Dear Sweet Pea

by Julie Murphy

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Sweet Pea liked the way things were, but they wouldn't stop changing. First, she lost her best friend, Kiera, to the popular older girls. Then, her parents got divorced, and she was forced to split time between their "mirror" homes. It also seemed as though she was losing her new best friend, Oscar, because she was keeping secrets from him. Sweet Pea had all the answers for everyone else's dilemmas, but could she solve her own problems?

It was love at first page for me and Sweet Pea. This kid was so charming, effervescent, and real, and she stole my heart. Her voice was crystal clear, and I swore I heard the tones of my daughter from middle school in Sweet Pea's narration. She was a fairly average tween dealing with her changing family and friendships, and though it was a bumpy ride, Sweet Pea learned to embrace the change as she changed too.

One of the things I really loved about this book was that Sweet Pea was a plus sized character, but this was not a story about her weight. Every now and again, her confidence dipped, such as when she was dress shopping, but for the most part, her weight was a non-issue in this story. She was not bullied or relentlessly harassed for being overweight, but rather, she was a confident and vibrant young woman, who was rather comfortable in her own skin. I always welcome books, where being yourself is not an "issue", and enjoyed the way Murphy wove this into the story.

I also loved the focus of this book. This was about change, family, forgiveness, and friendship.

Sweet Pea needed to adjust to her parents living apart, to them no longer being a trio, and to her parents having separate lives. I thought her reaction to it all was very authentic, and my heart ached for her as she worked through her emotions.

Friendships are bound to change as we grow older, and that was something Sweet Pea had already experienced following the loss of her ex-bestie, Kiera. An incident brought the two back into amicable contact, and this forced Sweet Pea to learn to balance her old and renewed friendships. She had to look at the needs of others and recognize how her actions hurt them. Sweet Pea learned a LOT about having a friend and being a friend, and I was very proud of how much she grew from the experience.

Once again, Murphy created a beautiful story filled with fantastic characters, which delighted me. The blend of humor, drama, and heartfelt sentiment was perfect and landed Sweet Pea solidly in my heart.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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