As a big girl myself, I really resonated with this story. I felt that Lori's struggle to find her worth despite the number on the scales was honest and believable. Some might say that she was overly preoccupied with her size but, when you are a larger size, everything does have to go through that filter. Everything from how you sit to ensure you don't get pins and needles to under-boob sweat and shopping.
I loved her relationship with her gay friends back in Joburg as well as the growing friendship with Thembi someone who, despite appearances, also had her own problems.
It was a great way to point out that not even skinny people have perfect lives.
My favourite thing, though, was her relationship with her autistic brother and how she had almost lived her entire life around him. It was honest about her experiences with him and the lack of affection that she craved because of his diagnosis.
Her step into finding her own voice was a great tale to read and I had a hard time letting go of the story once it was done. Genuinely enjoyed.

I couldn’t get more than a few pages in. It was painfully bad. The writing felt juvenile and it needed significant editing.

I would say I read this book in one sitting, but part of adulting is getting a reasonable amount of sleep to be productive the next day (so it was two sessions, and I was quite resentful to have to put the book down for something as mundane as sleep). Lori was me in high school (only way more talented, and a much nicer sibling). This book focuses on self-love, which I think is the hardest love to achieve. I wish EVERYONE could read this story. This story would help people struggling with weight anxieties, and help others understand the anxieties attached to being labeled "plus size". My favorite quote was probably the "You know, Amber, sometimes us fat girls do get the hot guys." This book is great for fans of Dumplin' or ABC Family's Huge. Another amazing part of the story is the focus on having a sibling with autism--making this one of the more unique YA books I've read this year.

This book is honestly so good. It exceeded all my expectations. This book is about Lori palmer and her life. Her struggles with being plus size, and her family dynamic. It focuses on her relationships with her mom, her dad, her brother Zac (who is neuro diverse), a guy named jake and her friends.

This books deals with heart hitting topics like panic attacks, bullying, body image, anxiety, broken families, addiction, ADHD and much more. Our main character deals with many issues that alot of us can relate with. Her brother being neuro diverse takes up more of her family's attention and that leaves her in a hard spot. The book discusses that as well.

What I loved about our MC was her character development. Her growth was really subtle and she took a whole 180. She gives hope to girls out there that we can be whatever we want. She's an artist, a damn good one. This story is about her gaining confidence, in herself and in her art. The arc is just phenomenally done

Our main love interest was the sweetest and the romance was really cute. Their love was so pure and wholesome. They were each others rock, they had each other back and they were everything. The definition of a healthy relationship.

The relationship between Lori and Zac was just so pure. They loved each other and I love for some good sibling moments. Their scenes actually bought me to tears a number of times. Also, Jake's relationship with her sister, Lisa, was really cute too. And also Lisa and Zac's friendship was adorbs.

The only thing I'm kinda iffy about is the representation of therapy in the book. From what I know real therapist don't go out giving advices and stuff. And the overall act of the therapist just didn't sit right with me idk why. Seemed a little unrealistic.

But apart from that, this was a solid book. A 4.5🌟 for me.

This was a wonderful journey into the battle most teen girls face to learn to love themselves. Realistically, our main character, Lorri, is full of self loathing and negativity towards her body. She adores her brother and rarely resents being his primary caretaker. Set in South Africa, yet a story for every girl in every corner of the world. The characters have depth to them, even the ones only mentioned in passing, and what could easily have become a grouping of cliches never manages to do so. The neurodiversity of her brother is portrayed accurately and lovingly. I will be highly recommending this book to all young women as well as those more senior of us who have yet to learn to love ourselves. Well done.

The start of the book was a little slow but then it picked up pace and it became more fun. I love Guy and Andile and Thembi, they were all loveable characters and I liked how they always had Lori’s back. Jake was adorable, however at the start their friendship kind of felt forced.
To conclude, it was a fun book that dealt with fat-shaming and how our inner selves actually become the villains and lead us to hate our bodies however they were. I loved her therapist a lot, she was like the best person Lori had and I liked how she helped Lori grow out.
Those who want to read this book, please first look at the trigger warnings and then move forward. This book is a fun ride throughout.

I love reading Lori’s growth throughout the book through relatable language and a plot that’s often overlooked.
Through art, and the help of her therapist, Lori transforms her mindset to self-acceptance. She exhibits that beauty is truly starts from within.
Her story made me think of a quote from flights- “before helping others, put on your own mask.” Lori finally did that and I celebrated with her.

Lori has had a tough couple of years. Her parents have gone through a nasty divorce, her mom has become a woman she doesn’t recognize and she has become the primary caregiver to her Autistic you get brother. When her mom uproots the to Cape Town Lori’s inner bullies come to the surface and she is sure no one in this picture perfect community will accept her. That all changes when she begins to accept herself and not let those inner bullies call her fat and ugly, and the cute guy showing interest doesn’t hurt either. Intimately this is a book about finding yourself, living life for yourself and allowing you to take up all the space you need (literally and figuratively) to be happy. I loved the authors description of Zak, Lori’s differently abled son, and how strong their bond was. A great read!

