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Fat Cat

by Robin Brande (Goodreads Author)

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 2,608 ratings · 513 reviews

You are what you eat. . . .

Cat is smart, sassy, and funny—but thin, she’s not. Until her class science project. That’s when she winds up doing an experiment—on herself. Before she knows it, Cat is living—and eating—like the hominids, our earliest human ancestors. True, no chips or TV is a bummer and no car is a pain, but healthful eating and walking everywhere do have thei...more

Hardcover, 330 pages

Published October 13th 2009 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

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Dec 15, 2009 Cara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Cara by: Ash

Shelves: realistic-fiction

This book reminded why I love reading so much. I learned so many new things without being banged over the head with textbook mumbo jumbo. I almost fell out of chair when she talked about the Tarahumara indians (it's a joke in my family).

Cat is well fat and is carrying around a lot of resentment. She is smart and she has good friends but again she's fat. Every year she enters the science fair and this year she plans to beat Matt no matter what happens. The experiment that she takes on is pretty...more This book reminded why I love reading so much. I learned so many new things without being banged over the head with textbook mumbo jumbo. I almost fell out of chair when she talked about the Tarahumara indians (it's a joke in my family).

Cat is well fat and is carrying around a lot of resentment. She is smart and she has good friends but again she's fat. Every year she enters the science fair and this year she plans to beat Matt no matter what happens. The experiment that she takes on is pretty extreme. She is going to eat like the caveman did and limit her access to modern technology. With her diet of diet coke and chips and her habits of a modern day person this will be no easy task.

Slowly we see her start to lose weight and all the changes that comes with that. We come later to find out exactly what is the huge grudge she has against Matt, and get to see her attempts to test the waters with guys. I laughed so much when I read this story, and zipped through it like there was no tomorrow. Along her journey you can tell she feels (dare she say it) pretty and not only that but more happy than she can remember. I actually felt compelled to take a look at what kind of junk I'd been putting in my own body and how dependent we all are on technology. Sometimes you have to turn everything off. No interent, TV, phones and just really think. Though I could never become a vegertarian (they had some good points but...) I love eating juicy burgers way too much. Good books make you analyze your own life and it did just that.

I got kind of annoyed at Cat sometimes though. The grudge she is holding is justified (in a way) I think she was a little too hung up on it. She kept saying traitor and you betrayed me and well I just can't see a teenager doing that. They'd be like there are such scum (insert more colorful language here). There was a bit of that, but I think Cat made it out to be worst as the years went by. I'm not saying what Matt did wasn't hurtful but I'm surprised how long she kept hating him. I think it's because it happened in her middle school years (very difficult time growing up) and she liked him so it hurt that much more.

That aside though this book is worthy of anyone's time to see sometimes that we are the only ones in they way of our own lives.(less)

13 likes · like · see review

Jan 08, 2010 Valerie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic-fiction

I finished this book in one day so that must say something about it. It was a more fast pace book even though there wasn’t suspense or action in it. The chapters are fairly short and the writing style is modern and easy.

In first half of the book I was sure I was going to give it 5 stars because Cat was so funny, smart and just a really great girl with so much drive –she is definitely into science. The whole eating and being like cavemen thing was informative; I learned a good amount and few of...more

5 likes · like · see review

Dec 28, 2010 oliviasbooks rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of "Flavor of the Week" by Shaw and "Dear Julia" by Zemser

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, ya-contemporary, read-2010, swapped-or-given-away, love-story-romance

Sorry, guys. I had time today to snuggle up - fitted out with coffee, Cat and cookies. I liked it a lot and I had to keep reading and reading. It missed a few things to be perfect, though. Maybe I can verbalize them later.

4 likes · like · see review

Oct 10, 2011 Isamlq rated it 4 of 5 stars

oh, book! you've made me happy today :)

there are times when mindless fluff just does it for me. at first glance, one might assume fat cat to be those thing. and it did get pretty fluffy a couple of moments there; i'm not kidding when i say it brought back some of what i felt when reading hayes's so over you, but this has got so much more going for it.

foremost of which are the people in it:they are each others equal. i've complained time and again of friendships that seemed unlikely, as in the pr...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 31, 2011 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 16-chick-lit, 24-ebooks, 0-faves, 05-literary-crush-worthy, 27-contemporary-ya

*Happy sigh* This was absolutely fabulous!

