Being 423 lbs at sixteen isn’t easy. Butter is an outcast and secretly in love with one of the most popular girls in school, Anna. Thin, tall with long blonde hair, she’s the dream girl for many adolescent boys. A gifted musician on the saxophone, he hides on his computer under the handle ‘SaxMan’ to woo Anna behind the safety of the screen.
During a typical lunchtime period Butter gets caught between his feelings for Anna and drawing unwanted attention to himself. There’s something about lunchtime laughter that is soul crushing and Butter has had enough. He creates his own website http://www.Butterslastmeal.com. It was supposed to be a joke. Declaring his dare of eating himself to death on New Years Eve. As the countdown begins Butter gets a reaction he never expected, but mirages don’t last forever. It’s a last meal for one and the Internet will be waiting.
I was so excited to be approved for this ARC; I was instantly hooked from the premise. Sharp, clear and focused, this book doesn’t mess around. Butter isn’t a character that most readers can relate too, and more so, he’s not even likeable throughout most of the book. Butter is a typical spoiled teenager who happens to weigh over 400 pounds. This book reminded me of a scene in MTV’s Awkward, where the popular head cheerleader also happens to be overweight. She shouts at her mother while they’re shopping, her family has money and buying clothes isn’t the issue. The problem is that she can’t wear what she wants because those things don’t fit her size.
It’s such a shock to the system. There is no longer a happy medium for body size. There also isn’t praise for accepting one’s self as they are. Butter isn’t the normal case, and his journey as he grows out is fascinating. This book is so different from most of the Young Adult books out there and I praise the author for writing such a unique title.
Bullying is something that needs to be stopped, but how does one address this issue when it happens between parent and child? Or best friends? Or when the underdog is the one bullying themselves as well as others? Controversial, with a scene that will forever be burned into your mind, Butter is a league ahead of where Young Adult books need to go. You’ll be grateful your teenage years are long gone after reading this, and for those that are in the age category, this book is an example that yes things in life will get better.
Faber and Faber provided this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for this amazing book and many thanks to the author!
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