Go Figure

The narrator of Edwards's (Love Undercover) insightful and, at times, funny novel is a high school senior who has long struggled with her weight. (""I measure everything-every relationship, every goal-by how much my fat interferes, Ryan observes."") Ryan emerges as a believable and empathetic heroine, for whom anxieties about her weight affect every aspect of her life, as she lands a spot in a prestigious photography course (""I like capturing life. And as long as I'm the one taking the pictures, I don't have to be in them"") copes with ongoing depression and self-doubt, and yearns for boys to notice and desire her. A well-developed cast of peers include a new friend determined to improve Ryan's social life; the likable boy next door, whose tender friendship with her blossoms into a relationship; her former ""BFFF"" (best fat friend forever) who returns from California newly slim after a stint at ""fat camp;"" and Ryan's former boyfriend, a geek turned Grammy-nominated singer, who records a devastating song about her. Though Ryan's emotional turmoil runs deep, Edwards avoids melodrama and credibly-if occasionally somewhat laboriously-follows the sympathetic teen's progress as she gains perspective and confidence. Readers should gladly come along on the journey. Ages 14-up.