Guest Review Saturdays: Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can’t Have by Allen Zadoff
Release Date: September 8, 2012
Publisher: Egmont USA
Pages: 320
Age Group: Young adult
Genres: Young adult, high school, sports, humor, romance, contemporary
ISBN: 1606840045
Reviewer: Rachael— Check out her blog here.
Synopsis:
“What’s worse than being fat your freshman year?
Being fat your sophomore year.
Life used to be so simple for Andrew Zansky–hang with the Model UN guys, avoid gym class, and eat and eat and eat. He’s used to not fitting in: into his family, his sports-crazed school, or his size 48 pants.
But not anymore. Andrew just met April, the new girl at school and the instant love of his life! He wants to find a way to win her over, but how? When O. Douglas, the heartthrob quarterback and high-school legend, saves him from getting beaten up by the school bully, Andrew sees his chance to get in with the football squad.
Is it possible to reinvent yourself in the middle of high school? Andrew is willing to try. But he’s going to have to make some changes. Fast.
Can a funny fat kid be friends with a football superstar? Can he win over the Girl of his Dreams? Can he find a way to get his mom and dad back together?
How far should you go to be the person you really want to be?
Andrew is about to find out.”
-Goodreads
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I’ve been reading books that are on topics or have characters that I’m not used to. I tend to read books with romance and adventure.
The main character of this book is Andrew Zansky, a fifteen-year-old boy who weighs around 307 lbs. Definitely not your typical main character. That being said, I enjoyed seeing from the prospective of someone who relies on food when dealing with their feelings.
Andrew’s goal when joining the football team was originally to impress the new girl, April. In the end, it becomes much more than that and I was left feeling very content with the choices Andrew was making. He is a very believable high school guy. He’s not the fattest kid in his school, he’s the second fattest, and in some way that’s even worse, because Andy can’t even be the best at being fat. I enjoyed the take on popularity this book has.
Overall I gave this ★★★★ due to the fact that I enjoyed it very much but i tend to give 5 stars to the books that I feel have changed me somehow, I can very much relate to, are by my favorite author (and written perfectly)… or just because!
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Thanks Rachael for the awesome review!
Tune in next weekend for another installment of Guest Saturdays!
Happy reading!
