The Big Reveal

by Jen Larsen

A dazzling YA novel about a girl who isn't afraid to be big and sexy and dance her heart out, and a discussion-provoking exploration of the mixed messages our society gives young women about their bodies and sexuality.

Addie is a talented dancer, a true-blue friend, fat, fierce, and driven. When she's accepted into the prestigious dance program of her dreams, she thinks nothing can bring her down—until she realizes she doesn't have enough money to go. Refusing to give up, Addie and her friends decide to put on a top-secret, invitation-only burlesque show to raise funds. But word soon gets out, and the slut- and body-shaming begin. Has Addie been resisting the patriarchy, or playing right into its hands?

Perfect for fans of Jennifer Mathieu and E. Lockhart, The Big Reveal asks hard-hitting feminist questions while reveling in some of life's greatest joys: chasing your passions, falling in love, and embracing yourself exactly as you are.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, Feminism, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult Contemporary

304 pages, Hardcover

First published December 7, 2021

About the author

Jen Larsen is the author of Future Perfect and Stranger Here: How Weight Loss Surgery Transformed My Body and Messed With My Head. She has an MFA in creative writing from the University of San Francisco and currently lives in Vancouver, BC. Find her at jenlarsen.net.

Reviews

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the project of this book. It's about a talented dancer embracing her fat body and taking ownership of her life, along with a great group of friends and found family. The messages about body positivity, pushing back on fatphobia and misogyny, the double standards of controlling how girls use and display their bodies but not boys, addressing sexual harassment and online bullying...all of that is amazing. I loved the project, but the actual narrative was a bit of a mixed bag for me.

The beginning and end of the book are very strong. I was sucked in and quickly got a sense of who the main characters were and why I should care. The last part of the book was amazing, though it might bug readers who don't like soapboxing in their books. The main character gives a speech and I was HERE FOR IT! That said, the middle of the book really drags. It feels repetitive and doesn't have enough tension driving the story forward. There are great moments, but it feels too long. And this book is only 300 pages, so we either needed the major conflict to create tension earlier, or it needed to be shorter. Also note that while the messaging is great, the main character experiences a lot of fatphobia, misogyny, and sexual harassment. There were times where it felt like a lot, maybe more than we needed on page to get the point. So content warnings for all of that. Still, there's something valuable here and I think there are readers who might love it. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Michaela Bergland · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5 stars)

I had so much fun reading this book! The Big Reveal follows Addie, a passionate, fierce, fat dancer. She's accepted to her dream dance program but can't afford to go, so she and her friends create an underground burlesque show to help her raise the money she needs. It's an empowering story about self-acceptance, friendship, and feminism.

Seeing these four best friends celebrate and be confident in their bodies was so empowering, and this is definitely a story I wish I'd had in high school! They're unapologetically themselves, and it gives them the confidence to challenge and combat their school's ridiculous dress codes, which often require the girls to leave class to change their clothes for showing shoulders, yet dress them in skimpy costumes for their performances.

Overall, this was a fun, empowering read, and there's even a little romance subplot, which I enjoyed as well. All of the characters are easy to root for and love, it's a quick read, and I'd definitely recommend it!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Rameela (Star) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initial Thoughts: I loved the discussion about fatphobia and sl*t shaming and the student dress code! This was really great and fun to read with all of the self love and great and supportive friendships!

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Won via goodreads giveaways, all my opinions are my own.
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3.5 stars 🌟


Had fun while reading this:)

Loved:
The friendship between our main characters 💖
Addie's confidence in herself

Certain events that happened in the book after word gets out about what they are doing

I was high fiving Addie after her speech

Cons:
I thought the romances could have been more developed but also glad they didn't take away from the main plot.

Wish there had been more scenes with dancing 💃 🕺 from everyone.

Parts of the book were slow but not boring.


