Cute read - I would recommend for a younger YA audience. The romance in the book was sweet and clean. Savannah has a lot on her plate - a sister moving to college, a fitness fanatic mother (putting pressures on Savannah), divorce, and school. She navigates this fairly realistically and well. As she faces these problems she stays true to who she is.

Savannah has always been close to her older sister. However, it is time for her sister to move away to college. Savannah is stuck alone in the house with her weight obsessed mother. Ever since her parent's brutal divorce, Savannah's mom has been on a weight loss kick, she even went on one of those weight loss reality shows. Savannah is on the heavier side and her mother is constantly pushing her and fighting with her to lose weight. Will Savannah be able to make it through this school year and join her sister at college next year? As Savannah continues to grapple with her weight and identity, she also develops a major crush on her best friend's cousin.

I enjoyed this novel. Weight identity issues felt realistic, but also appropriate. I enjoyed this novel, but felt that the ending was rushed. I wish that the author was given more time/pages to develop the romantic relationship and Savannah's overall character arc.

First, I have to be clear that this is absolutely a YA book with an ultimately romancey-schmancey plot point. That being said, it reads like YA in tone, intensity of emotions, school drama, etc. All there.

This book goes up at least one star because of how dang refreshing it was to read a book about self described fat girl without a tragic drama focused on how fat and ashamed she was. She was funny, pretty, loved bright colors, likeable, had friends, was involved with school stuff, and she loved math! She wasn't tragic because she was fat, she wasn't bullied because she was fat, the boy didn't hate her because she was fat ... All things that regularly appear ANYTIME a main character is described as overweight. There was some side line drama about her mom having a disordered eating scenario from that dumb weight loss reality show, and putting Savvy down for not being ashamed of her weight like her mother was, but that's totally real life. Mothers with weight focused lives, whose mothers brought them up to feel shame for their bodies, tend to pass it right on down, like a plague. I'm all for all bodies getting to exist how we want inside of them. And her sister was just casually gay, like without the book falling apart about the *utter tragedy* someone's life had to be because of their sexual identity. Things can be intense for a minute without these body issues and sexual preference issues always being a source of tragedy and drama, especially in teen fiction - this only perpetuates the"otherness" of people in these scenarios in real life. Hooray for this book! I hope teens get more books like this to choose from.

A couple choice excerpts that prove my point:

“News flash: fat isn’t a bad word, Mom. It’s the twenty-first century. I have blue eyes. I have blond hair. I’m fat. Literally nothing about my life is changed because that word is associated with my physical appearance. I’m sorry that someone taught you to hate yourself because of your body somewhere along the way, but I’m not going to let you pull me down with you.”

“You don’t have to pretend with me,” she said. “It’s okay not to be okay.”

I wish I would have had more books about positive body image when I was a teen. Savannah is an overweight girl who is pretty, smart and she likes herself. The problem is her mom. After a divorce, mom loses weight by participating in a reality TV weight loss show. When the mom comes home and it is obvious that there is something wrong with her and her obsession with losing weight. Her obsession is affecting the relationship with her daughter.

This is a book that many teen girls would like. I enjoyed reading it myself even though I am not a teen but I think positive body image for young women is important. When I was teen, I dont think this book would have been written. The teen fiction in my time would have been about transformation from fat to thin, from ugly to beautiful. I am glad to see this kind of fiction that encourages self acceptance and promotes self esteem in positive ways in a story that interest girls and teens.

I will alway support a book that promotes body positivity, and this one also happened to feature a main character I totally fell in love with.

• Pro: Savannah was too fabulous, and charmed the pants off me. She was smart and full of life. She was driven, confident, and lots of fun. I absolutely loved her, and I loved her, because she loved herself. No approval needed.

• Pro: The sisterhood Savannah shared with Ashley was really wonderful. These two were pretty adorable together, and supported each other through their parents' divorce and their mother's weight loss journey. They were so much more than sisters to one another, they were best friends, and even though Ashley was away at college, she was there when Savannah really needed her.

• Pro: I really found George sort of adorable, and the scenes he shared with Savannah were precious. I loved his nerdy t-shirts, his pineapple pizza, and his musical prowess.

• Con: This may just be me, but there were some loose ends for me, and some of the resolutions seemed a little rushed, but I really enjoyed all these subplots and just wanted more.

• Pro: I really liked the way Martin challenged the reality weight loss industry. Those shows have created unreasonable standards and expectations for people, and it was an interesting way to explore healthy/unhealthy weight loss as well as the beauty standards that exist.

• Pro: The fat rep was pretty great. Martin really touched on those things, which I think a lot of people, who have never been overweight are not aware of. Your jiggly bits being exposed and touching someone else, not being able to shop in the same store as your thin friend, being made to feel self-conscience when you eat in front of people, being thought of as invisible or "less than", because you don't fit the size-0 beauty standard.

