I have had my eye on To Be Honest for quite awhile. Ever since I heard about it, I knew I wanted to read it. To Be Honest has a plus sized main character who is dealing with a few things. Thanks to the author, publisher and Xpresso Book Tours, I had the chance to read and review!
To Be Honest
Maggie Ann Martin
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: August 21st 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Savannah is dreading being home alone with her overbearing mother after her sister goes off to college. But if she can just get through senior year, she’ll be able to escape to college, too. What she doesn’t count on is that her mother’s obsession with weight has only grown deeper since her appearance on an extreme weight-loss show, and now Savvy’s mom is pressuring her even harder to be constantly mindful of what she eats.
Between her mom’s diet-helicoptering, missing her sister, and worrying about her collegiate future, Savvy has enough to worry about. And then she meets George, the cute new kid at school who has insecurities of his own. As Savvy and George grow closer, they help each other discover how to live in the moment and enjoy the here and now before it disappears.
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Review
I started To Be honest on the train ride to work and when I had to get off the train, I was already halfway thourgh the book. I think that’s a pretty good sign when reading a book! I read the other half on my way home and loved this book.
Savannah is used to having her sister around to be a buffer between Savannah and their mother. Ever since her parents divorced and her mother went on a weight loss show, things have changed. When Savannah is around her mother all she gets are remarks about her weight or what she’s eating. This makes her upset and uncomfortable.
Savannah is trying to be happy with her body, but her mother isn’t helping. With her sister being off to college, a lot has changed. They’re not far apart in age, so they’ve always been close. Savannah has to do senior year on her own and that isn’t easy. Her best friend Gtrace is a big help though.
When school starts, a new kid comes to the school and Savannah tutors him. George is such a fun character. To Be Honest is amazing when it comes to characters. The love interest isn’t a jock for once, but a shy guy who plays the saxophone. This was really refreshing. I love how they flirt/tease each other and really become close. Savannah and George help each other more than they know.
On top of everything Savannah is dealing with, she takes on an investigative artile for the school newspaper that could turn everything upside down.Savannah is a smart girl and is starting to realize following her sister to the same college, may not be the dream she want s to chase after anymore.
To Be Honest had me laughing and I even she a few tears. Savannah is such a smart and strong character who is doing her best to lover her body. Her mother makes this really hard and the relationship with her father is strained. Certain events make things difficult, but wakes her up as well. She needs to be happy with herself and her mother needs to deal with her own problems.
What I also loved about this story is the fact that Savannah tells us about her journey of learning to love her body and even that she is still insecure. Savannah is a real person who even has anxiety attacks. She is nowhere near perfect and accepts that. To Be honest is a wonderful book because of that. A lot of books have characters who are obsessed with losing weight to be “perfect”, but To Be Honest shows us that it’s okay to be happy with who you are. Instead of the obsessive dieting and exercise routines her mother throws herself into. Savannah becomes so strong in this book and starts figuring out what she wants in life.
The romance in this book was adorable as well. George isn’t the typical male character in a contemporary, as I said before. He’s insecure and trying to find his way in a new school as well. Dealing with his feelings for Savannah, he makes some mistakes, but takes responsibility for them. He accepts Savannah for who she is and that’s so nice to see. Savannah and George are so cute together and I loved watching them get closer.
I could talk about this book all day! I really secretly hope we get another book about Savannah in college. I would love to know how she is doing. If you’re a contemporary lover who wants a book about accepting who you are and a cute romance, To Be Honest is for you!
Blog Tour
Of course I’m not the only stop on this blog tour. If you want to check out the other amazing blogs participating click here. The links are updated daily, so you can follow the tour.
Author Bio:
Maggie Ann Martin hails from Iowa City, Iowa but moonlights as a New Yorker. She has a shiny new BA in English and Journalism from the University of Iowa, the most welcoming literary community in the world. When she is not writing, you can find her binge watching TV shows or passionately fangirling over fictional characters on the Internet. The Big F is her debut novel.
GIVEAWAY!
There is a tour wide giveaway (sorry only for US/CAN readers). You have a chance to win a print copy of To Be Honest. The giveaway is open until August 30th.
I really loved this book and recommend it to any contemporary readers! Do you plan on reading To Be Honest?
This sounds really honest and easy to relate to! Great review, Candyce! This sounds right up my alley!
Very easy to relate to! I loved this book.