Feminist, intersectional, fat anthology?? Uh yes, sign me up! I loved Every Body Shines, I think the diversity in characters, stories, genres, and much more was so refreshing to read. So many fat characters get pigeonholed into specific tropes and it was so fun to read them in many diverse ways. Anthologies are also incredible for the sheer fact that you are bound to find a story you like and a few new authors to read! Can’t recommend this enough!

A wonderful book that really promotes body positivity in ALL bodies, and the intersectionality of what living fabulously fat looks like. Some amazing voices in here.

I was a little mislead by this book
I was hoping for more body positivity and uplifting stories. I am not one to shy away from pain, but when a book is specifically marketed as body positive and being "fabulously fat" and 75% of it is really depressing, I feel very let down and disappointed. I am not trying to say the pain isn't real or valid. But don't market a book one way and deliver another.
3 stories I enjoyed but having to read the other 13 was just... cruel at this point

I loved everything that this anthology stands for and what fiction like this means for young readers. But sadly, as a whole, this collection largely felt repetitive when considering the majority of the stories. Many of the stories follow a typical plot of a young fat main character overcoming and/or being accepted in the face of society's ugly view of larger bodies.

But this doesn't mean that there weren't some absolute standouts that I truly want you to read. In particular, Shatter is a stunning sci-fi short that tackles that becomes so much more hard-hitting than you would originally expect. Or Breathe You In, which may be one of my favourite fairytale retellings of all time.

Newbould has put together something that is critical for all young readers, even if not every story hit me the way I wanted. If you are looking for your next anthology, this should definitely be considered.

Individual ratings
Guilt Trip by Claire Kann 3.5/5
Shatter by Cassandra Newbould 4.5/5
Prom Queers by Alex Gino 4/5
Dupatta Diaries by Nafiza Azad 3/5
Food is Love by Chris Baron 3.5/5
Orion's Star by Catherine Adel West 3/5
Weightless by Sheena Boekweg 3/5
Outside Pitch by Kelly deVos 2/5
Filling the Net by Monique Gray Smith 3/5
A Perfect Fit by Jennifer Yen 3/5
Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire by Rebecca Sky 3.5/5
Letters to Charlie Brown by Francina Simone 1/5
love spells & lavender lattes by amanda lovelace 4.5/5
Breathe You In by Hillary Monahan 5/5
Unpleasant Surprises by Linda Camacho 3/5
Letting Go by Renee Watson 4/5

I love anthologies, because it's so easy to digest them in snack-size pieces. Every Body Shines was particularly appealing because it embraces the idea of body positivity. I also appreciated the way in which it combines so many different perspectives, especially through the lenses of gender, culture, and sexuality. Intersectionality is so important, as it shows how universal body acceptance issues can be.

It was not a great collection. I can't remember any of the stories. I think one had a girl who played bass? I'm not entirely sure.

What a fantastic anthology! I found out about this awhile ago from one of the fabulous authors and I couldn't have been more excited. There needs to be more body positivity literature especially for young adults.

It was the perfect mish mash of fantasy, contemporary, sci-fi, and romance. It is so inclusive. It is hard to rate as a whole because some stories just resonated more with me than others.

I hope this book finds it's place in the hands of those who need it.

I really wish there were more short story collections for YA, and Every Body Shines is exactly the kind of book I want on the shelves. Short stories are a great form for struggling readers and serious writers, and this collection of body positive fat rep was a joyful celebration of every body.

So, I'm very back and forth on how I want to rate this book overall because I liked some of these stories but a lot of these stories left me in a weird mental space or confused. Take this subjectively as usual. I think the idea of this book was good, but I was thinking this was going to go more towards body neutrality and acceptance, but it mostly spent time putting us right in the lens of fatphobic trauma. As someone who is fat, it was a lot of triggering events written over and over again. People need to know the experiences we face, I won't diminish that. I was under the impression that these stories were going to come from an empowerment focus (some of them do, but most don't). Story titles in Bold means that was a story I really liked. Go into this book knowing that all of the stories come with a TW for fatphobia, fatphobic comments, body shaming, and negative self talk. If there is a TW related to other matters, that'll be in the individual story review parts.

Guilt Trip:
Music involved story line. MC trying to get out of the shadow of her sister. The guilt trip idea was bland but the ending was good!

