How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love by Ken Baker Pages: 272
Published by Running Press on April 22, 2014
Genres: contemporary, Family, Social Issues, Young Adult
Source: ARC from Publisher
“Thick. Heavy. Big boned. Plump. Full figured. Chunky. Womanly. Large. Curvy. Plus-size. Hefty.” To sixteen-year-old Emery Jackson, these are all just euphemisms for the big “F” word—”fat.” Living on a Southern California beach with her workout fiend dad, underwear model sister, and former model mother, it is impossible for Emery not to be aware of her weight.
Emery is okay with how things are. That is, until her “momager” signs her up for Fifty Pounds to Freedom, a reality show in which Emery will have to lose fifty pounds in fifty days in order to win the million dollars that will solve her family’s financial woes. Emery is skeptical of the process, but when the pounds start to come off and the ratings skyrocket, she finds it hard to resist the adoration of her new figure and the world of fame. Emery knows that things have changed. But is it for the better?
How I got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love is part social commentary, part coming of age, and completely hilarious. I loved all of the pop culture references and the main character, Emery is such a wise ass. I loved her. I lost count of how many times she made me laugh out loud. She does not hold back. At all. She is very self deprecating- it’s her coping mechanism. How she deals with her family and the world. Her mom seemed nice enough, but it was easy to see that both of her parents favored Emery’s sister, Angel. She was the “pretty” one. It was kind of sad really. But Emery is strong- I knew she would be fine no matter what.
How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love centers around a family style reality show and a weight loss competition all rolled into one. If Emery can lose 50lbs in 50 days then her and her family win 1 million dollars. Emery is a total standout star of this book. She is charming, and I loved seeing the story through her. She had an awesome “voice”. Ken Baker did such an excellent job with her character development. I could so easily see her being one of my friends. She is really warm and inviting, which is super weird to say because she comes off as brash. But it’s in her thought process and her moments when she was alone that I feel like the reader truly gets to know her. Plus, she loves Jenna Marbles- so she is automatically ok in my book.
I am a bit of a reality tv junkie, so of course I ate up all of the “behind the scenes” production stuff throughout the story. And the author, Ken Baker works at E! so I like to think that we are getting the real low down on what goes on behind the scenes with reality tv. Just reading parts of the contract that they had them sign was nuts. But I totally believe it.
How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love (man that is a lot to type!) was every bit as addictive as reality tv to read. It was so much fun to read. If you like pop culture, you will love this book. The only kind of sour note for me was the ending. And I will say that it was only half sour. It wasn’t what I was expecting, that’s for sure. I still have not decided whether I liked it or if I was disappointed with it. I think I need a second book to see what happens! Ken, please make that happen.
This or That with Ken Baker
1. Early Bird or Night Owl? NIGHT OWL. I HATE MORNINGS.
2. Hotel or camping? HOTEL, DUH!
3. Fly or Road Trip? FLY! PREFERABLY TO A BEACH.
4. Comedy or Horror? COMEDY. LIFE IS ALREADY ENOUGH OF A HORROR SHOW.
5. Standalone or series? SERIES, IF IT IS AWESOME.
6. Dogs or Cats? DOGS. THEY ARE SO LOYAL.
7. Be stuck in a tank with a Shark or In a room with a Tiger? SHARK, BECAUSE I HEAR YOU JUST HAVE TO POKE THEM IN THE EYES AND THEY WILL RETREAT. AT LEAST THAT’S WHAT I SAW ON THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL.
I hate mornings too! And I will take your word on the shark thing, because I am not poking one in the eye to test that theory. 🙂
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This sounds like such a fun read!
The title of this book always intrigued me, but wasn’t sure if I’d like it or not. Sounds like I should give it a try – I like reality TV too & I always like those kinds of books too.
If you like reality tv too, then I think you will find all of the production and behind the scenes aspects of this book interesting! I know I did.
Not sure this is one for me as I’m not really a reality tv person, but it does sound cute. Glad you enjoyed- great review!
Teresa @ Readers Live A Thousand Lives
The reality tv aspect is a large part of the story, but the main character is also a delight 😉
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I really need to read this one. I’ve lost over 50lbs myself and am now maintaining that loss, but it took me closer to 8 months to lose it-50 days/50lbs is a bit unrealistic, lol 🙂
It was a VERY QUICK weight loss. That is for sure. I can’t wait to see what you think of it Finley 🙂
This sounds awesome, I have never heard of this one!
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
AND the book takes place in california AND florida! (I just stopped by your weekly wrap up post and I totally forgot about this one for you. 🙂