Hello there readers, hope you're all well. It's been a while since I've done a book review, honestly because my reading patterns have been a bit all over the place since I finished school. Usually I read my book on the bus to and from school, and before I go to bed but I'm not going to school and I've been going to bed at late hours. Anyway, I finally finished My Mad Fat Diary which I borrowed from my friend. I wanted to read this book because I was obsessed with the series, I think it's a series that grips you in so quickly and series 2 had me constantly on edge, I would talk about it nearly everyday to my friends just because it made me so nervous. Then my friend bought the books and said I'd like them so I gave them a go, and I can quickly say this is a positive review!
Synopsis:
It's 1989, and Rae is a fat, boy-mad 17-year old girl, living in Stamford, Lincolnshire with her Mum and their deaf white cat in a council house with a mint off-green bath suite and a larder Rae can't keep away from.
My thoughts:
I think this book was written in a way that draws you in but it also feels like you're talking to a friend, so you have a personal connection to Rae. Many of the characters in Rae's life are given nicknames such as 'Battered Sausage' and 'Haddock' so in that respect it's very similar to the 'Angus, thongs and perfect snogging' series but it's not quite to the same length as that because I found I got confused with some of the words in 'Angus, thongs and perfect snogging' but in this the nicknames were kept to a minimum.
The storyline doesn't really have much of an ending because it is like a diary, plus there's a sequel so it is like life in that it doesn't have a cheesy ending but it just stops with a conclusion and summary. I found that okay to deal with as it was very similar to reading a regular girl's diary which wouldn't have a happy ending where everything ends perfectly.
I absolutely adored all of the music references in this book, there was a reference to Morrissey or the Smiths every few pages which was awesome considering how much I love Morrissey so I smiled like a loon every time he was mentioned.
I felt like I had a connection to Rae on a personal level having had experience with mental illness and food issues, so what I would say is that if you're easily triggered don't read this. I didn't find it majorly triggering but there were some parts where I had to put the book down and take a breather because I needed to just stop, but it also provides an insight of what it's like to be mentally ill if you haven't had that experience which I feel is important to raise awareness about mental illness.
Overall rating:
I think I'd give this a high 4/5. I had read some really bad reviews of it and my friend said she enjoyed it but it wasn't amazing so I went into it with pretty low expectations, I was quite impressed though because I found myself smiling quite a lot whilst I was reading it.
If you liked the show, definitely give it a read because it's so similar but in some ways it's different because the characters in the show are based on a combination of characters in the book, and some bits are changed or dramatized, but the basic atmosphere is there. Alternatively, if you didn't watch the show but quite like reading books that are set in the 80s give this a read because the show was changed to the 90s but I quite liked the book being set in the 80s (possibly more than the show being set in the 90s), Rae's life is strongly influenced by music so if you're like me and music history interests you then give it a go.
Did you watch 'My Mad Fat Diary'?
Have you read the book or are you planning to?
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