• Pro: Grace and Savannah were a great team, and I always love a healthy and positive female friendship.

Overall: A rather charming and heartwarming story of family, friendship, and loving yourself.

Savannah is the overweight daughter to a newly thin mother who is obsessed with health and weight loss after being a contestant on a weight loss show. Now that her sister is away at college, Savannah will have to navigate her mother’s weight obsession and snide remarks all on her own. This was a quick read that deals with important topics. I really enjoyed that the main character didn’t feel as though she needed to change herself to be loved. Yes, she was insecure at times about how she might be treated by others for her weight, yet she still remained confident and happy in her own skin. That alone is a very powerful statement for teens to read. With that being said, I did feel like there were quite a lot of miscommunications between Savannah and her love interest that could have been avoided, although I understand that was probably only done to add plot interest. My other problem was the ending. It just felt like it was cut extremely short, almost as if we had reached a certain page count, and that was good enough. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and feel it shows a lot of positive body images for plus size teens.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading To Be Honest. Maggie Ann Martin pegs teenage angst. Her characters are spot on, with real life worries and concerns, and hopes and fears. I felt like I was there, experiencing Savvy's life as she did. This book should appeal to middle school readers on up.

Thank you Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review To Be Honest. I adored this sweet book! A full review will be posted closer to release date.

I didn't expect that I thought this book will revolve around body shaming, It was but equally with other elements.

What wasn't there? Close bonding of sisters? Body-shaming? Best friends? Anxiety? Romance? Complex relationship with parents? Everything was there.

I like the cover, It was vibrant.

The friendship between Savannah and Grace is so precious. 

Savannah, Who owns her body with pride, she is so comfortable in her skin and frim in her believes, She has issues but facing challenges with high chin is not on of these.

Romance is part of the story, but the story doesn't rely on it, It mainly moved around relations and hardships of a family.

I like the chemistry between George and Savannah, It was cute and the thing I like most is after their meetup, Savannah didn't just ignore school stuff, which mostly happens in YA when MCs met each other school or college just become part of the background.

Her mother's character is complex but written so well, Sometimes I pity her, Sometimes I feel her but mostly I hated her.

Her father was the worst character for me, He was simply mean and selfish, I know he has his own reasons but that didn't convince me.

The thing I didn't like was the last scenes of Savannah and George, I wasn't convinced.

Overall I really enjoyed the book.

This was a lot of fun! Great fat rep, great discussions about diet culture and fatphobia and the expectations of family. I wish it was a little longer because there were a lot of subplots I wanted to see more from, but otherwise it was wonderful. Great friendships, sweet romance, STEM + liberal arts mixing, discussion about jock stereotypes. Lots of things I adore.

TW for fatphobia, eating disorders (anorexia/starvation), a few mentions of homophobia, emotional abuse

A really enjoyable YA contemporary romance! Loved seeing a fairly confident fat teen girl and the effects of her mother going on a Biggest Loser-style show has on her whole family. It's an insightful look at how body positivity isn't a one and done kind of decision but rather an attitude that might ebb and flow depending on what's happening around you. PLUS a girl who's good at math tutoring a boy who's less good at math. plus a side queer romance. plus teen journalists on the CASE. this book has everything!

This was really sweet. Martin was really heavy-handed with the dieting stuff, but you know what? Sometimes that's okay in teen books. (I also wasn't so sure about the sister relationship here, but it seemed to play out pretty okay, so whatever.) I also just liked Savannah a lot, so it's easier to forgive less realistic/substantial things.

This is definitely an appropriate read for teens looking for body posi stuff, and it's also VERY tame, so that's kind of good. (Some of my fave body posi reads are also very racy, and sometimes it's not about that, you know?) There's still a love story, but it's very very tame.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.

Such a sweet story. I read it quickly in two days. Reminded me of my younger days in high school. Nice clean story with a great ending.

I was immediately drawn to this book when I saw author, Maggie Martin, is not only an Iowa native but also a graduate from the University of Iowa. Admittedly, I have not read her debut novel The Big F, however given the incredible talent Martin possesses for capturing the high school female emotions and fears in her newest novel, To Be Honest, I imagine her first is just as enjoyable.

To Be Honest covers some heavy ground, literally and figuratively. Savannah, or Savvy as her friends call her, is struggling with her body image obsessed mom, her parent’s divorce, her sister leaving home to start college, and a boy who may or may not like her. All of Savvy’s struggles are relatable in one way or another and perfectly portray fears we as readers have likely felt at some point.

