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Saturday, December 5, 2009

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.



7 comments:

  1. I've always wanted to read this...but they don't have it at the library :'( I'm planning on buying it since it's so good. Thanks for your review!

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  2. I saw this while ago at another blog and did not read the review because I thought that the cover is a bit boring. And the name does not really hit to me either. But this sounds like a book I would love to have, I really like your review of it. I read this book called 'Pretty Face' by Mary Hogan. It is also a story about girl who is funny, witty etc. but not thin. I really loved that book so I think that I would like this one too. I will add it to my TBR pile, thanks for the great review. :)

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  3. I want to read it!!! Looks so good, Great review!! ;)

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  4. Glad to read that you enjoyed this one so much! I've got an ARC of this one sitting patiently on my shelf, waiting to be read...

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  5. I likey when you give those perfect score reviews because I just know that it's a book that's worth running out to buy. This is no exception! I've been wanting to read it and your review was brilliant - definitely going on my Christmas list!!

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  6. I have myself on the wait list at the library for this. Hopefully I get it soon. You've got me very excited to read it.

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  7. I want to read this! I loved Brande's other novel.

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