Overall, a good read 📚 👍

[AJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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I wasn't even finished with the book and I started crying happy tears. Just... wow. The Big Reveal is about celebrating your body, being confident in and loving who you are, and standing up to those who try to make you feel inferior. The book follows Addie, a fat dancer who gets into her dream summer dance program in Milan... but the only problem is, she is broke and can't cough up the $6,000 tuition money to go. Addie and her friends concoct a scheme: an underground burlesque show fundraiser!
I can't give this book enough compliments, I adored it so much! The writing really hits hard—if I had a physical copy, I would want to annotate this (and for those who don't know me: I don't ever annotate books). The writing has a few moments where the writing is intentionally inspirational, but sometimes it makes the reading all the better when you lean into it. The plot seemed to be moving fast at first, but there's a ton of reveals that are packed into the ending so it makes sense how it's paced. Also, if I had a wig and could sew... I would totally be doing a cosplay photoshoot. The characters were all super sweet once I got the names all straight: in addition to Addie, there's Katherine, Taylor, and Nevaeh in the core friend group; then we meet Jack, who is super cute but can be an absolute MORON at times; Gavin, the flirt that just can't seem to quit it; and Christopher, the— Well, I'll just say I don't like him, and you won't either. On the topic of characters, which in my mind leads to romance, I will say: this is not meant to be a romance-heavy book. It is first and foremost a piece about self-confidence and being angry about body-shaming and slut-shaming. However... there is a cute romantic subplot, and I really enjoyed it!
I can't gush enough about The Big Reveal. It made my heart so full, and I'm so happy to have received an ARC of it because now I can promote it until long past its publishing date. When I say this book is fierce, I mean that it's passionate and angry, and I'm fully supportive of that lifestyle. 5 stars.

[Jacqueline Firkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful and empowering read that examines society’s often narrow vision of how girls should look, dress, move, and act—and how those rules are often quite different from the rules for boys. Four close friends launch an underground burlesque show in order to fund a vital dance scholarship. While doing so, they discover the power of owning their bodies and their sexuality, of loving themselves and inviting others to love them, too. They also face the backlash and shaming that often come with any kind of public self-ownership, particularly for bodies that don’t fit a conventionally acceptable mode in today’s society. Anyone who’s struggled to find confidence while bombarded with messages that they’re not good enough, slim enough, modest enough, or in any other way deficient by standards someone else has set for them, will see themselves in Addie’s fight to love herself, flaws, fat, and all. And when she dances, when she owns the spotlight, her joy flies off the page.

[René · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the best possible combination of Noteworthy and One to Watch. A very sweet read with amazing group chemistry and memorable characters (and yes, Taylor was absolutely my favorite). Addie's confidence is magnetic and charming, and the story fits perfectly with the feminist and body positive message of the whole book. Also, representation! Gay, bi, and demi character!

[Britt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Addie found out that she got the dance opportunity she's always dreamed of...but not the scholarship she'd need to actually attend. So, what does a girl do? Organize an underground burlesque performance, of course! And with some help from her friends, that's exactly what she does.

Ok, so this is not the book's fault, but I did not think about how deeply uncomfortable I would be reading about children (they are seniors in high school, but still) taking off their clothes. I just couldn't do it. I skipped/skimmed the burlesque parts. And without that element, the book is kind of a run of the mill contemporary that requires a decent amount of suspension of disbelief. Like, Addie needs six thousand dollars. Addie goes to a school for rich people and has very good friends who could probably help her out. She could also get a job. Or a loan. Or search for another scholarship. Addie instead decides to do the burlesque thing and then is completely unprepared for the consequences. I don't know, I just didn't completely buy it and so was never fully invested in the "stakes". There's some good stuff around body positivity (Addie is fat) and feminism and double standards around how women are dressed, but I've read other books that make a similar point with stronger premises (Dumplin' or Pumpkin by Julie Murphy spring to mind). There's also a unconsensual sexting subplot that is handled inappropriately by everyone involved that left me feeling super uncomfy. I'm hoping that goes through some major revisions before the book actually comes out.

So, this wasn't for me, but I think a lot of teenage girls, the actual intended audience, will probably like it. I'll recommend it to folks who love them some teen movies, because this is that, in book form. For me, it was just ok. 2 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and MacMillan for the eARC, which I received in exchange for an unbiased review. The Big Reveal will be out in early December.

