I had mixed feelings about this book. It has many of the elements of middle grade fiction (needing to fit in, wanting to be cool, family difficulties) that will make it relatable to its intended audience. However, some of the characters were not well developed, and Macy's mother was cringe-worthy. It followed a very predictable plot of pretending to be someone you're not, the truth leaking out, and finding friends who like you for who you are. It isn't at the top of my list for middle grade book recommendations but it's nice to see diverse characters and I'm sure plenty of kids will enjoy it. I'm grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing an ARC and this review is an honest evaluation.

This was such a cute read. Perfect for the Middle grade reader who enjoy books about friendships, fashion and family.

What a cute read. Middle grade readers will love Macy’s story, filled with friendships, fashion, and the angst of friends and family not always meeting our expectations. Definitely adding it to our shelves.

I really enjoyed this journey with Macy Weaver. Macy is a girl that wants nothing more than to have a best friend. However, making friends is not particularly easy for Macy, and all of her attempts seem to inevitably lead to another friendship break up. When the family moves to Maryland so her mother can attend college, Macy feels like she might finally be able to make a BFF. She has a chance to totally reinvent herself. Unfortunately, the "new" Macy is mostly made up, and Macy's lies eventually catch up with her. Along the way, Macy picks up a new interest - fashion. I absolutely loved the relationship between Pax and Macy, as well as their creation of a fashion line. As Macy struggles through finding her place and her friends, she also seems to be losing her relationship with her mother. The original plan was for her mom to visit every weekend, but visits quickly become few and far between. I think the unusual situation for Macy's family was interesting to see in a middle grade novel. I think the author did a good job in creating complex relationships amongst all the characters. She also did a really good job of creating a middle grade character that felt like she was actually middle grade. Middle school can be very awkward, as can finding your place. I think a lot of readers will be able to understand where Macy is coming from. I also liked the commentary on remorse and forgiveness - apologizing is not just about words, but includes actions. It may take longer for some people to forgive than others, and some people may not be able to forgive. Even though it may feel terrible to not be forgiven, it is still absolutely worth it to try. And even if you are not forgiven, it is not the end of the world. I think all of these things can be difficult for anyone to understand, especially young people trying to fit in and wanting others to like them. This was the first book I've read by Lakita Wilson, but I look forward to reading others.

Macy Weaver is going through some serious growing pains as she deals with a big move and a mom who is chasing her own dreams. Kids might respond to this contemporary middle grade novel, but it's a shame the conflicts with her parents aren't explored more deeply as I found them to be a little troubling.

Be Real, Macy Weaver is a great middle grade read. It is a heartfelt story that can feel like a good place to reflect on identity, fashion, acceptance. It was a sweet, fun story.

This was a different book than I was expecting. I thought it would be a more lighthearted book but it dealt with some heavy topics.

I understand some of the motivations of the mom but don't think she had to be so cruel. She was very narcissistic and I don't know if it's my own experiences with a narcissist but it hit close to home and felt uncomfortable for Macy to experience this cruelness.

I did like the ending and seeing some of Macy's redemption story.

First, I'd like to thank NetGalley for the eArc in exchange for a fair and unbiased opinion.

I really wanted to like this. I thought it had some great possibilities for some life lessons. But it just didn't really seem to work as well as it could have.
1. Macy's mom... quite the piece of work. Selfish and narcissistic, she convinces the family to move, only to abandon them.
2. Macy has no idea how to make friends. But, sadly no one has ever really tried to help her learn how to make and keep real friends. We just hear about how sad and lonely she is.
3. Macy lies, a lot! And about everything to almost everyone.
4. Macy seems very immature compared to the other characters. For an 11 year old, 6th grader, she acts like a 9 year old 4th grader.

The first three... great lessons to be learned. But the lessons come too little and too late. Things are skimmed over that should have had more depth. I found myself asking, "Really, Macy... you still don't get it???"
I can see 3rd graders enjoying it, but as the lessons about lying and friendship were not that deep, I'm not sure I would recommend it for them.

A book with potential. I like the fact that the characters all had their own issues - issues they kept below the surface like real kids this age would do and that the author brought them all together for a “see, we all have our own things” moment between friends. I did not enjoy the character of Macy’s mother at all.

What a great book for the middle school reader. Middle schoolers can easily relate to the main character Macy, and the difficulty she has with making friends, trying to be a part of the in-crowd, and moving to a new school. This book will inspire kids to be okay with being different and finding their talents. A great book and story!

Macy is desperate to make a BFF but every time she finds one they drop her. She just can’t figure out why no one likes her. When her family moves to a new town, Macy sees a new opportunity and vows she will do whatever it takes to make and keep a best friend.
This cute middle grade novel explores the perils of changing yourself in an effort to fit in and make friends. It’s moral, be true to yourself, will resonate for the intended audience and hopefully be an important lesson to all who read it.

