4.5⭐
Where was this book when I was a teen plus-sized dancer?

This is a beautiful coming-of-age story of Esme - someone who loves & breathes dance; however, she is constantly being overly-sexualized because of her large chest.

This story deals with financial issues, struggles within friendships/family, a first love, insecurities & big decisions based on her appearance, all while dealing with teenage emotions.

Beautifully written and highly relatable (to 27 year old me), yet not long enough.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

so according to the synopsis we have a teenager with a large chest who is stigmatized for it and after she is assaulted she struggles with dealing with that. and while technically that is true for this book I feel like it's really misleading to be honest. The vast majority of this book is our main character dealing with bullying from peers, her home life, and navigating a new romantic relationship.

The assault happens at like 85% in and it really feels like an afterthought addition to the plot and not something that I personally would have included in the main synopsis of the story. I totally understand including it as a content warning but from my perspective, this book is so much more than Esme overcoming and getting through being assaulted/groped.

this book is told in verse and I listened to it in audiobook so it wasn't as apparent to me that it was told in verse. The audiobook is nice and I was surprised it was so long because the story is in verse. I would be curious to look at what a physical copy looks like.

overall I think that this is a very powerful story and one that is much needed about the oversexualization of girls and breasts and how difficult having a larger chest can be not only physically and mentally but also socially especially as a minor being sexualized by adults, men and women alike.

I think that the story thrived in the dance studio and in esme's personal and familiar relationships. The groping plotline I feel was unnecessary but I understand why it was included but again I don't find it as relevant as the synopsis of the book leads teaders to believe.

⭐⭐⭐✨

In this coming-of-age debut novel in verse, we find fifteen-year-old Esmee. We follow along as she faces some changes in her dance career, friendships, relationships, and everything in between, with constant care by the author. One of the main topics treated in it is how she struggles with having a larger chest, facing sexualization, medical issues, and even affecting how she faces dancing. I found the topic at hand treated very tactfully, exploring the nuances it can bring up and how a young teen could face them. While I loved how we generally moved through the plot, I found myself pretty distanced from the main character even though I related to her greatly. I assume it probably was because it is told in verse and thus lends itself to fewer inward monologues. Listened to it via audiobook; the narrator, Ellie Gossage, does a great job of bringing the story to life, an especially important task taking into account it's written in verse.

Overall a great read, hard-hitting for both teens and adults alike.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Esme, who is fifteen years old, is passionate about dance. Sweating, stretching, and soaring in the studio is where she and her best friend, Mia, are happiest. Additionally, Esme and Mia secure coveted slots on the Elite dancing team following a summer of relentless work. It should be easy now that they have shown Miss Regina and the senior girls how capable they are. This transgression drives Esme over the edge after years of being oversexualized for her big chest. Was she at fault? Was she able to prevent it? Why is she unable to simply be different? Esme falters, disconnected from her loved ones, whose well-intentioned optimism is unable to penetrate her own harsh, judgmental self-perception.

Top Heavy by Rhonda DeChambeau is a verse-style novel about Esme, a 15-year-old dancer navigating friendships, first love, financial hardships, family strengths and strains, medical concerns, body image, bullies, sexualization, and team dynamics. I wish this book would’ve existed when I was a kid/teenage dancer, but as an adult woman who does ballet just for fun now, it still left a memorable impact.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of Top Heavy by Rhonda DeChambeau. My comments are an independent, honest review.

This was a great short read. It really encapsulated what it's like to be a girl with a body that isn't like everyone else's. The way it approaches assault is fabulous. It empowers the victim without highlighting/glorifying their assailant. This would be an awesome resource for young girls (or anyone really) to broach the idea of assault and what to do when it happens, without making them afraid to take up space in the world.

Disclaimer: I was given access to this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

*Top Heavy* by Rhonda DeChambeau is a heartfelt, compassionate coming-of-age novel that delicately unpacks the weight—both physical and emotional—of living in a body that others can't stop commenting on. Through Esme’s deeply personal journey, Rhonda DeChambeau captures something far greater than teenage growing pains: she captures the quiet ache of wanting to feel *normal* in your own skin and the quiet strength it takes to claim that right.

Esme is one of the most vividly rendered protagonists I’ve read in a while. Her struggles with body image, chronic pain, bullying, and being objectified from an early age are told with raw honesty, but what makes her story shine is its deep *empathy*. Every sentence feels like it was written with care—and Ellie Gossage’s narration only enriches that, giving Esme’s voice texture, tremble, and joy.