4/5 ⭐️s

The way this book was everything I needed in YA books when I was a teen…

Lori has just moved from her art school to a new school where she feels judged for her weight and lack of athleticism. She befriends Jake, the most popular guy in school, when she discovers he volunteers at her brother’s school. As their friendship grows, Lori struggles to navigate life in a new town that brings into focus all of her insecurities.

Jo Watson, I think I love you. This book was so good! It felt like a 90’s teen flick with someone with my body as the lead. I’m definitely invested in future books!

What Worked:
Lori’s struggle with her body felt genuine without becoming too melancholy. She’s really relatable, and I loved her journey towards finding her voice for who she was instead of who she wished she was.

*slight spoiler*
Both Lori and Jake’s younger siblings are neurodivergent, and while I was concerned at first this would be used as a tool to garner sympathy for Lori, Watson actually developed the sibling’s bond into a beautiful and heartwarming relationship that I loved. This was by far my favorite part of the book.

Jake and Lori’s relationship was quintessential first love. Cute. So cute.

What Didn’t Work:
The ending. Not Lori’s ending, but how it’s written. I felt Watson strayed dangerously close to writing Lori as a “white savior”, and I thought it detracted from the nuance the story of her finding herself with art had created.

The literal last few lines of the story had me slightly confused. Are we getting a sequel? If so, I can see what Watson was doing here. Otherwise, it creates a weird new layer to Lori’s character that I’m not sure I love.

The plot itself seemed just a bit too long. There were a lot of plot lines being addressed, and I can see how it may take away from the overall experience of the read.

For me, however, I loved every single plot line. This read had me smiling, laughing, and crying at times. I can’t wait to buy this when it comes out!

Read This If You Love:
- First Love Tropes
- Real issues in a fantasy world
- Plus size MCs

*CONTENT WARNING*
Anxiety, Bullying, Depression

Thank you to Wattpad Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First, I want to thank the author for giving me an advanced copy of the book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.


This book is about Lori Palmer, and it takes place in Cape Town a place where everyone’s perfect but her, Lori thinks her life is a mess, and that she is ugly, she is suffering a lot because her mother stopped taking care of her and her brother because her mother just got through a divorce and worst of all her brother has autism, which makes her life harder than it already is…


The book is fast paced, and I have to say that when I started the book I felt like Lori was a little bit of annoying, and then I continued reading it and this is where it felt like she was growing a lot with what we were going with.

The cover was beautiful, and the plot was a little bit interesting, but when I finished the book I felt that some of the handling of the issues that were shown in here was so wrong, like you feel complete but there was something missing, the relationship with Jake was something that I expected and made me Fangirl but at the same time it was like that wasn’t needed, but I LIKED IT.

Everything said, I’m going to rate it with 4 stars because I really liked it, it made me feel fine but sometimes annoyed me,and sometimes Lori being a TEEN, she acted like a jerk, and that’s not reasonable at 17.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I thought that it showed how everyone has struggles and how they deal with them. I feel that a lot of girls especially should be able to read this book to show how you think about yourself can really affect you. I loved the characters and how they weren’t two dimensional. Lori, Jake, and Thembi all have problems at home and can admit to themselves that it’s ok to seek help, whether it's from a peer or professional. This is definitely a book I’m excited to own once it is released.

Big Boned is a really sweet story, and I think many teens will find Lori a very relatable character. Watching her find her voice and sense of self was extremely satisfying. I also appreciated that the story showed how having an autistic brother, Zac, affected Lori’s life, without making him a burden to her, or having her focus on fixing him.

Came in expecting less with Wattpad, as the past few I have read have not been that great. But this one was good! The representation is fantastic and I thought the overall character development was good. There is a lot of trigger warnings, but overall, this was handled with care.

Adorable!! I thought it took a little while for me to really get into the story, but once I did I was hooked! Will definitely be recommending to my friends. I really connected with the main character's struggles with her mom. Full review to come!

✍️ One Sentence Synopsis: People are all a bit like succulents— we may be broken but we can grow new roots or add pieces to ourselves to continue to grow.

💭 Overall Thoughts:
This book incredibly exceeded my expectations in the best ways. It is not JUST a romance novel and it is not just fluffy but it is REAL and ends in such a hopeful and uplifting way. It is also still light and witty enough to be completely enjoyable.

The romance here is so sweet and adorable. Jake is the guy we all wanted to date in high school for sure— hot but with a super sweet side. Lori has some things to work through but she makes such growth through the novel and turns into such a badass chick when she is able to silence her inner bully.