If I try to come up with anything I didn’t like about this book I’m drawing a total blank. Our narrator Cat is awesome, she’s smart and witty and she made me laugh out loud at regular intervals throughout the entire book. I also loved that even when her pounds melted away and she regained some self-confidence she stayed true to herself. I kind of expected the story to go like they all do and was prepared for Cat to turn into a total bitch but luckily thi...more *Happy sigh* This was absolutely fabulous!

If I try to come up with anything I didn’t like about this book I’m drawing a total blank. Our narrator Cat is awesome, she’s smart and witty and she made me laugh out loud at regular intervals throughout the entire book. I also loved that even when her pounds melted away and she regained some self-confidence she stayed true to herself. I kind of expected the story to go like they all do and was prepared for Cat to turn into a total bitch but luckily this never happened. Sure, she experimented a little with her sexuality and how she could influence the male population but she always stayed the same loveable science geek who doesn’t really care about make-up and clothes and wants guys to like her for her personality and not for her looks. She stayed the sweet girl who’s loyal to her friends and cares about her family.

This was one of those books I simply couldn’t put down, the plot captivated my attention from cover to cover and when I realized that the story drew to a close I got really sad because I didn’t want to say goodbye to all these great characters just yet. As I already said, Cat herself is awesome but so are her friends Amanda and Jordan and also Matt. I know, what he did back then was awful but he was only thirteen and at this young age you sometimes just do stupid things like that and I actually found myself feeling bad for him because it was just so obvious that he had absolutely no clue what he had done. I also thought the whole situation with him and Cat was a realistic scenario. I remember being that young and not having the guts yet to stand by my opinion, no matter what the others thought or said and I also know how I didn’t confront friends about stuff like this. The fact that Cat and Amanda were almost running a restaurant by themselves, on the other hand, struck me as a tad bit unrealistic but didn’t really bother me. The additional information on how to eat healthy was interesting as well, though I must say that the author was not exactly subtle about her "pro vegetarian" message. :) Luckily it was still within tolerable limits.

What I probably liked best about this one was the love story. It was the kind of romance that makes you grin like a fool and feel warm all over. This is definitely a book I’m going to re-read someday. Loved it!
(less)

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Dec 25, 2010 jo mo rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, favourites, moments-of-hilarity, own, reviews, 3-stars

3.5 stars

cat wants to win with her project in fizer's special topics research science class badly, because it would mean green light for getting a recommendation for college applications and eventually even winning scholarships. basically a freet-ticket to reaching her dreams. problem: cat's topic for her 7-month project is about something she's totally NOT interested in.

stone age. ~~neanderthals~~. hominids. homo erectus.

cat hates herself. cat hates her body. but cat finds an interesting topic for...more

4 likes · like · see review

Nov 06, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip marked it as to-read-i-own-it

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews, fiction, jen-owns, teen

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Catherine Locke has hated Matt McKinney ever since she overheard him say something mean about her at the seventh grade science fair. Before that fateful day, they were best friends. Now, she just wants to win this year's science fair. Science fair participation is a requisite for Mr. Fizer's Special Topics in Research Science class. The only problem is her project will depend on what picture she pulls from his stack. Mr. Fizer creates a folder with various...more Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Catherine Locke has hated Matt McKinney ever since she overheard him say something mean about her at the seventh grade science fair. Before that fateful day, they were best friends. Now, she just wants to win this year's science fair. Science fair participation is a requisite for Mr. Fizer's Special Topics in Research Science class. The only problem is her project will depend on what picture she pulls from his stack. Mr. Fizer creates a folder with various pictures taken from magazines, and the students have to create a project around that picture. It could literally be anything and the students can't look when they pull a picture.

Cat sees Matt actually smile when he looks at his selection. So when she pulls a picture of early hominis (think Neanderthals) surrounding a dead animal, she is devastated. How can she make THAT into a first place science project?

Cat started plumping up in middle school. She used to love swimming, and the exercise kept her metabolism in check. But that one fateful summer, it seemed like her body took on a life of its own. Thankfully her best friend, Amanda, loves her just the way she is. So when Cat gets the idea to see how living like the early hominis would affect her, Amanda embraces the idea with her and supports her endeavor. Her parents, though not as quick to approve, finally agree, with the stipulation that Cat talks to the dietician at the hospital her mom works at, to ensure proper nutrition.

