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Synopsis
April and Wil couldn't be more different, but both of them are spending the summer at Wellness Canyon -- otherwise known as a weight-loss camp.
April knows that if she could just drop a little weight, she would be popular like she's always wanted. She's saved up for months to afford Wellness Canyon, which is more like a posh spa than a sleepaway camp. While April can't wait to jump into all the activities, Wil can't wait to get out of there. Her parents own a chain of high-profile fitness centers, and she's pretty sure her mom and dad sent her to Wellness Canyon to slim down before any embarrassing stories about their obese daughter hit the gossip pages. To get revenge on her parents, Wil decides she's going to gain weight at Wellness Canyon.
It's bad enough that they have to share a room, but things really get ugly when April and Wil both fall for Colin, the sarcastic camp hottie. Are April and Wil destined to be frenemies all summer, or can they overcome their sizeable differences? Filled with everything great about summer camp (and none of the calories), this is a funny, emotional novel about learning to accept yourself -- no matter what your size.
VOYA
Born to diet, this reviewer appreciates the isolated perspectives of Paley's protagonists sounded by svelte torturers who remind them of genetic heritage, conflicting willpower, the societal and self-imposed shame of plus-sized spandex. Skillfully employing alternating limited omniscient points of view, Paley introduces two teens leaving for Wellness Canyon, a pricey "fat camp" designed to cultivate healthy lifestyle and weight loss. Wil, the hostile, spoiled, deceptive daughter of wealthy fitness-club entrepreneurs, is railroaded into attending camp by parents who care more about image than feelings. April, daughter of a disabled, diabetic, single parent, earns funds to attend camp, determined to remake herself from a wannabe into a some-body. As roommates, the two clash on multiple levels, each unaware of the other's frailties. Together they discover that even Wellness Canyon has its cliques and intentional cruelties. The two main characters are well drawn and compelling; the supporting characters (staff, parents, other campers) are sketchier or superficial. Each chapter opens with snippets from a character's food and exercise journal, Wil's providing delightfully cynical smiles. Cover art, a triple-layer s'more overlaid with the universal sign for no, invites readers to experience a different kind of summer camp. Friendship, acceptance, and health themes are clear and usually not addressed with heavy-handedness. A prank with laxatives, similar to one involving recently prosecuted real-life New York teens, results in rather mild admonishment. Overall the book is an intriguing adventure of two unlikely bunkmates bound by size and unrealized needs for companionship.