while I go cry

Wow so I really liked this book! Lori was such a loveable character and even though she could be quite annoying at times, I absolutely adored her and just want to give her a big hug. I loved seeing her journey through self love and being comfortable in her own skin. Jake was absolute perfection as well.

The author tackles many topics with this book and I think she does it perfectly; the rep was pretty great.

All that being said, there were a couple flaws, including the ending which was really weird and not very satisfactory at all.

Overall though, I loved this book and it's characters! I would recommend it to everyone!

This book will 100% make its way into our classroom library--my students would love it. Divorce, change, body image, and anxiety, growing up will all relate to my students. I know I would've loved this book growing up. For me at 31, it felt very YA, but the themes are definitely universal despite age.

Thanks to NetGalley for selecting me to read this book.

I LOVED this book...finished it in one sitting. I'm not going to lie; YA books about girls with body positivity issues are a guilty pleasure of mine. I was rooting for Lori the whole way, cheering for her every step of the way. It was reassuring to watch her struggle with her own 'inner bully', knowing that we all have that voice inside us that is filled with doubt and insecurities about ourselves.

My favourite quote - I am a work of art, My body is a masterpiece
I loved reading about Lori self-discovery of self-love. she has anxiety which has been developed from years of bullying. Lori has made a big move away from her school and her art center town
her brother is a big part of her life especially since he's been diagnosed with autism
She finds new friends, new ways to express herself, and self-love

Lori is dealing with a lot of changes - and she doesn't do well with change. the main point is she needs to learn no longer to bully herself in her head.

I just loved this story. I loved that Lori and Jake ended up together but her plans for Paris didn't change because of that cause life is ever-changing

Just a great coming of age story

Thanks to Wattpad + Netgalley for the e-ARC of BIG BONES by Jo Watson, expected pub date September 21, 2021. Obviously, all thoughts/feelings are my own.

I went into this one solely based on the cover and my expectations were exceeded. Big Boned is chock full of heart, emotion, and all the complexities life has to offer. Lori's story is a coming of age one that I am so glad was told and one I hope makes its way into so many others hearts.

"The bullying hasn’t really stopped, has it? Except you’re the one bullying yourself this time."

Oof, I felt that quote. As someone who is fat, I was excited to read a book where the MC is someone I can relate to.
I WISH this book was around when I was in high school (a million years ago). This gives a REAL deep dive into Lori's life as a 17 year old trying to survive; her life isn't perfect, and that was refreshing to read..

I enjoyed this book. It was funny, romantic, and sentimental. Theis book made a personal connection with me. Firstly, the titled “Big Boned” capture my attention. We often hear ourselves or loved ones refer to one another with these tow words based on our physical feature. And since I can relate to it, I picked it up through NetGalley. I felt the author wrote this book for me or for people who are like me, but it is such an inspirational book that anyone can read. The author did a wonderful job in researching mental disease that are mentioned and the importance it is to understand them. The writing style is not that complicated It is easily to understand and easy to follow. The development of the protagonist was amazing, and I found myself cheering for her. Thank you for netGalley and Wattpad books for allowing me to read this book.