This was a great book that talked about a lot of serious issues going on in the world today. I enjoyed it a lot and would love to read more about the characters.

I did like this, but it felt like something was missing. I'm not sure if that's due to the style of writing or the inconclusive nature of story that hopefully will be more resolved in the sequel or something getting lost in translation.

A lot of books focusing on celebrities focus on fictional A-lists, so it was nice to see a story focusing on a moderately popular influencer. This definitely showcases the downsides of the influencer lifestyle, particularly for lifestyle influencers.

It's a pretty heavy book with respect towards food and body image, so I'd only recommend if you're in the right headspace for that.

3.5

I really enjoyed this book, however I had one, kind of small issue. I feel like the main character doesn't acknowledge the fact that she has an eating disorder. I know that this is only the first book of the series, but from what I read it could be a very potential thing to encourage people who read it to start these bad and unhealthy habits. I do think this was well written though. The characters were very amazingly written. I definitely would want to read more books by this author.

This novel offered an interesting perspective on the influence of social media in our lives. Though I felt the story felt a little over-the-top at times, the overall theme of the story was explored with enough facets that I was able to emphasize with the character, despite my involvement social media activities.

Suck It In and Smile by Laurence Beaudoin-Masse

Do you ever get way more into a book than you expect to? Because that was this one for me. I gobbled these pages so much faster than I expected.

Ellie is an ✨influencer✨ on her way to being one of the most followed YouTubers in the country. Her brand is motivation—workouts and healthy recipes. She recently moved in with her heartthrob musician boyfriend, Samuel Vanasse, and they’re quickly becoming the it couple. It’s too bad that Ellie starts second-guessing everything she thought she wanted.

Content warning: the plot centers pretty heavily on Ellie’s body image and weight loss. She lost a lot of weight before starting her YouTube career. All of these issues are tied up with her relationship to a famous musician, the judgment that comes with putting herself on the internet, disdain towards her career from her family, and the pressure to keep up with everything she’s made her brand. Things get more complicated for Ellie when she meets a nice guy who makes her feel like a real person again.

This was a fun YA read. It’ll discourage any desires you might have to be an influencer. The most honest moments in the book were witnessing Ellie’s self-hatred and overwhelming sense of guilt for not doing more and keeping up. It’s a good lesson in self-compassion. The ending was a bit of a shock, but I’m hoping for a sequel!🤞🏼Especially recommend for fans of The D’amelio Show.

📖: (4.5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

thought this was a book perfect for women dealing with self-loathing and social media pressures. definitely touches on so many elements of being a woman in today's society that was relieving but uncomfortable to read (in the best way possible)

Thank you to NetGalley and Laurence B Masse for the chance to read this translated ARC version of Suck It In and Smile.

This novel follows Ellie, who has always struggled with her body image and self-love. Ellie has lost a lot of weight and is now one of the most popular YouTube sensations, sharing workout routines and recipes for a healthy lifestyle. However, Ellie still struggles with her image and not feeling good enough.

The message behind this novel is so inspiring and empowering because women of all ages, everywhere know the stereotypes and the ideal body images that are posted all over social media. It is so important to see Ellie's transformation and battling everything that comes with that self-doubt in her head. This book really dives smoothly into the life of a 26-year-old finding her way. I adored that Ellie tried to be helpful to girl's everywhere by promoting healthy lifestyles, all while learning no one is perfect. I think this shares such an important message all women need to hear. The book is an easy read, and it ties the influencer world in so seamlessly. All around a great read, and it left on a cliff-hanger so I cannot wait until the sequel is published in English!

The writing in this book is absolutely awful. The story had lots of promise but the writing made it impossible to enjoy. A huge disappointment.

Ellie, 25, is a top Canadian social-media and YouTube influencer under the handle Quinoa Forever. Her days are consumed by constantly posting pretty pictures and videos of herself eating healthy foods or what she’s wearing, whether that’s her workouts and postworkout snacks, her most important recipes, or snapshots of her life with boyfriend Samuel—a heartthrob singer. Ellie thinks her glamorous life is complete, but living so publicly takes work and tough skin for this once-unpopular girl who was chided for her weight. In the quest to increase her ranking, gain followers, and attract better sponsors, Ellie reluctantly agrees to let her agent pair her with another influencer for a series of posts and videos. To measure up, she finds herself sucking it up and sucking it in more than ever—and wondering if this is truly the life she wants to be living. This unfiltered look at being a successful influencer strips away the glitz and glitter to show the emotional and physical tolls of fighting for demographics and followers while maintaining overly strict diets and a pristine public persona. Interspersed with Ellie’s posts and followers’ comments, the story deals with self-esteem, showing that perfection on social media fuels society’s unhealthy obsession with appearances. A perfect crossover title for those questioning their worth, just like the author did as a teen.

A huge Thank You to The author, The publisher and NetGalley for providing the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Yes. A thousand times yes to this book and author.

****I received an arc in exchange for an honest review
This book was really emotional. It was full of poems that I'm sure many people would be able to relate too. But for me, it also brought a lot of joy and comfort. I hope the author continues their great work

This book was thoroughly enjoyable. I loved the behind the scenes and real emotions that a social media influencer may go through. I think the book helps to humanize people who get into content creating and the good and bad that go into it. I think the book also does a great job at addressing things that specially young girls and women can relate to from bullying, relationships and body image. I look forward to reading the sequel once it’s been translated to English.

