DNF @ 33% — did not connect with the characters or writing at all. I’m definitely not the target demographic for this book however so I do think that is a huge reason for the disconnect

Thoughts

I was surprised that I liked this one. There are some problems with it, no doubt, but overall, it was a good read--made better, perhaps, by the fact that it isn't something I'd normally like.


Pros
Confidence: Addie is confident in so many ways, and that's something I'd like to see more of in contemporary YA narrators. Addie is not just confident about her body. She's confident in her friends, in her sexuality and her potential sexuality, and her dreams in life. Obviously, this confidence is an integral part of the story due to her not-quite-traditional-dancer physique, but it was just great in general to read a teenage girl lead with so much confidence in herself.

Fun Voice: A lot of contemporary YA narrators have voices that sound exactly the same--and end up being perfectly bland. That's not the case here. Addie's narrative voice is unique and interesting, full of high spirits and oozing the same confidence that her actions exhibit throughout the story. The narrative starts strong and continues all the way through. It's a great, peppy voice!

Funky Friend Group: While a lot of contemporary YA in this vein also includes a group of artsy friends, this group definitely stands out. These art kids are wild and expressive, and they're not just there as the backdrop to Addie's story. There are so many (important) scenes of these friends bonding, laughing, and just having fun. It's great to see that represented--friends being friends outside of school and party scenes. These friends are interesting as a group and as a cast of characters--as well as diverse and fun.


Cons
Hyper Sexuality: Though I do appreciate the confidence of Addie and her friends in this book, from a reader's standpoint, this book was a bit too steeped in sensuality. It makes sense to have some experimentation with sexuality in teen books. What could be more relevant than that? But this book was a bit uncomfortable to read on a few levels, especially because the ages of the characters in question was a bit... unclear. They're seniors in high school, so they're potentially legal adults. But without that confirmed, it just didn't seem right to have nipple tassels in the conversation when minors were (potentially) the dancers and the audience.

Secondhand Anxiety: Addie's underground burlesque show is just kind of a bad idea. The characters understand some ramifications, but they put any pushback down to others not wanting girls (and not wanting bigger girls like Addie) to embrace their sexuality. That's not really the problem I had with it. No, my bad-idea radar was going off because of the potential of leaked photos from the show. I mean, I know it was invitation-only with people they thought they could trust, but still... Leaked compromising photos still do have an impact on women, especially women who want to work in any professional field one day. The whole #MedBikini scandal can tell us that, as unfortunate as it is, and having pictures of you in a burlesque show leaked before you even get a chance to set foot in the professional world... That might not be the best move, even if it gets you good money. Also, thrift store lingerie (because yes, they thrift lingerie) is pretty... anxiety-inducing as it is.

Happily Ever After: We all love a happily-ever-after, and this book has one. And that's fine. It just doesn't feel realistic here. Addie gets on a soapbox at the end and shares her feelings, and people just... listen. Her speech is very social-media rhetoric, and it doesn't feel like people would respect that, especially not a school administration (or anyone else in authority, for that matter). So this happily-ever-after was an unfortunate conclusion to an otherwise fun read.


Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5/10

Those who loved the glitzy art of Ryan la Sala's Be Dazzled will sink right into the risqué world of glamor. Those who wanted a bit more nuance in Natalie Walton's Revenge of the Sluts will like this deep dive into the societal expectations placed on women's sexuality.

Desperate for money to attend a summer dance program, a fat teen girl decides to put on an underground burlesque show to challenge her school's body shaming and antiquated dress code.

This unapologetically feminist and body positive YA contemporary novel will resonate with all young women who have ever been shamed and objectified for having bodies (so, all young women...). Debates over the validity and empowerment of sex work take center stage, but complex friendships, budding relationships, and amazingly witty banter keep the feminist message from feeling overly preachy. The high stakes plot makes it difficult to put this one down. I highly recommend this novel to fans of YA contemporary fiction.

