I love Jenna Guillaume. She is so funny and this was written with great heart. I've only read a few Australian YA books but have enjoyed all of them and, to be honest, when we receive a review copy of an AU YA title at the store, I pay a little more attention to it than a good chunk of the US titles. This was a good body-positive story, with a cute romance, and the friend drama felt realistic. Being a teen sucks. I thought Jenna captured that frustration really well.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

There are plenty of books out there about beauty standards and weight issues. But I like that in this one there's never a push for her to lose weight. It's all about her embracing herself, loving her body and not worrying about other people's opinion. It adds in these elements of what attracts us to people as well as our friendships, the things that bring us together or drive us apart. It's a bit extra when that's structured as a journal. Some of it is less than genuine, unbelievable, but overall pretty readable.

This book was a quick read. I loved the format of the journal entries. It reminded me of a cross between The Summer I Turned Pretty and Dumplin. What I Like about Me is good if you are looking for a contemporary beachy read. Sometimes I felt like it was rushed and could have been a little bit more detailed, but that may have been the intent with it being in journal form. I will definitely pick up another book written by this author.

The central story is really Maisie's self-acceptance. As a plus-sized young woman, Maisie feels self-conscious. She won't wear a swimsuit on the beach. She's been hurt by others who have judged her by her weight - including people in her own family. And she's developed a protective response of assuming the worst to defect against her fear of rejection. Competing in a beauty pageant pulls all of that to the front of Maisie's awareness and forces her to deal with some of it.

There's a lot to enjoy here - a romance, a body-positive thread, some amazing characters, and tons of family and friendship pieces. (Language, sexual references, underage drinking)

Maisie Martin never thought she'd enter a beauty pageant. Everything this summer is going to shit—from her dad staying home while she and her mom head to the beach to her best friend hooking up with the boy Maisie's loved her entire life to annoying as fuck Beamer to her sister being horrible and amazing to her having to write everything down in a stupid journal all summer. But now she's in a beauty pageant, and somehow she's going to have to rock a swimsuit.

I am SCREAMING! It's basically Australian Dumplin but read this damn book! Read it! Read it! Read it!

I saw this quote on Instagram one time, this thing about how nobody can really love you until you love yourself. But how can you love yourself when even the people who are supposed to love you no matter what can't accept what you are?


Maisie's voice immediately jumped off the page for me. She was snarky, teenaged and whip-smart, which hid a wealth of insecurities and just...teenness that had me rolling on the floor and/or crying in sympathy.

Forget a minimum drinking age, there needs to be a maximum drinking age. People over the age of thirty-five should have more dignity. It's embarrassing to us all.


Lol, it's so true. I loved Maisie's parents, who acted like real parents of teens today instead of the stand-ins for the author's parents (which happens in so many YA books that it's not even funny), and especially Maisie's mom's friend Lauren, who was The Best.

At the base of Maisie's insecurities is her body. She is fat, and has hid herself from the world because she's been faced with nothing but hatred about her body and her body's existence her entire life. From her mother to her sister to her best friend to everyone else, her size has been an issue. And seeing her sister's new girlfriend sends her on even more of a nosedive, since her perfect, fat-shaming sister is dating a girl who is fat.

Maisie has accepted her roll as the ugly friend, especially since her BFF is conventionally pretty. But Anna is recovering from a bad breakup, which leads Maisie to invite her along to her family's beach house, where Anna meets Maisie's long-time super secret crush and summer friend, Sebastian.

Sebastian, being hot, and Anna, also being hot, immediately hit it off and start snogging all over the place...after Anna guilts Maisie into letting her hook up with the boy she knows Maisie has adored her entire life.

This leaves Maisie stuck with Sebastian's best friend Beamer, AKA the reason Maisie isn't as close as she once was with Sebastian, AKA The Worst, AKA he eats his own boogers. And Beamer literally won't let up on Maisie.

