To Be Honest by Maggie Ann Martin

 Hey!

So last book from my weekend reading binge, for now!

This is for the novel I actually read this weekend.  Truly Truly enjoyed this one!

My review for To Be Honest by Maggie Ann Martin!

From Goodreads:

Savannah is dreading being home alone with her overbearing mother after her sister goes off to college.  But if she can just get through senior year, she'll be able to escape to college, too.  What she doesn't count on is that her mother's obsession with weight has only grown deeper since her appearance on an extreme weight-loss show, and now Savvy's mom is pressuring her even harder to be constantly mindful of what she eats.

Between her mom's diet-helicoptering, missing her sister, and worrying about her collegiate future, Savvy has enough to worry about.  And then she meets George, the cute new kid at school who has insecurities of his own. As Savvy and George grow closer, they help each other discover how to live in the moment and enjoy the here and now before it disappears.

My Thoughts:

Loved this one!  This was an absolute cover read!  I saw the model on the front, as this book was displayed on my library's local YA section, and instantly fell in love!  When I read the inside cover, I really hoped it would be something to get me out of this dang reading rut, I've been in way too long!

I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember.  It was something that was constantly brought up when I was younger, and it brought me up to have a lot of insecurities. Insecurities I still work on day to day, even after having lost over 80 lbs now.  I have always been the chubby girl.  Always.  I was always the big girl in my friend's group, both in height and weight, so you can imagine how I looked in photos towering like a giant and being double wide as my friends.  I hated it.  I hate photos of myself to this day, and probably always will.  

Savvy was such a refreshing character because she embraced herself, even if her mom was their tearing her down any chance she got.  But at the same time she was still insecure and vulnerable and had a great friend and sister who were there for her no matter what.  I loved the build of the story, and how her relationship with her mom went up and down, and ultimately where it ended.  George and her also had a great build to their relationship, even though sometimes I was like... "Okay, just figure it out already!"

My one complaint has to be the ending though.  I really thought the end of this book felt very rushed.  Everything just kind of conveniently fell into place at the end, and was solved, and I wish that had gone differently.  Now I'm not complaining about the ending in terms of where it left off, just the journey on how it got there.  George annoyed me at the end a little, because I thought his scene where he talks to Savannah about his feelings was a bit of a cop-out.  And then I think things with Savannah's mom could have been a bit different too, just more closure.  Same with her father.  

But overall rating:

Even though the ending wasn't my absolute favorite, I still have to give this book a four.  I truly enjoyed it, and have officially ordered Maggie Ann Martin's debut novel from Amazon to read it.  I liked her writing and characters, and can't wait to try her other work!

The Romance Bookie :)