This begins Cat's year-long journey of giving up modern technology, walking everywhere (though there were some safety exceptions included), and eating only what the early ancestors would have been able to produce. What Cat doesn't expect is how her body, and ultimately her own self-perception, changes during her scientific experiment. As the new Cat emerges, she finds the courage to finally confront Matt about the day that changed her life so long ago.

FAT CAT is a fantastic book! I can't say enough about it Told in a sort of journal format, Cat shares her life as her science project progresses. The reader gets to feel her frustration, desperation, despair, uncertainty, and ultimately relief as she learns to accept herself for who she is. She realizes that she has used Matt as her reason for self-loathing, when it may have been far deeper than that. FAT CAT moved quickly, and as the pounds start to fall off Cat, you won't want to put the book down.

One thing that really worked in the story is that not once does Ms. Brande reveal Cat's starting weight, nor what she wound up losing. The reader gets to experience the wonder of discovery with Cat and watch her blossom with her newfound confidence. Follow Cat on her science experiment and enjoy the ride. You won't be disappointed. I know I wasn't!(less)

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Apr 25, 2012 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars

YA book about Paleo eating, what corner of society hasn't this fad diet infiltrated?
Good premise, not irritating to read like a lot of YA on the market, but... and it's a big but (see what I did there) the inaccuracies about paleo eating are very annoying. This girl, Cat, decides to eat like neolithic man to win a science experiment (high school education seems disturbingly competitive and serious business in the US)and in the process shreds her human fat suit and becomes a wee high school hotti...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 27, 2010 Okapi rated it 2 of 5 stars

After seeing the five gleaming golden stars that Fat Cat has on Amazon, I knew this book was a must read. Yet upon finishing Fat Cat, mixed feelings for this novel raced through my mind. This book is like a chunk of granite, embedded with both pretty and ugly flakes of other rock. Overall, its good qualities marginally dominate the poor ones, making this novel a sweet, light read that managed to alter my own lifestyle.

I was not sure what to make of Cat's personality; There were times when I want...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 30, 2013 Nidah (Sleep Dream Write) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For her science experiment Catherine "Cat," goes on a diet like that of the cave people thanks to a picture she chose. Through seven months, Cat notices changes not only from losing weight but herself, all the while angry at her former best friend Matt because of what she and Amanda had heard when they were kids.

This book was really great and surprised me at times. I kept thinking why couldn't Cat just confront Matt and even Cat mentioned this. Plus in most books I read the siblings seem to hat...more

1 like · like · see review

May 21, 2013 Ms. Ramsborg rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic-fiction

Book Title: Fat Cat

Lexile: 700
I read this book because a student’s book review got me interested in it. The main character is a girl named Cat who is overweight and eats a lot of junk food, until she decides to return to a “natural” prehistoric diet for her science project. I was interested in this book because I like learning about nutrition and healthy eating. I learned a lot about the effects of processed food, and it made me think more carefully about the foods I eat.

One of my favorite part...more

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May 19, 2013 Ash rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read 'Fat Cat' by Robin Brande, I chose it because I can relate to the plot of the book, and it's interesting seeing someone progress from overweight to attractive. Fat Cat is about a overweight, 17 year old girl named Cat, who has to do a science research project based on random photo she chooses. Cat gets stuck with a photo of Homo Erectus cavemen defending their food, and she decides she will live her life just like they did for 7 months, and the outcome is life changing. My favorite quote...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Alicia Anderson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Fat Cat is about a 17 yr old girl, Cat, going through her senior year at high school, and the changes that take place, inside and out, from her science project with her as the test subject. I decided to read this book because it was recommended to me by a friend. This book falls under the category a book with a female main character. It is an awesome category when written well (which in this book, it is); being a girl myself, I love it when (in this book) the leading lady gets brainy ideas and s...more Fat Cat is about a 17 yr old girl, Cat, going through her senior year at high school, and the changes that take place, inside and out, from her science project with her as the test subject. I decided to read this book because it was recommended to me by a friend. This book falls under the category a book with a female main character. It is an awesome category when written well (which in this book, it is); being a girl myself, I love it when (in this book) the leading lady gets brainy ideas and sets them in action with success.

My favourite quote from the book is when Cat, Amanda, and Jordan are sitting at a cafeteria table, Cat has just broken up with her now ex-boyfriend, Greg, who was really a jerk, and Jordan is relaying the conversation he, Greg and Matt had at the Halloween party. Jordan said: "Greg's saying how he had this fully loaded unit now - 'big brains, big ti-'" He coughed. "-chest". I love this quote because it perfectly shows the jackass in Greg, and the gentleman in Jordan.

