Measuring Up by Nyrae Dawn Review!

    Seventeen-year-old Annabel Conway is tired of the Hillcrest High School elite making her life miserable because she’s not a size two. This summer, she's hiring a personal trainer to help her lose weight. Annabel doesn’t expect her trainer to be a gorgeous guy around her age. Boys like Tegan are jerks. They pretend to like girls like her so they can make an idiot out of them. Been there, done that. Totally not going there again. She kind of hates him on principal. Blond. Muscular. Funny. It doesn’t help that he knows her measurements! Soon, Tegan's so much more than that. He’s the boy who teaches her to box when she has a bad day. Who jogs with her and lets her set the pace. Who kisses her until she melts. He makes her feel beautiful regardless of what the scale says. Unlike her mom, he doesn’t expect perfection, and he doesn't try to shield her from the world like her dad and best friend. Tegan likes her the way she is. But what happens when he’s not there? He can’t always be there… Will Annabel be able to stand on her own and learn that she already measures up? That her worth doesn’t lie in what the world thinks, the scale says, or even what Tegan tells her—but in herself?

    I love the fact that someone in YA is finally writing about plus sized girls. We need more diverse books like this and I hope to see more of them in the future. That being said, this story is so raw and heartfelt that my heart hurt for Annabel because I knew what it felt like to be bullied and to want to change yourself for others. Annabel's story really struck home and even if I didn't experience the same things she did in the story I feel like others can take something out of this book too. This is a book that you will highly enjoy reading but it will also stir up emotions and leave you thinking about yourself. I loved how Annabel developed throughout the story. I'm not one to really focus on character development but the way Annabel developed by the end was really inspiring. Tegan was also written with raw feelings. Some YA novels tend to glamorize guys, duh that's why we like them so much, but Tegan is full of issues that he needs to fix himself and he is written with such strong feelings and emotions. I really wish I had a Tegan of my own now. I also love how Annabel and Tegan interacted; their love for each other was so sweet it had my heart melting. There are so many amazing aspects of this book and I don't really think I can do them justice. I admit that I shed a tear or two while I read Measuring Up, but I loved every minute of it. It's a book I can see myself rereading a lot, and I cannot wait to read more of Nyrae's work. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a book that will lay your heart bare and make you think. I give it five out of five stars!