oh my gods!!!! ive only read about half of the book so far but i had to stop and scream about how much i love it!!!!!! first of all as soon as i saw this book and description i sent a screenshot to my best friend and we both immediately preordered. i have never fallen in love with so many characters at once. i can already feel this becoming a favorite and its not even out yet!!!!

What an adventure! This was such a fun and unique read. I did not know I needed a YA, coming of age, body positive, witchy road-trip read until I started this novel. There is a political aspect that I did not expect but really enjoyed. I liked the inclusion of “knacks” on top of the three different types of magic. I love that Thrash and The Lunes are all unapologetically themselves. The friendship elements of this story were lovely, both the new and the pre-established friendships. I continually found myself rooting for Thrash and The Lunes! I am really hoping for a sequel!

A coming-of-age road trip story with a witchy twist, you will be unable to resist attaching yourself to Thrash and the Lunes. This book is full of issues that real teens struggle with: choosing their futures before they've really lived, miscommunication and misunderstandings with their parents and authority figures, struggling to be heard when they have different views or goals than their family, and the assumptions and judgments they make about their peers before really getting to know them. Throw in some magic, a critique of colonization and cultural assimilation, and the beginning of the second magical revolution, and you've got a very compelling book. What I loved the most was that there were positive endings for all four girls when it came to their relationships with their parents, and all of it was contingent on encouraging honest and ongoing communication. These aren't young people left to fend for themselves, or realize they're alone as a kid, they find their communities in a variety of ways, including with their families. This was silly and fun, but also deep and emotional, and parts of the end had me tearing up.

This is about a girl named Thrash who is about to receive her gift, one her mom has to choose for her. There’s three gifts possible: sight, growth and glamour. Her mom wants to gift her glamour but that’s far from what Thrash wants for herself.

With the promise of choosing her own gift, Thrash embarks on an adventure with the Lunes. But an adventure never sounded so dangerous.

First of all I love Thrash, this is a coming of age story about a girl that can’t make others see past her appearance, not even her mom. Thrash is fat and happy with it, and it was beautiful to read how much she just wanted to be herself. I believe that was accomplished with the Lunes.

She also had two moms and you can still see the grief for the one who is not there anymore, she can’t even face the things her mom left behind…

The Lunes are a ton of fun. I really enjoyed Cresca and her friends. Em is even half mermaid? They all have very different parents. Some want them to choose her gift, others want to wait, others don’t want to give any. But in their core they are all witches just wanting a better life, something they choose for themselves.

The adventure part and the world building was really interesting and fun, there wasn’t any info dumping, and you learn it along the way. It even has a map! The world is captivating and I loved learning more about it.

I personally really enjoyed following this coming of age story with witches that tackles fatphobia, LGBT characters and overall it’s a really relatable book, actually if possible, can I live in this world??

The pace was also spot on, it was an ‘always on the move’ type of book. Also I have to mention, in this book witches also have familiars and Thrash’s mom has a horse for one, how cool is that??

Overall, this was a gripping book, and I would totally read a sequel with them in university! I generally don’t enjoy when books are blurbed to be like The Craft but this one I enjoyed. The Craft is way darker still but I can see why it was blurbed that way. This is more a fluffy novel tackling big themes with a lot of fun!

I love a witch book but this one was not for me. However, I can see that many YA readers would really enjoy it.

- Coming of age
- Road trip
- Teenagers and new friendships
- A different take on witches
- Exploration of the relationship between teenage girls and their parents
- United States inspired world
- Creating your own destiny

This is a light read which would suit a young YA reader who is new to fantasy or one who appreciates a fantasy world built upon the foundation of our world (specifically the US).

The teenage witches are a fun group who are exploring who they are and who they want to be, outside of their parents opinions of them.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC of this book.

This book was not my favorite. I feel like the author just added "trix" to the end of everything to make it witchy and then all I could picture was Bellatrix from Harry Potter and her crazy hair. It got old after a while and I didn't connect much with the main character.

