The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things Paperback – 5 April 2018

This book follows the story of Virginia who feels like an outsider in her perfect slim family due to her plus size body and instead of teaching her to love herself as she is they push her into unhealthy dieting. On top of this her world is turned upside down when her older brother Bryon, who she idolises, is accused of date rape. She also has to deal with this on her own as her best friend is spending the school year in a different state.I really loved Virginia as a character and watching her grow throughout the novel. Her of learning to love yourself and your body is one I feel we need more of in YA and I really wish I had this book when I was younger.Virginia’s parents really annoyed me throughout this book and no wonder she has such low self esteem when her father who comments all the time that skinny is better and a mother who encourages unhealthy eating habits. I actually liked the relationship she had with her brother as it shows just how unhealthy it is to idolise someone the way she idolises him. I also liked her sister and would have liked to have seen more of her.I wasn’t a fan of the romance in this book, I didn’t feel it and feel that Virginia story arc didn’t need to include a guy liking her for her to start loving herself.Overall, this is a great, fast-paced novel that I really enjoyed and gave it 4 out of 5 stars.Trigger Warnings – off the page rape, fatphobia, unhealthy eating habits, self harm.

Virginia is such a relatable character, especially for me. I thought that Carolyn Mackler handled the issue of weight/self-confidence really well. Even though her parents fail at the beginning there is character growth (be it small steps) for them and it was good that Virginia has positive adult influences, Dr Love and her teacher for example.I went through a lot of emotions while reading this book: sympathy, heartache, joy, rage, hope, etc. but the overriding feeling was that of pride for Virginia – you girl are awesome.

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I read The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things in one sitting. I laughed, I cried, I cringed, I ranted and above all, I wanted to give Virginia a hug.Shannon, Virginia's best friend, has had to move away. Navigating high school can be difficult at the best of times, but being forced to do this without your best friend is like swimming against the tide in shark infested waters... Crushes, kisses, misunderstandings and family drama, to name but a few everyday problems, should be analysed in depth with said best friend. Virginia has to face everything alone and her pain is evident and heartbreaking.Virginia is an honest and believable narrator and her growth throughout is a joy to watch. The secondary characters in this story are brilliantly written too. From Froggy, the cute and nerdy sort of boyfriend, to Virginia's well-meaning but distant parents, from the kind and nuturing teacher Ms Crowley to the bitchy Queen Bee Brie, who may be fighting demons of her own, everyone has their role to play in our protagonist's journey.One of the things I loved about this story is that the battle Virginia has to face isn't with her weight, or her looks, but with her self esteem. Learning to love yourself is one of life's hardest lessons. Whenever she looks in the mirror she sees her unhappiness staring back at her and she doesn't know how to fix it. Her Fat Girl Code of Conduct broke my heart; as a species, we humans are so unkind to ourselves.Now on to her family, we have emotionally absent parents, an older sister Anais who is in the Peace Corps and an idolised older brother Byron who falls from grace with an almighty bang. When Virginia finally stops seeing Byron through rose tinted glasses I cheered! He obviously deserves a place in the inner ring of the Seventh Circle of Hell. However, his story is an honest depiction of how crimes like his are seen and often dealt with all over the world.Awkward, funny, heartbreaking and honest, The Earth, My Butt, and other Big Round Things is an emotional and powerful story, and Virginia is a character who will stay with you long after you finish reading the last page.