Review: Measuring Up by Nyrae Dawn

Seventeen-year-old Annabel Conway is tired of the Hillcrest High School elite making her life miserable because she’s not a size two. This summer, she's hiring a personal trainer to help her lose weight.

Annabel doesn’t expect her trainer to be a gorgeous guy around her age. Boys like Tegan are jerks. They pretend to like girls like her so they can make an idiot out of them. Been there, done that. Totally not going there again. She kind of hates him on principal. Blond. Muscular. Funny. It doesn’t help that he knows her measurements!

Soon, Tegan's so much more than that. He’s the boy who teaches her to box when she has a bad day. Who jogs with her and lets her set the pace. Who kisses her until she melts. He makes her feel beautiful regardless of what the scale says. Unlike her mom, he doesn’t expect perfection, and he doesn't try to shield her from the world like her dad and best friend. Tegan likes her the way she is.

But what happens when he’s not there? He can’t always be there…
Will Annabel be able to stand on her own and learn that she already measures up? That her worth doesn’t lie in what the world thinks, the scale says, or even what Tegan tells her—but in herself? ~ Goodreads

Review:
I can't say enough good things about Measuring Up. I'm a huge fan of Nyrae Dawn's writing anyway but I think she's really tapped into something with this book.

All women (& probably men too) live with insecurities about their bodies or some aspect of their life. In Annabel's case it's her weight. Nyrae writes about her struggles with humor and honesty.

Annabele Conway has to deal with her mom's unrealistic expectations and harsh judgments, her best friend's well meaning sabotaging behavior and her own reluctance to believe that a good looking guy could ever like a girl that looks like her.

As for Tegan, Annabel's love interest & trainer, he's a bit broken (as all swoon worthy boys are) but he is really amazing and a good motivator for Annabel. He doesn't pull any punches and makes her see that her body is more than just a number or specific weight goal. He also teaches her to be self reliant. He takes a few missteps with her but that just adds to the story because it makes Annabel stand on her own. The boy may help the girl but it's Annabel who saves herself. There are great life lessons delivered with compelling story telling.

I would love to add a few of my favorite quotes but that would basically include the entire first chapter that almost had me spraying water out my nose. It's hysterical and will have you loving and relating to Annabel right away. But please be sure not to pass over the dedication which is simply beautiful and poignant.

Rating 4 out of 4: Measuring Up is soooo sweet, funny, swoony and empowering. It's one of my favorite contemporary YA's that I've read this year. I highly recommend it.

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Source: Purchased
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