Just Wreck It All

by N. Griffin

Crippled with guilt after causing a horrific accident two years earlier, sixteen-year-old Bett’s life is a series of pluses and minuses. But when the pluses become too much to outweigh the minuses, Bett is forced to confront her self-harming behavior in this stirring and powerful novel about self-forgiveness.

Bett’s life is a series of pluses and minuses: good moments she believes she doesn’t deserve, and self-punishments that she believes she does.

Two years ago Bett was athletic, fearless, and prone to daredevil behavior (fizzicle feats, she called them). But when a dare gone wrong leaves her best friend severely and permanently injured, everything changes. Now, Bett is extremely overweight, depressed, and forbids herself from enjoying anything in life, from her favorite sports to having friends—anything she determines to be a plus. But some pluses can’t be avoided, and when that happens, Bett punishes herself through binge eating. As long as she can keep the pluses and minuses balanced, she can make it through another day.

Then, on the first day of junior year, it’s immediately clear that Bett has to shift gears. The driver of the small motley crew on the bus with her is also the school’s track coach who is hell-bent on recruiting them all for his team. And running happens to be Bett’s favorite thing to do, which means it’s the last thing she’ll allow herself to do, or else she’ll have to minus each run out with a dozen Hostess cupcakes. Not only that, but there’s a vandal destroying all the art at the school, and Bett finds herself and her new teammates at the forefront of the rebellion against the vandal—despite the fact that this rebellion involves the very same fizzicle feats Bett swore she’d NEVER do again. Suddenly Bett’s life is full of pluses, too many to balance with even a grocery store’s worth of cupcakes. And she finds herself agonizing: Should she continue to punish herself for enjoying life when her best friend can’t in the same way? Or should she finally allow herself to live again?

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Fiction, Friendship, Novels, Teen

353 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

N. Griffin is the the author of the young adult novel THE WHOLE STUPID WAY WE ARE, for which she was named one of Publishers Weekly’s Flying Start Authors of 2013. Her other works for young adults include JUST WRECK IT ALL and TRIGGER, which is coming out on March 29, 2022.

Ms. Griffin also writes a series of cheerful mysteries for younger readers called SMASHIE MCPERTER INVESTIGATES. Titles in that series include SMASHIE MCPERTER AND THE MYSTERY OF ROOM 11, SMASHIE MCPERTER AND THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING GOOP, and SMASHIE MCPERTER AND THE SHOCKING ROCKET ROBBERY, which is coming out in March 2022.

Reviews

[Gina Beirne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't normally write a full review, but I feel the need to do so to contradict all the negative reviews. This book is NOT about fat-shaming. It's about a girl's growth and return to her true self after an accident occurs involving her best friend that she feels responsible for. The language of the book is beautiful, and I love the imagery of the caddis houses as a metaphor for Bett's emergence from her PTSD.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one started super-slow for me. I was a fair bit into the story before I rested easily in the flow of the dialogue. I was restive through the first few scenes with Eddie. The headspace of Bett was uncomfortably real, and felt very authentic. She was so believable and broken that my heart ached. The arc of her growing understanding was a muted shine under every paragraph, getting brighter throughout the book. The part where two grackles landed at her feet as she was talking to Hugh Munin... If that was not a nod to the Allfather, I don't want to know.

I wish the people writing reviews accusing this book of fat shaming would actually read it. There is a lot of interesting stuff going on with Bett as she tries to cope with the unthinkable. The disordered eating is part of what's going on. There's no shame, other than what Bett's generating herself, in a totally believable fashion. The people who offer concern about her change in weight/behaviour are not coming in to change her back, they are rather trying to get a handle on what has been going on with her since the unthinkable.

Disclaimer: I know and adore the author and I try not to let that get in my way when I review.

[Susann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always kick myself when I am slow to review my recent reads. But it is a testament to Griffin's wonderful novel that her characters are as fresh in my mind now as they were a couple of months ago.

Griffin suspensefully weaves past and present to reveal the demons facing both Bett and [purposely vague to avoid spoilers] some others. Bett is inherently strong, in so many ways, that her struggle between self-restoration and self-destruction is an all-out war. I wanted so much to reach into the pages and help her.

The dialogue among Bett's friends made me laugh, and I loved watching her mom and aunt hanging out together. A big Mm-Hmm to that line about how Bett's dad acts when he is with strong, competent women.

I've seen some reviews mention an element of fat shaming. That is just not here, and I can only imagine that the reviewers harping on about this did not actually read the book. They certainly missed the central theme of compassion.

I loved the bit about whalers so much.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not fat-shaming. This book talks about some very serious, very real topics, and does it very well. The plot kept me interested, the characters were just crazy enough for me to take them seriously, and the problems they were facing are problems that we, as teenagers, should have more books about. Five stars!

