First off, I want you to pay attention to my trigger warnings. This book was amazing but it is a hard read, my lovelies. Please take care of yourselves.

Second, wow this book was a surprise. I didn't know it was written in verse and is basically narrative poetry. I listened to it on audiobook and was initially confused by the structure but I quickly got swept up in the story. It really hits the ground running with the story and Lily's struggles. I also adore that Reid never really describes what the characters look like but describes how they make Lily (And us) feel. Because of that, when Lily gets attacked, bullied, and hurt, we hurt along with her. We get paranoid, angry, and bitter along with her and when she gets up, you cheer with her.

I also love how it switches between Lily and her mom, Bernadette, an obese woman with her own trauma and pain. It shows the different ways people hide in a fatphobic world and the different types of strength. Despite how much they want to give up on themselves, they refuse to give up on each other

I also appreciated the different forms of harm. Aidan and Stacie are the very obvious abuse, the words, the jeering, the violence but Molly made me see red. The complacency, the victim blaming and how she talked to Lily but only if no one saw them. Even the little "jokes" from neighbors and strangers.

5 stars but I'm reluctant to recommend it due to how heavy it is. That said, do you want a book about a fat person building their confidence from the bottom without the problematic diet messages, toxic positivity, or stereotypical physical transformation? This is it. 

TW: Blood, violence, bullying, body shaming and fatphobia, medical trauma, physical and emotional abuse, toxic friendship, Homophobia (Particularly against WLW), panic disorders and brief mentions of sexual coercion and suicidal thoughts.