Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee

Rosemary Goode is smart, sweet and hard-working, but it seems that the only thing people notice is her weight. Her mother and Aunt Mary want her to shed some pounds - hence the treadmill and tickets to Healing the Fat Girl Within for Christmas. But losing weight is something that Rosemary wants to do for herself, and on her own terms. And so begins the Pounds-Away shakes, the early morning runs and constant checking of the scale. Rosemary finally starts to lose weight, and in the process learns a lot about herself, her family and life in general.

I really enjoyed reading Artichoke's Heart. The writing was good, the characters interesting, and Rosemary's journey was fascinating. There was something in this novel that just kept sucking me in and kept me turning the pages. I become invested in Rosemary, and wanted to see her succeed, whether it be with her weight, with her boyfriend or with her family. Rosemary was a very real person, and whether you're overweight or underweight or average weight, you can relate to her and her problems. I liked that Suzanne Supplee made Rosemary a very defined character, while also leaving her open so that many different types of people could understand her. The plot and pacing were good and I'm really glad I decided to pick this novel up off the library shelf. The only problem I had was in the beginning: Rosemary whined and complained about her weight, while staring at an idle treadmill. She wanted to lose weight, but it took awhile for her to actually get up and do something, which annoyed me. But eventually Rosemary began to take control of her life and my faith in her was immediately restored. If you're looking for an inspiring coming of age novel, definitely read Artichoke's Heart. And how can you resist that cover?

8 out of 10.