I recently read the big reveal by Jen Larson. It is a contemporary YA about a dancer at a performing arts school… and she is fat. I love it! She has gotten in a summer dance program in Milan, but is a little short on the funds to make her dreams come true. She and her friends set up series of pop-up secret burlesque shows to raise money for her. The story is a nice little contemporary YA coming of age story. I love that. But where this book shines is in the growth we see in the main character. She starts the story loving herself and confident. YES! I want more books like this. As we follow her we see her find her voice. We see her stand up to people. She doesn’t settle and she knows her worth. She knows she is worth fighting for. She also knows her body is nothing to be ashamed of. A woman’s body and how she feels in it are not a moral issue. I love books with moxie and this one has it in spades. It says women should be treated equally and my body is my business. And furthermore, it says I want to celebrate my body and the way it looks right now. This books it body positive, sex positve, and empowering for women. I really enjoyed this book.

I really enjoyed reading this. I think the discussion about slut shaming and sexism at school, especially regarding the dress code. Not only did this book tackle self love and finding confidence it also did a great job with the fun stuff like wholesome and caring friendships. Addie was really relatable and fierce and creative and I loved that about her!

I really enjoyed the friendships and how supportive everyone was, but I did feel like there were some moments where the author forced the chemistry through banter that ended with "and we all laughed." without really establishing any good jokes if that makes sense. I also didn't really feel the chemistry between Addie and the love interest, but it was fine since that wasn't the main plot.

I definitely would recommend this to readers who want something wholesome. If you want to read something featuring fierce and loving friendships, sneaking around school, dance centered plots, a little sprinkle of romance and a whole lot of standing up to sexism and bullying, then this is definitely for you!

A friend of mine, Jen, proudly announce that a friend of hers, Jen Larsen, had a new book coming out in December. That book, The Big Reveal, was about a teen ager who while fat showed that being fat was not who she is: Addie is more than fat. She’s a talented dancer. She’s a feminist. She’s the loyalist of friends. She is beautiful. She’s inspirational. She is everything I want to be and I’m old enough to be her mother.

Larsen, whose name sounded familiar but I could quite place, until I realised she’s also the author of Stranger Here, a memoir of her weight loss surgery (WLS). Larsen went on to lose 180lbs, a whole person!, as told in her funny and all too painfully true story. Now, I’m regurgitating what I read on Good Reads about the book, which I have not read, yet, but another friend, Sara, recommended the book to me as a primer to help make my decision about my own WLS journey. I can confidently say two things about Stranger Here: It’s been bumped up my queue and if Stranger Here is anything like The Big Reveal in terms of writing, I’m going to love it.

Some may say that being fat is a choice and if we’re being brutally honest, it isn’t. Not really. People can have disordered eating at any size but being fat can also be the result of medicines, health conditions, and genetics. In an ideal world, we could all be Addie: confident in our own skin and assertive enough to put ourselves into the front of line and not let the commentary about our bodies slow us down. I know this is something I’ve been struggling with and if you keep up with my newsletter (of course), detailing my journeys on struggling with who I am, I could use a boost of Addie right now. I’ve had more friends decide to do the WLS route recently and it is scary to think they are willing to rearrange organs to achieve an acceptable size.
TO BE PUBLISHED 11/29/2021


Can’t we just be enough? Sometimes we think not, and that breaks my heart for my own self and my struggle with my own perception of me.

But Addie, Addie, Addie. She has the best of friends, a well intentioned but misses the mark mother, and a wonderful support sytem. But believing in yourself isn’t just about the support system you have but it’s also truly, deep down inside, believing who you are and that you are good enough. Addie believes she is good enough, more than good enough, and that’s what sets this charm of a book to its core.

I don’t know if I’m going to do WLS just yet, and I’ve been mulling about it for months, but I do know I’m going to pull a bit of Addie in my life and start to believe not only am I good enough, but that I’m worthy of taking up space.

tl;dr Insightful, beautifully written, full of warmth and charm, The Big Reveal will be, dare I say and I hate this word, an unputdownable book that will make you want to believe in everything around you. Five stars.

