I am now a huge fan of Renee Watson, after reading “skin and bones.” I enjoyed reading about Lena Baker, a 40-year-old woman who struggles in a society who treats being fat as a flaw in character. It is a story of forgiveness, self-love and sisterhood, with some historical aspects weaved in. I would highly recommend this book to other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for allowing me to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lena Baker is a 40 year old Portlander with a great career, loving daughter, and caring fiance.
But on the day of her wedding, a confession leaves her in pieces. This book follows her as she reckons with betrayal, motherhood, forgiveness, and her identity as a fat Black woman living in a world that doesn't want her taking up space.
This is the first book by Renée Watson I have ever read, and I have fallen in love with her writing style. This is novel but it is also lyrical and poetic.
There is so much nuance in this story. Lena knows her worth, but it doesn't mean it is easy living in a world that treats fatness as a character flaw, as something shameful. A world that sees Blackness as inferior. Watson completely captures the dichotomy of knowing your value, your strength, your truth, but having to daily be confronted by those who devalue you. Lena not only struggles with this dichotomy - she is trying to figure out how best to model herself for her young daughter.
"I don’t know which is harder, being a Black girl or raising a Black girl."
Through Lena's job we also get to learn about the Black History of Portland, it's gentrification, and the struggles it (and all of America) still has to face.
This book may not be an easy read - it discusses fatphobia and racism on most every page. But it is beautiful and important. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
Expected publishing date: May 7, 2024
Thank you @netgalley and @littlebrown for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge Renee Watson (@harlemportland) fan, especially her Middle Grade Ryan Hart Series, with the first book being a favourite read aloud for my class, Ways to Make Sunshine. When I saw that she had an adult book available to read on Netgalley, I immediately requested it.

I LOVED this book. I'll admit I wasn't sure if I would in the first few chapters. Watson starts things off with a doctors appointment scene where main character, Lena, is being made to feel less than because of her weight. I know there are some women out there with a positive body image at any size, but I am definitely not there yet and so this doctors office scene hit hard for me and I wondered whether this book might trigger some anxiety and trauma for me. I'm so glad I stuck with it though because it is such an incredible book and it actually ended up doing the opposite of what I was afraid of. Don't get me wrong, it did not cure any of my body positivity and white coat syndrome issues, but it reminded me that there are so many different shapes and sizes and the only one who knows my body completely is me.

Beyond that, I loved the unique perspectives, historical information, black rights and empowerment, and mental health and relationship challenges this book covered. With tiny chapters on such a range of subjects, this book is easy to get absorbed in and while entertaining, also has a lot of things to reflect on and learn about. I would highly recommend this book and can't wait to see what Watson comes out with next (Middle Grade, Adult or anything in between!) Keep your eye out for this one, it hits shelves May 7th!

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher @littlebrown for giving me the chance to read this book!

Great read. Loved the way the author bore their soul on the pages. Every poem hit me in the feels would definitely recommend.

I really could not get into this book. The writing style is not for me. I couldn’t determine whether I was supposed to be reading first person fiction, poetry or what. The subject matter definitely drew me in, and I truly wish it’d read like a “regular” story so that I could’ve enjoyed it more…or at all. I get the draw and appeal of wanting to both do and be something different in a world that feels saturated with sameness. This just—in my opinion—was not the way to go about it.

This didn't grab me on my first attempt but when I returned a month later I couldn't put it down. Gorgeous, gripping adult debut from Renee Watson.

This book was like a breath of fresh air. It had everything I enjoyed. Sisterhood, mother-daughter relationships, romance, self care, discovery of self. The format that the author wrote it in was new to me, and At first I was a bit confused, but as I kept reading, I ended up loving the format. Lena was character that was complex but much needed.

The black history chapters were informative.

Overall this book was very good and I will be telling my fellow reader friends to obtain it.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher & of course the author for gifting me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story was a love letter to Portland from a perspective not often told. As someone who grew up in Portland, I've loved Renee Watson's books because of the connection and nostalgia I feel while reading them. This first dip into adult fiction has forever cemented her as the incredible and versitile writer that she is. The topics addressed in this story are difficult, but necessary. I loved the historical tie-backs to Black Portland specifically; I felt the prose style chapters really lended well to this complex story and helped lighten up what at times are very serious and deep conversations about race, bodies, beauty, and belonging.

