Reviewed by annieb123 on
Yes, You Can Wear That is an exuberant and whimsical ode to body positivity and genuine joie de vivre by Abby Hoy. Due out 9th Nov from Simon & Schuster on their Tiller Press imprint, it's 160 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.
The author has a whirlwind & exuberant style of writing and the book's vibe is very chatty and informal. I can imagine that she'd be the friend you always wind up having the most fun with (and she'd be the one who couldn't bail you out of jail because she'd be right there with you saying "was that a blast or what?!").
Although this is a really *bouncy* book, there are a lot of serious and important underlying themes. Self-care, a good support network, compassion, love, generousness, kindness, mental health, getting the help you need, and taking your meds are all discussed here in addition to the fashion quips (stripe it up, baby! Yes mix plaid and whatever!, etc). I really think that in addition to young people struggling with body positivity because of not fitting into impossible beauty ideals, this could be an uplifting source of info for queer folks struggling with body issues and wanting to dress their outsides the way they feel on their insides as well.
The tone of the book is young, resourceful, resilient, and very millenial. Given that, there certainly are valuable takeaways here for non-millenials. I wouldn't say the book soars as a -strictly- fashion conscious how-to guide for developing readers' own styles, but given the other (bigger) mental health encouragement and kindness, it really does work. Not a definitive guide, but a very fun, useful read.
Four stars. This would be a good choice for public or school libraries, home use, or possibly gifting to a friend (or yourself).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 19 September, 2021: Finished reading
- 19 September, 2021: Reviewed