I received an e-copy of this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Equal parts lighthearted and emotional, Fat Witch Summer is a beautiful story about friendship, figuring out who you are amidst a world that isn’t what you thought it was, and the impact our parents have on us (both positive and negative).

The plot is basically four sort-of friends (well, three of them are best friends - our main character starts off not knowing where she fits with them) going on a roadtrip across the country, getting into scrapes and learning to love each other - and themselves. What’s not to love? The plot was a huge success for me - it didn’t detract from any of the messages or characters and wasn’t too complicated to follow, but the little bits of foreshadowing and worldbuilding and scenery were excellent, not to mention the fact that I could follow along without being confused OR bored.

Speaking of the worldbuilding, can I just give the author a round of applause? It’s somewhere between urban fantasy and fantasy, not pretentious but not boring either. Many aspects of the history of the Thirteen States are based off the history of the United States, which… as someone who reads a lot in this genre, sometimes authors can’t execute this well, to put it mildly. Take EK Johnson’s Every Victorian Thing, for example. But this book wasn’t like that at all. Its subtle portrayal of subjects such as genocide and cultural appropriation and differences was evidently something that the author took seriously, despite this being in the background of the story and not a main theme. Which was amazing - it just goes to show that you can provide parallels between your world and the real world without being disrespectful, and do so in a subtle way that leaves the reader more empathetic and informed.

As someone who struggled with fatphobia from my family and friends when I was at about ‘middle school’ age, I would’ve absolutely loved to have a book like this then. And yet it resonated now, too. The main character being fat isn’t portrayed as a negative thing, their thoughts about their appearance are definitely relatable, and I love that they didn’t hate how they looked but hated how people reacted to them sometimes. It wasn’t the focus of the book but it was written about in a way that enhanced the story, unlike some stories that go, here, our main character is different in some way - and then don’t show how that affects them at all. Thrash’s conversation with Em and how empathic she was, because she’s been in similar situations? *Chefs kiss*. I would give this book to any kid I know who feels as if their appearance is inadequate in some way.

I also loved the casual rep - our main character has two mothers, her friend’s sister has a wife, and they run into a nonbinary character at one point too. At first I did think Creaca had a crush on Thrash but preferred that the story remained a narrative about these four girls and their friendship- each character was developed well and their voices all felt distinct. I loved each one of them and seeing their personal growth, which was written realistically and- for teenagers, they actually talked like teenagers. That was awesome.

5/5, 11/10, I absolutely loved this.

Thrash kinda dreads reaching the age where she will receive her witchy Gift: her mother Osmarra is a powerful Glamour witch who expects Thrash to embrace the same gift, but Thrash is perfectly happy being her fat, dyed-hair, rebellious self and would rather have a more useful Gift. An accidental mishap reveals that Thrash has a powerful natural magic, but instead of going through the Gift ceremony, she decides to join the Lunes, a trio of "cool" girls, on their road trip to claim their own Gifts instead.

This rollicking road-trip/coming-of-age story offers a different take on witchcraft, with a tradition that focuses on three key Gifts (Glamour, Growth, and Sight) and elides the natural witchy gifts as well as the appropriation of various Indigenous traditions. So while there's a fun adventure and plenty of character development and drama in the book, it also addresses some more serious issues. I appreciated that the book didn't focus solely on Thrash: each of her companions (Cresca, Saki, and Emerald) had backgrounds and personalities and goals that deserved equal attention and made them a more believable team. An enjoyable read.

Thank you, Sword and Rose Press and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

I love the never ending ways magic can be written. This was such a fun bad ass witchy book. Embracing yourself, leaning into your friends, standing up to your parents - starting a magical revolution. I hope there will be another book!

✨ I am OBSESSED! ✨

When I saw the first line of the description reading “Dumplin’ meets the Craft” I was instantly sold! The blurb did not disappoint and this was such a joy of a read!
Fat Witch Summer follows Thrash as she comes into her Magic, rejects the status quo and sets out on a road-trip that changes not only her life, but the Thirteen States forever! Full of friendship, adventure, badassery, a sassy talking familiar, body positivity, magic and revolution - this paranormal coming of age YA Fantasy is a must read!

Pick up Fat Witch Summer by Lizzy Ives when it hits shelves June 13, 2023!

Thank you so much to Sword & Rose Press for the advanced copy!

Thank you, NetGalley and Sword & Rose Press!
I was unbelievably excited to read the premise of this book. Body positivity with witches and friendship? Sign me up! I think this is a fantastic book, especially for young adults who are dealing with body issues and want to see themselves reflected in a fun story. This book focuses on friendships and how making these connections can be such a powerful and amazing thing. Each girl in the story has their own struggles to overcome, and the friendship and kindness that they found within this group is just wonderful.

