3,5⭐️ rounded up

I got an ARC of the French translation thanks to Netgalley France and Young Novel.

This was a lovely read! Between her best friend, her first reciprocal crush and her aspirations as a writer, Charlie gradually makes her way towards totally accepting her body. I identified with Charlie's inner conflict: although she's part of the movement encouraging fat women to love themselves and finds fat women beautiful, she's very critical of her own body. The book deals with friendship, first romantic relationships, mother-daughter relationships, being mixed-race (white and Latina), fatphobia and self-acceptance. The author's message is kind and clear and includes themes that are essential, especially in literature targeted to younger audiences. 

The friendship between Charlie and Amelia is beautiful and I found the romance cute. I rolled my eyes a little at the conflicts because they were quite petty and dramatic, but for teens, they can make sense.
Charlie and her mother have had a complicated relationship since the death of her father, who was the guardian of the family’s stability and with whom she was closer. Since then, her mother has had an obsession with her own weight and tries to impose it on Charlie. I found their reconciliation quite frustrating because Charlie’s mother said horrible things to her and the surface discussion and lack of an apology paled compared to the resolution of the other conflicts.

I wish the summary didn't spoil the book. 

Fat Chance Charlie Vega is a beautiful story about self-acceptance, especially when you don't fit into society's beauty standards. As a side note, the cover is gorgeous 😍