I was at the book store, the other day, buying a gift for a friend when I came across Meg Cabot's book, Size 12 is Not Fat. Did I need this book? No. Did I want to take that title to the cash register for the clerk to see? No. {Keep in mind that I'm the girl who has a hard time even buying tampons. At 30 years-old}. Did I need a break from the very entertaining, but incredibly long The Crimson Petal and the White? Yes.{I am really liking Crimson, by the way, but honestly-- it would be a miracle for a book that is almost a thousand pages to hold my attention {non-stop} the entire way through. So, I've read a few books while reading Crimson, and now I've decided to read a few books instead of reading Crimson... then I'll be ready to head back into it full force.} Okay, back to my story. So I was perusing the aisles at the book store when the title {Size 12, in case you forgot} caught my eye. I tried to put it back, but just couldn't. I really wanted something pretty brainless to veg out to. It's been awhile since I've read one of those easy, lose yourself in them, better-than-fries-and-with-a-milkshake books. Well, maybe not better than, but just as good as. So, I walked confidently up to the cash register {really, who cares what that I'm buying a book that's title is embarrassing, right? I'm 30 years old.. time to grow up}, placed the gift books on the counter as well as Size 12, and told the man behind the counter that I would indeed need gift receipts for all the books please. OK, so I'll never buy embarrassing books without either ordering them from Amazon or buying them "for a friend" and getting a gift receipt. Kuddos to you brave souls who can. So, I opened Size 12 yesterday and have not stopped reading since - unless I need to be doing something else. Like going to the bathroom, for example. Which I've taken to holding for as long as I can so I don't have to put the book down. Or even leaving the house for plans I have, and {seriously} considering whether I should bring the book along just in case I have a chance to read a few pages {I was heading out for a party, by the way... no instances of book reading would have been appropriate - even for me}.What is the premise of this book? Good question. Heather Wells, residence hall assistant director, gets involved in solving the mystery of the murders of two freshman girls in the residence hall she works at in New York City. While I am THE world's most ridiculous scaredy-cat, this book has not frightened me in the least. Which is weird, because the murders are kind of creepy... but the author writes in such a light, funny way that it doesn't bother me at all. And, in fact, I am really into the mystery. Which, with only about 50 pages {ok maybe a little more than 50 pages} left, I think I have it figured out... but I'm not positive. Which is funny because I'm usually the person who reads the book {or watches the movie} and has it figured out about half way in. Not to say that this book is going to win any crazy awards for writing and mystery plot, but it should. It should win the So-Damn-Entertaining-That-I-Hold-My-Pee-Because-I-Don't-Want-to-Stop-Reading Award. And that's an award an author can be proud of. So, it's a treat to read something fun like this that has me wondering if I should go buy the sequel before I'm finished with the first so I don't get have an {in my head, of course, not out loud} tantrum that I can't finish the series until the book store opens. Unless, of course, it is on my Kindle {note to self: check on that immediately after finishing this post}.To end, this heroine is a likeable, not entirely ridiculous character, which is something I look for in chick-lit because I'm over the protagonists who make me want to slap them silly. The plot moves along at a brisk pace and the reader is not bogged down with heady or boring back story. It is the perfect book for a long plane ride or a day at the beach {or a night when the only break you'll have to take is to get up to go to the bathroom, assuming you'll allow yourself ;)}.
I had high hopes for this book. Maybe that's the problem. If I'd gone in expecting it to suck, I'd have been mildly pleased that it wasn't a complete waste of paper. Instead I went in expecting the kick-butt characters, fast pace and intriguing story that have characterized several of Cabot's other series. Sadly the first Heather Wells mystery falls far short on all three. Heather is a 28-year-old washed-up teen pop-star who use to fill malls with screaming pre-teens and now is assitant director at a college dorm. Girls start ending up dead in Heather's dorm and she just knows it's murder and won't rest until she finds the killer.There are so many bad things about this book. Let's revert to bullet form so they go faster, shall we?*Heather comes across as closer to 18 than 28; her speech, mannerisms, inner-thoughts and overall character scream teenager, not adult. *There are some continuity issues here. She was a popular star at 15. She keeps going on about how all she ever was is a teen-pop star. She's called a one-hit wonder at one point in the book. And yet, according to her age she'd have had a 13-year music career and just gave it up a couple months prior to the novel's start. Erm. Okay. And in that time she released several records. Things just don't jive at all. *Total pre-occupation with food. OMG. Does anyone obsess over food that much? There's something about food and snacks on almost every page! The worst is when Heather is in a situation where she knows she's about to die any second and suddenly she's thinking how good a can of pringles sounds. WTF?*The whole size-12-is-not-fat thing, yeah that's a running sentence throughout the book. It comes up almost a much as the food thing. It would have been better as a single line and a running, subtle theme. *The villian does the whole cliched villian soliloquy thing. And, worse, starts telling blonde jokes. Seriously. Villian is about to bash in a head and is telling a blonde joke. It's very, very left field, trust me. *The pace is slow and jerky at times. *Heather's inner monologue makes her seem like a complete airhead. Oh and her total and complete obsession with her male roomate? Don't need to be bashed over the head with that twenty billion times, thanks. I was going to scream if I had to read about Heather wanting to rip Cooper's clothes off with her teeth again.*Heather's career and life goals are totally based on wanting Cooper to fall in love with her. She has no aspirations, beyond her music, that are totally her own. Worse that is a theme in this book repeated by other characters. Geeze, welcome to the 21st century - women can have a life outside of guys! It's just disgusting how sycophantic Heather and one of the other main character's are. Ugh! This rant could go on, but I'll stop here. I will NOT be reading the second book.
