Fortunately and refreshingly, the text gives Angie no weight-loss arc...A welcomingly awkward, offbeat journey for a "gay-girl gay" girl with many heartaches.
—Kirkus Reviews
In this companion to the Stonewall Award–winning Fat Angie, Angie’s girlfriend has moved away, Angie is constantly bullied as she starts as a sophomore after repeating her freshman year, her mother still can’t stand her, and her former best friend, Jamboree, is back in town...it’s still good to see Angie, a very human combination of neuroses, fears, truths, and desires, break through some of her defenses and take risks, from singing to loving.
—Publishers Weekly
Although familiar road-trip tropes appear—the airing of grievances, past histories, new friendships, hints of romance—the story has a force and freshness, thanks to the dynamic third-person narration, a welcome change from the ubiquitous first-person voice of YA novels. There is an intensity to the story that makes no attempt to quell or disguise Angie's fury and depression, yet is full of humor. An engrossing read, uncomfortable in the best possible way.
—Booklist
Angie’s grief arc is credible and even laudable, especially as she focuses her anger on apt targets this time instead of herself. Readers will need to be familiar with the first book (Fat Angie, BCCB 4/13) to understand the full details of her previous year, but the multiple references allow readers to infer the basis for her emotional state and follow and applaud her progress from victim to rebel.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
A sequel to Stonewall Book Award Winner Fat Angie, e.E Charlton-Trujillo’s Fat Angie: Rebel Girl Revolution finds Angie grappling with a new set of circumstances. Quick, compelling prose propels the often poignant narrative about one girl’s perseverance despite suffering.
—Foreword Reviews
e.E. Charlton-Trujillo does an amazing job portraying her entire cast of characters, making each of them seem fully realized and distinct. She handles issues of mental illness, grief, loneliness, and even the cringe-inducing abuse and bullying that Angie suffers with deftness and grace. More importantly, Charlton-Trujillo allows space for hope and strength in Angie’s story while avoiding the neat packaging of a happily ever after. As Angie realizes, “her life…was never going to be a made-for-television Christmas movie…but it was hers,” which, in the end, is all any of us can hope for.
—Lambda Literary (blog)
Charlton-Trujillo's approach to telling Angie's story fits perfectly with her main character's thoughts, and a lot of those thoughts are dark and angry because Angie's life is filled those things. Happily, Angie is remarkably resilient, and there's enough humor, love, and adventure to balance the pain...There are many great observations in FAT ANGIE, and many lessons about grieving, friendships, and self-love.
—YA Books Central (blog)
This isn’t a pretty story; it’s a gutsy genuine story that teens of all sizes and struggles will relate to.
—Miss Marple's Musings (blog)
Narrator Katherine Littrell deftly re-creates the sophomore year of Fat Angie and her friends after her sister’s death in Iraq. Because she’s overweight and lesbian, Angie is targeted for extreme bullying at her high school. Littrell gamely overcomes choppy, unrealistic writing to portray troubled Angie, her angry mother, and diverse friends. Especially moving is Littrell’s reading of the final letter from Angie’s late sister, which challenges her to confront her fears. Listeners will be delighted as Angie overcomes her demons and slowly gains confidence while traveling in an old RV with friends who substitute for her sister. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
