I Loooooooovvvvvveeeeeddddd this book 😍
It left me totally speechless! Each page was perfection!
The epitome of female empowerment 👊🏾

Based on the true story of the Author's (Cathleen Meredith) @fatgirlsdancemovement. Body positive Liv really wants to start up a dance group for plus size women. Liv starts by proposing her idea to her bestie, Reese. A year long challenge to learn new choreography each week and post it online for all the world to see. Reese is very reluctant to participate, but not as reluctant as Liv is determined and persistent. The story is all about self love, social acceptance, and relationships in a fat girls world.

Day One of FGD (FatGirlsDance), Liv and Reese sit alone in the studio disappointed because despite their efforts in spreading the word, no-one else has turned up.

As a small group forms the girls are pushed to their limits in and outside of the studio. Can they push through to the Capezio Hip Hop contest?

I loved how the characters evolved throughout the book and became improved versions of themselves. In addition, the squad created friendships that will last their lifetime.

I really enjoyed Fat Girls Dance. While reading the book I was either laughing, giggling or shocked by the girls antics.

Cathleen Meredith was an amazing women's advocate and playwright (among many more things). It was sad to find out that she passed away while this book was being published. She was an inspirational, life-loving, body positive lady.

Thankyou to #kensingtonpublishing and #netgalley for the free copy of #fatgirlsdance in exchange for an honest review.

Cathleen Meredith’s Fat Girls Dance is a vibrant and empowering exploration of self-love, confidence, and the joy of movement. With its heartfelt narrative and unapologetic celebration of body positivity, the book serves as an inspiring manifesto for readers of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds.

At its core, Fat Girls Dance is about more than just dance—it’s about breaking barriers, redefining beauty standards, and embracing one’s true self. Meredith’s voice is engaging and authentic, weaving her personal experiences with universal themes of acceptance and resilience. The book radiates positivity while also addressing societal pressures and the challenges of navigating a world often obsessed with appearance.

The true strength of the book lies in its inclusivity and relatability. Meredith’s stories inspire readers to let go of self-doubt and step boldly into spaces where they may have felt unwelcome. Her journey reminds us that joy and self-expression are not reserved for a select few but are accessible to everyone willing to claim them.

Fat Girls Dance is a must-read for anyone seeking a reminder of the power of confidence and community. Its uplifting message will resonate long after the final page, encouraging readers to embrace their individuality and move through life with courage and grace.

Fat Girls Dance was such a fun read, a solid 4 star read for me. Although each and every one of these women drove me absolutely crazy where I had to catch myself from talking to the book, I enjoyed each journey each character took. Liv was full of body positivity & created FGD to spread her love of dance & how it looks on fat bodies. I loved her optimism but hated the way she treated her bff Reese at times. Yet even that whole situation came full circle also by the end of the book. Reese had no backbone & had so much negative self talk I was actually dreading when her POV came up until I seen how beautiful her story was going forward & how so many people in society are fighting to become better versions of themselves. Even though she drove me crazy at times it was actually very real & inspiring that she fought thru her self doubt. Omg I had a love hate relationship for Faith the most. I loved that she breathed dance no matter what and that she was no nonsense but she was so hard on the girls sometimes! That’s what I loved about this story tho, everyone had faults but FGD taught them how to win at each of their own journey and in their own way. So grateful for this complimentary copy for exchange of my honest review.

I loved this book. I think it was written as inspiration to plus-sized women all over the world. This is the type of book that I would recommend all women to read even if you are not a plus-sized woman because the messages that I took away from the book were for all women. Highly recommended.

Loved that in this one we get to see a group of friends as they attempt to navigate their lives that had this dance club for plus sized women in common. The confidence in these women is inspiring and they way they advocated for themselves in some subjects where it can very easily be a situation where others my not want to listen!

This title was granted to me as an ARC and these are my thoughts. Apologies in the delay of reviewing this title. Thank you to Cathleen Meredith, Kensington, and NetGalley for this opportunity.