Description

At 40, Lena Baker is at a steady and stable moment in life—between wine nights with her two best friends and her wedding just weeks away, she’s happy in love and in friendship until a confession on her wedding day shifts her world.

Unmoored and grieving a major loss, Lena finds herself trying to teach her daughter self-love while struggling to do so herself. Lena questions everything she’s learned about dating, friendship, and motherhood, and through it all, she works tirelessly to bring the oft-forgotten Black history of Oregon to the masses, sidestepping her well-meaning co-workers that don’t understand that their good intentions are often offensive and hurtful.

Through Watson’s poetic voice, skin & bones is a stirring exploration of who society makes space for and is ultimately a story of heartbreak and healing.

My Take:
Not quite a novel in verse-but equally lyrical- the promise of the description is delivered in a way that holds weight and releases breath. I read the uncorrected copy from NetGalley and will certainly read again when it is published May 7, 2024.

I absolutely loved my reading experience with this book & found it hard to put it down. I love how Watson so succintly portrays the unique culture of the place I call home, Portland, Oregon - all the things we’ve done right and those we done wrong, for which we need to make reparation. I love how she recognizes the role of libraries and librarians to preserve and share our stories. It’s about loving and valuing ourselves and our communities. It’s about honoring the foundations given us by our past generations and passing them down to our children - our legacy to future generations. It’s very much a story about family relationships, friendships with a family vibe, and how we bring up our children.

At 40, Lena Baker has a pretty good life. She's got a good job, a wonderful daughter, supportive friends, and a loving finance. Then on the day of her wedding a confession is made and it turns her world upside down. Lena is forced to pick up the pieces of her life, all the while trying to boost her daughter's self esteem, while she is struggling with hers.

I must admit that for the first 1/2 of Skin and Bones, I was unsure if I liked it. It's not because it wasn't well written, it definitely is. However, it is written in a way I've never experienced before. The chapters are short (which I love) and can be current time, a flashback, sharing history, or even what seems to be poetry. However, after awhile I realized that even though I wasn't used to that kind of book, I really liked it. Skin and Bones was a hard book to put down.

It must be noted that Lena deals with a lot in this book; fatphobia, racism, loss, just to name a few (check your trigger warnings). Her journey was both heartbreaking and inspiring and I thoroughly enjoyed watching her grow.

Ultimately, I really loved Skin and Bones! The characters were loveable and the journey was one that captivated me from beginning to end. If you're looking for a book that is empowering for plus size women, especially black women, I highly recommend it.

I received an advanced reader copy from Netgalley before publication May 7th 2024.
I was excited about this one, but unfortunately I wasn't enjoying it. I stopped at about 35% of the way through because I couldn't get connected to the characters. The pop culture references felt clunky, and it made me feel disconnected from the story. I liked Renee Watson's writing style and would be interested in reading more of her work in the future!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC! I enjoyed this book. I think a lot of people will relate to the story of our main character. Fat, Black women will be able to relate to this. I can't wait for more people to get to read this.

This book is amazing. I have never read a book quite like this. The format is really interesting. It shifts between contemporary fiction novels, formats, snippets of history lessons, and pieces that are a mixture of personal essays and poems. The format allows this author to flesh out the main character, her life, her, emotions, her loved ones, her city, and the world at large. it is masterful.

The book blurb describes this as a soulful and lyrical novel and it’s that and so much more.

Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley provided an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

This book is amazing. I have never read a book quite like this. The format is really interesting. It shifts between contemporary fiction novel, format, snippets of history lessons, and pieces that are a mixture of personal essay and poem. The format allows the this author to flesh out the main character, her life, her, emotions, her loved ones, her city, and the world at large. it is masterful.

The book blurb describes this as a soulful and lyrical novel and it’s that and so much more.