Review: Fat Cat
Fat Cat
Robin Brande
3.5/5
This took me a while to pick up - I tend to avoid "heavy issue" books. You know, the drugs, anorexia, etc books that practically shove some issue in your face? I don't really like that, so when a lot of the reviews (and the summary itself) focused on the protagonist's weight, it took me a while to add this to my list. I'm glad I did, because while the message did get a little heavy-handed, it was a fun read and the message was a good one.
From Amazon.com: Cat is smart, sassy, and funny-but thin, she’s not. Until her class science project. That’s when she winds up doing an experiment-on herself. Before she knows it, Cat is living-and eating-like the hominids, our earliest human ancestors. True, no chips or TV is a bummer and no car is a pain, but healthful eating and walking everywhere do have their benefits.
As the pounds drop off, the guys pile on. All this newfound male attention is enough to drive a girl crazy! If only she weren’t too busy hating Matt McKinney to notice. . . . This funny and thoughtful novel explores how girls feel about their bodies, and the ways they can best take care of their most precious resource: themselves.
I really enjoyed the beginning of this. The characters were fresh, the plot unique, the hints at romance intriguing. By the end, however, I was getting a little tired with the story.
So first of all, I liked Cat. She was smart without overwhelming the reader and had social skills and friends - a nice change from some of the other intelligent YA protagonists I've read (the girls whose every other word is about science/math and have no social skills). She was balanced and funny to read. By the end, however, she was annoying me. Her interactions with other boys made me cringe - I have a hard time believing anyone could be that rude (or that oblivious).
The premise was unique, but a little naive. I really liked the idea - of a girl trying to to go all-natural with her life - but I didn't like it as a science project. This is probably just years of high school science class coming out, but the idea doesn't work well as a science fair project. I liked the end for this reason, but it was annoying me through the book. It wasn't fully realized, either - for example, without internet, TV, or even books (nothing hominus erectus didn't have) what would you do in your free time? She mentioned that technology was the hardest to give up, but she didn't talk about what she did instead.
The back story with Matt was interesting, but by the end I was really getting tired with it. I was getting hit over the head a little too hard with their past and how Cat was reacting to it. I never really got a feel for the chemistry between Cat and Matt - so much happened in the past that very little actually occurred between them. I did really enjoy the relationship between Cat and her best friend, though she was a little over-the-top (good at everything she did, a poet, rejuvenated a cafe, etc). I also really liked how Cat didn't stay "above" other guys - her involvement with Nick made her feel more like a real teenager.
The teenage aspect of the story was very well-done, and the message was good. The beginning was interesting, though by the end it was getting a little heavy-handed. It was a fun, quick read.