I didn't like "Bitter is the New Black," but for some reason, I picked up another memoir by the same author. I am glad, as this one was much better. While "Bitter" showcased a woman who had a ridiculous sense of entitlement to the world, "Pretty Fat" showed the growth (figuratively and literally) of Jen as a person, and what truly putting your best face forward really entails. Most women will be able to relate to Jen's plight with her weight struggles. Most of us... (show more)

I didn't like "Bitter is the New Black," but for some reason, I picked up another memoir by the same author. I am glad, as this one was much better. While "Bitter" showcased a woman who had a ridiculous sense of entitlement to the world, "Pretty Fat" showed the growth (figuratively and literally) of Jen as a person, and what truly putting your best face forward really entails. Most women will be able to relate to Jen's plight with her weight struggles. Most of us dread getting started and look at the pretty, fit trainers as skinny spawns of satan. Like me, Jen does not seem to see in the mirror what everyone else sees in real life, and for that, she has never felt the need to apologize for herself or to anyone. She was always able to accept who she was, even when she was not feeling her best for it. But when reality stared down at her and warned her that long-term consequences could be looming, Jen decided to do something about it. And as a good heroine should, she made it clear she wasn't doing it for anyone except herself. This book is the right companion for women who want to lose weight, who need to learn to accept the good and the bad, and who want a friend to be there along the journey. (show less)

I picked this book up from the library. In hindsight, I am glad I did not buy it. This book is likely a memoir, but is certainly based on the author's experiences. However, she didn't just write a memoir, she wrote a chick lit novel. In chick lit, the heroine is sassy and witty, but I felt like she took it too far in her sass and went into the realm of insulting and hurtful. Where Jen should have been inspriring and sympathetic, she just came off as a bitch who was so self-absorbed and with n... (show more)

I picked this book up from the library. In hindsight, I am glad I did not buy it. This book is likely a memoir, but is certainly based on the author's experiences. However, she didn't just write a memoir, she wrote a chick lit novel. In chick lit, the heroine is sassy and witty, but I felt like she took it too far in her sass and went into the realm of insulting and hurtful. Where Jen should have been inspriring and sympathetic, she just came off as a bitch who was so self-absorbed and with no redeeming qualities, that it was a struggle to make it to the end of the book. While the author makes no apologies for herself (the title of the book gives it away), it didn't come off as enjoyable as much as it did offensive. The line between wit and hurt is something the author needed to understand better.

Also, two techniques she used were the letters and the footnotes. I have seen those both used in other books, most notably the shopaholic series, and I felt seeing them here, the author completely ripped off the idea, and didn't give it anything fresh or original. She used the footnotes as a gimmick, and she didn't need to.

Overall, if you can get this book at the library, do it and save yourself the money. Then again, there are better books out there. (show less)