Something new I learnt was from a part of Cat's scientific experiment. Humans react negatively to negative stimuli, and positively to positive. This could be an environmental factor, or the foods we eat. When our ancestors discovered fire, their bodies reacted positively by becoming more streamline and muscular from the food they cooked. All the sugars and saturated fats and salts are making our bodies react negatively by becoming more bloated, weak, and suffering from complex illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure.

An interesting setting in the novel is the Karmic Cafe, the cafe who runs the Poetry night Amanda regularly participates in. The food tastes horrible there, until Darlene, the owner, calls in Amanda's help to reinvent the place. It's interesting because the cafe is a really quirky one, and the group of three often hang out there. This cafe is also a main setting for Cat and Amanda's double date with Greg and Jordan, and Nick and Cat dined here before the Winter Formal. (less)

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Mar 22, 2013 Jenni French rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: age-5-grades-9-12, genre-contemporary-fiction

Cat is in a very competitive science class this year, and she has to create a research project based on a random photo she chooses from the teacher's folder. Rather than grabbing a picture of plants or insects, the things Cat has been interested in, she ends up with a picture of early humans. She decides to begin her research by mirroring, as closely as possible, how early humans lived and ate: she gives up her cell phone, her television, and her car, as well as chips, soda, and candy bars. As h...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Cheryl A rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya

A fresh take on the whole misunderstanding/unrequited love theme often found in YA novels, Fat Cat has overweight, overachieving Catherine Locke choosing a year long science project on herself. Bound and determined to beat her former best friend Matt McKinney in the science fair and take revenge on a slight from four years ago, Cat embarks on an ambitious plan to live as close to the hominin lifestyle as possible.

The novel is filled with both well drawn supporting characters (Cat's family and be...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Vicki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book all in one sitting! I really liked Cat's voice she was funny and sweet and totally oblivious. As I was reading what her ordinary eating day consisted of I was horrified, but she somehow seemed content that this was her life. Or at least resigned to it. Until she decides to do an experiment on herself to follow the diet of homo erectus. What's funny is that not a few days ago my boyfriend was reading to me the benefits of eating a "prehistoric diet". It is no lie that much of wha...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Mae rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romantic, sweet, teen-angst

Self-conscious girl with wit and humor who's also into science speaks to me in so many levels. Fat Cat is mainly another story about finding and gaining self-confidence... with a little extra dressing on the side.

I believe it deserves a five stars though, because it is well-written. Though Fat Cat revolves around adolescents, the language style doesn't overuse slang and makes no pretenses. The speakers' voices aren't over-the-top which I appreciate. Furthermore, the characters (main and supporti...more Self-conscious girl with wit and humor who's also into science speaks to me in so many levels. Fat Cat is mainly another story about finding and gaining self-confidence... with a little extra dressing on the side.

I believe it deserves a five stars though, because it is well-written. Though Fat Cat revolves around adolescents, the language style doesn't overuse slang and makes no pretenses. The speakers' voices aren't over-the-top which I appreciate. Furthermore, the characters (main and supporting) are very well-drawn: they have vibrant and distinct personalities that keeps the story interesting. As well, easy-to-see-and-find clues were set up from the start of the novel that leads to events later on which demonstrates how much thought the author put into her work. I enjoyed the scenes shared between the characters - their interactions were very engaging and life-like. Moreover they're high school students, so clichés and stereotyping was unavoidable (since the characters were put in a high school setting), but the author went further and gave her characters more life and personality. Success!

At first body image was the initial course of the plot, but once boys start noticing Cat, the plot diverges. (It's as if, once Cat loses interest and goes on to the next big thing in her mind, the story follows... I noticed she stopped "logging" what she cooked when boys became her main concern/new experiment. It's great her narrative style changes with her interest as this is written in her POV, but eh, Cat-in-heat ruined the novel for me. AT THE SAME TIME, the romance IS the heart of the novel.) The plot cleverly builds up to the main conflict of The Cat and Matt Show (that's the heart of the novel) in which Cat confronts Matt and Matt confronts Cat. This part of the novel was the best, I almost could have passed it as the climax. It's monumental! It's important! It sets the plot on the right course (even though the initial course was far more interesting)... everything else for me fell short after this confrontation. (When the novel hits the actual climax where it's obvious Cat and Matt will have a happy ending... well that was flat.)