[Mary Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read the big reveal by Jen Larson. It is a contemporary YA about a dancer at a performing arts school… and she is fat. I love it! She has gotten in a summer dance program in Milan, but is a little short on the funds to make her dreams come true. She and her friends set up series of pop-up secret burlesque shows to raise money for her. The story is a nice little contemporary YA coming of age story. I love that. But where this book shines is in the growth we see in the main character. She starts the story loving herself and confident. YES! I want more books like this. As we follow her we see her find her voice. We see her stand up to people. She doesn’t settle and she knows her worth. She knows she is worth fighting for. She also knows her body is nothing to be ashamed of. A woman’s body and how she feels in it are not a moral issue. I love books with moxie and this one has it in spades. It says women should be treated equally and my body is my business. And furthermore, it says I want to celebrate my body and the way it looks right now. This books it body positive, sex positve, and empowering for women. I really enjoyed this book.

[maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! The characters, first off, were so amazingly human and well fleshed out! I enjoyed how we heard Addie's inner thoughts and struggles with feeling comfortable and owning her skin, and yet we get to see her grow as well. The plot was quick and snappy, and it drew me in very quickly. This story is definitely character based, rather than plot based, which is amazing thanks to the main cast's diversity and unapologetic acceptance of themselves. I think Addie really captures what it's like being a fat girl in high school in our society, with realistic struggles that make readers reflect on their own experiences.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! I love the body positivity and astounding message being relayed that our bodies are beautiful fat and all. A must read for anyone who’s ever wanted to stick it to the administrations who body shame due to dress codes and bare shoulders. A wonderful way to take back the narrative and be proud of the way women are. Beautiful!

[Lindsay (pawsomereads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is perfect for fans of Moxie and Watch Us Rise! It has such a great message about body positivity and girl power. Addie is so easy to root for, I admired her confidence and drive so much. I'm always looking to recommend YA books with plus-size characters who own who their own narrative and I'm so glad I have this one to share with others now!

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an ARC of this book.

This novel was an enjoyable, thought provoking read. Addie and her close-knit group of friends are all seniors attending an arts boarding school in Michigan. Although most kids who attend the school are well off, Addie is there on scholarship. When she is accepted into the dance program of her dreams in Milan, she is crushed to learn that it doesn't come with funding, forcing her to figure out how to get thousands of dollars to pursue her dreams.

Addie's mom cannot help her with the money, as she is already in debt and hardly listens to a word Addie says in the first place. So she and her friends hatch a plan to put on a secret, invite only burlesque show in an little-used storage area on campus to raise the money.

Other plotlines include Addie's rough relationship with her diet-obsessed mom, Addie's strong relationship with her mentor, encounters with a misogynistic student who sends a lot of unsolicited dick pics, an enviable group of friends, and boy problems, with an old flame and a new love interest.

This story does have a happy ending, but it will also leave you thinking. Many people may think that a bunch of teenagers doing a burlesque show on school grounds is wrong, but the author makes a compelling argument of why it isn't. Who gets to control the narratives about our bodies? Why are skimpy unitards okay for school-backed performances but no one can wear spaghetti straps in class? Why is okay to say that people, especially femmes, are asking for it if they wear "revealing" clothing? What even is revealing clothing? Why is it even less okay for fat people to celebrate their bodies?

Although this was a quick, fun read with a happy ending, it has left me thinking about the issues it brings up.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend of mine, Jen, proudly announce that a friend of hers, Jen Larsen, had a new book coming out in December. That book, The Big Reveal, was about a teen ager who while fat showed that being fat was not who she is: Addie is more than fat. She's a talented dancer. She's a feminist. She's the loyalist of friends. She is beautiful. She's inspirational. She is everything I want to be and I'm old enough to be her mother.

Larsen, whose name sounded familiar but I could quite place, until I realised she's also the author of Stranger Here, a memoir of her weight loss surgery (WLS). Larsen went on to lose 180lbs, a whole person!, as told in her funny and all too painfully true story. Now, I'm regurgitating what I read on Good Reads about the book, which I have not read, yet, but another friend, Sara, recommended the book to me as a primer to help make my decision about my own WLS journey. I can confidently say two things about Stranger Here: It's been bumped up my queue and if Stranger Here is anything like The Big Reveal in terms of writing, I'm going to love it.

Some may say that being fat is a choice and if we're being brutally honest, it isn't. Not really. People can have disordered eating at any size but being fat can also be the result of medicines, health conditions, and genetics. In an ideal world, we could all be Addie: confident in our own skin and assertive enough to put ourselves into the front of line and not let the commentary about our bodies slow us down. I know this is something I've been struggling with and if you keep up with my newsletter (of course), detailing my journeys on struggling with who I am, I could use a boost of Addie right now. I've had more friends decide to do the WLS route recently and it is scary to think they are willing to rearrange organs to achieve an acceptable size.

