Diary of a Mad fat Girl (review)

If you are looking for an easy, fun book to pack in your beach bag this summer, Diary of a Mad Fat Girl by Stephanie McAfee is it. The book is the story of Graciela "Ace" Jones, a big girl with a big personality in Bugtussle, Mississippi. Ace has plenty of issues: She sees herself as fat, she has an on-off relationship with the guy she's loved since she was 11, she's at odds with the school principal where she works. On top of that, one of her best friends has been framed and fired from her job and her other best friend is in a terrible marriage from which she needs to be saved.

The story is, as I've said, fun. It is also quite over-the-top and not all that believable but what does that matter when you're looking for a quick, easy, beachy-type read? Not much. The narrator, Ace Jones, has a strong, sassy voice and the story moves ever-forward through one twist and crazy turn after another, making the book one of those that you have a hard time putting down. It seemed that every time I got to the end of a chapter, I told myself I'd read just one more and that led to another one and another one and before I knew it I was done. Quick, easy, fun!

One other thing about Diary of a Mad Fat Girl. This book was originally self-published as an e-book in 2010. After debuting at #17 on the New York Times bestseller list for e-books, McAfee got an agent, who found her a print publisher, and the expanded print version of the book (which is what I read) was published last month by Penguin. It's a pretty cool success story!

Anyway, check out the book. It's fun!

~ Felice

Review disclaimer: This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.