The author interview I read at the back also killed the novel's charm. Her off-handed replies gave the impression she wasn't serious. The book loses its value for me and I felt I wasted my time reading this book. (So why did I just write a review praising its content? Fat Cat has some worth between its folds.)

Above all else, I did enjoy Fat Cat and I saw Robin Brande's Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature at the library so I probably might check it out some day. The combination of science (health, psychological and behavioral), lifestyle (fashion, food, and decor), art (poetry!), friendship and love works for me and I like it. (I guess it's because I'm also a well-rounded nerd.) In conclusion, the strong point were the characters. The former half is appealing for those interested in the ugly-duckling turning into a swan / fat caterpillar into a lovely butterfly type of tale. If you're a teen that's into fast and under-developed romantic relationships then pick up this book and read the latter half. Oh, and the vegan recipes at the very back (after the dreadful "A Conversation With Robin Brande") is a plus - it's also my other favorite part of the book - planning to try 'em out sometime.

(On the side, I like the Victorian novel references. I was also impressed and surprised that the following well-known scientists are vegetarian: Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Darwin, Thomas Edison, Jane Goodall, Brian Greene, Sir Isaac Newton, Pythagoras, Nikola Tesla... This author did her research. I'm thrilled!)(less)

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Dec 28, 2012 Allie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Robin Brande has an interesting take on YA fiction. She likes science. Whether it be evolution, biology, nutrition, physics, etc, Brande is sure to connect some sort of science into books.

As a pretty avid geek myself, I really enjoy Robin Brande's intriguing inclusion of science. Her books aren't SF but she's really skilled at weaving interesting scientific facts and theories with her characters and plots.

I've only read one other book by this author - Evolution, Me, & Other Freaks of Nature...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

This book was better than I expected. I picked it up because I had read some of Brande's other books and liked them, but I wasn't initially psyched about the storyline. I really thought it would be too much of the juvenile high school "Oh, poor me! I'm overweight and no guys like me!" kind of crap. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I liked Cat's character and found her to be believable and very likeable. Her science nerdiness was endearing. Her weight and self-esteem issues were believable an...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Litywira rated it 2 of 5 stars

1.5 stars. Barely even ok.

I really wanted to like this book, but instead it was rather irritating. It started out ok, but about halfway through it became tedious. I found it very unrealistic that Cat suffered no ill effects lasting longer than a few days.

I also found the vegetarian aspect somewhat preachy. No consideration was given to organic, free range meat products at all. It felt like Cat didn't consider this, particularly concerning the fact that she was trying to return to a early human...more

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May 28, 2012 Rebecca Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teen-contemporary

This book! Never before have I struggled so hard to decide between three and four stars. I really really liked this book. The main character, Cat, was exceptionally relatable to me. There were some issues I had with the book, but they were often overpowered by the positives. My favorite bits were the food descriptions and the faint parallels to Austen/ the Brontes. My least favorite bits were the weak secondary characters and the fact that Cat skips a lot of meals for someone claiming to be incr...more This book! Never before have I struggled so hard to decide between three and four stars. I really really liked this book. The main character, Cat, was exceptionally relatable to me. There were some issues I had with the book, but they were often overpowered by the positives. My favorite bits were the food descriptions and the faint parallels to Austen/ the Brontes. My least favorite bits were the weak secondary characters and the fact that Cat skips a lot of meals for someone claiming to be incredibly healthy.

Pace: engrossing. I had trouble putting this book down.
Characterization:realistic, faithful, introspective, lifelike. I felt like the main character was beautifully drawn, complex and flawed. Everyone else was as flat as cardboard. Cat's best friend Amanda, for instance, had no conflict to her story at all and seemed content to work her life around Cat. Matt was slightly better but very predictable. Nick and Greg were both creeps, really, even though nick is supposed to be nice and attractive. He really pushes himself on Cat more than Greg, and even when Cat says no to him, he doesn't let her go for a long time, yet for some reason this is acceptable in the story.
Pov:first person pov from Cat's perspective
Frame: Contemporary/suburban/high school
Tone:heartwarming, light humor, melodramatic, romantic.
Story Line: issue-oriented. For the most part the story centers on Cat's weight-loss and dietary change, with a shift mid way to include her romantic confusion. Although i do think being at a healthier weight probably improved many things in her life, sometimes I felt like the point of the story became confused. Cat demands that everyone love her when she was overweight, but she never learned to love herself that way. She also spends a lot of the novel relishing her appearance instead of her health.
Writing Style:dramatic, frank, simple.

