📘 The Fat Bridesmaid
by Brooke Zaras
Genre Fiction ◦ Chick lit
Format & Source Print ◦ For review
Publication 2013
Dates Read February 4 – 16, 2014
Rating ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
📝 My Review
This book right here? This is the kind of book we need more of.
Ellie Mae Duncan is a 20-something single mom whose husband left her shortly after their son, David, now six, was born. Ellie is a hard working woman who is enrolled in the local community college and works on the horse farm where she and her son live in a trailer on the property. Despite her good qualities, most people have a hard time looking past her fat exterior and seeing what’s inside. In fact, she feels mostly invisible, except to her two best friends: Katia, the perfect, beautiful woman, and Jason, the handsome, divorced man who has feelings for Ellie that she tries to ignore. Even though Jason is a rather perfect man, Ellie is madly in love with Levi, a coworker on the horse farm, who doesn’t reciprocate the romantic feelings. When Ellie is asked to be a bridesmaid in Katia’s wedding, she decides she doesn’t want to be the fat bridesmaid or be invisible any longer, so she decides to change her diet and join a gym to lose weight. A lot of things happen along the way including b*tchy bridesmaids, a romp in the sack followed by next-morning regrets, and what may actually be love.
So, I obviously really, really enjoyed this book. Why we need more books like this is because, quite frankly, there aren’t enough books with fat girls as the main character. As someone who struggled with her weight for many, many years (and still do, despite a 100+ pound weight loss), I take comfort in reading about other women who have experienced or are experiencing the same thing. And to be honest? There are millions of women experiencing the same thing, but NOT millions of books about fat people. I immensely enjoyed relating to Ellie, and nodding my head “yes” at many of the the problems that fat people deal with but that aren’t usually acknowledged in the media, things like feeling invisible and cringing at the scale at the doctor’s office. I cringed right alongside her, remembering feeling those exact same feelings in my own “fat days.” These days at the doctor’s office though, I’m like, “yup! I’ll get on your scale!” Like Ellie, who ordered her bridesmaid dress in a size 12 even though she was an 18 at the time, I had some sizing issues with my wedding dress. It had to be exchanged for a 12 after ordering a much larger size. WHAT, WHAT! That’s yet another thing that I loved about this novel – all the wedding talk! I’m still sad that my own wedding is over after many months of planning, and it was fun to live through someone else’s (fictional) wedding.
Even if you haven’t: struggled with weight issues, recently gotten married or been in a wedding, dealt with b*tchy friends, or had love life drama, this book is still downright amazing and almost everyone will find something to relate to. It’s both fun and full of heart as well as funny and sweet. If you love chick lit, you’re guaranteed to enjoy this one. The romance(s) are frustrating, heartbreaking, and realistic and the friendships are teeth-grating, heartwarming, and a myriad of other things that you’ll nod your head at. I also just loved Ellie and her strong will, good nature, and humor. There was a lot in her to like and admire. She’s a very memorable heroine, for sure.
I just plain loved this book, not only for the messages it delivered, the strong heroine, and the huge relatibility (new word?) factor, but also because it was just plain awesome and fun. This is definitely one of those books that you’re almost sad to close because you know you are going to miss the characters and stories within. I’d personally love me some more Ellie, Katia, and Jason! Also, Brooke is a debut author, but you really could never tell from the high quality of her writing. She has a natural ability, and I for one am dying for a sequel, or any other novel from her, for that matter. Brooke, make my wishes come true, won’t you please?
Highly recommended from this former fat girl! I’ll be keeping this one on my “favorites” shelf!
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