While I think the author's intentions were good and I think the book's message is absolutely vital for teenagers to hear today, this is not the way I would have gone about it. You can tackle body shaming, double standards, and misogny without having teenagers take off their clothes. Either the characters should have been aged up or the burlesque show could have just been a regular dance show. I was so uncomfortable with that aspect of the book that I couldn't get into the story.

I love the project of this book. It's about a talented dancer embracing her fat body and taking ownership of her life, along with a great group of friends and found family. The messages about body positivity, pushing back on fatphobia and misogyny, the double standards of controlling how girls use and display their bodies but not boys, addressing sexual harassment and online bullying...all of that is amazing. I loved the project, but the actual narrative was a bit of a mixed bag for me.

The beginning and end of the book are very strong. I was sucked in and quickly got a sense of who the main characters were and why I should care. The last part of the book was amazing, though it might bug readers who don't like soapboxing in their books. The main character gives a speech and I was HERE FOR IT! That said, the middle of the book really drags. It feels repetitive and doesn't have enough tension driving the story forward. There are great moments, but it feels too long. And this book is only 300 pages, so we either needed the major conflict to create tension earlier, or it needed to be shorter. Also note that while the messaging is great, the main character experiences a lot of fatphobia, misogyny, and sexual harassment. There were times where it felt like a lot, maybe more than we needed on page to get the point. So content warnings for all of that. Still, there's something valuable here and I think there are readers who might love it. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book, although I felt I have already read something similar in How I Paid for College...except this one has dance instead of musical theatre. That being said, the protagonist is quite spunky and I like her confidence and her "armor." I completely empathized with her plight about being worried about the size of her body when her cohorts are long, lean and lithe. Her group of friends is what made this story though. We should all be so lucky to have a Naveah, Taylor and Katherine in our lives.

Great story about coming of age, finding your voice and all the other clichés of a bildungsroman but still highly enjoyable with a fantastic cast of characters.

(4.5 stars)

I had so much fun reading this book! The Big Reveal follows Addie, a passionate, fierce, fat dancer. She's accepted to her dream dance program but can't afford to go, so she and her friends create an underground burlesque show to help her raise the money she needs. It's an empowering story about self-acceptance, friendship, and feminism.

Seeing these four best friends celebrate and be confident in their bodies was so empowering, and this is definitely a story I wish I'd had in high school! They're unapologetically themselves, and it gives them the confidence to challenge and combat their school's ridiculous dress codes, which often require the girls to leave class to change their clothes for showing shoulders, yet dress them in skimpy costumes for their performances.

Overall, this was a fun, empowering read, and there's even a little romance subplot, which I enjoyed as well. All of the characters are easy to root for and love, it's a quick read, and I'd definitely recommend it!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The main character was charismatic and cute. I loved the body positivity of the book and the overall girlboss vibes of this book. It was fun and relaxing to read. The plot was quick and the writing was witty!

5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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I wasn't even finished with the book and I started crying happy tears. Just... wow. The Big Reveal is about celebrating your body, being confident in and loving who you are, and standing up to those who try to make you feel inferior. The book follows Addie, a fat dancer who gets into her dream summer dance program in Milan... but the only problem is, she is broke and can't cough up the $6,000 tuition money to go. Addie and her friends concoct a scheme: an underground burlesque show fundraiser!
I can't give this book enough compliments, I adored it so much! The writing really hits hard—if I had a physical copy, I would want to annotate this (and for those who don't know me: I don't ever annotate books). The writing has a few moments where the writing is intentionally inspirational, but sometimes it makes the reading all the better when you lean into it. The plot seemed to be moving fast at first, but there's a ton of reveals that are packed into the ending so it makes sense how it's paced. Also, if I had a wig and could sew... I would totally be doing a cosplay photoshoot. The characters were all super sweet once I got the names all straight: in addition to Addie, there's Katherine, Taylor, and Nevaeh in the core friend group; then we meet Jack, who is super cute but can be an absolute MORON at times; Gavin, the flirt that just can't seem to quit it; and Christopher, the— Well, I'll just say I don't like him, and you won't either. On the topic of characters, which in my mind leads to romance, I will say: this is not meant to be a romance-heavy book. It is first and foremost a piece about self-confidence and being angry about body-shaming and slut-shaming. However... there is a cute romantic subplot, and I really enjoyed it!
I can't gush enough about The Big Reveal. It made my heart so full, and I'm so happy to have received an ARC of it because now I can promote it until long past its publishing date. When I say this book is fierce, I mean that it's passionate and angry, and I'm fully supportive of that lifestyle. 5 stars.

