Hilarious. This one word sums up my experience of devouring this gem of a book.

The plot and the diverse characters as well as the crazy premise of the story were unique and amazing, something that made me want to go and see where all the characters ended up. The story captured the developing the friendship between the three girls realistically (much appreciated) and the glimpse into french culture and cuisine were an added treat. Although the narration of the book was juvenile and somewhat annoying but it was realistic in the sense that the protagonist was young so made sense.

However, the ending could've been developed more (but since it wasn't exactly the ending so I understand) and I would've loved to see more of the other leads - Astrid and Hakima.

Overall, an amazing, laugh-out-loud read!

When Mirielle finds out that she is not the #1 selection for school pig in a rude bullies online website poll of ugly girls, she is surprised as she has been the winner two years in a row. She decides to seek out the two girls who were ranked above her, Astrid and Hakima. The three girls become fast friends, with a goal in common, to make it to Paris and gatecrash the President's gala. Each girl has their own goal, Astrid longs to see her favorite band who will be performing, Hakima longs to confront the General her brother served under and Mirielle wants to meet her birth father, the president's philosopher husband. With some bikes and a trailer of sausages to sell, the girls embark on a cycling trip to Paris accompanied by Hakima's amputee veteran brother. Along the way, they become social media sensations, as the media follows their trip, garnering the girls admirers and online trolls.

So funny and so lovely. Mirielle, the narrator is just so lively and I found myself cheering for her and her fellow Piglettes!

A wonderful coming-of-age book for young adults! There is so much I loved about this book, I don't even know where to start: the wonderfully unique and extremely loveable protagonists; the beautiful friendship that develops between the three girls; the way they support each other in accepting and celebrating who they are, in a world that so far has only judged them by their physical appearance; the journey through the beautiful French countryside, the yummy food mentioned, and, and, and.

Hilarious coming of age tale following three young girls through central France. After being named the winners of their school's unofficial "Pig Pageant", Mirielle, Astrid and Hakima become friends and plan a voyage that will change them.

Despite the humour that spills out on every page, Piglettes tackles hard-hitting topics like family acceptance, bullying, the trials of puberty, crushes, and even the fallout of war. While I loved Mirielle's character - so frank and matter-of-fact - I wished we did see more of the other girls too!

I'd recommend this to Tweens and young teens, especially any who may be feeling in an awkward stage.

This is funny, coming of age YA book about today’s world where girls(or any person) are judged by their face, size and shape, It’s about 3 ugly girls facing bullies at school, their growing friendship, and travel of course.
I liked tone of the book, I was laughing right from the beginning.

I loved characters of this book especially Mireille. She was all charm of the book. She was confident and smart-mouth girl. I loved the way she fought bullies with her witty sense. Astrid was smart and soft at heart. Ohh, and Hakima, youngest of trio, was so lovely and innocent.

The idea of the trip was simple and yet brilliant. Another nice thing was the way influence of social media portrayed. And how 3 piglettes used the same media turning insults to praises. The conversation between characters and Mireille’s internal monologue was hilarious. I also like the pseudonyms used for name of character and place to give it lighter touch. This book was unique experience, a great way to display serious topic in comical manner and yet giving the lesson that required to reach audience.

The only thing that kept me from giving full star was in the end Mireille didn’t do what she decided. I mean she realized few things but still.

Overall, this is intriguing, light and easy read. Teens would love it.

After reading a number of pages I had to put this book down. I was not a fan especially of a pig contest! Teens are super mean and this book just puts it into the forefront.

This book really surprised me, its a wonderfully hilarious coming of age story about three teenage girls in France. The story follows the journey of three girls Mireille, Astrid and Hakima as they travel from their hometown to Paris by bike. I loved how the author tackled quite a few taboo subjects such as the war in Afghanistan and body image - whilst all the time managing to keep it light hearted. I also really liked how the author emphasised that the girls reasons for their trip was wholly for themselves and not motived at all by peer pressure and the 'Pig Pageant.'

This book overall is maybe a little young for me but its a great book for teens, with some brilliant role model characters. I would definitely recommend this book!

Thanks to Pushkin Press and Netgalley for providing this eARC.

My rating is more like 2.5 stars, rounded up.

I'm always meaning to read more books in translation, and when I saw this book listed on Netgalley, I was excited to read a translated YA book.

The titular Piglettes are Mireille, Astrid, and Hakima, who have been voted the ugliest girls in their town by a particularly cruel set of classmates. Mireille is no stranger to this, having won the pig award in the past. The girls meet because of this award and decide to bike from their small town to paris to crash the president's party on Bastille day to accomplish three things: Mireille wants to confront her biological father, the husband of the president, Astrid wants to see her favorite band, and Hakima wants to confront the general she believes led her brother (Kader) to lose his legs in battle. Kader accompanies the girls as they cycle across France, selling sausages and gaining notoriety.

My feelings on this book are mixed. I liked the setting, especially the descriptions of food and eating that seem on point for a French work. At one point, Mireille says about eating her favorite cheese in the city it comes from "'It's like a pilgrimage for me, Astrid. I would ask you to please respect my religious beliefs.'" GIRL, I GET YOU (this was the laugh-out-loud funniest part of the book for me). In general, Mireille is an interesting character - she is strong and funny in the face of the frankly crazy bullying she's faced at the hands of her former best friend Malo. The other characters are less fully-fleshed than she is, but you still root for them on what is a pretty crazy adventure for such young girls. Please can I have Mireille's Michelin starred chef grandparents and cheese geography class??

I had some issues with this book too. The tone and language felt a bit off to me sometimes. Mireille is supposed to be super sassy, but some of her shorthand (problemistan for I assume Afghanistan, cringe) was really terrible. The breaking of the 4th wall in this book almost never worked for me - it always felt like the switch to second person came out of nowhere. Also, the bullying in this book was beyond the pale - this pig contest has been going on FOR YEARS. All of the adults at the school, the parents involved, know who is responsible, and it is not even a bit underground. Maybe this is a cultural difference, but that would be dealt with much more harshly by school admin and parents here. It was so vicious and so unchecked that it was unbelievable to me. This book is also feminist, I think going for something like <i>Beauty Queens</i>, except that this book does not own it the same way - Mireille is ashamed to be a feminist, in one scene thinking about the feminist bloggers she follows but knowing she can't talk about it because it is worse than a crime. NO GIRL, OWN IT! Some of these tone and language issues may have been the result of the translation, but some are in the DNA of this book. I wish it could have been less equivocal about being feminist, not just girl power.

This was a cute, fun, quirky novel. It was totally different than I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it a lot. I was expecting a more straightforward coming of age contemporary novel. This one was a little bit over the top. Completely implausible, but witty, sarcastic and entertaining just the same. Sort of similar in style and concept to Roald Dahl's children's books. It didn't go too in depth and I didn't get too attached to the characters, but the story clipped along nicely, kept me interested and entertained, and presented a positive, hopeful message. Overall it was a light, enjoyable read and a great pick for middle grade readers.

*I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

Mirelle, Astrid and Hakima are voted the ugliest girls at school, but that doesn't stop them being awesome! They are of different origins, dealing with such serious issues like bullying, postwar trauma and abandonment, but an event that could easily tear their lives apart leads to the bravest bicycle trip ever. I totally enjoyed sarcastic sense of humour. I also loved all the dialogues between the characters, especially the ones between Mirelle and the Sun (Hakima's gorgeous older brother, Mirelle's crush). I would call the 'Piglettes' a healing bike trip full of sophisticated wit and educational value. I wholeheartedy recommend it!