Review: Fat Cat by Robin Brande

Title: Fat Cat
Author: Robin Brande
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pub. Date: 10/13/09
Genre: YA
Main Themes: Self-esteem, Weight, Love, Friendship, Health, Food, Science
Pages: 336
Plot (from GoodReads):
"You are what you eat. . . .

Cat 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. . . ."

I loved FAT CAT! I received an audiobook of the novel from a Twitter contest hosted by the author, Robin Brande, and started listening to it on my 20 minute drive to work. It was so good though, that I started going out to my car on my breaks just to listen to it! I wanted to drive ALL THE TIME! I was so excited to make the 5 hour drive up to my family's for Thanksgiving because it meant 5 hours of FAT CAT!

When I first saw FAT CAT around on blogs, I wasn't particularly interested. The cover didn't really draw me in, but I thought the premise was promising. So when I saw that the author was giving away a couple audiobooks, I entered on a whim. I am so glad I won - otherwise I might have missed out on an awesome novel! And while I still don't love the cover, it has grown on me some!

The novel and Cat's experiment really made me think about my own eating habits and lifestyle. I found that not only were the results of Cat's experiment amazing, the lessons she learned about herself after losing weight were encouraging. The story reminded me that if you want to lose weight, or change yourself in anyway, you must do it for you, not anyone else.

Cat was a wonderful narrator; I felt like she was a friend by the end of the novel. I think that we are alike in many ways. I loved her no-nonsense attitude and her moments of weakness: she was loveable.

Cat's romantic mishaps and relationships were one of my favorite aspects of the novel. I loved the fact that Cat hadn't dated before, it made the story a bit different than the rest. I liked that Cat was independent and didn't need a boy, even though she wanted one. And I wanted her to have one... well, there's at least one boy I wanted her to have.

Ratings (Out of 10):
Plot: 10
Characters: 10
Writing: 10
Romance: 10
Originality: 10
Total: 50/50 (A!)

Read FAT CAT! I loved this novel and even borrowed it to my mom. If you like audiobooks, I thought that the narrator did a great job. There is a bonus interview with the author at the end of the audio version as well that I really enjoyed.