Thrash is a lonely, plus-sized (but not ashamed of it) teenager struggling to connect with her career ambitious mother after the death of her mum. In addition, she’s eagerly waiting for her ‘knack’ - a sign that she has the abilities of a witch like both of her moms.
When her power does arrive, her mother’s superficial desires for Thrash become clear, and she takes off cross-country with a new group of friends who each have something to prove. Along the way they learn to trust each other and discover that the gifts bestowed to witches aren’t what they seem.

I was pleasantly surprised by this fun, road trip-driven story once I got into it. However, I constantly felt like something was missing, and I realized by the end it was a deeper world-building experience. There’s so much going on in this United States/Salem witch inspired universe, but more time needed to be spent building out the country, the government, and the sentiment toward witches. For example, at one point it’s mentioned that 80% of people aren’t witches, but every single person we meet in the story has magic (save 1 or 2). There was a tight focus on what was happening with the girls (with a slightly confusing POV switch here and there), but then we’d get tiny glimpses of the rest of the country and how it functioned. It left me wanting to know more about the native/indigenous people, about each state’s individual laws, about how little things work with and without magic.
Overall, a really enjoyable book! I’m intrigued to see if there are sequels planned!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I Loved this book and could not but it down. I LOVED IT

I saw this described as Dumplin’ meets The Craft and that instantly drew me in!

I grew up watching The Craft and recently watched Dumplin and fell in love with it.

The main character is Thrash. A 16 year old girl, a witch.

In this world the mom chooses the gift for the witch.

Her mom has the gift of glamour, bur Thrash wants the gift of sight like her late mum.

She finds out from a group of girls that they can actually choose their own gift. Thrash leaves the night before her gifting ceremony for a road trip to choose her own gift.

This book had me hooked. It had such strong Thelma and Louise vibes. I was constantly shocked at the twists and turns. I literally couldn’t put this book down.

I highly recommend this for anyone who loves The Craft, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, and any other witchy show.

it’s so exciting getting a chance to see a fat character in the books i read. i was most excited to read this book because it’s not common i see myself represented in the books i come across. fat witch summer was so cute and charming and witty. it was so fun and enjoyable.

Thrash became a witch on the last day of school, in the library bathroom, because of course that's where it happened.

Fat Witch Summer by Lizzy Ives

QUICK SUMMARY
16 year old Thrash lives authentically as herself, she doesn't use enchantments, not that there's anything wrong with enchantments of course. When she discovers she has a knack for magic and she'll receive one of the three sanctioned gifts, Thrash is adamant she doesn't want glamour as her glamour witch mother wishes. Only problem is, it's her mothers choice and not hers.

But maybe there's another option, when she's invited along for a road trip with a trio of cool witches from her school to steal their own gifts.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Thank you NetGally & Sword & Rose Press.
I'll be completely honest, I don't totally remember requesting this book, and was hesitant going in, don't have a reason just happens sometimes.
My hesitancy was quickly abolished with this book. It's cute, it's fun, but it deals with issues in a way I really think young people can relate to. The author brought us a diverse set of characters who we all love in their own way. The only thing I don't think matches the story for me is the title, its so much more than just about the one fat character.

This review contains spoilers!

I really enjoyed Fat Witch Summer by Lizzy Ives! Even as a person who is well past her high school days, I feel like this book is for anyone. I like mix of magic and realism, and also the history of the Thirteen States. But what I like most is how the girls grow into their friendships and magic. I can't forget to mention that I'm glad Thrash and Osmarra seem to have a better relationship at the end of the book. As a mom, I can relate to both characters... which is why I appreciate all of the POVs in the book.

It was a fun adventure, and I hope there is a sequel, because that epilogue left us hanging! Plus, I'd like to see Thrash formally inducted to The Lunes with the tattoo, see how their knacks develop, and possibly see more of the Brotherhood too.

Thanks to NetGalley, Sword & Rose Press, and Lizzy Ives for the ARC!