Can't we just be enough? Sometimes we think not, and that breaks my heart for my own self and my struggle with my own perception of me.

But Addie, Addie, Addie. She has the best of friends, a well intentioned but misses the mark mother, and a wonderful support sytem. But believing in yourself isn't just about the support system you have but it's also truly, deep down inside, believing who you are and that you are good enough. Addie believes she is good enough, more than good enough, and that's what sets this charm of a book to its core.

I don't know if I'm going to do WLS just yet, and I've been mulling about it for months, but I do know I'm going to pull a bit of Addie in my life and start to believe not only am I good enough, but that I'm worthy of taking up space.

tl;dr Insightful, beautifully written, full of warmth and charm, The Big Reveal will be, dare I say and I hate this word, an unputdownable book that will make you want to believe in everything around you. Five stars.

[Wesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Teen Ink and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jen Larsen dives into the joys and challenges of body image, sexuality, and high school life with the YA gem that is The Big Reveal. It’s senior year at a boarding school tucked into the snow-covered Michigan woods, and plus-sized dancer Addie has the whole world in front of her: her three outrageous, wonderful friends, a mentorship program with younger dancers, and acceptance to her dream school in Milan. There’s just one problem: she’s $6,000 short, and the deposit deadline is in a month. When “secret underground burlesque club” shows up on her friends’ list of outlandish suggestions, she dismisses it out of hand. But something about the idea sticks with her: the glitter, the spotlight, the unapologetic confidence that her body is beautiful and belongs on the stage. “Secret underground burlesque show” is really happening - but when word starts to spread, taking pride in her body and standing tall against slut-shaming peers and a sexist administration will be harder than ever.

Right off the bat, Larsen introduces a set of characters that instantly come to life as nuanced, unique, and realistically teenage. Addie and her friends form exactly the kind of team dynamic I love to read: witty, prone to outrageous ideas like starting their own burlesque club, but also supportive and fiercely loyal. Addie herself hits the skillful balance of a plus-sized protagonist who is confident and comfortable with her body while still being realistically impacted by a culture obsessed with unattainable female beauty standards. Although the main romance plot is straight, Larsen also weaves in a strong queer cast - almost all of the supporting characters, in fact.

The writing itself is a breath of fresh air in a genre where weak prose is all too common. Larsen’s style is gripping, emotional, and refreshingly original, a perfect fit for the voice of the protagonist. I especially loved her descriptions of ballet and burlesque, and the ways she dives into the movements and sensations of both shows how deeply Addie loves dance and how burlesque becomes a way to reclaim her body. The Big Reveal proves that writing for a teen audience doesn’t mean the author has to sacrifice quality, and its writing secures it a place as a captivating read for any age.

The plot too felt delightfully fresh and successfully takes on a topic that could easily have been handled poorly. The reader savors the initial adrenaline rush of the rebellion of Addie’s idea, but, along with the characters, they also come to appreciate burlesque as an art and a way of reclaiming control over and pride in their bodies. Then they are swept away in the visceral outrage when things take a downward turn and Addie and her friends experience all the stigma that goes along with women - especially plus-size women - taking ownership of their bodies and sexuality.

Addie’s story is truly a delight to read, the elusive combination of an original yet timely story, a unique cast to fall in love with, and a fresh voice that draws the reader in and packs an emotional punch. If you’ve been searching for the YA story to curl up with in a window seat for the fall, look no farther than The Big Reveal.

[Lilibet Bombshell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is unashamed to be exactly what it portrays on the cover and I am HERE for it. There is nothing I didn’t love about this book: the characters are diverse and imperfect, the themes are relevant and poignant, and the writing runs the gamut from brave to vulnerable and proud to weak.

I loved ferocious Addie with her love of dance and the love for her friends, and I sympathized with her struggles over her weight, her mom, and her financial situation. Her friends were all relatable and adorable and made me wish I had friends like them in school.