[Ann Cardinal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Griffin's writing is just beautiful, quiet and cerebral. And she tells the stories of teens, like Bett, whose lives don't fit into neat trope boxes. Bett is wounded and complicated and trying to make her way through the world, coping how ever she can. I related to her, felt for her, rooted for her. It deals openly with female friendships, self-respect challenges, and trauma. I loved every page of it.

[Rain · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bitch, fat-shaming is unacceptable in 2018.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tend to be suspicious of quirky characters. The ones that are defined by their wacky outfits, or the unicycle they ride, or any of a host of supposedly idiosyncratic qualities. At first I thought Just Wreck It All might be too heavy on the quirks for me to enjoy. Reading more closely, however, I realized that I was looking superficially at Bett's mom insulating their tiny house with books, and Ranger throwing in the word "cakes" every other word. (Ranger seems young for a seventh grader, but as a veteran of working in middle school, I can confirm that some seventh graders are very young.) What we have here is a town, and a school, filled with people who are quirky, yes, and also very real.

Watching Bett punish herself is painful. Being with Bett as she reconnects to the world is a joyful, moving, and sometimes hilarious experience. Bett is fat, and she is strong and beautiful, athletic and loyal.

(For those who have read the book, my favorite scene was definitely the part where "any and all arms" must be surrendered. "As if she were psychic, it happened exactly the way Bett thought it would with this group of yahoos.")

Disclosure: I know the author. If I hadn't been impressed with this book, I wouldn't have reviewed it at all.

Reviews of Just Wreck It All that are not by me:
Kirkus Reviews https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
School Library Journal https://www.slj.com/?reviewDetail=jus...

[Xan]

The blurb makes it pretty obvious that this book is full of fat hatred. Nope not gonna read it.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has been sitting on my TBR ever since it came out and I’m honestly just glad it’s finished. Not to hate on anybody who genuinely enjoyed the book, but it just wasn’t my favorite.

[Hillary · Rating 5 out of 5]

In full disclosure, the author of this book is an old friend of mine, and I am so proud of her because this book is so good! And I am not just saying that. Yes, I love that I can hear her voice in some of Bett’s words, but Bett herself is a truly unique character and she felt so real to me. The plot is really compelling and well-paced, with surprises and then more surprises. (To counter some of the early reviews, this book is NOT about fat-shaming, for heaven’s sake. Someone even tells Bett that being fat and being beautiful are not mutually exclusive. Did you even read the book?)

[Jonah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I almost never write reviews but I'll make an exception for this slimy pile of shit. between the 400+ pages worth of fat shaming and the horrible writing style I damn near developed an eating disorder while trying to get through this book. The only thing that stopped me from shoving a gun in my mouth around 2/3rds of the way through was the two brownies I tried to inhale moments before.

I firmly believe that all literature has a right to exist, but some things, like this book, are best recorded on an appropriate medium, such as the wall of a seedy truckstop shitter in backwoods Mississippi. If Isis published a fat shaming manifesto it would read better than this.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just Wreck it All by N. Griffin, 336 pages. Atheneum (Simon), 2018. $19.

Language: PG-13 ( 80 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS – NOT RECOMMEDED

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

Two years ago Bett was athletic, fearless, and prone to daredevil behavior (fizzicle feats, she called them). But when a dare gone wrong leaves her best friend severely and permanently injured, everything changes. Now, Bett is extremely overweight, depressed, and forbids herself from enjoying anything in life, from her favorite sports to having friends—anything she determines to be a plus. But some pluses can’t be avoided, and when that happens, Bett punishes herself through binge eating. As long as she can keep the pluses and minuses balanced, she can make it through another day.

There were not many things I liked about this book. There were too many stories going on and not enough time spent on any of those stories. For starters, I disliked her name Bett. I had trouble remember if she was a boy or a girl early on in the book. I kept waiting for it to be a nickname, but no, Bett was her name. The pluses and minuses she gave herself were also confusing. A plus was good, but also bad. She wanted a plus, but didn't, so she would punish herself by eating too much if she got too many pluses. I understand girls can binge eat, but in this story I couldn't quite tell if Bett was fat from binge eating, or just a big girl. Sometimes I felt like she was fat, but then she would be off climbing something or running extremely fast, so I guess ""fat"" was just the perception of herself, except for her binge eating should make her fat. Confusing, right? Griffin added to many heavy topics into this novel; divorce, infidelity, abuse, vandalism, eating disorders, death, etc. It was just too much for me. All of the story lines was weak on each topic. The one thing I did like about this book was the cover, which is unfortunate because students will check this book out because of the cover, but be sorely disappointed by the plot. I also liked the bus driver Eddie's character. He was such a gruff, harsh guy but I felt like the kids on the bus connected with him and eventually knew how much he cared about them. Overall, I did not enjoy this book and would not recommend it.

