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To Be Honest
To Be Honest | Maggie Ann Martin
The author of The Big F is back with another snappy, utterly relatable contemporary novel about loving yourself and forging your own path, perfect for fans of Julie Murphy and Jennifer Niven. Savannah is dreading being home alone with her overbearing mother after her big sisterand best friendgoes 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. To Be Honest is another sharp, witty novel from Maggie Ann Martin, about a spunky heroine who is dealing with very real issuesbody image, parental pressure, loneliness, first love, and finding your waywith heart and humor. Praise for The Big F: "A debut novel sure to resonate with high schoolers." School Library Journal "An easy, enjoyable read." VOYA "Fun, cute, and totally relatable." Book Allure
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MaggieCarr
To Be Honest | Maggie Ann Martin
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Pickpick

I was looking for a quick easy book after some long emotional reads. I got quick with To Be Honest but inside I found a strong female teen who saw weightloss reality tv for what it is. Who was mourning her older sister's departure to college, her parents failed marriage, and her mom's pressure for perfection. This is a clean, teen book full of social issues perfect for discussion. Sometimes teens have a better radar than the grown-ups.

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glitterkitty459
To Be Honest | Maggie Ann Martin
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Pickpick

3 1/2 ⭐ out of 5 ⭐
This book had a lot of potential and packed a lot into maybe not enough pages? I would have read more.
I liked the main character but the side characters were not as complex.
Still a pretty good, fun YA contemporary!
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(Content warnings for discussions of weight/bullying and eating disorders)

72 likes2 stack adds
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nikirtehsuxlol
To Be Honest | Maggie Ann Martin
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“This wasn‘t my first rodeo in Unrequited Land.” 😂😂😂 ... 😭

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nikirtehsuxlol
To Be Honest | Maggie Ann Martin
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My first YA in awhile. Most of the ones I‘ve recently tried have been trash 🗑 but this one looks fun!

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LauraBeth
To Be Honest | Maggie Ann Martin
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⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a realistic peek into the generational differences in mindset with how women view themselves. It looks at moms (who weren‘t raised in an era that embraced body positivity), who are obsessed with their workouts and Whole 30-type diets and how it affects their families. It made me think about the behaviors we‘re modeling for our body-positive daughters (what‘s healthy and what‘s obsessive). YA Lit through through my “mom lens”. 🧐🤓

saresmoore I feel a bit like my generation is caught between the two (though I suppose my kid is already a tween 😱). Most of my friends care more about long-term health, how their life habits impact the economy, culture, Earth, and their children‘s overall well-being. It‘s more about feeling good than looking good. Maybe we got just a bit of the body positivity message? Hurm, now you have me thinking! 5y
LauraBeth @saresmoore You‘re doing it right! ❤️ 5y
Chrissyreadit Yes- my focus is health, but both of my kids are big on body positivity. My daughters friends are amazingly non judgemental. I look forward to the next generation. 5y
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LauraBeth @Chrissyreadit I‘m also looking forward to seeing what the next generation brings 🙌 5y
valeriegeary Oh good. Bitsy is still getting her picture taken. I thought Mr. Pants might have taken over for good. 🤣😊😉 5y
LauraBeth @valeriegeary I have to make sure Bitsy doesn‘t get too jealous 😂 5y
115 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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LauraBeth
To Be Honest | Maggie Ann Martin
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I may have been married too long because I think this is some pretty good flirting from a high school junior. 😂Intellectual, creative and conveys he can make a lifetime commitment. He‘s a keeper!

Now I just have to wait for the entire book while they pretend-hate each other...I could save Savannah 300 pages of pretend drama.

kgriffith Omg that is part of why I can‘t deal with YA realistic fiction 😂 5y
LauraBeth @kgriffith 🤣🤣 5y
Mimi28 These millennials are nothing but trouble, 😂😂 You‘d be surprised what comes out of their mouths nowadays. They are very slick and smooth. Still I bet this is something Barack would have said to Michelle, lol 5y
108 likes3 comments
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LauraBeth
To Be Honest | Maggie Ann Martin
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Starting this one - it came on my radar when NPR selected it as a “best of” for 2018.