While this book lacked the shocking plots, and twisted turns I am used to, it was steadily enjoyable, as evidenced by the fact I stayed up finishing it in one day. Its hook is the emotional connectedness you feel to the characters; the shyness of George, the steadfast determination of Savvy’s mom and even the tightrope her sister is forced to walk as she mends the peace at home while trying to fit into college. You may even feel a little better about your own body, your own fears and your own hesitations after reading this, I know I did.

I reviewed this book for School Library Journal in paper format after receiving this e-galley. I can not share my review here after reviewing the title for SLJ.

3.5/5

TW: For eating disorders & anxiety mentions

This was a super cute and fun story. I wish I had just sat down and read it in one sitting rather than spreading out over a week. This book has family dynamics, self love, and a super cute relationship. It is also very humorous and the references are modern. It feels like how teens of today talk (at least on the internet because I don't hang out with teens).

My favorite part of this book was George and Savannah's banter. It was witty, fun, and super cute. At some parts I was physically smiling at my phone while I was reading it. They also were equals and ad their own individual strengths and weaknesses. Savannah is great at math, while George is a great musician. They are both so supportive of each other's gifts.

I will say that the plot is very focused around the school setting and if that is something you are not interested in, this might not be for you. I also found the overall plot to be a bit messy, the journalism plot is mentioned in the beginning, but doesn't heat up until the end and Savannah's anxiety is mentioned the in the beginning, but is rarely mentioned after.

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

This book is a solid 3.5 stars. I loved Savannah - her voice was clear, she's smart, driven, sassy, and relatable. But I didn't find the story in general to be the most compelling. I couldn't tell what the story was supposed to be about...there was a small romance plot, family drama, and school drama. And while it's fine to have offshoots of the plot, it was hard to focus on which was the most important. And while that's kind of how life goes, it doesn't make for the most readable story.

I think this is a great read for teenage girls who are having trouble with self-acceptance, or body image, or who struggle to relate to the rest of their family, but I might have been just a little too old to fully relate! Or maybe it's just the problems I already mentioned - I need a more fleshed out plot. I would love to read more about Savannah and George. This might be a book that needs a sequel...

When Savvy’s sister Ashley leaves for college, she’s not just worried about losing her best friend. She’s also worried she’s going to lose the only buffer between herself and her newly diet-obsessed mom. Ever since her parents got divorced and her mom went on Shake the Weight, a weight loss reality show, she’s been like an entirely new person… and not really for the better. Her obsession with weight and healthy living extends to Savvy, who isn’t ashamed of her body and is all about body-positivity. Even so, some of her mom’s comments really hurt. As Savvy grows increasingly worried about her mom’s behavior and growing apart from her sister, she also faces a new crush at school that might just return her feelings. If they could just accept their feelings for each other, that is.
This book deals with some tough issues: namely, eating disorders (important to note, the character dealing with this is not Savvy), living with anxiety, complicated family dynamics, and following your passions. Despite that, the book manages to be fairly light and uplifting. It think that mostly comes down to Savvy’s voice which is fun and sassy. She definitely doesn’t ignore life’s problems, but she’s bold and instead of shying away, faces them head on. I really loved the relationship she has with her sister (I’m a sucker for a good literary sister relationship) and how it grows and changes as Ashley leaves for college and they learn to live apart from each other for the first time. I also loved the budding relationship between Savvy and George and Savvy’s foray into investigative journalism with her best friend.
It think it’s important to note—since this is a book with a fat-positive protagonist—that this book does deal pretty heavily with body image issues and disordered eating. Again, those things aren’t happening from Savvy’s perspective, but her mother’s issues with body image are projected onto her and there are a number of body shaming moments that are uncomfortable to read. It’s all handled really well, but I would be lying if I said that that kind of thing wasn’t hard for me to read and some of those scenes definitely got to me. While the book is very positive from Savvy’s perspective about body image and embracing the body you have, if you are worried about reading a book that deals with fat shaming or eating disorders, it’s possible this one might not be the book for you.
That said, I really, really enjoyed this book! It’s a very cute and sweet YA novel about friendship and family relationships and falling in like and getting through high school. I would recommend To Be Honest to fans of Dumplin’ and The Upside of Unrequited, both of which also feature sassy, fat, body-positive girls dealing with life and high school crushes.

