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Deirdre Riordan Hall
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Sugar Kindle Edition

by Deirdre Riordan Hall (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 9,636 ratings
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I’m the fat Puerto Rican–Polish girl who doesn’t feel like she belongs in her skin, or anywhere else for that matter. I’ve always been too much and yet not enough.

Sugar Legowski-Gracia wasn’t always fat, but fat is what she is now at age seventeen. Not as fat as her mama, who is so big she hasn’t gotten out of bed in months. Not as heavy as her brother, Skunk, who has more meanness in him than fat, which is saying something. But she’s large enough to be the object of ridicule wherever she is: at the grocery store, walking down the street, at school. Sugar’s life is dictated by taking care of Mama in their run-down home—cooking, shopping, and, well, eating. A lot of eating, which Sugar hates as much as she loves.

When Sugar meets Even (not Evan—his nearly illiterate father misspelled his name on the birth certificate), she has the new experience of someone seeing her and not her body. As their unlikely friendship builds, Sugar allows herself to think about the future for the first time, a future not weighed down by her body or her mother.

Soon Sugar will have to decide whether to become the girl that Even helps her see within herself or to sink into the darkness of the skin-deep role her family and her life have created for her.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    278 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Skyscape
  5. Publication date
    June 1, 2015
  6. Reading age
    14 - 18 years
  7. Grade level
    9 - 12
  8. File size
    3101 KB
  9. Page Flip
    Enabled
  10. Word Wise
    Enabled
  11. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  12. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up—With a troubled home life including an abusive, bedridden mother and bullying younger brother, 17-year-old Sugar Legowski-Gracia finds her only solace in eating. Then a chance meeting with Even, a charming new boy who's as good-looking as he is troubled, forces her to confront her reality and make hard choices. Narrator Tara Sands embodies the role of Sugar completely, filling her voice with strain and suffering, cracking in all the right places, as Sugar struggles to deal with her family and her self-image. Sands then shifts expertly into pure elation and awe, giving Sugar a whispery, excited tone when Even takes her on two amazing outings to celebrate the holidays and her birthday. Though Sands's biggest achievement is creating a realistic, sympathetic heroine, she is also able to tackle the gravelly drawl of Sugar's tyrannical mother and her expletive-spewing younger brother, among other characters. VERDICT A bittersweet coming-of-age tale that will have listeners cheering as Sugar faces her future with hope. ["A unique perspective on familial abuse/bullying": SLJ 5/1/15 review of the Amazon Skyscape book.]—Shari Fesko, Southfield Public Library, MI

Review

“Sugar is about a teenage girl who seeks solace in the sugary, greasy foods she both craves and despises...Yet Sugar summons the strength to find her own inner beauty, and it’s not a Size 0. Her triumph is heartbreaking and triumphant.” —Denver Post Pages

“Sugar by Deirdre Riordan Hall is one of those books that sneaks up and hits you in the gut with its powerful truth. Sugar is not easy to read. Between the nearly pornographic description of food and the cruel slanders of those who are supposed to love her, this novel will take you down the dark path Sugar is walking. But as she sees a light at the end of the tunnel, you will be reminded of hope and the importance of loving yourself first and foremost.” —Hypable

“Sugar’s character has depth, and her unhappiness and determination to conquer it are realistically portrayed. Readers will sympathize with Sugar and understand her struggle to reach her full potential.” —Publishers Weekly

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00PG8UCH2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Skyscape (June 1, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 1, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3101 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 278 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1477829385
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 9,636 ratings

About the author

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Deirdre Riordan Hall

Deirdre Riordan Hall

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Deirdre Riordan Hall is the author of the contemporary young adult bestsellers Sugar and Pearl as well as the High School Murder Mystery series. She’s in an ongoing pursuit of words, waves, and wonder. Her love language involves a basket of chips, salsa, and guacamole, preferably when shared with her family.

