I’ll Be the One by Lyla Lee

“Skye Shin has heard it all. Fat girls shouldn’t dance. Wear bright colors. Shouldn’t call attention to themselves. But Skye dreams of joining the glittering world of K-Pop, and to do that, she’s about to break all the rules that society, the media, and even her own mother, have set for girls like her.

She’ll challenge thousands of other performers in an internationally televised competition looking for the next K-pop star, and she’ll do it better than anyone else.

When Skye nails her audition, she’s immediately swept into a whirlwind of countless practices, shocking performances, and the drama that comes with reality TV. What she doesn’t count on are the highly fat-phobic beauty standards of the Korean pop entertainment industry, her sudden media fame and scrutiny, or the sparks that soon fly with her fellow competitor, Henry Cho.

But Skye has her sights on becoming the world’s first plus-sized K-pop star, and that means winning the competition—without losing herself.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Skye Shin is an overweight Korean-American teen. Her mother holds her own strict Korean beliefs about weight towards her daughter. Skye goes against her mother's wishes and makes both the dance and vocal portions of a K-Pop star search contest. It's not an easy road as Skye  comes up against a judge who has the same opinions as her mother. Finding herself at the center of a worldwide stage, can Skye succeed in changing people’s minds about body image? An uplifting read. 

Visit Lyla Lee’s website.

 

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

“Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for every possibility life has to offer. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything.

Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can’t recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He’s the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don’t get too close to anyone.

Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game—which lands them in group counseling and community service—Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I listened to this book on audio and I loved it. Once I was nearing the end, i couldn’t stop listening as everything from the past came out. I loved the interactions between Libby and Jack and enjoyed seeing their relationship bloom. This was my first book by this author but it definitely will not be my last.

Visit Jennifer Niven’s website