I have two grown kids, and positive body image is something I worked hard on instilling in them from day one. It’s something I wished every parent would do. While this book focuses on the female body and body image positivity of females (among other things), I really think that the message behind being unashamed of who you are and what you bring to the table as a human being are messages any teenager could benefit from. Not to mention, the discourse on double standards on uniforms and dress codes between males and females throughout the book is something everyone should be talking about and thinking about.

I highly recommend this book. By the end, you’ll be smiling and you’ll feel a sense of righteousness that will make you want to smash the patriarchy too.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really charming & lovely, I liked all of the characters a ton.

[Katie Bogdan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

What Dumplin' by Julie Murphy was for the 2010s, The Big Reveal is for the 2020s.

As a fat performing artist myself, The Big Reveal definitely had me feeling some kind of way. Addie's experience as a young woman moving through the world in what society views to be an unflattering body hit rather close to home, but I did ultimately come away from the novel feeling uplifted. The choice to use the conversation surrounding body positivity to segue into the greater conversation about how women's bodies are policed from a young age is absolutely inspired and really opens up the book in a way that I found incredibly impactful.

There were a few pacing issues in the second quarter of the book that initially made me think that this book was going to be a 3 star read at best, but the last third of this book really brought things home. I would highly recommend this to readers of all ages.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

[Mo Pie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jen Larsen's best book yet! I loved the representation of a confident, plus-sized heroine. The characters feel real, the bumps in the road organic, and the ending so satisfying. Highly recommend!!!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley and Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.

I'm surprised that I liked this as much as I did. It definitely isn't the type of book that usually stands out for me, and there were some things that made it... not that great. But it has a good voice. That's undeniable. I would have rated it higher if it was clear exactly how old the main characters are. Without it being clear--and because they were still in high school--the burlesque aspect here was über uncomfortable. Because, you know, minors...

My full review will be available December 17, 2021 at Gateway Reviews.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way too descriptive. It seemed to me like the author was using a thesaurus trying to be a mixture of a philosophy professor and a poet. Either way I didn’t like the style or the message. “She’s” overused too. Things like “Christopher, pale and splotchy pink with red cheeked face, captain of the soccer team, I’m the academic program” IF this doesn’t bother you, then read it.

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but honestly I was disappointed. I'm going to keep this spoiler-free so that people can see this to decide if they want to check this out or not.

For starters, this book is filled with internalized fatphobia and some general anti-fat bias. I've read books with that before and that was not my problem. My problem is that the book never really addressed it. Addie seems to have come to the point where she recognizes that her internalized fatphobia is a problem and it is harmful to her, but there is no discussion of how she got to that point, there is no overarching message of fat acceptance or liberation. I think there are moments that are certainly realistic with that, because nobody erases those problems overnight. I know that this is my personal preference as a fat reader, but I think when these self-esteem issues are being written by an author who publicly wrote about receiving weight-loss surgery, I would prefer them either not write fat main characters or push back against anti-fat bias more clearly. The tone is different coming from fat, non-fat, or formerly fat authors, and I do think that difference matters.

Even if we set that first point aside, because that is definitely a personal preference, the plot of this book ranged from confusing to downright nonsensical. The overall plot follows a talented, fat dancer who wins her dream fellowship opportunity, but needs to raise $6,000 in three months in order to go, so she and her friends decide to put on an underground burlesque show at their school, charging $100 per ticket. That is a ridiculous amount of money to expect students to pay (even if they're rich, these kids are amateurs and the show is not worth that).

The second portion of the book features Addie and friends pushing back against the idea that burlesque is sexual/inappropriate and saying that them getting in trouble for putting on the show is sexist. There are definitely points to be made about the moral policing that the school tries to do, but it feels disingenuous for the first part of the book to be about Addie and friends exploring how sexy and confident they feel while stripteasing and dancing, then for them to claim there was nothing sexual about it. Like their mindset seemed to clearly be about sensuality and sexiness, but then they claimed otherwise when the school came after them? It was confusing and didn't make much sense to me, but I also think that the fact this was put on by high schoolers at a high school made it harder for me to fully be on their side. If this had been set at a college, I think the message could've been much clearer, but in this setting, I did think it was confusing. I want to be clear that I absolutely support burlesque and I don't intend this plot critique to be prudish or shaming, I just think that a plot that hinges on me uncritically supporting high schoolers' right to strip in an underground burlesque club is not great.

