Pele Publications - Review
Reviewed by: Catherine Kitcho

This is a witty contemporary story about women's friendships as they encounter life's passages. Any woman who has battled those pounds over the years, whether 10 pounds or 100, will identify with Maggie, the heroine of this tale. Maggie's best childhood friend Olivia was also a girl of size, but underwent gastric bypass surgery and then crafted a new social life, leaving Maggie behind to wrestle with her own body image. As Olivia's impending wedding to a doctor nears, and with Maggie as the maid of honor, Maggie feels the need to out her friend about their shared past. The two women must decide what is most important: friendship or truth? You'll enjoy this funny page-turner, and it's a great book group selection, especially for women.

Nights and Weekends.com – reviewed by Kristin Dreyer Kramer

It all starts with a note from Maggie’s landlord, announcing that Maggie’s little home is about to be bulldozed and turned into a pool—and she has 48 hours to move out. The timing couldn’t be worse for Maggie, who’s preparing to be the maid of honor when her best friend, Olivia, marries a handsome surgeon in a matter of weeks. But the note somehow sparks a chain reaction of change in Maggie’s life.

All her life, Maggie’s been clinging to things that she should have put behind her. She’s been clinging to her little house with the hideous landlord. She’s been clinging to her friendship with Olivia, a gastric-bypassed former fat girl who’s moved across the country to escape her past. She’s been clinging to her fantasies of the perfect man—who will never exist. She’s been clinging to her job at a café—while she dreams of finally using her Master’s and getting a job restoring sculptures in a museum. And she’s been clinging to her role as the Poor Little Fat Girl.

With her move to her cute new cottage, Maggie begins to face the changes and take charge of her life. That means calling about that internship at the museum, working with a personal trainer, and finally doing something about her crush on Domenic, the dishwasher at the café, who might just be interested in her, too. It also means facing the fact that her Best Friend Forever might not be the best of friends anymore.

Conversations with the Fat Girl is one of those books that you won’t want to put down—and you’ll eventually give in, like I did, and read until you finish it. Palmer’s style is relaxed and easy-going—just like a chat with a good friend. Her voice is witty and honest—and, at times, cynical and just plain sad. Maggie is such a loveable and realistic character that you’ll instantly get caught up in her story—and you’ll be able to relate, no matter what your size. You’ll laugh with her, you’ll commiserate with her, and you’ll cheer her on from the first page to the last.

The story may not be entirely original or unpredictable, but it’s so truthful and well-written that none of that matters. It’s a powerful novel that will make you laugh while challenging you to take a look at your own life, too. It’ll inspire you and entertain you—and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it just as much as I did.