Connect with Deirdre:

Website: deirdreriordanhall.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/DeirdreSpark

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeirdreRiordanHall

Join the Newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/i9f6s4

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
9,636 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Fiktshun
5.0 out of 5 stars A moving and empowering and heartbreaking and important story
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2015
Verified Purchase
SUGAR was such an incredible surprise. It was moving and empowering and heartbreaking. It introduced a heroine who went from someone weak and pitiable and self-loathing to someone who was strong, accepting of herself, and a little bit daring. It tackled a number of hard-hitting issues from obesity, to emotional and physical abuse, to bullying. And it showed how just one person can make a difference.

Before Even Anderson came into her life Sugar Legowski-Gracia was sure that no one would ever like her or see her as more than just the fat girl. Even her sometimes friend Brittany didn’t really take the time to get to know her. But not so Even.

From the moment they met he saw her. He saw beyond what everyone else saw. He saw what even she couldn’t see. And he liked the person he saw. Unlike her mother, her brother, her former friend Hillary and all the rest of the kids at school.

To Even she was the girl with the beautiful smile, the girl with the big heart, the girl he wanted to spend time with, to get to know, to experience life with. To Even she wasn’t worthless or disgusting, like she had believed for so long. And maybe he was right.

Author Deirdre Riordan Hall takes readers on a tough and emotional and heartrending journey with her character, Sugar. They are made to witness her mother’s and brother’s physical and emotional cruelty, the toll that caring for an ailing and dependent parent takes on her, the solace she finds in binge eating, the struggle she has with her peers at school, and the issues she has with herself.

With Even’s help, the author makes her character confront some hard truths, overcome several of the obstacles that have been keeping her down, and begin to love herself for who she is, no matter her weight. And she forces her to find the strength to stand up to those who wish to see her fail, stand up for herself, and stand on her own.

SUGAR is a quick and captivating read, but not always an easy one. What Sugar has to suffer through will make readers both angry and sad. But watching her transform, thanks in large part to Even, is heartwarming and inspiring. There will be tears. There will be smiles. There is much that can be taken away from the story and applied to real life.

It is a well-told and important story that gives readers something to think about. It promotes a number of positive messages. It offers perhaps a different perspective on dealing with body image issues. But at its core it’s simply a great story with well-developed characters and is a read that promises to be unforgettable.
One person found this helpful
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Stacy
4.0 out of 5 stars loved it!
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2023
Verified Purchase
Such a wonderful, inspiring story to find love within yourself. Our voices are the ones we hear the most. Speak kindly to yourself. 💕

I loved Even and Sugar’s friendship. 💗
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darey4478
5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing read
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2023
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This book will stick with me for awhile. It really surprised me in its range of societal issues it covered --the impacts of bullying, substance abuse, physical abuse, mental abuse, body image, mortality -- to name a few. The depth of character development and writing was very good. It was a realistic portrayal of the complexities of life and twists I didn't see coming. The book also contained some really good advice as part of the story. At its very base, over and over, it symbolized how each person needs to feel seen, heard and valued in order to be their best selves and how many little decisions in day-to-day life can lead to unexpected outcomes.
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Kim Willis
3.0 out of 5 stars Pulls on the emotions but not realistic in some places.
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2015
Verified Purchase
The book was fairly well written and interesting enough for a young adult book. Many young over weightgirls or girls having too much responsibility for their age will relate to Sugar. Why I give it only 3 stars however is because even though you don't want explicit sex in young adult fiction one must be realistic in portraying sexual situations. Sugar and her male friend sleep together in two different hotel rooms, in the same bed, and there is no discussion whats so ever between them about sex, should we, shouldn't we, do you want to, and so on. No, they just get in bed and go to sleep. Now is that realistic? Come on. It would have been a good opportunity to discuss abstinence, birth control, sexual feelings and so forth in a nice way. It would also have been nice to let young girls who are plus size know that they can be desirable to young men- even though that happens at the very end- in a letter- it should have been addressed when Sugar spends overnight times with her friend. They didn't have to have sex in the novel, but this wasn't realistic. I hope young girls reading it don't think that young guys will pay for a hotel room and hop into bed with them with no mention of sex. I kept thinking the young man was gay - even that could work into a sexual discussion. There were a few chaste kisses shared and yes both kids had emotional/abuse problems but they were teenagers after all. Sugar was accosted by her brothers friend one night, he crawls into bed with her when drunk, and its made clear she fears the brothers friends, but even this wasn't dealt with realistically. Also a warning to readers that like happy endings- this book doesn't really have one, although we sense some hope ahead.
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Top reviews from other countries