But what truly elevates *Top Heavy* is the way it explores **the many faces of love**. From Esme’s grandmother who gently champions her comfort and confidence, to her mother’s fierce, exhausted devotion as she supports both a disabled husband and her daughter’s dreams—love is the unspoken thread binding everything together. We see Mia’s loyal (if imperfect) best friendship, Tod’s tender and respectful affection, the selfless act of Mia’s parents secretly paying for Esme’s dance tuition, and even the Elite team girls coming to stand beside Esme when it matters most.

This isn’t just a book about body image—it’s about *how people love one another through pain, through pride, through sacrifice.* And Esme? She learns to love herself in the process.

Highly recommended for readers of contemporary YA who want stories that feel real, hopeful, and full of emotional clarity.
(3.25 ⭐--> 4⭐rounded off)

3.5 rounded up to 4

This was a great audiobook. I thought the narrator did well and her pacing was good.
I thought the book itself was good too. You can feel the love of dance through this, even with the way the words went together. It seemed to have a flow and almost poetry-like feel to it. I appreciated the subject matter as it’s one that’s good to bring up to see someone who may be struggling with the same insecurities, as well as show others what someone may be feeling with that insecurity. Great job.

Top Heavy was a book I could have really used when I was 16 and a ballerina who was constantly struggling with how my body felt like a limitation to my success as a dancer. Esme's story felt so close to mine, and the poetry of Rhonda was so lyrical and spellbinding. I loved this book and it will stay with me forever.

This is a quick read but so much is packed into that time. I love reading books and watching movies and shows about dancers but unfortunately, especially for ballet, that often comes with body dysmorphia and shaming, eating disorders, and bullying because these are the real life struggles of dancers of all ages. This book addresses many of these topics so I’m glad it exists for teens to learn from.

The major plot point doesn’t occur until more than halfway through the book which I thought was a little late but it was still impactful.

Content warnings: sexual assault, sexualization of a minor, body shaming, disordered eating, bullying, medical content

Now, this is a bit unfortunate... but I listened to this on audio, and while the narrator performed beautifully, I would never for the life of me have guessed that this is a novel-in-verse if it wasn't for the blurb I previously read. The short passages that actually felt lyrical were far and in between, most of the story reading as, well... flat text without much emotional value. Me, unable to care for another big-boobed girl like myself?! Not my fault, surely.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending the ALC of the book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Top Heavy is a captivating story about Esme, a 15-year-old dancer who goes through many hardships: friendship breakups; bullying; financial hardships; medical issues; first love; sexaul assault; the sexualization of women's bodies, all while still finding support with friends and family.

However for me, the most touching topic of this beautiful book was self-love, learning to be yourself unapologetically, even if society keeps pulling you down.

The narrator did an amazing job of touching my heart and capturing the emotions of this moving book.

TW: Sexual Assault (on page), Body sexualization

This book resonated so much with me. Esme was me twenty-five years ago, as I tried to wrestle with changing friendships and first relationships and stressors at home—all in a body I didn’t like and was uncomfortable in.

Teen girls struggling with body image issues is not a new concept, but this book just did such a good job of making these issues approachable and enlightening and equalizing.

I listened to this audiobook, and I loved hearing Esme’s voice and her emotion as we learn her thoughts and insecurities. This was a quick listen, and I listened to the whole book almost in one session! The book is written in verse, which I absolutely love in YA novels because it really brings their thought structure to life for me.

Esme was witty and sensitive and powerful and talented and beautiful and flawed and real. I wish I could have read something like this at fifteen years old to see clearly that everything I was feeling was okay—to know that I was okay.

Esme is a competitive dancer dealing with all of the stresses of high school; were you involved in any sports/extracurricular activities as a teenager?

Fabulous novel in verse that addresses being large-busted and a dancer. She struggles with having to give up dancing because of her growing chest. She is constantly reminded of her large chest even by fellow dancers who bully her. It seems everyone defines Esme by her breasts. Even with family financial hardships, they explore breast reduction surgery.
Appreciate that DeChambeau included the importance of proper fitting bras and addresses non-rape sexual assault.

Enjoyed narration and pacing of Ellie Gossage.

A sensitive and heartfelt story about a high school girl with DD cups and a love of dance. It chronicles her struggle to be her best self while often being the subject of unwanted attention. She has to give up ballet and tap dancing because her body doesn’t conform, but she still leaps and twirls in her modern dance classes. Now she’s made the Elite 12 team but not all the other girls are welcoming of her achievement, playing mind tricks with her self esteem and confidence. It’s also a big-hearted story of friendship, family, and love. A confident debut! I look forward to reading more by this author. 4.5 rounded up.
My thanks to the author, publisher, #DreamscapeMedia, and #NetGalley for access to the audiobook of #TopHeavy for review purposes. It is now available.

