Willowdean Dickson (Will) has always been a little on the heavy side, but that has never stopped her from being confident and comfortable with her body, until she meets Bo. Bo is everything Will could ever want, and he seems to feel the same way about her. Instead of throwing herself into the relationship, Will is suddenly self-cautious about her weight and how she will look standing next to Bo the athlete. She breaks the relationship up, but only to learn that he is going to come to her school that coming year. Will is then plagued by low self-esteem. In order to get back her old self, Will decides to enter a beauty pageant along with other unlikely contestants, Millie, Hannah, and Amanda, who had been ostracized by their peers because of their appearances.
This book was so amazing and totally relatable. Whenever the main character expressed concerns about her appearance, I could definitely empathize and I think anybody who reads this book, regardless of body size, will feel with the main character too. This book is good for anyone who wants to read about body image and self-esteem, acceptance, or just wants to finally read a book about a character with problems that are so relatable.
While reading the first part of the book, when the character is first introduced, I saw how strong and confident she was. That is, until I kept reading and I realized that even though she thought she had accepted herself beforehand, she really hadn’t. It was great to watch Will grow as she learned to love herself and accept other people no matter how they looked.
Reviewed by Dorothy, Grade 11, Gayton Library
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