Fat Angie: Homecoming

Fat Angie #3

by E.E. Charlton-Trujillo

With unexpected internet fame, two people vying for her heart, an all-girl band, and coming to terms with her parents' failures, Angie comes home to herself in a rewarding finale.

After hitting the road with her friends last summer and taking the stage to sing her heart out in Columbus, Angie finally feels like she's figuring things out. And her next move? Finally asking Jamboree Memphis Jordan to be her girlfriend. Angie's got her speech ready on a set of flash cards, but her plans are complicated when her first love, KC Romance, comes cruising back into town. And when a video of Angie's Columbus performance goes viral, everything gets even more confusing. Kids at school are treating her with respect, she's being recognized in public, and her couldn't-be-bothered mother is . . . well, bothered is an understatement.

When she learns of an online music competition, Angie decides to start a band. With the help of her brother, Jamboree, and her town's resident washed-up rock star, Angie puts together a group and gets busy writing songs, because the competition deadline is only two weeks away. Between sorting out her feelings for Jamboree and KC, dealing with her newfound fame, and dodging an increasingly violent and volatile mother, singing seems like the only thing that Angie's really good at. Can her band of girl rockers actually win? More importantly, can Angie get it together before she loses all sense of herself yet again?

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, LGBT, Fiction, Contemporary

416 pages, Hardcover

First published November 2, 2021

About the author

The author/filmmaker deemed rockstar by the kids she meets won the prestigious Delacorte Dell Yearling Award, Parents' Choice Silver Honor, National Council For The Social Studies Notable Book and the NY Public Library List for Teens for PRIZEFIGHTER EN MI CASA. FEELS LIKE HOME received critical praise, but it was FAT ANGIE that generated buzz from The New York Times Bestselling Author Gregory Maguire and Ellen Hopkins. Winner of the Stonewall Award, the ALA Rainbow List, Westchester Fiction Award and a Choose To Read Ohio Book, FAT ANGIE garnered starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal. Her trek across America to hold free writing workshops with youth on the fringe is the focus of the documentary At-Risk Summer. Her highly anticipated novel Fat Angie: Rebel Girl Revolution releases March 5, 2019.

Reviews

[Amber Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect ending!

I've truly grown to love Angie like she's a real person, so while I'm sad that this is the final book in the Fat Angie series, it is also a perfect ending to Angie's story. A triumphant finale for those who have been with Angie since the beginning of this trilogy, as well as those who have joined solely for this last leg of her journey. It is queer, diverse, inclusive, body positive, and so deeply empowering!

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was such an honor to visit with Angie again. Ever since meeting her in Fat Angie, she has been a character of my heart, something only a few characters in the thousands of children's and YA books I have read over the years achieve. I loved, loved, loved this conclusion to Angie's story and didn't want it to end, so I read the story slowly, savoring Angie's sweet awkwardness and her journey to acceptance that she is an awesome person worthy of love. Highly recommended!

[morninglightmama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, the third book of the FA trilogy was one helluva roller coaster ride. Fully living up to a coming of age story, this finale saw Angie finally figuring out how to be herself-- including all the parts that she has been made to feel are wrong-- and, like most of us at 16, making some royally messed up mistakes along the way. The abuse experienced by Angie at the hands of her mother continued to be so damn difficult to read, but seeing her break free in the end with the solid prospect of finally having some adults in her life step up for her was reassuring. I'd love to see a follow up with Angie in her 20s or older someday!

[Melanie Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the stars! I'll review this book on my blog, Grab the Lapels. You can also find my reviews of Fan Angie and Fat Angie: Rebel Girl Revolution there.

[Sally Kruger]

* Thank you to the author for this ARC!

Angie returns for some new adventures. Her earlier singing debut has ignited a passion she didn't know she had. When an accidental video goes viral, Angie is surprised to learn she may have something to offer the world that might get her as recognized as her famous, killed-in-battle older sister.

Watching their mother still mourning the loss of their favored sister, Angie and her brother Wang continue to deal with the ups and downs of their dysfunctional family. A film documenting Nat's life is the focus for Angie's mother, and it's the last thing Angie wants to deal with. She trying to move on from her relationship with KC and has hopes of connecting with a new girl-loves-girl crush, Jamboree. Whatever she does isn't enough to satisfy her mother so she's pretty much decided to just head off in her own direction which appears to be music.

With the help of local legend Lucas Waite and a few friends, Angie forms a band called Go Feral. If they can pull things together, write a few awesome songs, and play a gig, they might be able to enter a girl band contest that could earn them some real attention. Of course, that means Angie has to overcome feeling less than because of her weight and the low self-esteem generated by her "couldn't-get-it-together" mother.

A huge lesson Angie must learn is when other's put their trust in her she has to follow through. A series of mistakes and mess ups threatens to derail a budding romance and break up the band before they even get started.

Author e.E. Charlton-Trujillo takes Angie to the next level in FAT ANGIE: HOMECOMING. Angie is out to prove to the world that she has value and worth no matter the size of her struggles. Angie fans will be thrilled she is back, and as the cover says, "Ready to Rock!"

[Thindbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

*this arc was given to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

This was an okay book which is about a girl named Angie who is having family troubles, two people fighting for her art, being internet famous and is trying to win the band competition. Know that this is book three of the series. I didn't really enjoy the writing of this book in the way of pacing and plot structure. I enjoyed the setting, plot and vivid descriptions though. I felt that the pacing was too past and nothing was being discussed properly. The beginning of the book was great and I enjoyed it but then there were parts where a certain scene would be forgotten and then the whole family chaos started. For me, the family drama was very toxic and I was about to DNF the book but then I knew I had to pick it back up just to finish Angie's story. Also this whole book is also about the girl's band but the wasn't really in the book until the end.

I enjoyed the main character, Angie. She has to go through so much family drama and school fame that she was losing herself day to day. I loved seeing her pick herself back up and grow throughout the novel. Also her relationship with her brother was amazing and I enjoyed how they understood each other. There are also some great side characters in this book that were very involved with the story and some that were very toxic. There is also LGBTQ+ romance in this book with a love triangle. I didn't really care for the romance as there wasn't much development as I wish there was.

The ending was well done and I enjoyed Angie's growth throughout this novel. Pretty much the only thing that saved this book was probably Angie and her development. I was very interested in her growth as so much happens to her at one time. The writing of the book was mostly not it for me and I wish it was. I feel other readers will love it if they loved the trilogy.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

With her new girlfriend, Angie is ready to take on the world. However, there's still so much chaos in her life. Angie battles the loss of her sister and becoming internet famous. With her video going viral, people start picking her out from the crowd in ways that are completely different from before. This gives her the encouragement to get together a band, but it isn't as easy as it sounds. Especially with all the drama that is her life.

When her ex KC returns, things take a turn for the more intense and crazy path. Angie struggles to come to terms with her feelings for both KC and Jamboree. All the while, watching her mother head on a downward spiral after her sister's death. Angie's family is dysfunctional and that only adds to the stress she feels. She has trouble seeing herself as a normal person because of her size and the feeling that her mom doesn't approve of it.

FAT ANGIE: HOMECOMING is the third in the series and while I didn't read the first two, that didn't stop me from connecting with Angie's character. This story has all the feels, from grief, to heartbreak, to happiness, and so much more. E.E Charlton-Trujillo touches so many sensitive topics which is both revolutionary and perfect for today's times. Angie suffers many things between bullying, not being happy with her image, and girlfriend problems so the story captivates you from page one. My heart goes out to Angie and this contemporary read is one to shake things up and get people talking.


Final Verdict: I recommend this story to fans of LGBT, Coming of Age, and sensitive topics like eating disorders and bullying. Angie is a realistic character that the reader can relate to and this would be a good story for those going through similar situations. Or just for those readers who want a unique contemporary experience instead of the traditional ones.

[Dana Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final installment of the Fat Angie trilogy is exactly what I hoped for. And more. Angie is having girl trouble when K.C. Romance comes back on the scene. While all along, the real thing is right behind her on the drums, the awesome Jamboree. An exceptional love story with lots of rock n’ roll fun, Fat Angie: Homecoming delivers. Highly recommend.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Angie! I haven't read the first two books and this book contains many references to things that happened in them. Still, it is wonderful to see Angie grow and thrive. Love, music, family, friends. Apparently academics are not important to her, ;-)

[Brigid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book series finale that goes out of its way to reward its longtime fans. The final entry into the Fat Angie series serves to give high fives to all the characters who deserve it, although they could have used a guillotine or an oubliette for Angie’s mom Connie.

Despite the obvious mercy, Fat Angie: Homecoming does strip Connie of the armor that protected her in the first two books: “Her not-so-gradual descent into a semi-shut-in existence had followed her termination from work.” It was so cathartic to laugh at Connie in this book, and there were many opportunities: “‘Well, it was good to see you, Connie. You look…’ Connie waited. ‘Well, you know,’ Mrs. O’Connor said, leaving.”

Angie is at her strongest and most confident point in this book, and doesn’t have time for Connie’s bullshit anymore (finally!): “‘I just accepted it,’ Angie continued. ‘I accepted it because you told me it was true. That I was bad at math. Bad at how I dressed or ate or looked. You know what? My body isn’t an apology I owe you anymore.’”

This is the kind of series that deserves to be taught in schools—reading inspiring words like these would mean so much to so many young readers. Angie—despite Connie’s constant abuse—never loses all of her weight completely in these books and ends up in a very healthy mindset: “‘The thing is, I’m not struggling with my weight. Everyone else is.’”

Angie believes in herself, finds love, starts a band, accepts herself for who she is, and catapults Connie out of her life for good. There needs to be more books like this in the world, and especially more realistic characters like Angie. I only found the first entry to this book on a whim perusing my Libby app, but I am so grateful I found it, and unhappy to think others might pass this series up or never even know about it. These three books are a journey that I insist you take.

[ebane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Omq I'm so happy for Angie she made her life better 😭😭 U GO GIRL 👏🏼