Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Diary of a Mad Fat Girl (Mad Fat Girl #1)

3.46 of 5 stars 3.46 · rating details · 2,574 ratings · 582 reviews

Graciela "Ace" Jones is mad-mad at her best friend Lilly who cancels their annual trip to Panama City for mysterious reasons; at her boss Catherine for "riding her ass like a fat lady on a Rascal scooter;" at her friend Chloe's abusive husband; and especially at Mason McKenzie, the love of her life, who has shown up with a marriage proposalone yeartoo late. Ace is never ma...more

Paperback, 368 pages

Published February 7th 2012 by NAL Trade (first published December 24th 2010)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Conversations With the Fat Girl by Liza Palmer

Change Lobsters and Dance by Lilli Palmer

You Don't Sweat Much for a Fat Girl by Celia Rivenbark

The Melting of Maggie Bean by Tricia Rayburn

Fat Girl Memoirs

14th out of 14 books — 5 voters

Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines by Carol E. Wyer

The Meaning of Purple Tulips by Bláithín O' Reilly Murphy

Best Debut Chick Lit

69th out of 106 books — 464 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jul 23, 2011 Dorsi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nook, owned-by-me

If you are prudish, in any way, DON'T READ THIS BOOK! This story is not for the prim hearted. I thought it was HYSTERICALLY FUNNY! I laughed out loud many times while reading it & I think that is well worth the 99 cents I paid for it. What a group of characters & what a story line! I would love to know if it's based on actual events & people or if the author's imagination is that twisted. Even though it was a little amateurish in parts, the author shows talent & the story was hig...more

13 likes · like · see review

May 11, 2011 Raqiyah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

OMG! This book was so hilarious, it totally turned my bad day around! I didn't read this book because it was profound or well-written, or because of the character development (and I suggest that you look elsewhere if that's what you're looking for). Ace and her friends were wonderful. The story was rolling-on-the-floor funny! It's a relatively short story about Ace Jones and her adventures trying to sort out her life and the lives of her friends. The things that come out of her mouth, are the sa...more

11 likes · like · see review

Nov 11, 2012 Diana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You will laugh out loud!!! Hope she writes more!!

1 like · like · see review

Mar 31, 2013 Lita Bouquard rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit

This was recommended by a young friend at work. Initially it was a struggle due to too much tedium about Ace's job, school and work. I plodded on and reached parts I thought my friend probably laughed at. I wondered if the Saved by the Bell references, and Ace's ugly personality were worth it. McAfee hooked me when she began to write about the fat girl's childhood friendships. Eventually there were parts that were really funny and I read it through the night.