The cover drew me in. The story kept my attention.

Esme has busty girl problems. (At least, that's what we used to call it, in my youth.) Things don't fit. People stare. Men grope. Everyone sexualizes you. Everyone tells you what you can or cannot be. Esme has to navigate all of these problems on top of embracing her emerging career as a dancer. Thankfully, she has a cool aunt to help her. And not just wish finding actually decent bras that provide the appropriate support, in and outside of dance.

Esme deals with a lot of negative self-talk, even while she recognizes that bullies are bullies and sexual assault is sexual assault. I found this compelling and sad. The groping and the aftermath were handled with a mixture of realism (however upsetting) and care.

I really just have one gripe: Can we please stop using "bitch"? I don't care if it's "realistic." This word is too loaded. If you think using it's a form of "taking back," like queer folks did for the word "queer," consider this: How are you using it? Always and forever maintaining the negative connection, right? That's what I find, here and almost everywhere else. And that's not reclamation or subversive in any way ... that's just cementing the word's negative connotations and even legitimizing the negativity, if you're a girl or woman or feminine-identifying. I find this particularly disturbing for a YA book.

The narration by Ellie Gossage was spot on. Each character had a distinct voice. The pace was just right.

Wow!! I was not expecting to be impacted the way I was from reading this!

I typically am not drawn to works written in verse but the description drew me in as I have personal experience with having a large chest early in life and wanted to see how the author handled it.

I consumed the audiobook and the narrator Ellie Gossage did a great job with matching her tempo to the style of the prose. Speaking at a very deliberate and slow metered pace.
While it was perfect for the verse style it wasn’t so great for me personally but it was an easy fix to speed it up. This changes the experience completely but for me it was for the better. The audiobook has a 3 hr and 30 minute run time at 1x speed so I was able to listed in under 2 hours at 2x speed.

As far as the story itself I think k it’s a must read for teens. It packs a lot into a relatively short story. The biggest impact for me was reading about the SA as for me growing up it was a common occurrence that I never thought twice about. We have come so far in society about educating people about what’s and what isn’t appropriate.

I really think this should be required reading for both boys and girls to get a glimpse into the on going’s of a life that you may have no idea of.

This book came out on June 10 so go grab your copy today as while I have the audiobook already, I’m
Going to get a print copy as well.


I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from Dreamscape Media through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc and alc!

top heavy was a beautifully impactful and heavy novel in verse — i have so much respect for authors that write in verse because, if done well, they can say so much in such few words. dechambeau does just that, and it resonated to me just as strongly as poet x did when i read it back around 2020.

top heavy tackles multiple different topics such as being a child from a low income family with a parent that has medical issues/bills, bullies, assault, and perhaps at the center, being a young woman with a body that society thinks they have the right to touch or comment on.

despite all of the depressing aspects highlighted in this verse novel, there are also plenty of good things: having a strong family unit, good friends, new friends found through your passion, and young love.

as for the audio, the narrated did a beautiful job reading and captured the emotion of the verse perfectly!

overall, top heavy deserves its spot right next to the poet x on the shelf, and will strongly resonate for with young female readers who struggle with their bodies, but learn to appreciate their beauty.

Top Heavy was a beautiful work, especially for those of us who might have struggled iwth body image or a tight budget at home. I was lucky enough to receive an audio arc and a physical copy, and honestly, without the physical copy, I don't know if I would have realized it was written in verse.

I really enjoyed the way the narration was paced and recording and it kept me engaged from start to finish.

A story about a dancer who is very aware of her body.

As an ex-dancer, I know how aware we are of our bodies. In leotards, in balancing, in partner work. Dance teachers slapping bums, stomachs, thighs; telling you to suck in and pull up - these are all completely routine.

It makes you feel like you are on show all the time and that everyone has the scrutinising eye of a dance teacher fixing your posture.

This is a novella on friendship, bullying, dealing with boys (the good and bad), dealing with economic divides, being supported by your family.

Despite the main tagline for this focusing on the sexual assault, this happened very late in the story and it is not graphic. I would feel fine giving this to middle grade readers.

I think I was expecting something more along the lines of Tiffany D. Jackson. Instead, this is short and sweet.

This was written in verse and I listened to this as an audiobook which flowed well and suited the language of dance well.

Audiobook gifted by publisher.