by Summer Lane
Ever is 15 years old. She weighs 302 pounds. An insidious voice in her head constantly puts her down, isolates her from other people, and makes her believe that she is worthless. But after Ever decides to get gastric bypass surgery, she must learn who her true friends are…and who is just coming into her life because she’s losing weight.
This is one of those rare books that really gives you a sense of reality, of believability in the story. Ever is basically a 15-year-old girl: insecure, self-loathing, and unbelievable shy. Only she happens to be stuck in a 302 pound body. What girl has never experienced an amount of self-inflicted misery over her appearance? For Ever, her self-image is a big problem because it is not just an imagined defect…it is an actual health issue.?
As the pounds come off after her gastric bypass surgery, her confidence in herself grows, but she is still held back by the voice in her head, ‘Skinny.’ Skinny is nothing more than an extension of herself…the self-critical part. As she gets smaller, she gains more friends, and it will soon become obvious that some people are in it for appearances or entertainment alone, while others are along for life, regardless of her appearance.
We are all beautiful, and this is the lesson that Ever learns quite touchingly in Donna Cooner’s debut novel. I recommend it for all teenage girls who have ever struggled with self-image.
Thank you for the review. I just purchased the Kindle edition and had it sent to my daughters Kindle. I might just have to sneak a read also.