Wendy Bredin
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on March 20, 2018
Verified Purchase
Great book! Loved all the characters and story - Thanks!
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Aunt Annie
5.0 out of 5 stars What a great read about bullying.
Reviewed in Australia on July 6, 2017
Verified Purchase
This book delves inside the head of a compulsive eater, bullied by everyone from family to schoolmates, and shows how in the end it's down to her to find who she is and love herself. Even a terrible tragedy can't stop her. I loved this.
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MacKitty
5.0 out of 5 stars As real as fiction gets. Riveting. You will sob.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 23, 2015
Verified Purchase
I selected this book as my Amazon Prime 'First' freebie, that you get on the first of the month. I don't know why, it is not a book I would normally select, billed as young adult fiction, I imagined it to be a bit chick lit, which I loathe.
However, as good books often do, it tugged at my duvet for me to promote it to top of the list for my bedtime read. The first few pages presented the book as the tale of an obese girl looking for someone or some circumstance to hang her bad habits from. I nearly didn't continue. As the tale unfolds, Sugar becomes so likeable, you want to fight her corner for her. You want to walk right into those pages and become her guardian angel, dishing out justice to those who create so much injustice in her sweet life. I read the book in a few sittings in the end. Couldn't put it down in fact. How dare they give it away free? Such literary craft is worth at least a tenner of anyone's money. You will laugh, you will, for sure, cry, sob in fact. You will have a trillion other emotions, not all of them welcome. And when you are done, your heart will be begging for a sequel. Truly.
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Aoife
4.0 out of 5 stars A story about a girl discovering her worth
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 14, 2021
Verified Purchase
Sugar is a 16-year-old girl who, her whole life, has suffered from disordered eating - resulting in her being extremely overweight. Sugar's problems are exacerbated by the extreme bullying she receives in school but also in the home at the hands of her brother and her mother. She also acts as carer for her mother - who is so overweight, she can no longer move out of the bed, and who also has breathing and other health difficulties. When Sugar meets Even, he finally gives her the chance at a happier life and a respite from her terrible home environment. With his help, Sugar begins to believe she is worth more than she ever thought.

This was an emotional, heavy-hitting book that I found so hard to read at times due to a number of factors - the bullying Sugar goes through, both in school and at home, is just so horrible that it's hard to believe people can be so cruel. Particularly with her brother Skunk, his behaviour with Sugar is just so extreme, it's almost hard to believe though I'm aware many people do have to live in toxic and dangerous home situations all the time. For someone fairly young, Skunk's behaviour and tendency to violence was frightening. It's also very hard to read how Sugar treats her own body, and just how much she will consume in a moment/day and the reasons why she is doing that.

I did like how throughout the book, you really feel like Sugar starts to dissect her eating issues, and get to the bottom of her feeling of unworthiness and unhappiness. And identifying the triggers that cause binge eating behaviour. You really want to root for her, as she is a lovely, caring character to follow - a good egg.

I was surprised at the turn the book took, and I was also surprised at just how upset and emotional I was about it.

The romance in this book is very sweet, and borderline cheesy at times, I will admit. But Sugar did deserve to have an Even in her life, even if to force her to see the good person she is and the type of behaviour from others she should never have to put up with.

It's also important to point out the weight loss that Sugar achieves in this book is nothing to do with fad or dangerous diets or over exercise - just simple lifestyle changes like walking to school and cutting out soda and it making a big difference to her. I love the Sugar we get near the end of the book - someone who still has curves and is proud to be a bigger girl but also someone who loves herself and won't cry anymore because of others as they're not worth it. She becomes a bit of a badass with a Harley.
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Debra
4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful story about bullying and dysfunctional families
Reviewed in Australia on December 22, 2020
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A disturbing read with uplifting moments. An insightful and relatable story about bullying and dysfunctional families. I enjoyed the book, but the character of her boyfriend bothered me. He was way too mature for someone of his age.
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