I don't think I was expecting where this one was going. I liked the body positivity and how Addie doesn't give up on pursuing her dreams.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

I really enjoy this author but this book took me awhile to get into. The start was really slow and I had to put it down a few times and then come back to it. It did eventually pick up and by the end I really enjoyed it. The characters were great and very well written. I will definitely be purchasing this for my high school library.

Addie found out that she got the dance opportunity she's always dreamed of...but not the scholarship she'd need to actually attend. So, what does a girl do? Organize an underground burlesque performance, of course! And with some help from her friends, that's exactly what she does.

Ok, so this is not the book's fault, but I did not think about how deeply uncomfortable I would be reading about children (they are seniors in high school, but still) taking off their clothes. I just couldn't do it. I skipped/skimmed the burlesque parts. And without that element, the book is kind of a run of the mill contemporary that requires a decent amount of suspension of disbelief. Like, Addie needs six thousand dollars. Addie goes to a school for rich people and has very good friends who could probably help her out. She could also get a job. Or a loan. Or search for another scholarship. Addie instead decides to do the burlesque thing and then is completely unprepared for the consequences. I don't know, I just didn't completely buy it and so was never fully invested in the "stakes". There's some good stuff around body positivity (Addie is fat) and feminism and double standards around how women are dressed, but I've read other books that make a similar point with stronger premises (Dumplin' or Pumpkin by Julie Murphy spring to mind). There's also a unconsensual sexting subplot that is handled super inappropriately by everyone involved that left me feeling super uncomfy. I'm hoping that goes through some major revisions before the book actually comes out.

So, this wasn't for me, but I think a lot of teenage girls, the actual intended audience, will probably like it. I'll recommend it to folks who love them some teen movies, because this is that, in book form.

DNF'ed at 15%; I'm sure this book is terrific, based on the glowing reviews here, but the writing style just wasn't pulling me in, and I have too many books to read to continue with a book I'm just not feeling. As a general principle, I don't write or record reviews for books I just didn't gel with, so no review is going up anywhere except NetGalley! Thank you to Macmillan; I'm sorry I couldn't provide better feedback.

This book was amazing! The characters, first off, were so amazingly human and well fleshed out! I enjoyed how we heard Addie's inner thoughts and struggles with feeling comfortable and owning her skin, and yet we get to see her grow as well. The plot was quick and snappy, and it drew me in very quickly. This story is definitely character based, rather than plot based, which is amazing thanks to the main cast's diversity and unapologetic acceptance of themselves. I think Addie really captures what it's like being a fat girl in high school in our society, with realistic struggles that make readers reflect on their own experiences.

I thought this story was okay - the writing was fine, the plot was fine, but nothing really jumped out at me as particularly remarkable. Younger readers will probably enjoy this more than I did as an adult, and I do recognize that. If you've got readers in your classroom interested in the topics of the book, this would be a solid addition to classroom libraries.

I really liked this book and how she got over someone. I enjoyed the romance and the friendships. I liked she came to enjoy her family. I liked that she was able to get over a boy and move on with her life. Great story.

LOVED this book!! So body positive, empowering, suspenseful, exciting!!!! The details are gorgeous and the drama is fast-paced. Such a fun, low-stakes read with wonderful messages and diversity.