Then of course there's the beauty pageant, which really doesn't feature as strongly as the blurb might lead you to believe. This is less about beauty pageants and more about friendship and family. And I suppose realizing that relationships can be right under your nose the entire time, but honestly the book was less romance for me than coming of age/Maisie learning to love herself.

So with all this teenaged nonsense why did I enjoy this book so much?

One, Maisie's voice is incredibly funny (and that ending, omg).

And two, this is a love letter to teenagers and growing up. Of evolving relationships and healing and forgiveness...or not. Of learning what is okay and what is not, and how friendships can change over the years. Sometimes breaking up with a friend can be harder than with a sexual partner, and sometimes friendships change so much they no longer resemble what they once were.

And three, this is a book about learning to love yourself, in whatever shape you come in. And realizing that it's not brave to just exist—that's setting the bar pretty damn low.

But me, just existing in my body? Wearing things that perform a function? Nah, I don't think that's brave.


I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

DNF

I really liked the premise and the themes of body positivity, but unfortunately the writing style and the narrator's voice isn't working for me. 100% subjective and YMMV, so try a sample first.

What I Like about Me is a great book that promotes positive self image. A must read for teens and adults alike.

What I Like About Me is a positive, funny and relevant YA book,

I think the characters really are what makes this book, the MC was easy to like and very relatable from the very beginning.

My favorite part of this book was definitely how body positive it was, it’s just not something you see as often and specially in YA. It’s definitely going to be a great thing for young women to read. I highly recommend this book and would love to see more like it from the author.

I absolutely loved reading this book! This is a great read when you need something light and fun, with the right touch of humor and romance. I was a little unsure when I first saw that this book was written in a journal format, as I'm usually not a fan of that style, but this is so well done and is such an easy read. Our protagonist, Maisie, is a voicey and fun character who is dealing with familiar teen insecurities, but while her insecurities around her body are a major plot point, it is not the sole focus of her character. There are so many things that make her a fun and likable narrator with a strong personality. There's also a good dose of family drama too! While there were parts of the book that were a little predictable, overall I had fun reading this book and joining along with some of the debates the characters had with each other. Would definitely recommend!

Exceptional! What I Like About Me is a quick YA read about family and positive body image. I would definitely recommend this book for readers 13+ due to some language. It's the kind of book I wish had been around when I was an insecure young teen.

*Thanks to Netgalley and Peachtree Publishing for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a nice read about body positivity and summer break in Australia. I really enjoyed the beauty pageant aspect of the story. I think it's a great book for females of all ages, especially in a society where so much is judged off looks and where we constantly compare ourselves to models on TV and in advertisements.

Thank you to NetGalley, the pubisher and Jenna Guillaume for the copy of What I Like About Me in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute and fun YA contemporary about a girl learning how to accept herself. A super fast read with good characters and an entertaining plot. Not the most unique story ever, but still worth a read if you’re looking for something fast and light. I think it’d be particularly good with younger YA readers.

was this cheesy and kinda cliche and a bit annoying at times? yes. but did it still make me cry at the end and feel all the things? also yes. maisie was delightful though a bit of a prick at times, and i fell in love with beamer. i just wish the writing would've been a bit more sophisticated, because at times it read like a middle-grade novel instead of a y/a.

Trigger warning for: body shaming, body image issues, negative self talk

What I Like About Me is a thoughtful and insightful, yet entertaining and fun all in one. Set in Australia, the book follows Maisie, a 16 year old girl on her family trip for the summer. She's brought Anna, her best friend, and desperately wants to make a move on Sebastian, her long time crush. When Anna and Sebastian hit if off, Maisie is left with Beamer, the irritating boy child who loves to mess with Maisie. You get a look into her romantic life, but the book is so much more than just her relationship status.

The overarching theme of What I Like About Me is body image positivity and learning to love yourself. The author explores how family and friends can impact your self esteem and the struggles of a young girl growing up overweight, or "less than" as society views it. It is heartfelt and was emotional at times. Maisie has low self esteem and the book really explores what it is like to go about a normal day in the life of someone without confidence.