Ace is comical, mean, and emotionally...more

like · see review

Oct 20, 2012 Emily rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Being in a car for six hours was the only reason I made it through the novel by Stephanie McAfee entitled Diary of a Mad Fat Girl. The back cover claimed it was action-filled and hilarious, so who could blame me for being optimistic as I began the first chapter. To my dismay, each chapter made me more disappointed as I found the main character, Graciela Jones, a 30-year old robust art teacher who goes by Ace, hard to relate. Although the author’s intent was to portray Ace as an assertive woman,...more Being in a car for six hours was the only reason I made it through the novel by Stephanie McAfee entitled Diary of a Mad Fat Girl. The back cover claimed it was action-filled and hilarious, so who could blame me for being optimistic as I began the first chapter. To my dismay, each chapter made me more disappointed as I found the main character, Graciela Jones, a 30-year old robust art teacher who goes by Ace, hard to relate. Although the author’s intent was to portray Ace as an assertive woman, she was too headstrong for my taste. She started fights with nearly everyone in the small town of Bugtussle, Mississippi. Her inability to keep her mouth shut is further accelerated by her nights partying and consuming alcohol. She constantly finds someone to fight with whether it be her boss, Principal Havisham, her best friends, Lily and Chloe, or her on-and-off again boyfriend, Mason McKenzie. I quickly lost respect for her as a character due to her brazen personality.
The only character Ace is at peace with is her dog, a chihauhau-weenie mix affectionately named Buster Loo. I found the dog’s presence in the novel extremely annoying, because in every chapter Ace would talk to her dog, walk her dog, and complain to her dog about feeling lonely. It is silly to complain about a minute detail, but the author’s attempt to soften the main character backfired and came across as repetitive. It made her appear pathetic that of all her interactions, the only living thing she is at peace with is a dog.
Author Stephanie McAfee desires to prove that women can stand on their own two feet while seeking revenge on the men who have treated the women in the novel unjustly. Chloe, who works in the same school as Ace and Lily, has been married to a monster of a man who verbally abuses her and openly cheats on her. Chloe refuses to stand up for herself and divorce him until he becomes physically abusive. Throughout most of the book, Chloe’s friends try to convince her to leave her husband. At the same time, Lily and Ace both search for love and break quite a few hearts in the process.
Although the back cover sparked my interest, it was a huge letdown. Diary of a Mad Fat Girl is unrealistic and has a shallow plot much like a soap opera. If you ever come across this book, do yourself a favor and do not pick it up. It is my opinion that this diary should be locked and the key thrown away.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Jun 08, 2012 Kim Gane rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I chose this book for my first West Coast Posse Book Club selection for a couple reasons: I arrived in CA just over a year and a half ago as one mad fat girl, myself! Ha! And because I was truly inspired by the story that Stephanie McAfee SELF PUBLISHED this book on Christmas Day of 2010, and by March of 2011 it was on the NY Times Best Seller list! Incredible! And something that I hope to do, myself. I wanted so badly to love this book, and I found the first 2/3 to be a really quick, often humo...more

like · see review

Apr 19, 2012 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, humor

Well I just don't know what was better, getting to read this book or getting to meet the author at the Arkansas Literary Festival in Little Rock. Before I review the book, let me tell its brief but amazing story. Stephanie was a teacher who wanted to write a book. She decided to release it through three venues as an ebook on Christmas day, to catch all those folks who had just gotten Nooks and Kindles from Santa. She sold the ebook for 99 cents and in seven months it had been downloaded 145,000...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 02, 2012 Paperback Dolls rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-stars, contemporary-fiction, reviewed-2012, reviewed-by-believer

Previously posted at PaperbackDolls.com

I chose this book on a whim based solely on the title and quickly fell in love with it. McAfee has created a humorous homage to friendship, love and self acceptance centered around the main character, Graciela “Ace” Jones. Loud, loyal, and gregarious, Ace and her friends find themselves at crucial turning points in their lives.

Ace is stuck in a job she desperately hates and wonders if she has lost her one chance at happiness because of her pride & insec...more

like · see review

Mar 24, 2012 Nancy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

OK, two and a half stars.

There are flashes of real talent here--the deadpan, hilarious voice of the narrator is terrific, about 3/4 of the time. She's the take-no-prisoners friend with whom you hung out in your 20s (or 30s), while you tried to figure out what you were doing with your life. Ace is mercilessly and drily cynical--on herself, on her friends, on the town where she lives. A vastly entertaining trainwreck.

But the rest of the characters are unevenly developed. The school principal is a...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 17, 2012 Viviane Crystal rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ace Jones is one crazy, feisty, and funny gal! She has had a few very close friends who sheltered and comforted her when she lost her entire family in a very brief time, a fact that just might be a trust issue with Mason McKenzie who worships the ground she walks on as well as her chiweenie dog named Buster Loo! Oh why else would she turn him away?

Ace is working as an art teacher but haunted by a nasty principal itching to fire Ace and toting up every rule infraction Ace commits, of which there...more

like · see review

Mar 07, 2012 Kimberly Christensen rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2012

Although I really didn't care much for all the profanity, sex, and infidelity, I found myself turning page after page to find out what was going to happen next. I didn't enjoy the book, but I couldn't put it down either.