Final note, Cat really didn't struggle with losing weight much at all, which was a major flaw in the story. Someone who has been overweight for as long as she had would not be able to flip a switch and give up all these foods with only a few days at the beginning where she felt sick. I was disappointed in the lack of detail here and the fact that she often had no appetite at all when she was nervous, which seemed unlikely.

Red Flags:some mild physicality between Cat and Nick/Greg/Matt. Nothing past "second base"
Read Alikes: I haven't read much contemporary/realistic YA so I can't speak much to this yet.(less)

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Apr 18, 2012 kari rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 5-star, 2012, ya

Catherine Locke, known to her friends and family as Cat and to those not-so-friendly as "Fat Cat" chooses a project for the yearly science fair to determine if eating/living like distant human ancestors would improve her health(and reduce her weight in the bargain).
Cat is a great character. One of the things I liked best about her goal is that she was doing it for herself, not to attract some boy, although boys certainly notice the changes in her, but that she wants to look strong and healthy. N...more

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Mar 29, 2012 Diejai rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: jugendbuch

Fat Cat habe ich bereits im vergangenen Jahr gelesen und das Buch hat mich richtig begeistert. Es hat mich sogar so sehr begeistert, dass es zu meinen Lesehighlights des letzten Jahres zählt. Aber irgendwie habe ich es einfach nicht geschafft, eine Rezension zu schreiben. Da ich das Buch jedoch so toll finde, möchte ich es euch hiermit trotzdem empfehlen.

Robin Brandes Schreibstil ist toll, denn sie legt der Protagonistin, das Herz auf die Zunge. Mir hat es sehr gut gefallen, wie offen und ehrlic...more

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Feb 20, 2012 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: february

Stupid library charged me twenty dollars for this. Even though I was 100% positive I returned it.

**spoilers**

Catherine "Cat" Locke enters the science fair in hopes of defeating her rival, Matt McKinney, who she was once very good friends with. In her science experiment, she decides to use herself as the test subject and records the results of what happens when she recreates the "traditional/early lifestyles" of humans. She changes her diet, quits her habits, gives up modern devices of convenien...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: eating-disorders, friendship, realistic-fiction

Cat is a smart, overweight, junk-food addicted high school student whose close friendship with (and crush on) a boy named Matt dissolved 4 years ago after a very hurtful incident (the details of which are undisclosed to the reader until fairly late in the book). Faced with the pressure of a high school science fair experiment, she decides to study the impact of modern diets and technology on health by using herself as the subject of an experiment. Cat vows to live like a prehistoric hominim for...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Shauna rated it 3 of 5 stars

In the spirit of New Year's resolutions, and with a taste for something light and fluffy, I decided to give Fat Cat a go.

When Cat pulls a photograph of a gathering of our Homo Erectus ancestors ~~I will not snicker, I am a grown up~~ for a science project, she decides to ask the question,
CAN MODERN HUMANS BENEFIT FROM RETURNING TO THE EATING & LIFESTYLE HABITS OF THE EARLY HOMININS?
with herself as the guinea pig.
Cat lacks confidence. Cat hates her body. So this ~~piece of insanity~~ marvelous idea...more In the spirit of New Year's resolutions, and with a taste for something light and fluffy, I decided to give Fat Cat a go.

When Cat pulls a photograph of a gathering of our Homo Erectus ancestors ~~I will not snicker, I am a grown up~~ for a science project, she decides to ask the question,
CAN MODERN HUMANS BENEFIT FROM RETURNING TO THE EATING & LIFESTYLE HABITS OF THE EARLY HOMININS?
with herself as the guinea pig.
Cat lacks confidence. Cat hates her body. So this ~~piece of insanity~~ marvelous idea comes to her in a flash of brilliance.

