Book Review: Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins

Title: Here the Whole Time

Author: Vitor Martins

Genre: Realistic YA Fiction

Number of Pages: 288

Rating: B+

Recommended?: Yes

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This book was super cute. At first I wasn’t sure about Here the Whole Time but it (and the main character) ended up really growing on me. Here the Whole Time is about a obese seventeen-year-old boy named Felipe who’s insecure about his weight. Felipe is gay and his life is turned upside down when the boy he’s had a huge crush on for years goes to stay at his apartment with him and his mom while his parents are out of town.

At first I found all of Felipe’s internalized fat-shaming and self-deprecation a little annoying, but as the book went on I went to really like him. I have a weight problem too so I could relate to Felipe’s self-consciousness and issues with his body image.

I liked that the characters were very open with each other in a way that was unusually emotionally healthy for a romantic story. I liked how Felipe thought of his crush Ciao as being popular and untouchable but in reality Ciao had his own problems, and was being bullied for his sexuality like Felipe was being bullied for his weight.

It really showed the difference between admiring someone from a distance and truly getting to know them. Felipe’s mom was also awesome and even though I thought she was a little flaky at times, I loved how supportive she was and he close she and her son were. I enjoyed all the pop culture references and the inclusion of all the lists Felipe brainstormed, they really added a lot to the story and helped me to connect with the character.