Book Review: Diary Of A Mad Fat Girl

Diary of a Mad Fat Girl by Stephanie McAfee recounts the story of Ace Jones, a loud-mouthed, pizza-loving, Chiweenie owner who works as an art teacher at the high school she once attended in Bugtussle, Mississippi.

Ace spends most of her time with her two best female friends, Lilly and Chloe, college friends who also teach at the school, as well as Coach Tanner and Ethan Allen, another former classmate who now operates the town’s favorite watering hole. When her plans for a trip to the Redneck Riviera go awry, it seems that most everything else in Ace’s life goes downhill from there as well.

Diary of Mad Fat Girl is largely plot-driven. A lot happens between the opening of the book and the ending – from accusations of sexual harassment at school and a domestic violence attack to a stake out at a strip club and encounters with a mysterious and wealthy older woman who seems to know anything and everything that happens in Bugtussle. Some story lines are fun and interesting to follow, while others seem hastily tossed into the narrative and don’t necessarily resolve themselves in a satisfactory manner.

It took me about 30 or 40 pages to like the protagonist in the book, but once I did, I enjoyed her shenanigans. The book was also laugh-out-loud funny at times. While I wouldn’t ordinarily read something like Diary of Mad Fat Girl, I enjoyed the novel, and I think it’s a perfect beach read. If you have a Spring Break trip planned, I’d grab a daiquiri, a copy of Diary of Mad Fat Girl and head for the nearest chaise lounge.

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.