Title: What I Like About Me
Author: Jenna Guillame
Publisher: Peachtree Publishing
Publication date: April 1st, 2020 (originally February 26th, 2019 in the UK)
304 pages
4.5/5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis
You know all those movies where teenagers have, like, THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES? This vacation is probably not going to be that.
The last thing sixteen-year-old Maisie Martin thought she’d be doing over vacation is entering a beauty pageant. Not when she’s spent most of her life hiding her body from everyone. Not when her Dad is AWOL and her gorgeous older sister has returned to rock Maisie’s already shaky confidence. And especially not when her best friend starts flirting with the boy she’s always loved. But Maisie’s got something to prove.
As she writes down all the ways this vacation is going from bad to worse in her school-assignment journal, what starts as a homework torture-device might just end up being an account of how Maisie didn’t let anything, or anyone, hold her back.
Jenna Guillame’s American debut features a plus-size protagonist with a compelling, funny, and authentic narrative voice. This relatable and charming novel about friendship, confidence, and self-love will draw readers in as Maisie’s realistic emotional journey unveils the importance of embracing one’s body and celebrating one’s self.
Review
**Thank you to Peachtree Publishing, Netgalley, and Jenna Guillame for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review**
Trigger warning for: body shaming, body image issues, negative self talk
What I Like About Me is a thoughtful and insightful, yet entertaining and fun all in one. Set in Australia, the book follows Maisie, a 16 year old girl on her family trip for the summer. She’s brought Anna, her best friend, and desperately wants to make a move on Sebastian, her long time crush. When Anna and Sebastian hit if off, Maisie is left with Beamer, the irritating boy child who loves to mess with Maisie. You get a look into her romantic life, but the book is so much more than just her relationship status.
The overarching theme of What I Like About Me is body image positivity and learning to love yourself. The author explores how family and friends can impact your self esteem and the struggles of a young girl growing up overweight, or “less than” as society views it. It is heartfelt and was emotional at times. Maisie has low self esteem and the book really explores what it is like to go about a normal day in the life of someone without confidence.
One thing I would have loved to have seen was more on the romance side. I love the secret love trope but I wanted more. You don’t get to hear the backstory of how he fell in love with Maisie or what it is about her that draws him to her. This is a shorter book, so I feel the romance could have been expanded upon without it taking away from the theme of Maisie finding her love for herself, and coming to terms with her family.
I liked that there wasn’t a huge happily ever after. The ending was very realistic and didn’t end in the normal tropes. I appreciate that the author was authentic with the ending, because there was one easy way to make is unrealistic and she didn’t go for that.
Told through journal entrees, What I Like About Me offers a diverse contemporary on the topic of body weight and self confidence. Please read with caution if you struggle with negative self talk, low self confidence, and body image.
Happy reading, folks!
Baltimore Bibliophile 