Content Warning: Eating Disorder w/ Hospital Stay (this is NOT the protagonist but her mom), Emotional & Psychological Child Abuse/Neglect

>>Fat girl on the cover!!!!!
>>Savannah is great. She's withstood her mother's bullshit and is firmly body positive, but does come with insecurities and defense mechanisms. I love how she put herself out there and did the work of progress. She's forced to live and deal with an unhealthy mom that's honestly cruel to her and struggling with mental health issues.
>>Great fat & anxiety rep
>>I love how the shallow, competitive "health" bullshit is put on blast where it belongs.
>>The eating disorder is handled well. I haven't had the same type tho so YMMV.
>>I think her mom was crafted and portrayed well. She's got a tragic event in the past and damage from growing up fat. She does love her daughters but clearly plays favorites and tries to "fix" Savannah. She's very relatable and understandable but not clean and easily forgiven to me. She's a victim of the TV show praying on people, but she's also emotionally and verbally abusive and neglectful. She does have a mental illness but she has to own to her actions and their effect.
>>Grace is a GREAT friend. I adore her.
>>George is a sweet, shy, musical nerd that likes to eat his foot every now and again. It's nice to see a guy that isn't the typical sex crazed, emotionally stunted posturing fool.
>>The dress shopping worried me, but it was a dream of a scene. Love loved it.
>>I was totally with Savannah the whole way through. From her reactions to George, her dad, the journalism story, Grace, etc.
>>I love how she's good at math, but it's not the end all be all. She chooses and excels at her passion which happens to be humanities, not STEM.
>> I love the journalism investigation, interviews, and turn out. It's really cute and heartening.
>>Dad was a let down at first and I really didn't think I'd change my mind about him, but I did.
>>Totally would read more of Savannah, prequels, sequels, short stories, w/e. And her sister and Yael too! I'm really curious what would happen next. This book is wrapped up nicely and it's great, but there's threads to follow for more content that's worthwhile IMHonestO. (<---That abbreviation would be a great next title maybe?!?)

Not So Great Things:
>>I do wish there was more therapy and apology shown from her mom. More acknowledgement on how badly her mom (and her enabling sister) treated her, making her cave and hide when her mom was in the wrong the whole time. I hope Savannah would get therapy too. She's fine on the page, but living through that causes real deep scars and shit. Making it so easy for her mom feels like a cave in to the fatphobic society because "it's about health, she's wasn't that bad!". Yes, yes she was. It has nothing to do with health. Stop excusing abusive harmful shit. Her mom has to confront, cope, and change to properly deal with her mental illness. Letting her off the hook doesn't help anyone.
>>I feel bad the second place people did a story on immigration and the winning story was about sexism, money and abuse of power. Totally realistic, but given the current events with Trump Camps, bans, ICE, and white feminism...I just feel uncomfortable with it. Kinda wish the immigrant story had won or more about it was included, like having Savannah and Grace talking to the other students at least instead of a one line throwaway.
>>Ugh, Eminem. Look, I loved him growing up a loooong time ago but I've gotten better. Savannah is a huge fan and there's not a single moment of acknowledging how problematic and offensive the he is. Even when I was a die hard fan that defended him, I felt like shit with his fatphobic and sexist lyrics. I find it hard to believe she'd be that ignorant and not have any qualms or second thoughts about it. I'm surprised there was no angsty blasting of his music. But maybe that last part is me projecting.


Quotes:

She thought Yael was cute - Sister is gay, have w/w relationship

"Has anyone told you you'd make the perfect Miss Frizzle in a Magic School Bus reboot?" he asked, smirking a tiny bit.

"Very few people get to witness Savannah Shady. You should feel honored."

"I know that parents shouldn't be allowed to make their kids feel like shit unless they buy into their culty dogma"

"Like I'd known him for years, like we'd put a bookmark in our friendship and we were picking up where we left off.

"They should put a warning on all clarinet cases: May Cause Sexual Tension."

"She'd even called ahead to make sure that the stores we ended up going to carried my size of dresses, which took off another level of stress from my plated."

"My goal today was to find a short dress that looked as if it was made for a fun-size, five-foot-tall human."

**Thanks for the ARC Netgalley!**

Savannah is feeling left behind. Her best friend/almost twin sister has gone off to college. Her mother has become a completely different person, literally and figuratively, after appearing on a Biggest Loser style weight loss/makeover show. Her father has left the family for another woman. And her other best friend is dating a jock...which Savanna is really not sure about. All she wants to do is finish high school and join her sister at college.

There is first love...maybe, a journalism investigation, and trying to figure out if her mother will be okay.

Martin’s To Be Honest was a good book. I loved that Savannah was unapologetic about who she was and what she looked like. There could have been a “fat to fit” makeover montage where Savannah takes up running and eating rice, but that never happens-thankfully. The thing that kept this story from being a great book for me was the fact that several plot points that COULD have been really interesting and exciting to dig into (like the investigative journalism) seemed very superficial...like it was just an afterthought and it never really wraps up and lets you know what exactly happens and how things end up going down.

I would have also loved further insight into George (the love interest) and why he was the way he was. The answers given in the book seemed like a bit of a cop-out. And while I was rooting for them, I was also a little frustrated that Savvy was willing to just forgive so easily.

All in all, this was a good book. The body positivity was AMAZING and I really liked Savannah (enough to hope that she gets another story...like her college adventures or something.)