Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. All of the characters are easy to root for and love, it's a quick read, and I'd definitely recommend it!

Overall, this was a fun, empowering read, and there's even a little romance subplot, which I enjoyed as well. Seeing these four best friends celebrate and be confident in their bodies was so empowering, and this is definitely a story I wish I'd had in high school! They're unapologetically themselves, and it gives them the confidence to challenge and combat their school's ridiculous dress codes, which often require the girls to leave class to change their clothes for showing shoulders, yet dress them in skimpy costumes for their performances. It's an empowering story about self-acceptance, friendship, and feminism. She's accepted to her dream dance program but can't afford to go, so she and her friends create an underground burlesque show to help her raise the money she needs.

I had so much fun reading this book! The Big Reveal follows Addie, a passionate, fierce, fat dancer. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. Still, there's something valuable here and I think there are readers who might love it. There were times where it felt like a lot, maybe more than we needed on page to get the point. Also note that while the messaging is great, the main character experiences a lot of fatphobia, misogyny, and sexual harassment. And this book is only 300 pages, so we either needed the major conflict to create tension earlier, or it needed to be shorter. There are great moments, but it feels too long. It feels repetitive and doesn't have enough tension driving the story forward. The main character gives a speech and I was HERE FOR IT! That said, the middle of the book really drags.

The last part of the book was amazing, though it might bug readers who don't like soapboxing in their books. I was sucked in and quickly got a sense of who the main characters were and why I should care. The beginning and end of the book are very strong. I loved the project, but the actual narrative was a bit of a mixed bag for me.

The messages about body positivity, pushing back on fatphobia and misogyny, the double standards of controlling how girls use and display their bodies but not boys, addressing sexual harassment and online bullying.all of that is amazing. It's about a talented dancer embracing her fat body and taking ownership of her life, along with a great group of friends and found family.

The big reveal by jen larsen