This novel touches on some tough topics with such grace in a way that is not overwhelming. It becomes uplifting without being unrealistic. It shows the sibling side of what it’s like to have a family member who is Autistic. It shows how different is beautiful and the wonderful thing of being your own biggest cheerleader. It touches on body image, divorce, alcoholism, neurodiversity, anxiety, and adoption. And yeah, there’s a lot here between all the characters— but it’s done in such a realistic way.

You will be rooting for Lori all along and although parts may be tough you will leave with a feeling of uplifting empowerment.

Big Boned comes out September 21, 2021! Get your preorder now!


What I Liked:
👍 REPRESENTATION! From neurodivergence, to body diversity, to mental health, to race, to sexual orientation— this has so many groups represented in a way to bring light to important issues in a meaningful way.
👍 The adorable romance that transpires
👍 This piggy backs on representation in that as a child life specialist I was SO HAPPY to have an adequate sibling story that people could relate to.

What I Didn’t Like:
👎 It wasn’t that I didn’t like this, but there are a lot of topics covered here so check my content warnings if needed.


⚠️ Content Warnings: divorce, fat shaming, ableism, bullying, anxiety and panic attacks, mental health, adoption, neurodivergence, alcoholism, infidelity

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for the ability to read this novel with request for an honest review.

The story is about 17 year old lori who lives with her mom and autistic brother. She is suddenly uprooted from her art school, city lifestyle to beach life cape Town so her brother can attend a better school for his needs. On her first day of school she manages to make an enemy out of the most popular girl amber. While picking up her brother from school she finds out that the most popular guy at her school jake volunteers there once a week and also has a sister that attends the same school. As the story progresses so does her friendship with Jake and her search to see herself through New eyes..


This book was such an amazing story of a younger girl trying to find herself and her own beauty despite her size. As a plus size woman this took me right back to high school and all the feelings lori felt I had felt at one point and even still do.
I would recommend this book to women young and older who have ever felt out of place, bullied, or singled out. It teaches you a lot about finding yourself and knowing your worth no matter your size. And the romance is the icing on top.

I enjoyed reading Big Boned. I think it's important for girls of all shapes and sizes to see themselves as main characters. Lori is big girl who is struggling with her body. She hates the way she looks and she is struggling to fit in at her new school. I really enjoyed the characters in the book. I liked reading about Lori and see her grow. This book deals with a lot of important issues and will resinate with tons of people

Lori has just been uprooted from all of her friends in Johannesburg to live in Cape Town so her autistic brother can be at the best school in the country for him, and so her mother can escape her father's impending wedding to his mistress after a messy divorce. She adores her brother and is happy to have found a potential place to help him, but once she sets foot in the local high school she knows this will not be good. No one else looks like her, she is the only fat person on campus and even though her anxiety meds should be helping, and therapy does sometimes, she feels instantly out of place. When the hottest guy in school starts paying attention to her she freaks out even more thinking it's all a joke. Can she get over her inner bully and discover that she also deserves happiness in her life regardless of other people's choices for her life? Beautifully raw and moving, Lori's story is one of finding your voice when you feel powerless and believing you deserve all the happiness in the world regardless of what anyone else has to say.

A story that is much needed in our selfie obsessed world today. Sending out positive messages to teenagers is one of the magic powers book have, and this is no exception.

📚 "YOUR FEARS ARE STOPPING YOU FROM HAVING THE THINGS IN LIFE YOU WANT AND DESERVE" 📚

This. Book. Y’all. When I was sent it to review, I didn’t know how I was going to feel about it, honestly, however, I’m glad I gave it a chance because I found it very enjoyable. 😌

This YA contemporary romance tackles themes such as: anxiety, bullying and its effects, divorce, having a sibling on the spectrum and finding one’s voice in a one-size-fits-all world. Jo did a fantastic job of making Lori a relatable and likable character while crafting her just flawed enough to transform through an empowering character arc. 💪

What I really really liked about this novel was that it was set in South Africa - Cape Town to be more precise! I wouldn’t say I “loved” this read because had a very Hallmark-eque formula Wattpad books are starting to become known for, but it was an enjoyable read with some great quotes.

One thing I should mention is that some parts of the book felt disjointed and distant at random places, but I’m not going to judge that too harshly. This is an ARC that clearly still has some revisions to go through, and I’m hoping that the final edits fix some of that.

ALSO JAKE IS A PRECIOUS BEAN AND I MUST PROTECT HIM AT ALL COSTS.

If you want a book with an uplifting body-positive message and adorable romance, this one is for you. As Jo Watson’s first YA novel, I found it a promising debut and look forward to her other works in this genre.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC! BIG BONED is slated to release in September of 2021!