Shatter:
I liked the idea of doing a revolving plot line with that "relive the same day" thing. It was interesting. Breakdancing MC.

Dupatta Diaries:
TW for calorie talk, food restriction, and internalized fat phobia. This story was very upsetting but did have a "stand up for yourself" moment in the end.

Food is Love:
TW for food restriction and dementia. I didn't really get the story but it was okay. Ended on a sweet note.

Orion's Star:
This was actually really good. This read more like a highlight to what could be a full novel.

Weightless:
TW for calories counting and food restriction, personal body injury. We got some Sci-Fi action in this one! It went in an entirely different direction then what I was expecting. Super cute and a good ending.

Outside Pitch:
TW for parental abandonment. This reads like a movie. I really like it. This has that 90s rom com trope (somewhat gender bent) with sports and movie fanatics. The only thing I didn't like is the body shaming the MC did towards the skinnier character. We know what it feels like, we shouldn't be doing it to someone else.

Filling the Net:
TW for death of a parent. This story involves a fresh start, new school, hockey challenge plot line. It was short, simple, and fun.

A Perfect Fit:
TW for eating disorders (with hallucinations). She's trying to find a dress for prom. This story was straight up depressing with a sprinkle of a somewhat happy ending.

Liar Liar Pants on Fire:
I liked this one but I wouldn't say I liked it as much as other ones. This was a firefighting competition for Australia with a little friends to lovers action.

Letters to Charlie Brown:
This is exactly what it sounds like. It's a "finding your place" story told in letters to an imaginary friend. I was pretty confused reading this one but I did like some of the lyrical writing. I honestly can't tell you that I know what was happening during this. It blurred realities a lot. I couldn't tell what was real.

Love Spells & Lavender Lattes:
This was a super cheesy witch tale. It read like old kingdom times with squires but then had cellphones. It took me out of the setting with it being mixed modern BUT it was still very cute and I liked it. The dedication made me laugh pretty hard.

Breathe You In:
TW for death. THIS WAS MY FAVORITE STORY IN THIS WHOLE BOOK. This was a little mermaid retelling with a fat MC mermaid. The ending took me completely by surprise and I was screeching. So so good.

Unpleasant Surprises:
This was a best friend squabble turned understanding. This was very sweet and relatable. I enjoyed it.

Letting Go:
Extremely Short. This was heartwarming and made me laugh.

I am such a fan of anthologies because they can introduce you to so many amazing new authors - and they are so easy to read alongside other books too.. And the fact that this books was centered on body positivity and embracing fat bodies as beautiful and not taboo - made me enjoy it all the more. My favorite stories were from: Claire Kann, Francina Simone, Rebecca Sky, and Renée Watson.

A really beautiful and moving anthology. I really enjoyed the fat representative in this book. The authors note at the beginning was like someone looked into my mind and saw everything I experienced. I can’t wait to get a physical copy

I’ll go with a rating of 2.5 stars rounded up.
I had great difficulty putting a rating on a book like this that is a collection of stories because some short stories that were okay (e.g. letters to Charlie Brown was one of the cuter ideas) but others short stories, like Shattered, were confusing and tougher to read, and they left me kind of wondering whether to even continue reading.

I went into the book thinking it would be a bit more of a celebration of all types of bodies and spread a bit more joy and body positivity, but to be honest I didn’t really enjoy the book, felt confused by the various genres of each short story and I’m not sure it accomplished what they set out to accomplish. True, each main character is a fat main character and all of them touched on that, and in their stories found a way to lift themselves up, or overcome a fear or challenge… but still I struggled with some of the stories and I guess I expected to be more inspired. Kudos to the great variety of diversity and lgbtq+ representation in the collection of stories.

Thanks #NetGalley, the authors and publisher for the chance to read and review.

This book taught me that it's okay to be a fat person. I cam still find friends and even love. Would recommend this to anyone facing body shaming, and those who are just tired of being known only as "the fat girl/boy,etc.".

DNF at about 35%. Too much fatphobia for a book that is meant to celebrate body diversity. I had very high hopes for this book and felt very left down. I thoroughly enjoyed Alex Gino's story Prom Queers, but that was the exception. Might try again at a later date.

DNF at 40? (The 1 star rating is due to the Netgalley requirement not my actual rating).

