This was such a cute YA romance between two boys falling in love. I loved this, it was so sweet and definitely gave me Heartstopper vibes. There was something so lovely about reading this book. Felipe and Caio had such an adorable relationship and you cannot help but love them both.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette for this ARC

I adored this book and read it in one sitting!

Trigger Warnings: homophobia, fatphobia, fat-shaming, bodyweight slurs.

A story about two people, normalisation of two people meeting and growing their relationship. Simply beautiful and brilliant.

Gorgeous book, I really enjoyed it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access and advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Today I finished Here The Whole Time by Vitor Martins and what a beautiful book it is. It's taken me far too long to finally pick this book up but I think I ended up reading it at the perfect time. It's such a heart-warming read, I adore Felipe, Caio, Becky & Mel. I would happily read another book or two about their friendship and adventures. This book gave me the same soothing vibes as Heartstopper but as a novel, it deals with bullying, homophobia and fatphobia including internal fatphobia. It's a story about learning to love and care for yourself, no matter what anyone says. This is definitely a new favourite!

Trigger Warnings: homophobia, fatphobia, fat-shaming, bodyweight slurs.

Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins is a body-positive, Brazillian YA novel about two teenage boys who live in the same small town apartment building. It has been translated into English by Larissa Helena.

Felipe is a fat, gay, bullied seventeen-year-old who is looking forward to his winter break where he plans to hide in his apartment and binge-watch Netflix to his heart’s content. His plans are scuppered, however, when he arrives home from his last day of school to discover that his mother forgot to tell him they will have a guest in their apartment for the next two weeks. Even worse, the guest is Caio, the super-hot, gay, also seventeen-year-old neighbor who Felipe has a crush on, and will now have to share his room with.

Although the boys struggle to communicate initially, Felipe gets some advice from his therapist and his dead grandma (via the medium of fortune cookies), and soon he finds himself truly enjoying his days with Caio and spending time with Caio’s friends who actually seem to like him—much to Felipe’s confusion. They go to the mall, attend a local festival, and even hang out at the apartment complex pool, which Felipe has avoided since he was a kid due to feeling insecure about his weight. As the days pass, Felipe feels his attraction to Caio growing into something more substantial than a crush, but there’s no way a guy as good-looking as Caio will even think about a fat boy like Felipe, right?

This was a wonderful story that will make you smile from start to finish. Felipe is a fantastic character full of warmth, humor, and love, and anyone who has ever looked in a mirror and disliked what they see will instantly identify with him and his worries. I was especially thrilled to see a strong, positive mother-son relationship portrayed throughout, and this was especially noticeable when compared to the more antagonistic relationship between Caio and his mother who disapproves of his LGBTQ identity. Felipe’s mother is also sex-positive (she informs Felipe of where she keeps condoms in their apartment in case either of them needs one, much to his teenage horror), which makes for a refreshing read.

Felipe’s relationship with his weight is a key element to this story, but despite his negative attitude toward it, this is still portrayed in a surprisingly healthy way. Felipe has a therapist whom he visits weekly to work on his self-confidence, and we never see him acting dangerously with food such as crash dieting. Instead, Felipe shows us his love of food. He looks forward to Saturdays when his mother always bakes a cake, is excited to get some corn on the cob at the festival he attends, and happily orders a “bacon cheeseburger with extra bacon (just because)” when out with friends who don’t judge him. He is unhappy with elements of his size—sweating more, struggling to fit comfortably into cinema seats not designed for people like him—but he also appears to have a healthy attitude toward food.

Although set during the winter break, because Here the Whole Time is set in Brazil, it is filled with what us northern-hemisphere dwellers would term summer vibes making it another perfect summer read. I would highly recommend it to anyone struggling with their body image and feeling less desirable because of the way they look.

GeekMom received a copy of this book for review purposes.

What a wonderful, comforting book. Super cute, body positive and so full of love. I loved every second of this. As someone who’s often struggled with weight I saw so much of myself in this, just the little actions to try and hide. One of my favourite reads of the year so far!

I enjoyed this book but not enough to review. I appreciate the opportunity to read and did post about it on Instagram.

