To be honest…we loved the latest novel by Maggie Ann Martin!
To Be Honest follows a young girl through the beginning of her senior year as she balances all of the unique challenges of high school. Classes, extra-curriculars, coping with living without her college-freshmen-sister for the first time, choosing what to do with her future, friendships, first love and the increasing complications of a mother-daughter relationship as the daughter climbs closer to adulthood.
I can’t discuss To Be Honest without first discussing the book’s leading lady, Savannah. With her, Martin has created a beautifully rendered portrait of a high school senior. She feels real and interesting, and like someone who you’d definitely want to drive around blasting Eminem with, if only because that’s her favorite past time!
Her mind and her life feel exactly as busy and as open as someone’s of that age should be. It’s just as wide and narrow and endless and finite and confusing as your own experience. Her joys and triumphs feel just as real as her struggles and insecurities.
Even her relationships with the other great characters in To Be Honest make for a reminiscent read. She has an intense bond and trust with her best friend, Grace. She’d do anything to be like her big sister, Ashley, to the point of sacrificing her own desires and talents. The new, cute boy in her life is constantly creeping into her thoughts. The praise of her teachers is like food to her.
And then there’s her relationship with her mother.
This is where To Be Honest really shines. This is where everyone who’s ever had a parent make them feel insecure about their body will feel like Savannah is telling the story of their life. And this is also where all those people will wish that they had this story in their life far sooner.
You see, Savannah is a self-proclaimed “fat” girl, and at the end of the day, she’s fine with it. Sure, she sometimes has an issue finding clothes at the stores her friends shop at. And yes, she occasionally spares a thought about what others are thinking about her thighs. But when all is said and done, she loves herself and her strong, capable body.
Savannah’s mother, on the other hand, has recently gone through a dramatic weight loss on the television program, Shake the Weight. Ever since the show, her mom has been like a different person, constantly tossing out motivational mantras and shaming Savannah for what she’s eating (which, by the way, is portrayed as being quite healthy, most of the time). For the most part, Savannah takes it all in stride, correctly believing her mother’s extreme habits to be far less healthy than her own.
One of the most powerful moments in To Be Honest comes from a confrontation between Savannah and her mother, in which Savannah declares that “fat isn’t a bad word,” and takes a stand. Gaining herself, and everyone who’s ever been in her shoes, a sense of satisfaction that’s rarely won under these circumstances.
The great part about Martin’s portrayal of these ladies is that neither is ever vilified. Even though they definitely go through a lot of issues, both with each other and within themselves, in the book, they ultimately reach out with love and understanding.
Other highlights of To Be Honest include a cute romance, some welcome humor, and a cool coming-of-age side storyline that has Savannah uncovering a scandal at her school using her journalistic prowess. In fact, one of the greatest strengths of To Be Honest is how much story is told beyond talking about the body image issues between Savannah and her mom.
There’s something for everyone in To Be Honest, so be sure to check it out!
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