What do You think about Size 12 Is Not Fat (2005)?
Originally read for the Pick-A-Shelf book club ^^ October is mystery. I thought this book started off ridiculously boring. Not to mention the author clearly loved her em dashes and used them in just about every second sentence. I love my side thoughts as much as the next person, but to be interrupted that many times as she trails off on yet another tangent? Offputting.Eventually, the book settles and the em dashes disappear. Right around the time of the first murder. Which is when the book really picks up, actually becoming really fast paced and humourous and witty. There are some seriously laugh-out-loud moments that just had me rolling on the floor, and I think they make up for the slow pace and overused em dashes in the first 100 pages or so. I'm also not that much a fan of the whodunnit, but this one completely caught me by surprise and I really enjoyed the mystery aspect. Over all, really entertaining.
—Christina
Size 12 Is Not Fat is a title that seems to be along the lines of a stupid, pointless romantic-comedy, or a self help book but it is actually way beyond that. It is about fame, money and loss; about death and unrequited love that makes you want to cry out loud with the shock. That might be a slight exaggeration, but you get my drift.Anyway, the novel is about a skinny teenage pop star called Heather Wells who sings cheesy love songs across America when all of a sudden she is dropped from her contract and cheated on by Jordan Cartright,the famous boy-band member and Heather's fairytale lover. As if this wasn't enough, Heather's mother and manager run off to Argentina with all of her savings, and she is left to fend for herself. She takes a job at the local high school and is just getting by, with the help of her ex's brother and things seem to be getting more normal when a girl falls to her death after 'accidentally' falling to the bottom of an elevator shaft. But Heather is not so easily fooled; she suspects foul play... and when nobody believes her, she sets out to find out the truth.My favourite part of the book was when the murderer tries to kill Heather herself and the Principal's drunken mistress smashes a vase on the murderer's head while shouting, "I'M A SIZE 12." It made me laugh so much because she had been ranting maniacally at Heather about being a size 12.All in all, I think this book is worth a read and will most likely surprise you... it's very different from what you first expect. This book will remain in my thoughts for quite a while.1.I decided to read this book because I had always seen it on the bookshelf next to "The Princess Diaries" and "Underworld" which are some of my favourite books ever. The title of this chick lit did not exactly appeal to me, but I picked it up to put my mind at rest, and I didn't regret it.2. I found Jordan Cartright an interesting character because he is still depending on his parents when he became an adult. He's never made his own decisions in life, including his girlfriends and songs. I feel like he is jealous of his brother, Cooper Cartright (who had decided to leave the family and never have anything to do with them ever again), because of the freedom and success he has had on his own. All the while, Jordan does nothing on his own.3. An interesting quote was “It is a documented fact. I read it in People magazine." This made me really think about how the media twists truths and then prints them, leading people to believe it. This is not only morally wrong, but it can be dangerous too; especially with things like anorexia and boys.4.This book made me think more about the police and how effective they really are. How many murderers and child molesters are still out there? I've heard of many stories of police not listening to the families of victims who somehow always know who has killed their loved ones, and have eventually given up the whole case only to have the criminal found guilty. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sefold is an example of this, and the concept has really rattled me. The sweet looking couple across the street with the blonde Labrador called Nike could have been the runaway teens of 82' and noone would ever know!
—Isha Parker
Rating 3.75Size 12 Is Not Fat is my second Meg Cabot book, and I really enjoyed it, she's definitely an author I want to read more of this year. Heather Wells was a lovable character, and a 'big' character! I liked how she wasn't the typical skinny character, that she was an average sized girl, it was a nice change! I enjoyed the mystery in the book, I was constantly trying to work out who the killer was, and I didn't guess it until it was pretty much clear who the killer was. I have to say though, its pretty scary that people actually climb on top of lifts and from lift to lift! There is no way I would ever try and do that! Those people are super crazy! I'll definitely be reading the sequel soon.
—Rachel Gunter