A super cute YA romance. I loved what it had to say about all the issues raised in the book and can’t wait for more of the author’s work to be available to read in English

Here the Whole Time is *so* good, I had a huge grin on my face for loads of this "body-positive queer love story" (with a wonderful Mum). #LGBTQ YA at its best. Originally in Brazilian, @vitormrtns's book is #translated by Larissa Helena for the US & @HachetteKids, out already! https://t.co/CZg6jUBbJB

An adorable YA, LGBTQ friendship/romance, with two very likable main leads (particularly, book, comic and pop-culture loving Felipe) and side characters, particularly for those who are plus-sized and/or uncomfortable with their body image. Well written, funny, poignant and light-hearted.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

3.5 rounded up. I enjoyed this quick read though it did feel like something was missing, though I've rounded it up for featuring queer romance and a fat protagonist.

“The charm and humor of To All the Boys I've Loved Before meets Dumplin' in this body-positive YA love story between two boys who must spend 15 days living with each other over school break.” (Source: Goodreads)

This book is just what I needed at the end of a dull and never ending month with what felt like 67438 days!

It’s a short read with less than 300 pages but this isn’t the only reason why I devoured this #ownvoices story in less than 24hrs.
It’s funny, witty and Caio and Felipe are absolutely adorable. Yes the plot line is predictable in terms of the queer romance, but so much more unfolds as you read it. It’s a story about self-acceptance, body positivity, friendships and it really doesn’t feel one bit forced.
If you need some sweetness in the next few weeks or if you enjoy friends to lovers tropes, then this book is for you!

“That’s the most important thing - to not put your head down, to fight for the right to marry who you love, for the right to have your body respected regardless of what it looks like or what you’re wearing.”

🌈Which queer book are you looking forward to reading this year?

Thank you to @NetGalley and @HachetteKids for this ARC in return for my honest review.
🔎Trigger warnings: fatphobia, homophobia and bullying.

A really lovely queer YA novel set in Brazil about Felipé, a fat 17 year old falling for his conventionally beautiful neighbour, Caio.

Vítor does a brilliant job with representation, and the story’s just sweet and entertaining. Would recommend!

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

This book was adorable. A queer love story between Felipe and Caio, the relationship between them was built really realistically. I very much related to the way Felipe saw himself, and how he was convinced that Caio couldn't have the same feelings for him, even though it was obvious to the reader (well, me at least) that he did. I loved the slow burn of their relationship too, moving from almost-strangers to friends first, and how Felipe is really atrociously rude at first, because his summer plans have been changed without notice. This book is really all about the characters and I loved every one of them, except Caio's parents, who are homophobic. Felipe's mum was amazing though, and she was probably my favourite, although Caio's friends Rebeca and Melissa were also fantastic. I think it can be so easy to isolate YA protagonists from their friends or family, and it was nice that this didn't happen here, for the most part anyway. In fact, most of the side characters were not just completely supportive of the building love story, but actively trying to force the two boys together, which I also loved.

The fat rep was excellent. There was fatphobia from bullies, as well as internalised fatphobia rom Felipe himself, but it made sense and was addressed within the story, and it was obvious that Felipe was making a real effort to change his mindset.

I really enjoyed Here the Whole Time, and would happily read other books by Vitor Martins. I hope we get to see more of his work here in the UK.

Here The Whole Time is a young adult gay romance. It's a Brazilian book that has been translated from the original Portugese. Two boys have to spend fifteen days living together during the school holidays. Felipe, who gets bullied at school for being fat, can't wait for the holidays, so that he can spend time on his own and away from school. But Caio, his neighbour, will be spending part of the holiday with Felipe and his mum, whilst his own parents are away. This isn't just an annoying disruption of Felipe's plans; he has a crush on Caio, and he's insecure about his body.

I think the best thing about this book is the characters. All of them have depth and their own issues, which we slowly get to see through Felipe's eyes. I really liked Felipe. His voice is very readable. He's self deprecating, very self aware, and humerous. Caio is adorable, and the more I found out about him, the more I loved him. I also really liked Felipe's mother, who is artistic, scatterbrained, and a wonderful parent. Rebeca and Melissa are brilliant side characters as well.

Here The Whole Time is such a sweet story. It moves at a slow, relaxed pace, from the awkwardness of not really being friends with someone, feeling insecure, and having a crush, to growth and learning about themselves and each other. There are so many cute scenes, and some scenes that really tug on the heartstrings. I thought Felipe and Caio's night time conversations were wonderful, loved the bonding over books, and the whole bit at the art class brought tears to my eyes.