So far Mr. Fancy Pants over here has only eaten my expensive wild Sockeye Salmon and not a bite of anything else. He is going to need to tone down the fancy a notch. 😹

Suet624 I‘ll say! 5y
Crazeedi Mr Fancy Pants is adorable ❤️🐱 5y
britt_brooke 😹 5y
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Lindy He will probably get an appetite for regular food once he feels completely settled. 5y
Redwritinghood Not his fault he has standards! 😂😂 Seriously, though, he probably just needs more time to adjust. I miss having a cat - my younger son is very allergic. Maybe when he moves out. 5y
LeahBergen Wait!!! Mr Fancy Pants??? What have I missed since I‘ve been on holiday?? 😮😮 I‘m off to troll back through your feed ... 5y
LauraBeth @LeahBergen 😹 it was spur of the moment, but we decided to go to the shelter on Sunday. We also had certain “boxes” we wanted checked. No orange tabbies (bc we didn‘t want to feel like we were just replacing Teeny Ginger) and we wanted a female. When we got there this guy hopped into the husband‘s arms and that was it. Male orange tabby it is! 😹 Feel free to christen him with a nickname. I hope your holiday was wonderful! 😘 5y
LauraBeth @Lindy I hope so! I like my salmon 😹 I‘m sure coming in here is quite stressful for him - hopefully, he‘ll be settled in soon. 5y
LauraBeth @Redwritinghood 😹 he will probably eat all of the salmon before he settles down! I went about 20 years without having any cats and I always missed having one. 5y
LauraBeth @Suet624, @Crazeedi, @britt_brooke hopefully, he‘ll settle in soon because I‘m selfish with my salmon 😹🍣 5y
135 likes2 stack adds10 comments
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LibrarianJen
To Be Honest | Maggie Ann Martin
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Only book read in November because of #NaNoWriMo

To be honest I loved the premise of the story. An overweight daughter of a recently divorced mother who goes on an extreme weight loss show and then passive aggressively badgers her daughter about her weight while the daughter tries to stay body positive.

My only complaint was the mother and her daughters all had the same voice, or at least very similar. Not a total turn off though.

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night_shift
To Be Honest | Maggie Ann Martin
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This was very cute! I never was overweight during high school (though some people tried their damndest to make me feel I was), I can understand that not knowing for sure if people even give a shit about you, having that lack of self confidence. I really liked that while there was a romantic interest in this, it wasn't a main focus and Savannah had a lot of other things going on with her.

hermyknee Hey! I haven‘t had a moment to send out your package yet, but I will as soon as I can! I‘ll let you know when I send it so you can keep an eye out! 6y
night_shift @hermyknee ok! No rush, thanks for keeping me updated :) 6y
69 likes5 stack adds2 comments
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Amaryie
To Be Honest | Maggie Ann Martin
Pickpick

This was a 4 ⭐️ for me. It won‘t be that for everyone, but if you are plus size or have every had self doubt and body image issues, this is for you.

Full review at confessionsofareadinggeek.blogspot.com

minkyb This looks really good! 6y
18 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Amaryie
To Be Honest | Maggie Ann Martin
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Started this one last night and OMG. It hits home for me, being plus size myself. I was saving this for an August read since it comes out the end of the month, but can‘t put it down. Anticipating a high star rating for this. (Miss Lola can‘t resist having her picture taken)

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Amaryie
To Be Honest | Maggie Ann Martin
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New blog post up. All about my August TBR

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rachelsbrittain
To Be Honest | Maggie Ann Martin
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Pickpick

A sweet, body-positive YA novel that tackles some tough issues including eating disorders (not the fat-positive protagonist), living with anxiety, and complicated family relationships. Definitely a cute one & fairly lighthearted despite the difficult issues. I particularly enjoyed Savvy's voice and the really deep bond she shared with her older sister (literary sisters for the win!).

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sunflowermeghan
To Be Honest | Maggie Ann Martin
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This was such a cute book. It tackled issues like body image, anxiety, and mother-daughter relationships. The book was still very light hearted and transported me right back to high school (in a good way).

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sunflowermeghan
To Be Honest | Maggie Ann Martin
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Just started this tonight and already 1/3 of the way through. A super cute book coming out this August!

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rachelsbrittain
To Be Honest | Maggie Ann Martin
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Lunch reads