Representation: Biracial (half white and half Latina, but self-identifying as brown and Fat,) Black and Asian characters
Trigger warnings: Body shaming, internalised body shaming, racism, internalised racism, cultural appropriation, eating disorder, restrictive dieting, grief and loss depiction, death of a father in the past
Score: Six and a half out of ten.
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This one was alright. I wanted to read Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado for a while but put it off for a few months before finally getting it at a library. I glanced at the blurb, which didn't seem too unappealing, but the ratings were below four stars, so I lowered my expectations. When I closed the final page, I thought it was okay.

It starts with Charlie Vega recounting her life as a self-identified Fat (uppercase) brown (lowercase) girl with her (white) mother, and her dynamics with other people at school. It sure sounds like a slow beginning in the opening pages when I think about it, and the pacing continues to be this way from there. I liked the message of accepting yourself as who you are, but Fat Chance, Charlie Vega tried to do too much and I didn't know what the central storyline was supposed to be.

There are two narratives: one is a romance and another is a discussion on issues like body shaming and racism, and the narrative tried to do both at once but didn't concentrate on any, but perhaps only focusing on one would be better. I found the juxtaposition between the lighthearted first theme and the serious second theme to be jarring, too. The giddy tone was hard to read at times, and so was the toxic dynamic of Charlie and her mother, but at least I liked the characters, though they were not easy to connect or relate with, even though Charlie developed her character. The exploration of intersectionality is also an appreciated touch. Did I mention Charlie's (Latino) father passed before the plot started? The climax is enjoyable as Charlie starts a relationship with Brian, then they broke up, and then got back together again. ( )

While, at 57, I found myself rolling my eyes at some parts of this book - at times, Charlie played the victim a bit too much, IMO - I have no doubt that I would have loved it when I was in high school. I didn't think the conflict with the mother was really resolved. I'd have liked to know more about why she acted the way she did toward Charlie, particularly after having been heavy herself and having what appeared to be a happy, successful marriage. Something there didn't quite compute for me. But I appreciated that Cal didn't try to publicly humiliate Charlie, which was the obvious trope and where I thought it was going. And I definitely appreciated the diversity. I thought that the lesson Charlie learned was a valuable one. This was a decent read. ( )

Cute and quick.

I think it’s great that a book like this exists. I think a lot of young women have been in Charlie’s shoes and they’ll appreciate a book with this POV ( )

Digital audiobook performed by Carla Vega

From the book jacket: Charlie Vega is a lot of things. Smart. Funny. Artistic. Ambitious. Fat. People sometimes have a problem with that last one. Especially her mom. Charlie wants a good relationship with her body, but it's hard, and her mom leaving a billion weight loss shakes on her dresser doesn't help. The world and everyone in it have ideas about what she should look like: thinner, lighter, slimmer-faced, straighter-haired. Be smaller. Be whiter. Be quieter.

My reactions
This is a wonderful coming-of-age story that deals with body image, friendship, parent/child relationships, and societal expectations. Charlie is a strong young woman, mostly sure of herself, though plagued with self-doubt (as are most teenagers). Her feelings of inadequacy are compounded by media messages that “thin is in.” Thank heavens she has a great best friend, Amelia. And now a cute guy, Brian, seems to be interested in her, so things are looking up. But first love is rarely ever a smooth road.

It's how Charlie deals with the bumps in the road that really endears her to me. She’s smart, funny, kind, loyal and determined. I liked how Maldonado treated this first romance, and how the teens dealt with expectations, whether those of friends, each other, parents, teachers, or their own. And I really liked how Charlie found a way to shine and show her considerable talent.

Carla Vega does a wonderful job of narrating the audiobook. She really brought Charlie to life for me. ( )

Charlie is relatable, her mom is horrible, but she has the support of friends. Such a cute story! ( )