Loud, outspoken Graciela Jones, aka Ace, is a young high school art teacher who recently left her boyfriend and returned to Bugtussle Mississippi with her chiweenie, Buster Loo. The drama begins when her best friend Lily bails out on a trip to Florida to spend time with a man she...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 07, 2012 Maria rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: chick lit, beach read,

Shelves: romance

I seem to be spending a lot of time these days debating what to say about a book I’ve just read. "Diary," for example, was an entertaining read that I finished in a matter of hours. The story, however, is a train wreck from beginning to end, and this makes me question my taste level in literature. Further, the novel is written in the first person which, with rare exception, drives me crazy. In this book, however, it is almost necessary: Without the removal of the narrator, and more time spent in...more I seem to be spending a lot of time these days debating what to say about a book I’ve just read. "Diary," for example, was an entertaining read that I finished in a matter of hours. The story, however, is a train wreck from beginning to end, and this makes me question my taste level in literature. Further, the novel is written in the first person which, with rare exception, drives me crazy. In this book, however, it is almost necessary: Without the removal of the narrator, and more time spent in the main character’s head, the reader might never want to cheer on the aggressive, foul-mouthed, and often-annoying Ace. Was the story entertaining? Without a doubt! In this, Stephanie McAfee’s book has accomplished its most important goal. Are the main characters likeable or relatable? This is open for debate. My final analysis boils down to this: This is one of those books that I would happily hand over to a girlfriend who wants something light and fun to read on a beach, while waiting for a plane, or at the doctor’s office. The main female character in this novel is independent and mouthy and, while most of us would never publicly admit to wanting to behave like her, we secretly cheer her on even when we think she’s behaving completely irrationally. Is it literature with a capital “L’? Nope. But then, it never pretends to be.

Graciela “Ace” Jones is an art teacher at the high school in small town Bugtussle, Mississippi. Her life seems to be unraveling: Her principal has sadistic tendencies, and this woman has driven away much of the previous staff and now has her targets set on the mouthy art teacher. After a summer romance that seemed to finally be leading to marriage, Ace has left Mason, the man she’s loved since childhood, because she saw him talking to another woman and her crippling insecurities get the best of her. Her best friend since childhood, Lilly Lane, has been having secret assignations with a mysterious man for months, and then cancels their girlfriend’s spring break trip at the last minute because of this man. Worse, when Lily returns from her most recent trip she is fired from her job as a French teacher amid accusations she is sleeping with a student. And just when things seem like they can’t get any worse, Ace and Lily’s college roommate and coworker Chloe Barksdale Stacks is brutally beaten by her abusive husband, and the town’s bigwigs want to bury the story and preserve the status quo. All hell seems to have broken loose in Bugtussle, and these three best friends are determined that they are going to put everything right again.

But as soon as Ace helps her friend Chloe formulate a plan to extricate herself from her terrible marriage, Chloe abruptly withdraws and refuses all contact. Ace and Lily fear that their friend has lost her resolve, and they set out to secure the proof to convince Chloe to leave once and for all. But Ace and Lily still have to deal with their love lives, Ace’s crippling insecurity about being an orphan who grew up to be overweight, the principal’s attempts to devastate their character and careers, and the trouble they stir up with their bumbling attempts to catch Chloe’s husband behaving badly.

My main complaint about the text comes from the abundance of stereotypes in the story, some of which seem to have no real purpose beyond adding ‘color.’ One reviewer has mentioned that this story reads like a mashup of Bridget Jones’ Diary and Thelma and Louise, and I find this apt. Ace feels abandoned by her parents, who died in a car accident when she was a child, and this event contributes to her issues with being overweight (size 16). Like Bridget Jones, she struggles with feelings of unworthiness, and uses her size to convince herself that no one could love her enough to want her just the way she is, which leads her to make questionable decisions and to have a trigger temper. There is also the question of domestic abuse and the way abusers maintain power through physical and social means and, although Chloe sometimes appears like the stereotypical abused wife and a tremendously weak character, her experience is all too familiar to many women.

But then there are the other, less useful, stereotypes: Mason, as the super-gorgeous and successful real estate attorney who is waiting with long-suffering patience for our ‘mad fat’ heroine to come to her senses, marry him, and make “Mason babies”; Although Richard Stacks, Chloe’s abusive husband, is villainous for his actions, he is equally comical because of frequent descriptions of his manhood (because of course an abuser would be compensating for having freakish man parts); Mrs. Peacock is the old gossiping busybody who knows everyone, but this granny is the widow of a security services mogul, so she has super cool technology and she’s not afraid to use it! (I really liked Mrs. Peacock, so I feel bad for picking on her here, but her sole function seems to be to serve as Alfred to Ace and Lily’s Batman and Robin.) The town becomes a character, too, filled with people with small minds who behave in despicable ways to varying degrees (because small towns in the south are hotbeds of bible thumping people who behave like hypocrites). And the resolution is so pat! Of course Ace is destined to have a happy ending despite treating sex like exercise and undermining her relationship with Mason in ways that would test the resolve of anyone who was watching the love of his life behave like a cat in heat.

Towards the end of the book a slew of new characters are introduced and this leads me to believe that this author is moving towards writing a series. I’m hoping that this is the case, because I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Mrs. Peacock and her best friends, as well as some of the other characters who featured in the novel. Since this is a debut story, I also expect that the author will refine her writing in future books, and I definitely liked her well enough to read more from her.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Mar 03, 2012 Nancy added it · review of another edition

I might say this is not the cover of the book I read and I liked mine better but the book is the same. So,....to the review:

Oh my! When you live in Bugtussle, Mississippi everyone knows your business. EVERYONE. Which is one reason that Graciela Jones (Ace) is a bit wary when her ex-boyfriend comes back to town. She can’t turn around without someone telling her she should never have left him, what he’s doing at the exact moment and where he is and with whom. Her dog has even forsaken her lap for...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 22, 2012 Romancing the Book rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, humor, romance

Reviewed By~April
Review Copy Provided By~Publisher

Absolutely freaking amazing! Diary of a Mad Fat Girl is a roller coaster ride of emotion like few other books I have had the pleasure of reading. I laughed (out-loud in a library), felt my eyes fill with tears, got extremely torqued off, felt bursts of happiness and got rather irked off at the main character and wanted to smack her at times.

I knew going into this story that I would like it – or at least I had a pretty good inkling that I would....more Reviewed By~April
Review Copy Provided By~Publisher

Absolutely freaking amazing! Diary of a Mad Fat Girl is a roller coaster ride of emotion like few other books I have had the pleasure of reading. I laughed (out-loud in a library), felt my eyes fill with tears, got extremely torqued off, felt bursts of happiness and got rather irked off at the main character and wanted to smack her at times.

I knew going into this story that I would like it – or at least I had a pretty good inkling that I would. However, I had no idea just how much the story and its characters were going to grab a hold of me and make me fall head over heels in love. The sassy southern charm and bull-headedness of Ace Jones drips deliciously from the pages. She is a character that grabs the readers by the gonads and doesn’t let up. She also tells it like it is without qualms. Ace, however, does have a big self-esteem issue when it comes to her body and the fact that she deserves a wonderful kind of all-encompassing love that one certain hunk by the name of Mason, with whom she has had an on and off again relationship with since she was eleven (now thirty). Thus the reason I wanted to smack her at times.

Do be aware that Diary of a Mad Fat Girl is not for the easily offended, nor is it for the serious-minded reader. Rather, this book is for someone looking for a fun, relaxing and indulgent story. With that being said, the dialog is excellent, the descriptions superb and the storyline witty, yet on the serious side when it comes to the not-so-shiny bits of life. Diary of a Mad Fat Girl is a story of take-no-bull attitudes, tight and bonded friendships, blackmail, spousal abuse (the serious aspect dealt within the book), infidelity, romance and a delightful, hard-to-resist little chiweenie dog named Buster Loo. Author Stephanie McAfee delves into the world of the human psyche, the good, the bad and the ugly and puts a spin on it that is impossible to resist. Yes, some of these are not joking matters, however they are meant to be portrayed in a way that is entertaining – thus the reason that this is not a book for the easily offended.

Ace’s best friends, Chloe and Lilly are delightful secondary characters and though all three couldn’t be any different, their personalities play off of one another winningly. I have to say that I also adored Ethan Allen, the good ol boy that is the town’s most eligible bachelor, yet just hasn’t found “the one”. I would love to see a spin off book that focuses on him! He is, in every aspect, a cowboy gentleman who loves to have fun, yet looks out, with a fierce protectiveness, for his friends – including Ace, Chloe and Lilly. He is absolutely adorable and impossible to resist. I cannot forget to mention Mason, the on again, off again love interest of Ace. Love him!! He is hot, sexy, patient, and sounds like the perfect man.

Needless to say, I loved each and every bit of Diary of a Mad Fat Girl. The relationships between the characters were incredibly well written and the entire story was smooth as molasses and indulgent as a big old glass of sweet tea. I truly cannot wait for more by Stephanie McAfee and her lively, humorous and contagious talent!

Quote: My inner bitch and outer grown-up tangle in a vicious brawl, and I just sit there and stare at him like I might rip his head off and feed it to some wild hogs.
(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 14, 2011 Paulette rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

Ace Jones is ready to leave on her vacation but at the last minute her friend cancels and Ace finds herself in the middle of a crazy adventure.

Stephanie McAfee had me chuckling quite often while reading. The following are some of Ace’s lines that I just HAD to note to share with friends….

When leaving her job for her vacation she said about her boss, “no bitchy Catherine Hilliard riding my ass like a fat lady on a Rascal.”

Still about leaving for her vacation, “I’m sick of her and I’m tired of my...more

like · see review

Jun 07, 2011 Sarah Wilson rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Diary of a Mad Fat Girl was a nice distraction in the dentist's waiting room and on a particularly uneventful car ride. It was light and in some places so funny that the laughter literally burst out of me. But for the most part I found the plot completely contrived and uneven, the characters underdeveloped and unlikable, and came away with the feeling that I must have missed whole chapters or only gotten half of the story.

The book centers around Ace, a 30s Southern woman with a couple of extra...more

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 22, 2012 Dianne Socci-Tetro rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Diary of a Mad Fat Girl - By: Stephanie McAfee

This is a totally brain-less read and I am amazed that it hit the New York Times e-book bestseller list! Now we get to read it with all they typos and grammatical errors taken care of and in dead-tree form!

While I didn’t find any grammatical errors or typos (but I really wasn’t looking too hard!) I did find a story that is so highly unbelievable for mature (30 and soon to b e over 30), intelligent, college educated, world traveled women. I can apprec...more Diary of a Mad Fat Girl - By: Stephanie McAfee

This is a totally brain-less read and I am amazed that it hit the New York Times e-book bestseller list! Now we get to read it with all they typos and grammatical errors taken care of and in dead-tree form!

While I didn’t find any grammatical errors or typos (but I really wasn’t looking too hard!) I did find a story that is so highly unbelievable for mature (30 and soon to b e over 30), intelligent, college educated, world traveled women. I can appreciate a revenge plot along with the next person, but this went beyond something I could be comfortable with. Oh don’t get me wrong, I could NOT put this book down at all and finished it in about 8 hours, it was like a train wreck that you know you shouldn’t look at when passing, yet you just can’t help yourself and do look at it anyway...but I still wouldn’t recommend anyone actually buy it.
This book was not funny; I don’t even think I got one giggle out of it.
Chloe is being verbally abused by her husband of 5 years…and now he has moved on to being physically abusive.
Lilly the ex-runway/fashion model is keeping secrets - is she a pedophile or is she the kept woman of an older gentleman?
Ace (Gracelia) considers herself fat, doesn’t love herself or much of anyone anymore, is annoying, condescending, quick with her fists and gun, rude and crude and totally treated a man who wanted to marry her like crud.

By the way, why is it that every author that decides they want to write about a “fat” woman, makes her 20 pounds over ideal? Give me a break please. Take a page from Susan Donovan and if you want to write about fat do it right!

Now 2 of these 3 friends have been drafted to blackmail Chloe’s husband who is a HUGE philanderer with a very unusual penis. Along with these pals is Mrs. Peacock. She is a highly unlikely ally in this blackmail. A person who is so unbelievable as written, that it stretched my ability to suspend disbelief to the point that it was like the elastic band in some of my grannie panties! It almost felt like Mrs. Peacock was thrown in because the author couldn’t figure out how to move the story/plot along realistically.

So many people have said that you really need to be southern to ‘get’ this book Maybe so, since the was at least one ‘southern’ phrase that I just couldn’t translate to something that made sense to this northerner.

Please do yourself a favor, if you really want to read this book, please save your money and borrow it from the library.
(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 15, 2011 Amber rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, kindle, reviewed

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · like · see review

May 19, 2013 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars

OK I loved it! I mean, what's not to love? A heroine who admits her weight is due to a love of pizzas, cheeseburgers, & beer- and she ain't givin' 'em up! Teachers showing their true (fallible and lovable) selves-(I've been in education 23 years...)I laughed out loud several times while reading this book and I can't wait to read the next one. Ace and Lilly had me drawn in from page one. They are true southern girls- brave, smart, strong, and a little crazy. You've got to respect a book in wh...more

like · see review

Nov 20, 2011 Dana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: goodreads-reviews

30 year old Ace teaches art at a southern high school and has broken up with Mason, the love of her life since they were 11 years old, once again. Her best friend Lilly has a "mysterious gentleman" friend who is taking up her time and their friend Chloe, the school counselor has a rich, but verbally abusive husband who finally becomes physically abusive. Chloe and Lilly make up their differences in order to help Chloe get dirt on her husband so she can divorce him. Lilly befriends a handsome you...more

like · see review

Dec 18, 2011 Victoria rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, fiction, humor, kindle

While it was entertaining, the main character never develops from the pushy, brassy, loud, obnoxious, crude, angry woman that she is in the beginning. None of the characters really grow, except maybe Chloe, and aspects of her growth concern me. This was slightly chuckle-worthy, but it relied too much on easy, crude humor rather than wit. Also, it had cliche after cliche. And the main character constantly describes herself basically like an over-weight troll, but there are still plenty of attract...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 27, 2012 MissSusie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, reviewed

I didn't listen to this for any literary reason from the title I thought it would fun or at least funny, it was in ways but it wasn't laugh out loud funny, there were funny moments. I liked Ace at first until she totally turned into the jealous insecure woman I hate, these kinds of women drive me insane and Ace was everything I can’t stand about them, i.e. Another woman looked at you, talked to you, whatever to you so you must be cheating on me because I am “fat” ugly” “an idiot” and get out bec...more

like · see review

May 17, 2011 Julie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am shocked this book received as many positive comments as it did. It had some redeeming qualities so I felt that I couldn't give it only one star, but it was nothing like what I expected. The main character, Ace, is an unrealistic and exhausting character who (although a teacher) finds it appropriate to hurl child-like insults and curse words constantly at the people around her. Ace and her friend set out to find proof that their friend's abusive husband is cheating on her. During the course...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 27, 2012 Kathleen Minde rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-friends-book, meh, chick-book

Ace Jones of Bugtussle, Mississippi is a frustrated artist-turned-high school art teacher living the mundane dream with the deluxe nonexistent love life. She hates her boss, the principal at Bugtussle High, a bitch in heels, with a vendetta against her. Ace's impulsive, sometimes chidish, attitude and behavior can be tiring. She can't live with the only man she's ever loved since she was eleven years old; they keep breaking up. She yells. She comes up with hare-brained schemes. I don't want to h...more

like · see review

Apr 05, 2013 Gabby rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, fiction, 2013

If I can't be Grandma Mazur when I grow up (and I'm pretty much past the stage where that's a given), then I want to be Gloria Peacock. I don't read many chick-lit books, but when I do, I know I'm not getting War And Peace; I just sit back and hope to be entertained. Author, Stephanie Mcafee certainly delivered on her end of the entertainment scale. I really liked Ace Jones, and her group of friends all seemed as real to me as she became. I think it takes a gifted author to bring that sense to a...more

like · see review

Dec 29, 2012 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ok, so don't shoot me for giving this four stars. Just hear me out.

Initially, I was put off by this book. The first 4-5 chapters are full of some of the stupidest sentences I've ever read in a book. Not necessarily poorly written, just hokey and ridiculous. But I soldiered on.

Eventually, I got to about page 50 and found that I didn't want to put this book down. I had to see what happened next-- what would Ace do? I found parts of it funny, and I really enjoyed when the three main characters got...more

like · see review

Feb 18, 2012 Marcie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Diary of a Mad, Fat Girl by Stephanie McAfee reminded me of a cross between Bridget Jones and Thelma and Louise. This book is set in the small town of Bugtussle, Mississippi. The main character Ace Jones is, as the title suggests, mad. For most of this novel she's mad at the world. Though she does have some reason to be. However she does over react quite a bit in this book. Her personality is over the top. She's loud, outspoken and her behavior is at times very immature. For the most part I did...more

like · see review

Jul 18, 2012 Gayle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Gayle by: Publishers Weekly

Shelves: chick-lit

I liked this one but not as much as I wanted to. It was funny and I always love a Southern read, but Ace was a hard character to like. The "Mad Fat Girl" title made me think of the heyday of British chick lit and this didn't match it - it wasn't a diary, and the mad wasn't crazy-mad it was angry-mad. Ace was very angry - a lot of her dialogue ends with "I yelled." She also jumps to conclusions and gets destructive very quickly. Sometimes this is justified, but often it's aimed at those closest t...more

like · see review

Mar 08, 2011 Pat Amsden rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Diary of a Mad Fat Girl
by Stephanie McAfee

This is the story of a middle-aged, disillusioned and angry art teacher and friend. The book starts with her getting ready to go on a spring break vacation only to find her friend cancelling on her at the last minute. This same friend then ends up getting fired for alleged sexual misconduct while another of her friends ends up in hospital after domestic abuse. It's up to her to solve the case with the help of her friend/ex-friend/friend and a variety of...more

like · see review

Feb 07, 2011 Jhj rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think author Stephanie is off to a good start. Diary has good 'bones' - but, the one thing that I learned in my high school creative writing class - don't use words like "sparkle" to describe eyes. Skip cliches or use them sparingly. Every other page it seemed I was groaning whenever I read a well worn cliche.
There is quite a sense of humor there, and as everyone mentioned, the ending is very very lacking. Almost as if you wonder if the 3/4 of the book you read was in some other book! I bough...more

2 likes · like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (12)

More editions...

Genres

Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

57 users

Humor

18 users

Romance

14 users

Contemporary

10 users

Humor > Funny

7 users

Adult

5 users

American > Southern

5 users

Academic > School

4 users

Book Club

3 users

Academic > Teachers

3 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

The Bitch-Proof Suit
by De-ann Black
Life, Love, and a Polar Bear Tattoo
by Heather Wardell
Jackpot!
by Jackie Pilossoph
Life From Scratch
by Melissa Ford
Syndrome
by Thomas Hoover

About Stephanie McAfee

Like Elvis, I was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. And while I'm not the King (or Queen) of anything that I know of, I do have a white steed, a noble knight, and a royal court. Ok, I'm lying. I have a brown chiweenie, a buck wild toddler, and if we line our "Cars" cars up just right...

I have lived in the Wild Wild West, but don’t live there anymore because I discovered that some people belong in the...more

More about Stephanie McAfee...

Books by Stephanie McAfee

Happily Ever Madder: Misadventures of a Mad Fat Girl

Ace Jones: Mad Fat Adventures in Therapy

Down and Out in Bugtussle: The Mad Fat Road to Happiness (Mad Fat Girl #3)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Diary of a Mad Fa...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Diary of a Mad Fat Girl
avg rating	preview: Diary of a Mad Fat Girl Goodreads rating: 3.46 (2574 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11570637-diary-of-a-mad-fat-girl?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348543089l/11570637.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11570637-diary-of-a-mad-fat-girl?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Diary of a Mad Fat Girl by Stephanie McAfee[/url]

Diary of a Mad Fat Girl (Mad Fat Girl #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website