To Be Honest
Books | Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Eating Disorders & Body Image
3.7
Maggie Ann Martin
An NPR Best YA Book of 2018The author of The Big F is back with another snappy, utterly relatable contemporary novel about loving yourself and forging your own path.Savannah is dreading being home alone with her overbearing mother after her big sister—and best friend—goes off to college. But if she can just get through senior year, she'll be able to escape to college, too. What she doesn't count on is that her mother's obsession with weight has only grown deeper since her appearance on an extreme weight-loss show, and now Savvy's mom is pressuring her even harder to be constantly mindful of what she eats. Between her mom's diet-helicoptering, missing her sister, and worrying about her collegiate future, Savvy has enough to worry about. And then she meets George, the cute new kid at school who has insecurities of his own. As Savvy and George grow closer, they help each other discover how to live in the moment and enjoy the here and now before it disappears.To Be Honest is another sharp, witty novel from Maggie Ann Martin, about a spunky heroine who is dealing with very real issues—body image, parental pressure, loneliness, first love, and finding your way—with heart and humor.Praise for To Be Honest:"Savvy’s story is a welcome one in today’s YA market and will help spread a much-needed message to teens about parental mental health issues and the potential dangers of diet culture." —School Library Journal, starred review"I love that the book, itself, is not obsessed with its plus-size main character. ... It's a shame that books like this are so few and far between." —NPR"To Be Honest captures the struggle to be proud of who you are and to find the courage to live boldly, no matter your shape or size ... For fans of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Dumplin’." —GERM Magazine
AD
Buy now:
More Details:
Author
Maggie Ann Martin
Pages
304
Publisher
Feiwel & Friends
Published Date
2018-08-21
ISBN
1250184746 9781250184740
Community ReviewsSee all
"Quick read. Very predictable. Wasnt a huge fan of the book"
K
Katie
"I really wanted to like this book. No not just like it, love it. A book about teenage angst and body positivity sounds full of teachable moments, but I think the book kind of fell short of what it could have been. The book seemed to have too many directions and there wasn't really one clear path for the reader to go, "Here is what this book means!" The development of the teenage love story was sweet and yet was confusing then just swiftly resolved. The inner workings of her family felt like it should have been more of the focus than it really was. However it ended up being all over the place with nothing to really weigh it down clearly. Then there is the drama of her school and the recruitment program. I felt like this could have been a solid plot line as well but jumped forward so much that you couldn't even get in to it. I like the fact that Savvanah is such a staunch supporter of loving yourself the way you are but I feel that this was not really shown well enough in any of the situations."
Renee Delcourt