Release: April 1, 2020
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Peachtree Publishing Company
Source: Publisher
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N
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The last thing sixteen year old Maisie Martin thought she’d be doing on her vacation is entering a beauty pageant. Not when she’s spent most of her life hiding her body from everyone. Not when her Dad is AWOL and her good looking older sister has returned to rock Maisie’s already shaky confidence. And especially not when her best friend starts flirting with the boy, her lover. But Maisie’s got something to prove.
As she writes down all the ways this vacation is going from bad to worse in her school assignment journal, what starts as a homework torture might just end up being an account of how Maisie didn’t let anything, or anyone, hold her back.
Jenna Guillame’s American debut features a heavy size champion with a compelling, funny, and authentic voice. This charming novel about friendship, confidence, and self love will draw readers in as Maisie’s realistic emotional journey unveils the importance of embracing one’s body and celebrating one’s self.
About the Author:
Jenna Guillaume is a journalist and author who grew up in Wollongong and now lives in Sydney.
By day, Jenna writes about very important things like pop culture, identity, feminism, social media, and her OTPs for publications such as BuzzFeed, Junkee, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Guardian. By night she writes Young Adult fiction, binges Netflix and spends far too much time on Twitter.
Previously, Jenna was editor at arge for BuzzFeed Australia and features editor at Girlfriend magazine
Her debut young adult novel What I Like About Me is out now.
What I Like About Me Review:
“What I Like About Me” is an adorable young adult contemporary romance that revolves around an average insecure girl whose life changes during the winter holidays.
To begin with, I enjoyed the author’s style of writing. Having read her other story, “You were made for me,” I knew I would enjoy this book, and I did! The author portrays a beautiful message of how you can feel good about your appearance no matter how you look.
Moreover, the author wrote all the characters charmingly. Once you get immersed in the story, you feel like you are part of Maisie’s family and friends. Maisie is an adorable protagonist. I loved the way the author wrote her insecurities. The author does a great job portraying her realistically, where she has low self-esteem about her weight and the lack of support she gets from her family. Also, I adored the friendship between Beamer and Maisie. It was one of the highlights of the story and made the story fun and heartwarming. On a side note, I also loved all the movie references between Maisie and Beamer.
What’s interesting is how Maisie experiences different emotions with various characters. She has a complex relationship with Anna, which tests their trust and friendship. Similarly, I also liked her scenes with Eva, even though they come up later in the story. There is also a side storyline with Maisie and her father, which added nicely to the storyline. Another character who I adored is Leila. She positively affects Maisie, and I loved how she encourages her to step out of her bubble.
Overall, “What I Like About Me” is a beautiful contemporary book that anyone feeling insecure about their appearance should read.