This was an interesting read, not to mention emotional. Beaudoin-Masse manages to make a painful and difficult topic engaging without being overwhelming. Likewise, Ellie conveys perfectly the struggles of body insecurity while still trying to show everyone else that the confidence is real. It's easy to self-sabotage and compliment others, to really love and accept yourself is entirely different. Yet Ellie learns to balance the two components of her life in a way that is thought provoking and engaging.

I hate to say it, but this book was deifnitely not for me. I loved the title as I could relate to it, but when I started the story it was not what I was hoping it would be.

I feel like my biggest issues with the book was with the characters in the book. I feel like all of the characters, including the main character, were just very surface level in their development.

Ellie, the main character, was just not my favorite throughout the story. I felt like you didn't really learn a lot about her and her story that was meaningful and important to her development. I also didn't agree with her choices at all and I feel like they didn't make sense either. In the story she literally says she isn't going to do something and then does exactly that in the next couple of pages. Plus the way she acts just didn't give off the feeling of someone in their late 20s.

I also feel the side characters and their relationships and characterizations are just very weird and unnecessary and don't add anything to the plot. It was almost like every time we met a side character they just weren't important to the overall story and didn't serve an actual purpose in moving the plot forward. It felt like they were there to just add pages to the story.

Another big issue I had was with the relationship between Ellie and Sam and Ellie and Dave. Ellie and Sam's relationship I felt wasn't really explored throughout the story aside from very surface level information and very few actual insights into what their life is like together. It gets hinted at and explored in small ways but nothing that really looks at whether or not they actually love or even like one another beyond the surface level of being in a relationship for social status. Both of them ignored eachother and their communication lacked in so many ways, plus I also feel neither of them were actually invested in one another.

Then you have Ellie and Dave who literally meet for the first time and all Ellie can think about is him from that moment forward. Plus their initial meeting is so small and so unimportant that the fact that it even develops further into what it did is kind of ridiculous. Not to mention that Ellie is already in a relationship and still somehow falls for this guy that she barely knows and **spoiler alert** proceeds to cheat on Sam with no remorse. I felt what I read as Ellie and Dave "falling for one another" was a collection of random meetings with no actual depth or substance to make you root for their developing relationship and feelings.

Overall, I felt the book was just a mishmash of random events and people meeting and not developing into anything. This book was a firm 2 star read for me and while I was so excited to read it, it left me feeling underwhelmed and disappointed.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

This book contains discussions on: disordered eating, bullying, cheating (emotional and physical)

Ellie, former fat girl and current high-profile influencer, makes her living by promoting her wellness and fitness tips to over 500,000 followers (on instagram). She has achieved everything she could hope for-- massive weight loss, a perfect singer boyfriend, parternships and deals with companies she believes in. However, beneath the glossy surface, things are falling apart in her life. She begins to fall in love with someone NOT her boyfriend and Ellie is slowly realizing that everyone in her life have hidden agendas.

I wanted to love this book. I think it was written and translated at an important time-- when influencers are at their peak. Getting a 'behind the scenes' look into what goes into making an influencer was very eyes opening, and it really reminded me (and I'm sure other readers) that most of it is fabricated.

However, SUCK IT IN AND SMILE fell flat for me. Ellie never really developed as a person, instead deciding to take her emotional affair to the physical level in some of the last chapter. She began developing disordered eating, and any attempts at acknowledging fatphobia or the issues with perpetrating an ideal body type were talked about in long, rambling paragraphs but never really translated to action by the characters. Ellie also began working with her former friend (and bully), but no confrontation ever happened between the two-- there was this constant back and forth of 'I think I can trust her' to 'This is why I can't trust her'. This story, overall, felt like only half of a full book.

Ellie is an Instagram celeb who tries to encourage others with her weight loss journal. But in reality. she's surrounded by a ton of people who always have an agenda --- including her family members and her boyfriend.

This book could definitely be triggering for someone with disordered eating --- there is a scene where she gets lambasted online for eating poutine and drinking a beer that really just sent me.

In the midst of growing dissatisfaction with both her online and actual life, she meets Dave, a cute local coffee shop owner at a party ---someone she finally feels like she can be the real Ellie with. I hope there is a continuation and we see Ellie leaves all the insanity of being an influencer behind and explores life beyond the screen with Dave!

2.5/5 Stars

Ellie is a social media influencer, and over time, she begins to question the lifestyle that she is living. I really wanted to enjoy this book because it has a very interesting premise, but it wasn't for me. The behind the scenes look into the life of a content creator got me thinking about how much of social media is true and how much is fabricated. However, I didn't think that Ellie was very well developed, which made it hard for me to connect with her. I would have liked to see a little bit more showing instead of telling in terms of the prose, but this may be because I'm outside of the target audience for this book. Although I am a fan of a cliffhanger/ambiguous ending, the ending wasn't for me.

An intimate look into what it is like to be an influencer.
Ellie motivates thousands of followers every day with her flawless posts. When she starts to wonder how flawless her life really is.