Fat Chance, Charlie Vega

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega is simply one of the sweetest books I’ve ever read and the one I wish I had had in high school.

Charlie Vega is a fat Puerto Rican girl trying to navigate through high school in a white, East-coast town. (....um how did @crystalwrote get the details of my teen years?) I saw myself SO much in this protagonist that I even made a list of our similarities in the back of the book. Needless to say, I felt ridiculously seen.

This is a light-hearted read and yes, you’ll be swooning over the adorable tropes (very To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before-esque) but this book is also laced with real issues. I appreciated the representation of POC, the LGBTQ+ community, the curvy community, and complicated familial relationships.

I’m not much for reading YAs, especially not those taking place during the dreadful high school years, (*cringe*) mainly because I’m transported back to that painful part of my past. Something about Fat Chance, Charlie Vega drew me in though and I am so happy I took a chance on this book.

The best books remind you that you’re not alone. Although I’m reading this in my thirties and not as an insecure teenager, I still feel like parts of me found some healing and closure through this story.

Maldonado shows us what is possible when we get out of our own way and allow ourselves to shine as the radiant beings we are.