This is a coming of age story focused around Thrash, a teenage witch who is about to receive her gift (a specific type of magic) from her mom. However, she wants nothing to do with this gift, as she thinks her mom will be doing it just so Thrash can make herself prettier and skinnier. Enter the Lunes, 3 popular teenage girls who offer her a road trip to go steal the gifts of their choice from New Salem University. The Lunes, as popular as they are, also experience the pressure of their parents and their expectations and “wanting what is best” for them. However, Thrash’s mom and the law are hot on their tails which makes this feel much more like a high stakes car chase than a cozy road trip.

Even though this isn’t quite the cozy girl-bonding road trip I initially thought it would be, the themes of finding friends in unlikely places and learning everyone has their own doubts and dislikes no matter what they may seem we’re on point with this one. It was very exciting and the characters had really nicely developed arcs.

This book is supposed to be body positive, but I found all four of the girls had their own hang ups with themselves and it was more the other girls cheering each other on and not caring.

Overall a cute, quick read. Highly relatable to my teenage years and I enjoyed it even though I’m an adult.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is as great as the cover and title suggests its going to be, a body positive book about witches on a roadtrip?? Uhmmm yes please, I adored the character of Thrash, the world building is great too, my only complaint? Its too short, I need it longer..as in it never ends...ever! A fun YA paranormal book about self acceptance, I really enjoyed this and I feel its definitely a cosy comfort read

Fat Witch Summer by Lizzy Ives is the fat representation I have been waiting to read in a young adult fantasy book! Thrash is hands down one of my favorite characters ever written. She is confident, outspoken, thoughtful, and a force to be reckoned with. The friendship and connections made between the four main characters are so genuine and powerful. This book is thoughtful, fun, and filled with diverse and joyful characters. The plot is so imaginative- I don’t think I’ve read anything similar. Four witches on a road trip to discover their own unique power- just brilliant! I will be adding this book to my young adult course during speculative fiction week and recommending it to everyone! This book needs to be in school libraries and classrooms. It is such a fantastic fat representation that is needed for all our fat students!

This YA body positive fantasy is absolutely spellbinding! I loved this so much!
I just reviewed Fat Witch Summer by Lizzy Ives. #fatwitchsummer #NetGalley
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THICK QUEENS!!! I loveeeeee the body positivity that this novel gives! Such a great image for young people to see!

4/5 stars! This is a body-positive coming-of-age witch tale for every reader. The characters were 3-dimensional and I found myself rooting for Thrash and her story of self-discovery and choosing her own path. I think this was a fun, sweet, and quick read. I'm hoping for a sequel to see more or the Lunes stories.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

I enjoyed Fat Witch Summer, but thought the title was a little misleading because Thrash's fatness was not a major part of the storyline. It was great that her friends didn't make a big deal about Thrash being fat, but perhaps the characters could have engaged with Thrash's fatness a little more. It seemed like more of an internal journey for Thrash herself, to accept that her fatness was part of her. I liked that each of the girls had something going on--Em, the mermaid, needed accommodations for her legs, Saki had anxiety, Cresca, tall and beautiful, was black from a family that didn't have magic, and Thrash was fat, dealing with the death of the parent she was closest to.

I didn't like her name, though-there was no explanation of why she chose Thrash instead of using Theodora or some other nickname, and I don't know that it completely fit her personality.

I was intrigued by the world--the thirteen states--and the similarities between it and our current world, and I would like to see more stories--perhaps one dealing with each of the friends. I did enjoy that there was little romance but the story was focused on the friendship between the girls and on Thrash's relationship with her mother.

In some ways, I did really like how Thrash's fatness was just part of the story--she was a teenager doing teenager things, and her fatness didn't affect many of the major choices she made--the ones about her Gift, or deciding to go on the trip--so it was good to see a fat character just being a person who happens to be fat. So that is progress!

I really enjoyed this book! The world building was well thought out and I loved the touches of information we got about how magic worked, with orbs and enchantment rings etc. It's a really vivid world that I can see many more stories being set in. I do think there were potentially too many POVs in this book, especially when it would suddenly switch mid chapter to a character whose POV we hadn't been in before, but I think this author will only get better with more books and I hope there is a follow up to this because as I said, the world has a lot of potential and this book felt mostly like set up for a magical revolution that was brewing, so I'd love to see this revolution actually play out, as well as the consequences of what the girls did/uncovered on society moving forward.

3.5 stars (rounded up)

This book is a cute idea and has a lot to offer a wide variety of readers! However, it didn’t hit home with me, and that very well could be just the reading mood I am in. I like the concept of the story, and the characters seem cool and fun. I am sure this will be a win for fun, witchy, magical romps!

I was extremely excited for a fat, witch protagonist and was very into the set up. I loved the dynamic between Thrash, her mom, and the implications of being given the gift of glamor.
Everything else felt very flat and didn't pull me in. The world building was fine. Pretty much the US but just the 13 colonies made big with plenty of thematic changes to history/technology. I did not like the characters nor could I really tell them apart. I also didn't really buy the whole set up of their plan.

All in all, I think this still would make a good casual read with some good fat rep/feels that I don't get to see elsewhere.