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A review by chaosdemonmonster
Brewbies by Cynthia St. Aubin, Kerrigan Byrne
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I like this book in theory but in reality it has some issues that I can't overlook that offset what the book claims to be about. It is sold as a body positive story but apparently that is only for the characters we are supposed to care about or like. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely good snippets of body positivity (and sex positivity) but then there are times when the authors felt the need to mention a man's "narrow shoulders" he was falsely advertising as wide because of the cut of his suit or "the extra flab beneath her arms threatened to knock over anyone who ventured too close" when talking about a protester we aren't supposed to side with. Being body positive is about more than just appreciating a woman with curves/body fat, its about not using aspects of their bodies to make judgements or force perspectives on other people.
There were some quotes that I did like though, my favorite being "If men didn't want us to lie to them, they shouldn't have made a world where we're burned for our truths" - beautifully stated view of the patriarchy. Snaps for things like that.
In closing, I encourage people, especially those who claim to want to be body positive, to remember that even those we don't like shouldn't be brought down for their appearance not being appreciated as ideal. To draw a comparison that wasn't an issue in this particular story - on the side of sex positivity that would be like saying you're sex positive but not accepting that Ace people exist and not wanting sex at all being negatively judged for that stance. Body positive is for all bodies just as sex positive is for allowing people to do what they want when it comes to sex and being supportive of those choices.
I am still giving this book 3 stars for the fact that it was a good time, a quick read, and (for the most part) inclusive. It was probably a bit longer than it needed to be and there were a few narrative choices that I found odd and broke tension in a way I didn't particularly find effectivesuch as ending a part with them obviously banging in the trailer to the point the shocks were bouncing and leaving to see a news van, then smash cut to days later and seeing the results of that only through narration? Odd choice that I'm surprised didn't get edited, but not a particularly horrible thing. but the decrement of stars was mainly for the things I mentioned above about body shaming. Usually that would have lead to a much lower score from me but the story was enjoyable enough and it came up infrequently enough that I could forgive it somewhat.
There were some quotes that I did like though, my favorite being "If men didn't want us to lie to them, they shouldn't have made a world where we're burned for our truths" - beautifully stated view of the patriarchy. Snaps for things like that.
In closing, I encourage people, especially those who claim to want to be body positive, to remember that even those we don't like shouldn't be brought down for their appearance not being appreciated as ideal. To draw a comparison that wasn't an issue in this particular story - on the side of sex positivity that would be like saying you're sex positive but not accepting that Ace people exist and not wanting sex at all being negatively judged for that stance. Body positive is for all bodies just as sex positive is for allowing people to do what they want when it comes to sex and being supportive of those choices.
I am still giving this book 3 stars for the fact that it was a good time, a quick read, and (for the most part) inclusive. It was probably a bit longer than it needed to be and there were a few narrative choices that I found odd and broke tension in a way I didn't particularly find effective