Jessica Nelson Media Specialist
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2019...

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea that this is a fat shaming book is beyond me. There is a difference between fat shaming and being concerned with the downward spiral of someone's mental and physical well-being after a traumatic event.

Maybe I am more understanding of this because I have battled a similar situation. Due to a very traumatic childhood I was very obese throughout my teens and most of my twenties. It wasn't until my late twenties and early 30s that I was able to begin to see the damage I was causing to my health and that was just the beginning.

Much like Bett, it is not about the weight and what you are doing to your body but WHY. Until you clean your back yard the front yard might change but it will not hold the same. In this way, Bett is a very realistic portrayal of someone going through the trials of someone not just dealing with the physical consequences of her actions but having to resolve the trauma behind those actions for true long-term resolution.

Additionally, those around her are not fat shaming her in approaching Bett about the way her entire life and very being has shifted since the trauma that caused her to spiral down. They are trying to support her in a healing process that is necessary for her to move past the trauma and regain both her physical, and more importantly, her mental wellbeing.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

About a quarter of the way through, I realized this was one of the “gotta” books, as in I gotta see what happens next and the heck with the laundry, the deadline and the hungry cats (okay, not that last).

I found Griffin’s book humorous, sad, light-hearted, relatable, timely and well-written. “…both of them laughed so hard and so long that no sound came out and the last part of the bus ride was over before they knew it because the laugh was as wide as a week.”

I cared about these characters and their situations, wanted to hug the hurt ones and tell them they could trust me: I’d listen and maybe together we could make it better. It seemed every time I wanted to cry, Griffin threw in humor and I’d find myself smiling instead.

And then the end, tumbling together unexpectedly in some ways, incomplete in others—you know, like life?

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected this YA book to be predictable and maybe even too depressing, but it’s neither of those things. There are a lot of subplots with twists and turns that cannot be given away in the description. There were several times that I was laughing out loud over dialogue between Bett and the boys on the bus.

Also, this book does NOT fat shame as others have suggested (I suspect from just reading the premise). Weight loss is not salvation in this book. Boys tell Bett she is beautiful (at her bigger size), and Bett is still a great athlete at her bigger size. She binge eats as a way to numb her feelings after a traumatic incident. Bett is a complex, intelligent, funny, athletic, strong, compassionate person. I will recommend this book to my students for years to come.

[Harold Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot that I didn’t understand about Bett. She came off as schizoid but I’m not sure why she chose to hang out with a bunch of characters who have little to do with her struggles with binge-eating. Until I realized that these teens exist to reveal something out of Bett’s life. This novel follows a third-person perspective that is a little more distanced from the protagonist. I like the bird’s eye view of Bett’s life as she goes from outgoing to isolating herself. Just be ready because the author’s voice in this book is all over the place.

[Emerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the book was very good. I love how N. Griffin flashback between two years ago and now. Then she makes both sides come together and explains what actually happened. I love how she explains how her pluses are her way of never forging her self and that at the same time it makes feel sad for Bett having to do that. Never let your self enjoy anything in life anymore, I wondered why she was always so protective of Ranger but, as the book goes on it slowly became more and more clear. l

[kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I say I struggled to get into this book, I mean I struggled. Literally nothing but boring flashbacks and predictable plot for the first half of the story. 1 star for that.

The second half picks up. Still predictable, but at least there's a bit more action. 3 stars for the 2nd half.

Average of 2 stars for the whole book.

[Christopher Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book because it has a great moral/lesson to "never give up" and "don't let others affect you in a negative way". I honestly think there should be a sequel to this book because it is awesome and I loved how the book explained how Stephenie was injured because most authors don't even consider putting in that much detail. I loved it. -Christopher Wheeler

[Quinn Kincayde · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book about finding yourself and dealing with self-loathing. Between the two time periods of the book, the current time and two years before, you get to see why Bett is struggling with body and mind issues. Very well thought out topic that we executed fantastically.

[CR · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one I DNFed early on I just really didn't like the story and the writing style. It just wasn't for me at all.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

She did an amazing job at writing real characters in this book. The emotions and anxieties were easy to feel and it made the story that much more authentic.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads more like a middle school book, despite Bett being a junior. I think the inclusion of Bett's eating disorder could have been done better, but I liked the overall resolution.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

really a 2.5

[Dulcey Heller · Rating 5 out of 5]

5-

[Jessica Nelson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Beautiful cover, not a great story.

[Rhiannon Rabby | 31 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Super boring. I didn’t like it at all.

[Vanessa]

to-read

[Martine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Five things:

- Mental health & guilt
- Veterans
- Art
- Cross country team
- Single parent

[Ivari Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book. Not fatphobic, just a girl who hates looking fat. It's different.