This book is about body positivity and acceptance, understanding that even people who look like their life is perfect or completely together have their own problems, and about finding people who make you feel comfortable, and beautiful.

This was a wondrous book featuring a hilarious narrative following Felipé as he excitedly prepares for two amazing weeks of pure freedom from hateful comments of his body and judgemental stares, ready to shut himself away in his room (a whole mood) and aimlessly binge watch Tv shows and cat videos. A dream.

However, things take a U-turn when his neighbour, Caio, whom he has admittedly a huge crush on, ends up crashing at his place for the entire two weeks, as his parents are off on vacation. All of Felipé's Plans are derailed and he isn't happy. What sucks worse is that Ciao doesn't even seem to acknowledge him, let alone that he has secret crush on him.

This book follows everyday of their vacation, as Felipé and Ciao interact and soon become friends and maybe something more, after a couple of quite awkward days. The writing was so easy to follow and fall into, especially considering its been translated. and Felipé was such a timid and hilarious guy, who made me laugh out hard with his thoughts and strange commentary on the world.

It has excellent diversity with POC, fat and queer rep. It discussed issues such as fatphobia, anxiety, and insecurities about oneself. I loved how they portrayed Felipé's close relationship with his mom, who was just the most supportive and caring mother ever, and how going to therapy wasn't something to be despised or to be ashamed of.

My favourite person was definitely Becky, with her sparkling personality and confidence in herself. I aspire to be like her. You could see how clearly she loved and cared of Ciao and Felipé, even though they had just met.

Throughout the book, you watch as Felipé grows out of his shell and learns to open up instead of trying to shy and hide away, afraid of being scorned for who he is and how he looks. The relationship between Ciao and Felipé was so endearing and honest, and hope they grow old together an adopt a cat and name it Bagel. It would be Adorableee.

This was such a cuddly read, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I highly recommend.

This is such a cute story! Felipe and Caio were both agonisingly shy at times but it all worked out eventually. I love them together.

Caio's friend Becky was a great character, she really brought some joy to the story, and I was pleasantly surprised that Becky's girlfriend had a big scar down her chest from open heart surgery. I have the exact same scar and I've never heard of a character who has been through open heart surgery like me. It was mentioned twice, and both times were quite brief, but it meant so much to me.

Watching Felipe and Caio fall for each other over 15 days was a wonderful journey, there were a few ups and downs but it was never boring. The therapy scenes were important, I think there should be more therapy scenes in YA books because normalising therapy is vital.

Some of my favourite parts of this book were:
1. Felipe standing up for a fat kid and then being that kid's hero
2. Felipe standing up for himself
3. Felipe realising he is worthy of love

I want more books with fat protagonists please!

I loved this book and everything it stood for. The message of acceptance is clear throughout and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy. Loved it was a book about staying true to yourself instead of the usual changing for a relationship.

4.5/5

I ADORED this book! My only complaint is that is wasn't long enough.
These two cinnamon rolls are the CUTEST.

Felipe is a 17 yo gay fat kid in a quiet town in Brazil who gets relentlessly bullied. He lives with his mum who he's is very close with and has no friends. During Winter Break he's told that his super hot neighbour, Caio, who he's known since childhood is going to be staying with them for 2 weeks.

The two used to hang out at the pool as kids but didn't go to school together. So when Felipe stopped going to the pool due to being insecure the two no longer saw each other.

Felipe is so insecure that he struggles to even talk to Caio at first but eventually the two rekindle their friendship over LOTR, musicals and a push from Caio's friends.
And as the two grow closer Felipe realises Caio's life isn't as perfect as it seems.

The two encourage each other to grow and be brave, and eventually romance starts to blossom.

Honestly I loved these two so much, and Felipe's mum and Becky & Mel. I just wanted to hug them all.
And I could definitely relate to Felipe with being insecure and being awkward about making friends as a kid.

Also the translation of this book was superb. I've had mixed experiences with translated books but this was impeccable.

I've knocked it down for half a star because there are 3 HP references but otherwise this book was wonderful.

CW: fatphobia, bullying, homophobia