By Ahtiya Liles (@BookinItWithAhtiya)
*Note: This book recommendation features a link for you to purchase at the end of the article – purchasing via the link supports both me, an independent creator, and independent bookstores!
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado follows fat and biracial Puerto Rican teen Charlie Vega. After the death of her father a few years prior, Charlie’s relationship with her mother is fraught and complicated, mostly around the topic of Charlie’s weight because her mother, who used to be fat until she tried extreme diets, believes that Charlie needs to be skinny in order to advance in life or be beautiful. Charlie is perfectly fine with being fat and loves herself and her body, until her date to a school formal informs her that he only asked Charlie as his date in hopes that she would bring along her (skinny) bestie Amelia. Charlie begins to doubt her desirability, worth, and hopes for love, and this propels her into a journey of self-discovery.
Charlie Vega is one of the best Young Adult protagonists I’ve ever come across. When we meet Charlie, she is already confident and working on maintaining her confidence. Throughout the novel, of course, readers watch her confidence dip and recover. It’s important that teen readers realize and see positive representation that you can simultaneously be a Work-In-Progress and a masterpiece, and Maldonado masters this balance with the character of Charlie.
One of my favorite aspects of Fat Chance, Charlie Vega is the friendship between Charlie and her best friend Amelia. Amelia is incredibly supportive of Charlie, and their friendship is one of the best I’ve ever read. Their banter is a mix of goofy, serious, and loving, and it’s clear from their interactions that Charlie and Amelia have a bond deeper than friendship; they’re essentially sisters. While there is definitely a point of tension between the two girls due to Amelia’s lack of understanding to how the world treats Charlie and her fatness and the constant comparison between the two done by Charlie’s mother, this jealousy and tension is deeply explored by the author throughout the entire novel. We see both girls work through their complicated feelings towards their best friend in a way that is both messy and cathartic.
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega features a positive and realistic representation of a modern-day teenage girl. This novel not only shows a healthy and supportive relationship between two female friends, but also doesn’t shy away from the fact that sometimes even the best of friendships have their pitfalls and that these pitfalls can be overcome through open communication and time. Charlie also learns how to set firm boundaries, which is often difficult for teen girls, and she follows through on making sure people respect these boundaries. Does she get it right on the first try? Nope. But she doesn’t throw her boundaries to the wayside and let her self-esteem be trampled over; she re-establishes her boundaries and allows herself the grace to get used to standing up for herself, especially to her mother and her mother’s toxic expectations and obsession with thinness. The conversation around sex in the book is a breath of fresh air, as well; it comes from a place of empowerment, consent, and personal choice as opposed to the often-taught idea of shame or disgust. Charlie (and also Amelia) is firmly aware that her body is hers and that she is the only one that has to be comfortable with it and is the only one who can make choices regarding her body, whether that be in regards to sex or body image.
Crystal Maldonado’s Fat Chance, Charlie Vega is an excellent, quick and fun read for both teen and adult readers alike. For teen readers, it provides an avenue for exploration and tough topics; for adult readers, it’s a refreshing realization that what we may have been taught as young adults truly is not healthy and that the next generation will have better role models and examples. I highly recommend everyone pick up Fat Chance, Charlie Vega; you’ll be rooting for Charlie just as much as I was.
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You can purchase Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonaldo here:
