Admittedly, books about weight loss and the challenge of living with extra weight have a lot to live up to when I read them. I know it's a bias. But there are also many thresholds that need to be met, regardless of my own bias toward them. Unfortunately, this one was not satisfying.

When Ever is 15, she's over 300 pounds. She grief eats as a way of dealing with losing her mother years ago. This is never really explained or explored and it's definitely not emotionally compelling. We just need to a More...

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It's s simple solution, really. Girl loves boy. Boy loves girl. Girl gets fat. Boy leaves. Girl cuts her stomach up into a little bitty pouch to get boy back.
-Ever, Skinny

The first time I wanted to read this book was in a Scholastic event where the author (along with some other helpers) played out the dialogue in the story out loud for the audience. From what heard from those few paragraphs I was intrigued. I got the book. Back at home, on a whim, I too More...

Spot on about the issue of obestity among teens. Experiencing the interior monologues that go through Evers thoughts really creates insight into the mind of addiction. The book does not glamorize gastric by pass but presents the nitty gritty of the surgery. The book tackles bigger issues about self esteem and the self doubt that all teens experience.

I really went back and forth on what to give this book. I like the subject matter. I like the incorporation of Cinderella and, while it was really heavy handed, it was supposed to be and the book is unapologetic about that, so I'm not sure why people seem to have a problem with it. This is really a coming of age story, and Ever had a lot to learn. At times she was completely unlikeable and she had no idea what she really wanted. She could be flat out mean and self centered. But this aspect of Ev More...

I loved the book Skinny. I think every teenage girl should read it. Skinny is the voice inside of Ever’s head. Ever is an obese 15 year old who just wants to escape high school. The voice in her head tells her everything she doesn’t want to hear. Skinny tells her what her classmates and family think of her. They call her a ”cow” and a “fatty.” She was skinny when she was young, but it when her mother died of cancer she figured she didn’t have a reason to stay skinny anymore. But when her stepsis More...

Skinny by Donna Cooner
Skinny is written by Donna Cooner. It was published in 2012 and is a realistic fiction genre. It could also classified as romance. Meet Ever. She is a 15 year old girl who weighs 315 pounds. A snotty voice lives inside her, telling her what other people think about her, and always tells Ever that she is fat, worthless, and no-one will ever love her. The terrible voice inside her is named Skinny. One day, at an assembly, Ever breaks through her chair. She then realizes she n More...

After a humiliating incident in which she breaks a chair in front of the entire school, fifteen-year-old Ever Davies who weighs 302 pounds, decides her only chance at normality is gastric bypass surgery. But the surgery isn't the answer to all her prayers as she must exercise and make life-changing choices such as avoiding all sweets and eating minuscule portions in order to avoid health issues associated with the change in her internal organs. The author does a great job of describing how Ever More...

"Deeply moving,totally moving and utterly fabulous."
This book deserves some spotlight because it is simply amazing. Very insparational. It shows how overweight people DO face problems and they go through ALOT of problems.Skinny is a voice inside of Ever Davies's head. But, there is another voice. Ever's singing boice which is strong and pure but, has been silenced by Skinny.So Ever goes through a dangerous surgery which helps her shed pounds also with the support of her best friend, Rat, who Eve More...

This book surprisingly got me hooked from the start. I read the first two pages and wanted to check it out from my High School library..

It was written in a way that painfully reminded of my own low self-esteem. I'm not fat, but the things that the evil little voice in Ever's head tearing her apart because of her weight echoes my own voice telling me that I'm a freak, a loser, a failure, a flawed weirdo who is destined to be simply a "broken" Aspie kid...

Anyway, the story went by quickly. The sur More...

I have no idea why I decided to read this book. Really. I don't usually do the whole weight loss storyline, but for some reason I picked up Skinny and felt drawn to it.

Skinny is basically about a fifteen-year-old girl called Ever, who weighs 302 pounds. She picked up a lot of weight when her mother died, and has been trying to lose it but eventually gave up because she couldn't do it on her own. She is constantly taunted by Skinny, a negative voice in her head who she believes tells her the tho More...

Ever is an overweight high school student whose thoughts and actions are accompanied every step of the way by an insidious, negative counter voice named Skinny, whose sole ambition is to break Ever and keep her from finding her true potential. Skinny is chiding and harsh, the anti-cheerleader. I have met Skinny. I have heard her. I know her too well. Which makes this a very relatable book for me and probably a lot of women. It is about more than being overweight. It is universal. It is the sound More...

This book is truely a very amazing book. Skinny torments Ever about her weight constantly and Ever takes in all of the insults and abuse that she gets, until one day when she decides to have the surgery. I think that Ever getting the surgery was definitely a good choice because it caused her happiness and gave her confidence. Without that confidence, she never would have been able to confront and block out Skinny.

The best part of this book was the ending when Ever finally confronts Skinny. I th More...

Review by Shelly

“Ever Davies is fifteen years old and dangerously overweight. She was named for the fairy tales her mother loved so much, but feels sure that “happily ever after” was never written for her. Until, one day, she decides to take drastic action. Changing on the outside is one thing – but silencing Skinny is the hardest thing of all.”

This book captivated me right from the start. The way Donna Cooner uses her own experience is evident from the off and so you get the whole picture of w More...

Love. Regardless of the fact that I was kind of on the other side of the spectrum for the majority of my life, I found myself relating to Ever. She's brilliant, snarky, and a well-written character. The real issue is Skinny - the voice inside her head. Skinny is the insecure voice that tells Ever what everyone is thinking - even if they're not actually thinking it. This causes relationship problems like you wouldn't believe. Ever buries her insecurity with sarcasm and general bitchiness. The thi More...

Yesterday, I was researching lists of best YA books of 2012-13 for my job, and I came across Skinny. I'd eyed it before, and then decided: eh, not for me. But since it was on this outstanding books list (I forget the name, sorry!), I figured I'd give it a shot.

Let me throw this out there: I had an eating disorder in college. I don't believe you can ever fully "get over it," so I often say I still have disordered eating. I also have BDD (body dysmorphic disorder). Most people don't guess, but a l More...

I absolutely LOVED this book!!! I have never been over weight in my life but me and Ever pretty much have the same insecurities. I love any cheesy love story and I certainly LOVED this one. I could just picture Ever and Rat being such a cute couple. He seems so sweet and I wish I could have someone like him in my life. Weirdly enough, I actually kinda want Ever's life... Her relationship with Jackson when she was younger and the relationship she has with Rat now is amazing I think. Also, going t More...

Skinny by Donna Cooner is a book I first found roaming the shelves at the bookstore. It seemed appealing and I read it, and rather enjoyed it. I had read some reviews before, and there were good and bad comments discussed in them, comments and points I tried to find in the book. Some of the bad points, I found. Others which people pointed out, I either couldn't find or didn't agree with.
All in all, I think that Skinny is one of those quick reads that leaves you feeling contented inside. A sweet More...

Second star earned because Cooner picked a very interesting topic - not the weight issue, per se, but the gastric bypass surgery process. It's not something you see in teen fiction very often.

Beyond that, though, this book is very Angry Fat Girl Loses Weight And Becomes Happy. It's hard to write an unpleasant character who still manages to be sympathetic, and unfortunately Cooner missed the mark. Ever isn't just defensive, or moody, or angry: she's a mean bitch.

The aspect of "Skinny," the disco More...

I have battled weight for the last decade and recently lost 55 pounds through a rather extreme program so I was very curious about Skinny when it came into the library. Ever is a 15-year-old who is obese at 302 pounds. Her mother died when she was young and she filled the painful void with eating. Her mother struggled with her weight before cancer took her and Ever inherited her mother’s challenges. The part when she talked about how her mother makes everything better with food struck me hard. I More...

Full review at Cracking the Cover

“Skinny” is sad, happy, frustrating and rewarding. It’s also engrossing. Ever is a likable character that I immediately felt drawn to. I’ve never weighed that much, but I could easily identify with her insecurities, her hopes and her dreams.

“Skinny” isn’t the first book about an overweight teen, nor will it be the last. What makes it work is the sincerity in which it was written. There are no easy fixes and there are a lot of other emotional issues that need to b More...

Absolutely an amazing book. My aunt got me it for Christmas along with a few other books so that's a definite bonus. I think the main thing that drew me in was the cover, it's gorgeous and it makes me want to continue looking at it!!

A) Rat is awesome, adorable and supportive and he's everything a girl needs!

B) Jackson needs to speak up! Don't pretend you forgot and don't lead her on!

C) Ever you just annoyed me. In a way I understood completely, but you just need to stop being a b*tch and realize More...

Author: Donna Cooner
Published By: Point Press
Age Recommended: YA
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Book Blog For: GMTA
Rating: 4

Review:

"Skinny" by Donna Cooner was some read definitely a powerful one. This novel is of a journey taken as this young lady under goes surgery to reduce her weight. Wow, I can only say what amusing novel this one is! This author has choose a wonderful topic that has troubled us forever...obesity of the childhood...and I think she did a good job at accurately bringing out the pros More...

Ever is 302 pounds. Skinny says she's an elephant. Skinny says she can't be loved. Skinny always puts her down. Ever wants to get away from Skinny, but Skinny lives inside Ever. Ever decides to undergo gastro bypass surgery to save regain her sense of self... and maybe snag a boy. Her friend Rat is super supportive in her recovery and health plans. But what will happen when she goes back to school, will it be different or will she still be invisible no matter how big she is? Skinny thinks she'll More...

When I first heard about Donna Cooner’s Skinny, I was intrigued. While I wasn’t overweight as a teen, I have spent the last ten years (my entire “Adult” life) dealing with weight issues. So I was curious to read this one, and I was thrilled when I found out my local library had a copy! I checked it out, and read it in a matter of hours.

Now, I’m sitting here struggling to write the review. Part of me really enjoyed this book. I read it quickly, I felt invested in Ever. I liked following her journ More...

As someone who struggled with weight issues and social anxiety in school, Skinny really hit home for me. I spent years and years - and still do, occasionally - thinking that every person who glanced my way was judging me and putting me down. I've never known how to explain that before until I read Skinny. Donna Cooner put it into words and into Ever's story and she did a pretty damn good job.

I feel like Skinny goes above and beyond Ever's quest to lose weight. To me, the real story was Ever's qu More...

Ever Davies has a secret. She hears a voice in her head that tells her what everyone around is thinking when they look at her, if they look at her. "I know what they think because she whispers their thoughts in my ear. I can hear them. Clearly. Constantly. 'If I ever look like that just kill me.' Her name is Skinny. I don't know how long she has been sitting on my shoulder whispering her messages." Ever is one of the smartest girls in school but she doesn't have many friends. She has only one fr More...

Acne, height, hair, skin, teeth, and weight are all features that conflict teens throughout their young adulthood. Mirrors become an asset and an enemy within the transition from child to teenager. The self-conscious behaviors like checking the mirror every second or trying every diet fad arise due to peers, family and media. Images of small framed women and men with flawless skin, nice clothes and money can be a deadly mixture when it comes to the self-worth of young minds.

In life there are a More...

Donna Cooper’s excellent debut is the compelling story of an obese high schooler who elects to undergo a drastic medical procedure in order to change her life. Main character, Ever, is on with whom many, many woman (and likely men) will sympathize. Her experiences as an obese young woman are heart wrenching and I have no doubt they are real. Equally as heart wrenching are her experiences once she has lost weight after surgery, when she is no less an oddity for some people than she was before.
Mos More...

Skinny by Donna Cooner is a YA novel that I'm sure will crossover into adult readers as well. Ever is in high school and she is obese and has a negative voice named Skinny who tells her how fat, ugly and unimportant she is. I think most everyone has or has had some sort of negative voice in their heads at some point. Ever is lucky, while she certainly hears from the bullies of the school, she does have a wonderful friend in "Rat." Once she decides to have a gastric bypass, Rat is on the job, he More...

I judged SKINNY by it's cover for a long time. The publicist who gave it to me was very enthusiastic, but I wasn't sold enough on the cover to even crack it open. I assumed it was similar to Laurie Halse Anderson's WINTERGIRLS, and would be about some girl dealing with anorexia or bulimia. There's nothing wrong with stories involving anorexia or bulimia, but I've read several - and reviewed several. It's an important issue but not one that resonates much with me. But that's not what SKINNY is ab More...