ARC Review | To Be Honest by Maggie Ann Martin

To Be Honest by Maggie Ann Martin
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: August 21st, 2018
ARC from Netgalley

| Book Review |

To Be Honest was a book that wasn’t even on my radar until I saw Chelseadolling Reads mention it on her channel. It peaked my interest enough that I went right to Netgalley to see if it was available for request, and luckily it was! This book kicks off with a major change taking place in Savannah’s life as she and her mom move her sister, Ashley, to college. Ashley’s always been the buffer between Ashley and her mother, and since her mother is always after Savannah about her weight, she’s sure things won’t go well – and she’s right. I really loved Savannah’s character. Obviously she was aware she was overweight, but I didn’t feel like it defined every facet of her life all the time. There were obviously situations where it defined her more than it normally did, but I feel like, as a whole, Savannah’s bigger issue was her mother’s problem with her (Savannah’s) weight, not her own issue with it. Savannah cared about everyone around her. She was a good daughter, sister, and friend. There were times when I wished she’d stood up for herself, but I understand how a mother’s criticism of one area of your life can spill into others and make your confidence non-existent, even if only temporarily. It was sad to see things through Savannah’s eyes – with all of her friends starting relationships and her feeling like she was living life on the sidelines, and I think that’s the part of this book that resonated with me the most. I really liked Savannah’s best friend. She gave solid advice, and when Savannah needed her, she had no problem prioritizing Savannah over her boyfriend. She was constantly telling Savannah how great she was, and their friendship felt so genuine and precious. There was a cute little love story in To Be Honest, but it didn’t overwhelm the plot, and that was another thing I really loved. It didn’t seem like any one part of this story outshone another. Everything that was going on in Savannah’s life was equally important to her. Throughout this story, Savannah grew and started finding her own way and really honing in on what she wanted for herself, not just what was going to keep things comfortable for her, and I loved seeing her taking chances.

To Be Honest may be about an overweight young woman, but I think anyone who has ever felt like they didn’t measure up would enjoy this story and be able to identify with Maddie. I know I did.

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