The other big plot issue I had was the subplot with the d*ck pics. There's basically a subplot where one of the friends is being harassed online periodically and starts getting DMs of d*ck pics. The friends find out who was sending them, and they....do nothing real about it? Like they don't report it to the school or seek any other disciplinary action. Instead they do a sort of public shaming, which...sure. But I really did not understand the need to have this subplot at all and to have it but then not have the characters do anything about it. I get that in the real world, reporting that stuff is difficult, especially when it's anonymous like it was in the book at first. But here, they find out who it is and it's just not addressed in a serious way.

Overall, I don't recommend this book. There were just so many issues I had throughout reading it, and I kept getting frustrated by the choices the characters were making. I feel like YA authors have a responsibility to show some models for how people should behave and respond to situations, and this book did not do that. The plot felt more like NA character behavior because I just could not understand why this setting was chosen and why the characters did what they did. I didn't find a message to take away from this book and wish I'd just re-read Dumplin' instead.

[Shelby · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review
3.5 stars
This book was an entertaining, extremely relevant, and important read. We follow Addie who, in order to raise funds for the summer dance program she got accepted to, hosts an "underground" burlesque club with her three friends at school. I really appreciated the message of body positivity throughout the book; Addie is a plus-sized main character and she and her friends stand up for what they believe and stop at nothing to show the world their strengths and their beauty. Like I said, body positivity is a huge strength of this book and the storyline did such a good job of highlighting that. I loved the friendships throughout the book too, Addie has a great group of friends and they are all supportive of each other and have great banter. There's also a cute romance! The only thing I didn't love about this book and what really kept me from giving it a higher rating was the pacing. The middle of the book really dragged for me because, while the burlesque show was happening, there wasn't really any conflict until the last 20ish% of the book and after the plot and characters were established in the beginning, the story let me down. This is a very important read and I do recommend it, I just wish the pacing had been a little better.

[Emily Hester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and witty, this book about a plus size dancer is a must for any girl struggling with confidence. Written by the same woman who created Dumplin’, this book takes you on yet another exciting adventure of pursuing goals, love, and happiness in the funnest way possible!

[Susan Metallo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desperate for money to attend a summer dance program, a fat teen girl decides to put on an underground burlesque show to challenge her school's body shaming and antiquated dress code.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher in order to write this review.

This unapologetically feminist and body positive YA contemporary novel will resonate with all young women who have ever been shamed and objectified for having bodies (so, all young women...). Debates over the validity and empowerment of sex work take center stage, but complex friendships, budding relationships, and amazingly witty banter keep the feminist message from feeling overly preachy. The high stakes plot makes it difficult to put this one down. I highly recommend this novel to fans of YA contemporary fiction.

[Lizz Axnick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, although I felt I have already read something similar in How I Paid for College...except this one has dance instead of musical theatre. That being said, the protagonist is quite spunky and I like her confidence and her "armor." I completely empathized with her plight about being worried about the size of her body when her cohorts are long, lean and lithe. Her group of friends is what made this story though. We should all be so lucky to have a Naveah, Taylor and Katherine in our lives.

Great story about coming of age, finding your voice and all the other clichés of a bildungsroman but still highly enjoyable with a fantastic cast of characters.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

[sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 big fat stars

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another case where the blurb gives away too much of the book. There were only 50 pages left by the time there was name calling and slut-shaming, and it only talked about “mixed messages our society gives young women about their bodies and sexuality” in the last 30 pages. It wasn’t the theme of the book. It went 90% of the way without talking about it. Some parts were a bit repetitive, and conflicted with earlier thoughts, but I could put the conflicting ideas down to the MC being a teenager.
I feel like there were some loose threads at the end that were just forgotten about along the way. Nothing too major, but it was a bit weird that they never actually defended themselves at the hearing, just deflected.
The friendships are amazing, which is more what the book was about. The romance had a good lead up, but kind of fizzled to nowhere. Great lgbtqia+ reps in here too.
3.5 stars

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really lighthearted, warm and endearing book. It wasn’t the best, but I still enjoyed it. It gave a lot of representation to a group of people so rarely represented, and so often misrepresented too. It was closer to 3.5 stars than 4, but I’m rounding up as I did enjoy it.

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

if she wanted to raise money why wouldn’t she start a lemonade stand not a secret burlesque club