It's not that I'm hideous, but I'm also not stupid. I know how people see me. I might spend an hour every day straightening my hair and getting my makeup just right and picking out clothes that camouflage at least some of my rolls, but the truth is I'm still fat and everyone knows it. When I wake up in the morning it's like I'm wearing this giant fat suit, and if only I could find the zipper I could step out of it and finally go start living my real life.
And that was my eureka.
Because seeing the hominin woman, just out there in all her glory, naked boobs and butt and stomach and everything, and noticing how lean and fit and strong she looked made me realize something.
When anthropologists or forensic paleontologists find a skeleton, they bring it back to the lab and build a clay model over it to see what the person might have looked like. They have to decide how much muscle and flesh to give the person to make it look like a real body, but here's the thing: they never ever make the person fat.

This is an enjoyable little book, I desperately wanted to give Cat a cuddle and tell her to ignore the bullies who so knocked her self esteem to begin with ('Fat Cat'? Really?) and I sympathized with Cat as she went through her various withdrawals,

"'Symptoms of caffeine withdrawal are most acute within the first twelve to twenty-four hours.' How long has it been?"
"I can't do math right now."
She read on. "'Symptoms may include headache, muscle aches--'"
"Yep."
"'--nausea--'"
"Oh, yeah."
"'--and a general feeling of malaise.'"
"Does that mean wanting to die?" I asked.

I was rooting for her. It's nice to see her begin to feel comfortable in her own skin and regain her confidence in herself.

And then there's Matt. Matt being the reason our little Kit Cat so very much wants to win the science fair. He is the former friend/crush she loves to hate. Years after his 'betrayal', poor Matt remains nonplussed as to what he did to earn her disapprobation. *shakes head* Boys.
I found myself quite often wanting to shake one or both of them as they found their way back to each other.

As an added bonus, you soak up all sorts of healthy living tips. Score.(less)

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Jan 07, 2012 Rosalia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, realistic-fiction, battle-of-the-books, young-adult

Cat is obsessed with hating Matt Mckinney. All she wants is to beat him in the science fair. Then she gets the picture and her science fair project takes on a life of it's own. She's eating the way the hominids did and kicking technology out of her life. As she changes her diet and walks everywhere, the pounds start melting off and the male population takes notice.

I really enjoyed reading this. Cat was incredibly funny and I loved the relationship she had with Amanda, Jordan and her parents. The...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I normally never read Young Adult because I can't stand the juvenile and predictable romance-novel quality about them, and this one DID definitely have that (so I did not enjoy those parts) but I read it because of an interest in the main topic. A high schooler does a science project essentially on the "paleo diet" and lifestyle, theorizing that going back to our prehistoric ways of eating would behoove us as a species rather than indulging in all the chemical, processed crap that is the bulk of...more

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Dec 14, 2011 Liyana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fat Cat has some elements that attract me horribly to romance books.

1) The main protagonist and love interest has a PAST
Something bad happened last time to Cat, that caused her to cease any and all forms of communication with Matt. Really, even eye contact! Okay, maybe I exaggerate. Whatever it is probably has something to do with Cat's issues.

2)...and when they have a past, there will be an INSANE amount of groveling.
Hah! I definitely cannot wait to see Matt grovel. He seems like a decent sort,...more

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Oct 22, 2011 Mrs. ReaderPants rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 5-stars

More reviews at http://readerpants.blogspot.com

OVERALL RATING: Highly recommended; 5/5 stars

WHAT I LIKED: Awww, this one is so sweet! I was sucked in immediately and had a hard time putting it down. All the characters are likeable, but I truly identify with Cat, the loveable, smart-but-clueless teen who obviously loves and misses her former best friend Matt. Cat's pain and transformation are well-paced and believable, and the romance--once it finally gets going--is just oh-so-sweet.

I wish I cou...more

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About Robin Brande

A true believer in multi-tasking, Robin Brande is or has been various combinations of the following: writer, black belt, trial attorney, entrepreneur, Girl Scout leader, community college instructor, yoga instructor, outdoor adventurer, Wilderness First Responder, and state spelling bee finals judge. She also writes romance and contemporary adult fiction as Elizabeth Ruston.

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“You know what they say," Amanda said. "Hatred isn't the opposite of love, it's just another variation of it. They both mean you have passionate feelings for someone.” — 27 people liked it

“They say your muscles have memory. Once you've trained your arms to swing a tennis racket or your legs to ride a bike, you can quit for a while - years even - and all it takes is picking up a racket or jumping on a bike again and your muscles remember what to do. They snap right back to performing the way you taught them.

The heart is a muscle, too. And I've been training mine since I was a kid to fall in love with one particular person.” — 13 people liked it

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