Author: Kris Dinnison
Series: n/a
Genre: YA, Romance, Contemporary
Release Date/Publisher: July 7th 2015 by HMH Books for Young Readers
I was given this book by the publisher for review via NetGalley
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Synopsis:
“Maggie and Nash are outsiders. She’s overweight. He’s out of the closet. The best of friends, they have seen each other through thick and thin, but when Tom moves to town at the start of the school year, they have something unexpected in common: feelings for the same guy. This warm, witty novel—with a clear, true voice and a clever soundtrack of musical references—sings a song of love and forgiveness.”
The first thing that brought my attention to this book was the fact that the author, Kris Dinnison, is from Spokane, Washington! I love local authors, and what’s more: she just sounded so great. Reading her author bio (see a bit of it below) made me want to read her books!
“She grew up reading books nobody else had read and listening to music nobody else had heard of and thinking she was weird, which she kind of was. She spent nearly two decades as a teacher and librarian working with students from kindergarten to graduate school,”
– author Bio
Not only is the author local, but this book takes place in Cedar Ridge, a fictional small town outside of Seattle! I love the PNW, and Seattle, and it was so cool seeing some of my favorite tourist-y Seattle places show up in the book!
Additionally, the main character is fantastic! Maggie is a self-proclaimed fat girl, who understands that she is SO much more than just that. So why can’t anyone else get that? Especially her mom. Maggie loves to bake, takes AP classes, works in a record store, and is fiercely loyal to her best friend/soul mate and fellow outsider, Nash.
Tom, an adorable new boy, moves to town, and stirs up some tension when both Nash and (grudgingly) Maggie develop feelings for him. Not only that, but he actually seems to like Maggie too, despite her flaws that nobody else can seem to get past.
Although the title, You and Me and Him, suggests that this love-triangle is the focus of the story, that couldn’t be further from true! This book was so great in addressing topics of loyalty and forgiveness within the context of friendship! The friendships were in the spotlight in this story, and I loved it!
It also addressed some great topics of self-worth, being an outsider in high school, and most importantly, it was incredibly body positive!
Speaking of body positivity, I ADORED how Dinnison addressed what it’s like to be an “overweight teenager going to an american high school.” She understood the complex mix of backhanded compliments from loved ones, the struggle to reconcile self-esteem problems with the knowledge that you are a valuable, lovely person regardless of weight, and how hard it can be to add boys to that mix! Maggie was fat, so what? She was also active and clever and smart and a million other things! I loved that!
Maggie was the character that I felt reflected myself more than any other character I’ve found before. I understood what she was going through, and it made me feel understood in return. What a great feeling that is! It reminds me to this quote:
“We read to know we’re not alone.”
― William Nicholson, Shadowlands
I would highly recommend this to anyone who has ever struggled with their body image, has ever been an outsider, or anyone who just enjoys stories about weird, smart girls who are honest and fiercely loyal.
This book was enjoyable from start to finish, and I loved it! You and Me and Him has wonderful messages about body positivity and being true to yourself.
