Review: On the Plus Side by Sabrina Morgan

 

I read this book as an advanced reader copy from Reedsy Discovery.

Annabeth Miller moves to a new school with her brothers following the death of her parents. She's a bigger girl, used to the bullying that fat people face in our society. She doesn't expect anything different at this new school and although she makes a few friends right away, the popular bad boy decides to make her life more difficult by mocking her. The only thing is, Luke Ryder has feelings for this girl deep down, but he's the popular bad boy used to dating thin cheerleaders. He has a reputation to uphold and he can't be caught crushing on a fat girl. Despite his efforts to resist her, he finds himself becoming more and more interested in Anna. Eventually, he has no choice but to admit he finds her attractive and make an effort to redeem himself to her. Luke and Anna have their fair share of secrets that further complicate their blossoming attraction.

I love the found family aspect of this book. The characters really do care about each other which is such a comfort. Anna is realistic, she admits her insecurities about her body, but she never says she wishes she wasn't fat which is a refreshing view on fatness. I do wish that Anna's body wasn't such a huge focus in the book as I worry about the impact it could have on readers' body image. The romantic tension in the book is built up perfectly. The book reads a lot like a teenage movie: romance, drama, action, friendship, shenanigans, etc. It was overall a pretty fun read. The only things I didn't enjoy were the use of the word "females" to refer to women repeatedly and how quickly some things happened in the book. The "females" usage just felt a little sexist to me and I know other readers can find the term somewhat uncomfortable/offensive. However, it didn't overshadow the book itself. As far as some things happening fast, the love story is built up very nicely but some of the side plots happen very quickly so they might be confusing or random. However, I think everything tied together nicely in the end.

I think that anyone looking for a high school romance that reads like a good romance movie will enjoy this book. It was an overall fun read despite the sad and sometimes dark aspects of the story. I will warn readers there is fatphobia, attempted rape, physical violence, and murder in this book. (For more content warnings, go to StoryGraph, although as of now, the warnings have only been added by me). These things go along with the nature of Anna being a fat woman and Luke's involvement in semi-illegal stuff so it doesn't really spoil anything and it's good for readers to be prepared. Overall, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to those looking for a fun, cheesy romance novel.

As always, happy reading.