Thank you to Lizzy Ives, Sword and Rose Press, and NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

Fat Witch Summer is THE summer roadtrip book. Filled with fun characters, great representation, and body positivity I absolutely could not put it down. As a queer, plus size, 18 year old reader this book was everything I needed to reinvigorate my love of reading. Thrash, Cress, Saki, and Em are some of the most lovable characters you will ever meet. Each of their stories connected with me on some level and it was a treat to see how they developed throughout the book.

And I'd be doing this book a disservice if I didn't mention the magic system and the worldbuilding of this book. Set in an alternate universe version of the United States, FWS has some of the most thorough worldbuilding from the timeline of their history at the end of the book, to the states and the map, to the magic system, I found myself picturing it all crystal clear in my head. With lore and intrigue, I spent every spare moment I had devouring this book, and I hope to everything that there will be a sequel. I would love to hear more from Thrash and Co.

Fat Witch Summer will be dropping onto shelves on June 13th, and I for one, will be picking up my very own copy.

Thank you to Lizzy Ives, Sword and Rose Press, and NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review-- all opinions are my own.

Fat Witch Summer is a really fun and enjoyable book. The world-building, characters, plot, and premise of the book are all really nice. I honestly had so much fun reading this book, it was very hard to put down a lot of times. I especially enjoyed the different point of views and narrations from the different characters. Some of which I did not expect to read, so that was an extra plus for me. This book was easy to relate to, with the issues that each character is experiencing and going through. I really enjoyed and valued the effort that the author wet through to give voice and strength to each character and their story. Sometimes this is difficult because of how many characters a story has, but Lizzy Ives gives a consistent and strong voice to every character. Also, I really appreciated the historical timeline and discussion questions at the end of the book. Finally, as always I have to mention the cover., It is so cute and a perfect addition to any reader's shelf. It's one of the things that initially drew me into requesting an ARC copy. If you are looking for a fun and fast-paced book filled with friendship, adventure, and self-discovery- then this book is perfect.

This book was such a fun read. I loved the magical world that the book took place in; modern and relatable. The characters were also great; they all had something going on below the surface and I loved following their journey. One thing that I wish we would have gotten more about was Cresca's glamor and why she feels the need to cover up her true self. Love the message of the story. Hope that there is more to this story.

Overall enjoyable book. Love the title and the main character, but I did find myself having a hard time staying engaged at times. I liked the premise and think this could actually make a cute little movie. Will post on my IG and review on Amazon on release day (which cool enough is my birthday).

Fat Witch Summer is a brilliant, body positive and exciting read - right from page one. In this book we follow along with our main lass Thrash, who is only coming into her magic and finding herself in her important years. She embarks on a road trip with her friends that not only helps shape her life, but also the future of the Thirteen states. This coming of age, paranormal young adult book is for you if you're ready for a ride full of fun, friendship and a sass talking familiar. Fat Witch Summer is available on June 13th, 2023 - you'll want to add this one to your preorder list!

Ahh this was such a refreshing and lovely coming of age YA book 😭 I saw this book being promoted on a stall at the LA Times FOB, and I requested an ARC of this then and there, coz the title and the cover gave such body positive and summery vibes. And the book totally lived up to my expectations!

💫 It was perfectly witchy and road-trip-y! 💫 Wholesome emotional plotlines of four young witches bonding during a road trip, and also discovering what they wanted out of their future, magic-wise and general lifestyle-wise
💫 And an underlying political plot of uncovering hidden truths and standing up to the tyrant witchy government

This book really took me back to the fun books I read during middle and high-school! It was really wholesome and fun!

TWs - mild body shaming (by others and self), mild violence

-- ty to the author and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

I love the cover and the story itself was really fun, but I don’t really understand what the title did for the story. The beginning of the book did well explaining who she is! I think the title could change but overall fun read!

The name is this book kinda confuses me. Like I'm not really sure that being fat actually had a big role in the book. I understand that it was the starting point of why she felt she wasn't being listened to and I fully understand that but that wasn't the real reason. I liked the growth between the friends as individuals and as friends. It was very realistic. I like the different magic system and how the world worked and the parallels of the real world.