#Review: MY MAD FAT DIARY by Rae Earl

MY MAD FAT DIARY

Author: Rae Earl
Series: Rae Earl #1
Source: Finished Copy via the Publisher
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: April 19, 2016
Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary:
It's 1989 and Rae Earl is a fat, boy-mad 17-year-old girl, living in Stamford, Lincolnshire with her mum and their deaf white cat in a council house with a mint green bathroom and a refrigerator Rae can't keep away from. She’s also just been released from a psychiatric ward. My Mad Fat Diary is the hilarious, harrowing and touching real-life diary Rae kept during that fateful year and the basis of the hit British television series of the same name now coming to HULU. Surrounded by people like her constantly dieting mum, her beautiful frenemy Bethany, her mates from the private school up the road (called “Haddock”, “Battered Sausage” and “Fig”) and the handsome, unattainable boys Rae pines after (who sometimes end up with Bethany…), My Mad Fat Diary is the story of an overweight young woman just hoping to be loved at a time when slim pop singers ruled the charts. Rae's chronicle of her world will strike a chord with anyone who's ever been a confused, lonely teenager clashing with her parents, sometimes overeating, hating her body, always taking herself VERY seriously, never knowing how positively brilliant she is and keeping a diary to record it all. My Mad Fat Diary – 365 days with one of the wisest and funniest girls in England. 

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one. I thought it was honest and raw -- which, obviously, because it is edited versions of Rae Earl's actual teenage diaries. Kudos to Rae Earl for publishing those because my teenage diaries are never going to see the light of day ever again.

I have lots of good things to say about this one. It was so truthful and it transported me back to when I was a teenager. I liked that no punches were pulled and while some of this may have been edited, it didn't feel like it. I felt like I was really reading the thoughts of a 17 year old. I also liked that I could live vicariously through Rae in her life as a teen in the UK. It sounds just as boring as life as a teenager in Canada.

The only thing was that because it is only a year, it doesn't feel complete. It doesn't really feel like anything actually ~happened~ per say because it ends abruptly. And a lot of this was "filler" in a sense. I think I would have liked to been able to read all the volumes at once so that I could get the "full" story in completion rather than just a little snippet here. But I have high hopes for the rest and can't wait to get my hands on them!

If you have ever felt alone and unsure of whether your friends or that cute boy likes you, this is one for you. It is a quick and easy read and so so relatable! I highly recommend checking it out.