One thing I would have loved to have seen was more on the romance side. I love the secret love trope but I wanted more. You don't get to hear the backstory of how he fell in love with Maisie or what it is about her that draws him to her. This is a shorter book, so I feel the romance could have been expanded upon without it taking away from the theme of Maisie finding her love for herself, and coming to terms with her family.

I liked that there wasn't a huge happily ever after. The ending was very realistic and didn't end in the normal tropes. I appreciate that the author was authentic with the ending, because there was one easy way to make is unrealistic and she didn't go for that.

Fantastic YA book about learning how to live with your own life without comparing it to others. Stepping out of one's comfort zone is hard, but you can never know what's on the other side until you do.

What I Like about Me by Jenna Guillaume is one of the funniest books I have read in a while. I literally laughed out loud (okay...I actually snorted some too) while reading it. My students kept looking at me funny, but I didn't care, I had to keep reading. The book is actually a journal (discovery journal) sixteen-year-old Maisie Martin has been assigned to do for school while heading to her annual winter family vacation in Australia, which is more like our summer vacations here with the beach, sunbathing, boardwalks, and lots of friends. Every year her favorite part of vacation is seeing her oh-so-hot childhood friend and crush Sebastian, and he just keeps getting hotter. Her best friend Anna just had the worst breakup so to cheer her up, she brings her along. The problem? Anna is "perfect", and Maisie is a self-described fat girl with fairly low self-esteem. That leaves Maisie stuck with Sebastian's pain-in-the-rear bff Beamer...not exactly the vacation she was looking forward to. Add to that the obvious tension between her parents (her dad didn't even bother going on the family vacation!), her perfect pageant-queen, semi-professional dancer sister she isn't speaking to, and just the whole idea of being a fat teen on the beach, this vacation is not ideal. So what does Maisie do? Enter the biggest pageant around. Why not? Her sister did it and so can she, maybe.
The complete honesty in this book is what made me love it. Yes, sometimes it's cheesy (and Guillaume owns it), but it's mostly embarrassing, awkward, and full of feels. Just the way teens are. Overall, Maisie learns to love herself the way she is while realizing no one is perfect. I can't wait to get this in my library. #WhatILikeAboutMe #JennaGuillaume #NetGalley Release date: April 1st, 2020

I cannot resist the charm of Aussie representation combines with YA romance, pageant competition’s vicious, hair pulling, nail scratching rivalry and great messages about fat shaming!

This is sweet, swoony, soft, lovely escape with cute, relatable, interesting characters, moving story. Maise’s struggles to find her place of school, her insecurities, heartbreak when she’s losing her love of her life to her friend are center of the story, blemished with great side characters. And at some parts of course you have every right to punch Beamer’s face.

Of course the ending is predictable, cheesy and full of cliché but that is okay for me and who cares? It is still sweet, entertaining, feel-good, enjoyable reading makes you smile and enlightens your day.

3.5 stars rounded up 4. Normally I’m tougher grader but as I said before I wanted to read more Aussie authors get representation and release more books. I loved their way of approach the things and positive, heartfelt, sweet energy reflected into their words.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Myrick Marketing/Peachtree Publishing for sharing this enjoyable ARC with me in exchange my honest review.

#Netgalley #Whatilikeaboutme
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher of What I Like About Me for the opportunity to review this e-arc copy. It's a great fun read about how growing up and learning about our self all while trying to find are footing in life. Acceptance of ourselves is the hardest part.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This is a great teen read for focusing on being body positive and loving yourself even if you don't seem to fit into the world. Maisie very much reminder me of a teenage Bridget Jones! She is so spunky and fun and I think there are a lot of teens who can relate to this book. Being okay with yourself and your body as a teenager is hard enough, but being considered overweight makes it even harder. Society tells you that you need to look a certain way which isn't true. I think as long as you are healthy and true to yourself that's better than trying to be like or look like everyone else.