If It Makes You Happy

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

This is my second book by this author and I have to say, so far I'm willing to read anything they write.

This book is cute, fun, sweet and bubbly. It is a great summer read. At the same time, there are some harsh moments and themes present that make this book real. See, this book starts off about this Winnie and her love for the diner she is helping her grandma run during the summer. There is a contest or two thrown into the mix and we think it is coming to be all roses and sunshine, until people start in on Winnie about her weight and there is also some familial emotional/mental abuse.

Winnie is adorable and I love her. I was rooting for her and wanting her to find her happiness the entire time. She knows what she wants for her future and she is a take charge type of person, even if she has a hard time in front of cameras or groups of people. She is willing to do anything for those she loves. Winston, her brother, is great. He is such a younger brother and their relationship felt so, so real and great. Sam is Winnie's cousin who is sweet, naive, and slightly clueless. Sam didn't win me over.
It should also be mentioned that Winnie has a queerplatonic relationship with Kara and is slowly falling for Dallas. The whole relationship aspect of the book is handled so well. I don't think I've ever read a YA book– or maybe any book ever, with this much open communication. Winnie is always open to talk and wanting to get those she is in relationships with to talk to her so that they understand each other and are on the same page. Every time she stepped up to ask for communication I shouted with joy. COMMUNICATION IS SO IMPORTANT!

While the relationship are part of the story, they aren't the biggest part. This book is a love letter to being body positive and living your best life. Fatphobia is dealt with in this book. I really liked how Winnie is comfortable with who she is. She knows her body, she's dealt with people “trying to help her with her weight” all her life and understands what they are about. How she deals with everything (mostly) is amazing and total goals.
The living your best life aspect comes from dealing with toxic people in her life: learning how to move on and be comfortable doing things that aren't traditionally what we are supposed to do. Winnie is such a strong character and watching her blossom is a treat.

Truly, I should stop my review here because I swear I'm so close to giving away spoilers. My last thoughts– for as much gushing over this book as I'm doing, I am only rating it a 3.5/5. This is because there were times when I was bored reading it. I wasn't always hooked into the story, but my love for Winnie and wanting to see if she would overcome the obstacles in her path kept me reading to the end.

I recommend this one to anyone looking for sweet read with a not often written about relationship structure. 3 cheers for Winnie! I look forward to Claire Kann's next book.