Jan 12 2007
REVIEW: Size 14 Is Not Fat Either by Meg Cabot
Dear Ms. Cabot:
I’m a full on fan girl of yours. I read all of your books, even your young adult ones. The first in this series, Size 12 is Not Fat, was very cute and fun to read with a hint of a future romance. This second book was a cute, fun but the romance is moving slower than molasses on a cold day. Can we just speed that up?
Heather Wells is a bit of a washed up teen singing sensation. Okay, a lot washed up. Her mother ran off with all her money. Her dad is in prison for white collar crime. Her ex-fiance is getting married to the pop star du jour. Heather is getting her degree at New York College and helping to pay her way by working as assistant directory of a dormitory at NY College. She lives with her ex-fiance’s brother who she is also madly in love with. Heather is also a very observant, smart young woman who has lost confidence in her musical ability.
Right now, she’s channeling all her energies in solving the mystery of the death of New York College’s cheerleading captain, Lindsey Combs. At first blush, Lindsey seems the all American girl, but during the investigation a lot dirty ugly secrets come out about Lindsey’s partying habits and her sexual relationships. It seems that there are always more than one person with a motive.
The gruesome nature of the murder is offset by humor although sometimes inappropriately so. Heather doesn’t intentionally get involved in solving the mystery. It’s just that she’s there and she really cares about the students. Cooper, her landlord, part-time employer, full time crush, is a private detective and cares enough for Heather to try to keep her out of trouble.
The best thing about this series isn’t really the mystery, but Heather herself. She’s fun. She’s smart. She’s a bit insecure but always very caring. If a reader liked you before, he or she will enjoy this entry too. The drawbacks would be that sometimes Heather is too insecure (i.e., her best friend’s husband is a famous rocker and wants Heather to jam with him at a pub) and despite all her declarations of insane love for Cooper, she never really pursues it. If I could see a bit more character development and more movement in the romance arena, I would be thrilled. B for this entry.
Best regards,
Jane
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Jan 12, 2007 @ 07:16:34
LOL, now I know I’m in a romance slump. My comment – needs more development on the music side. I like Meg Cabot but I would give this book a lower grade – ain’t nothing happening here.
Jan 12, 2007 @ 08:02:22
Me too. It’s amazing how consistant she is. I’ve got this one on order.
Jan 12, 2007 @ 08:35:38
Another fan here…although I wouldn’t categorize myself as a full on fan-girl because I like Cabot’s YA stuff, but her “grown up” books haven’t worked as well for me. I haven’t been able to figure out why the difference, especially since her voice doesn’t really change IMO. I’ve got the Size 12 & 14 books TBR, but have been hesitating because I wasn’t sure where they fell on the continuum of grown up vs. YA.
Jan 12, 2007 @ 10:37:37
JMC – It’s more like the YA books, in my open. Heather, despite being 29, talks with the vernacular of a younger woman but it doesn’t really bother me. I didn’t really love her single title contemp romances, but this Heather Wells mystery is like reading one of her teens grown up a bit.
Jan 12, 2007 @ 11:17:36
Glad to hear you enjoyed this because I got the first book in this series for Christmas. I’ve only read the first few of Cabot’s Mediator series, but so far I like her voice. I’ll have to give Size 12 a bump up the TBR.
Apr 09, 2008 @ 20:06:41
Size 12 is Not Fat is the first in the series!!!!! Size 14 is Not Fat, Either is the second in the series!!!!!!!!!
Research it!
Apr 09, 2008 @ 20:09:25
Lola – That was an error. Thanks for pointing it out. I had meant to say Size 12 and must have gotten that mixed up when linking.