How?
[] Audiobook
[x] Ebook
[] Physical
I would like to extend a thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an e-arc of this book to read and review.

Why?
[x] Lost interest
[] No time
[x] Something triggering and offensive
Explain: As much as I wanted to enjoy this and recommend it to everyone screaming from the rooftops, unfortunately I found it difficult to get through. The intention of this anthology is to celebrate our bodies, love ourselves, and etc but, due to multiple of the stories not starting off super positive or the stories including triggering content (fatphobia), it wasn't as enjoyable as I hoped. I struggle with loving myself and my body so reading the comments made by other characters, the looks they made, actions done, etc in the stories was hard. It brought down the intended positivity of the book. If I were in a point of my life where negative comments and actions towards bodies didn't bother me as much, then I might have enjoyed this significantly more.

Recommend?
[x]No
[x] Yes
Explain: I think this anthology would be great for many readers however, I would recommend them proceeding with caution due to the content included in some of the stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of Every Body Shines edited by Cassandra Newbould.

I really enjoyed the collection of stories in this book. It's hard to really give a review for this book as the stories were just as diverse as the collection of author's that contributed to this book. From sci-fi to contemporary, LGBT, fairy tale retellings, POC representation. poetry and beyond this book held a bit of everything.

While it held a bit I think that this means it can appeal to everyone and I think that this is so important. The message of body positivity ran through the book, but not in a toxic way. The stories did not all end happily as not everyone can reconcile both themselves and everyone around them to what their body is and be happy with it. This book felt special and each story held different appeal but the one thing that didn't change through the book was the message that your body is your body and loving your body feels a lot better than hating it.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for review.

This book will do well in school libraries. We need books that show all of us for who we are - not everyone is barbie thin. Not everyone is attracted to Barbie thin. (Let's be real, Barbie's measurements are all screwed up.)

The brilliant part of inviting different authors to contribute are all of the different genres included. This isn't all traditional rom-com stuff. It may not be what I gravitate towards, but that doesn't mean someone else won't. Everyone can find something in Every Body Shines.

A must for school libraries grades 7 and up.

I really enjoyed this selection of short stories. Collectively they have a great diverse cast of characters and span a wide array of situations and settings. The anthology is arranged well and the stories flow nicely if you’re reading them all at once. I thought they were all well written stories and there is something for everyone. I particularly loved Weightless which tells the story of a teen who has the mathematical genius needed to save her planet and the journey she and her crew take into space to provide her with the knowledge she needs to figure it out. The way the story used her fatness and how that shaped her experience was well written and unique. I particularly enjoyed seeing how she thought not just about herself but also about the mission and the crucial math. The opening story Guilt Trip was another one of my favorites. It features a great family dynamic and seemingly ill fated trip to the concert venue where Mia the main character is going to perform with her favorite band. Mia is such a cool character and I enjoyed how while her body played an important role in the story it was much more focused on her talent and family. The book does such a great job of making big bodies the focus while also showing a wide range of perspectives on these bodies both from the main and supporting characters. Seeing the struggles of finding the perfect clothes, fitting in both physically and socially; and victories of changing someone’s perspective or pushing outside comfort zones was just so satisfying and relatable. All around this is a great collection.

Every Body Shines is a great collection of short stories following a broad range of people living their own fat, fabulous lives. I love that the stories are about characters that are so diverse and inclusive, not just with regards to weight but also race, sexuality, gender identity, etc.

Some of the stories rang more true to me while others were kind of cheesy, but without a doubt all of them were fun to read. Some of the stories went to dark places for a little while, with criticisms from family, friends, and strangers about weight, cutting comments about dieting, and clothes that just "aren't for people like you." But don't think that there's no light at the end of the tunnel - without fail, these stories are about loving yourself and the skin you are in! Well done!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
This is a wonderful collection of stories, highlighting the experience of being fat from a variety of different perspectives. It’s truly intersectional, exploring it in the context of different races and cultures, and also within different genres to an extent as well, highlighting each of the authors’ strengths and backgrounds. I did find some stood out more than others, like Amanda Lovelace’s whimsical and slightly comic, GoT cofee-cup-inspired “love spells and lavender lattes” or “Dupatta Diaries” by Nafiza Azad. But I liked the common theme triumph in the face of fatphobia and other forms of bigotry that ran through all the stories as a whole.