Unfortunately I didn't care for this book nearly as much as I had hoped that I would. I found two of the characters to be downright unbearable to the point I couldn't wait for their chapters to end and felt that the overall character growth for everyone was very slow.

There are a few semi descriptive sexual scenes.

It took me a while to finish this book because I had a feeling I wouldn't like it, but I ended up loving it. This was a great book that expressed body positivity. Lovely read. .

Three strong, bold, independently amazing women let us see a glimpse of what it is like to be a fat girl different areas, spaces and situations. As a fat girl myself, I thoroughly enjoyed what they were serving and they served. I laughed out loud and really empathized with each of their stories. Their situations and problems are relatable even if you aren’t their body type. Enjoyable from beginning to end!

Liv. Reese. Faith- three women who embrace and celebrate body positivity. They've got a dance thing going despite what some have said about them and they're living the dream although not without some angst and a lot of hard work. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Wow! This was an amazing story and I was very sad to see that the author won't get to see it published since she recently passed away.

It's an important book for all women, especially fat women, queer women, women of color, neurodiverse women, and those who hold any or all of those identities. I loved all of the characters, how they grew to understand themselves and learn that they could do hard things, physical things, things that they never imagined that they could do. It's inspiring for all of us, and a reminder that if we love something, we should just do it!

Full review coming on publication day on readingwhilefat.com .

I enjoyed this body positively book! This book addressed some hard topics about women's body's and how we are viewed, especially plus size women. This book handled hard topics with grace while infusing laughter and representation!
I enjoyed the details added to characters and enjoyed getting to know them and see their journey.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy for an honest review

I absolutely loved this! First I must say as a fat girl living in America, this hit all the feelings I've experienced around my body, how the world views me, rejection and self love. I will also add the representation in both race and within the queer community is astounding and very timely! I couldn't get enough of this. I fell in love with Reese and really connected with her moments talking to "Amber". It brought me back to my inner mean girl who would always critique me the hardest growing up. I think this book is a wonderful addition to anyones TBR, especially if they like to uplift and support authors who are conscious on representing different groups of people. Very fun, inspiring and unique take on a dance book. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

Fat Girls Dance is the body positive, BIPOC, queer version of Bring it On! that we all need in our lives! A five-star read for me! This memorable, joyful, painfully true story will resonate with any woman who's ever felt too large by society's standards, both in physical size, talent, or emotionality. Meredith does a phenomenal job bringing her diverse multidimensional characters to life swiftly and realistically. It's easy to picture and connect with these women because we've either known them or been them. This book is about so many things all at once: learning to love (or at minimum, be comfortable in) your physical body, jumping into and maintaining new creative endeavors in adulthood, navigating romantic relationships and friendships, and challenging old ideas about what it means to be "healthy." This was a phenomenal read and I can't wait for it's debut! Thank you thank you thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this title. This story was beautiful and powerful and so important and the fact that it is based on a TRUE story makes it that much better. Be sure to look for this in October!

I didn’t complete this story. As I read I found there were themes I am not comfortable reading that were not mentioned anywhere in the description of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book was an enjoyable and uplifting experience. As a plus-size woman, I found myself cheering for all the characters. The true story basis and body-positive messages were just what I needed.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Super lovely and fun read. As a plus size person I didn’t realize how much I was missing seeing those bodies represented in books ! I loved all the messages this book gave and love even more it’s based on a true story.

Being a thick goddess myself, I always advocate for more plus-size tropes, which is why I was thrilled to see this title on Net Galley. The book did not disappoint. I loved that it was based on a true story and appreciated the light Meredith shined on these beautiful, curvy characters.

Liv, Reese, and Faith, three bold and talented plus-size women, defy societal norms by launching FatGirlsDance, a viral movement celebrating body positivity through weekly online dance challenges. As they navigate fame, friendship, and personal growth, their journey unfolds with humor and heart, inspiring readers to embrace their own uniqueness and dreams.