This was a fun and fluffy book that required some suspension of belief despite being labeled contemporary fiction. The advice for kids to be themselves and not lie to others was interesting as was the fashion spotlight.

This book has my heart. Macy, an eleven year old girl fresh off yet another friendship breakup finds herself in a new school in a new state for a fresh start….without her mother. Macy has always tried to fit in by losing herself. She spends hours researching and stressing over the kind of person she should be in order to feel friendship and love. But when her mom leaves her to attend school and her father works overtime to pay the bills, Macy is left to figure out life on her own. This may be a middle grade novel, but it has all sorts of life lessons for adults from working too much, the fallout of emotional shopping, showing up for those who love us and being enough just the way you are.

Macy has a problem.
She can't keep friends. Macy doesn't know why, she likes the things they like, wears clothes like they wear, acts like they act, and makes her hair look similar to theirs. Macy has lost another best friend but gets the chance to start over when her parents move her to Maryland. When she gets there she sets her sights on Brynn, but she already has a best friend, Grace. She begins to believe she has a new best friend but is very skeptical.
I enjoyed this book. Macy goes through feelings that many of us have gone through. What is the best way to find, earn, and keep a best friend. Do I have to become a different person to keep them? Can I be myself? Why do they not want to be my friend? What did I do to lose them? Can I get them back? Should I try to get them back? Do or did they really like me?
I was given the opportunity to read this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Macy really, really, really wants to have a best friend. Unfortunately she lacks the skills to form appropriate friendships. When she moves from South Carolina to Maryland for her mom to attend college, Macy views it as her chance to start over with friendships. But she makes the same mistakes in Maryland that she did in South Carolina. And now her mom is virtually absent from her life. 4th and 5th grade readers of realistic fiction will find a lot to like in this book. However, as an adult, this book was painful to read at times because Macy needs so much help and her mom is truly horrible. It did become much more enjoyable at the end so I'm glad I stuck with it.

The inspiration for this book was all there, but I think it fell short of the goal. While discussing the anxiety of fitting it, too many other issues were broached including divorce and lying. There was a lot going on for a middle aged reader.

Whenever I read a middle grades book, I think about the conversations I might have with my students while reading. Be Real, Macy Weaver is chock full of conversation material! There is so much going on in Macy’s world, some of which is self-created, some of which she is thrust into through no fault of her own. But all of it, she must face, and she does not necessarily face it with grace. Be Real, Macy Weaver is above all, real. This is life for a middle grade child. We live in changing times, with so much external input into our lives and children really face the brunt of that.

Macy struggles with friendships, and attempts to mirror others in such a false way, or to project herself in a false way to appear as one who is what she perceives someone else to be attracted to. This, of course, has serious repercussions in her friendships and relationships.

Macy’s parents are struggling with life changes, and naturally, Macy is caught in that struggle. I was so disgusted with her mother, and as a teacher, I can assure you that this happens, and kids are left trying to figure it all out at great emotional cost.

Be Real, Macy Weaver will be added to my classroom library, and I will be recommending it to our librarian and colleagues.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Lakita Wilson, and the publisher for the eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Macy Weaver is dying to have a best friend, but after a recent friendship breakup she spent the whole summer by herself. So when Macy's mother decides to go to college and the family must move, Macy is all for a fresh start, a new school, and hopefully a new best friend.
Soon though, Macy's back to her old ways in regards to making friends (not being truthful). Between that, her mom never being at home, and her dad constantly working, Macy isn't sure if this move was really a good idea after all.
Will Macy be able to learn to be her authentic self or will she continue to fall into her old habits?

I thought this was a great middle grade read. Macy's behavior is typical for kiddos in upper elementary/middle school. I see it often as a teacher. I hope this book will teacher kids that the best type of friendship is one where you are authentically yourself. If others do not like you for who you are, than they aren't really your friend.

This is a fantastic middle grade read about being true to yourself and telling the truth.
All Macy wants is a best friend, but she doesn't always tell the truth. She thinks that if she makes things up then people will like her better.
Along the way she learns that telling the truth and being real to yourself is the right way to go.
Macy is also dealing with a big move and some family changes that are hard.
Macy really comes in to her own and figures out what she likes along the way of making Somme true friends.
I did not like Macy's mom. She was very full of herself and very much didn't want to be a mother anymore. Her shortcomings helped Macy grow a little more within herself, but that was a hard thing for her to have to face.
A great book that looks at friendships through middle school, which can be a hard time for anyone.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

Great book on friendships revealing you need to be yourself to have real friends. Seemed a little stiff in the beginning but then Macy's relationship with the lonely boy, Pax, there was more emotion and empathy. Macy's anxiety plays a big part in the story, that in her need to have a best friend instead of just friends. Story stays true to the characters ages.