As a result of the image and body obsessed culture that surrounds her, including her diet coach mother, Saffron has grown up hating the body she lives in and by extension her entire self. To allow herself to exist in a way where people don’t judge her for her body, she has used AI to makeover her own pictures and generate a dating profile that she uses to chat to guys she feels would reject her if they knew what she actually looked like. As Saffron moves out of her family home and into a flat, she makes new friends and ultimately sets in motion the main plot of this book as she finds herself starting to fall in love with one of her new roommates and she’s forced to confront her body image issues and her other friendships and relationships that have been falling apart.

I’m of two minds about this book. On one hand, I think it does a good job of portraying the way society’s expectations about the ideal body type can worm their way into your brain and take hold, how despite being aware of how terrible diet culture is, it can be hard to actually remove yourself from it, and also how much effort and work it can take to unlearn these years of conditioning and love yourself. I’m glad there’s some body-positive YA out there. It’s certainly different than most of the YA I remember reading when I was younger. I also generally liked Saffron. I found her quite interesting and engaging as a narrator, although there were things that were brought up that felt like they could have used some more development (such as her dad having left and not speaking to her except to send her guilt money). But other than Saffron, none of the characters were fleshed out. I don’t think I could recall a single thing about any of them that isn’t just a very surface-level basic fact like that one of them plays basketball and another one takes dancersize classes. It made it a lot harder to understand why Saffron cared about any of these people, in particular Toby the love interest, because they had very minimal on-page personality. And ultimately the entire final third or so felt so cartoonish plot-wise that it was hard to take remotely seriously. I think by that point nearly ever character was being catfished, catfishing someone else, or both and then it’s just all wrapped up in a nice bow within a few pages without actually addressing any of the underlying problems in any depth.

saffron is definitely ana wesome char, but the other ones are... less so. i found some of it really interesting and some meh. 3.5 stars. tysm fo r the arc.

This YA novel is a fun read that is all about body positivity and the diet culture. Saffron hates herself and her body. She has a mother who is the face of SlimIt and who pushed Saffron to always monitor her food intake. Add to this the culture of ultra thin ‘role-models’ on social media and on TV and Saff does not feel that she fits in, especially with the way that she was treated by her ex. So she creates a new persona for herself on a dating app - Sydney - where she can be the person that she has always wanted to be. But then Sydney’s presence threatens to undo everything that Saffron is starting to build because after starting uni and moving into a houseshare, she is finally moving away from the ‘must diet’ influence of her mother and beginning to find herself. There are dark parts of this but the message about everyone being perfect just as they are is an important one, as is the dangers of taking the dieting message too far as being thin isn’t always the answe either. There is a lot in here, not only about body image, but also a fantastic catfishing story and the value of having true friends. There is also a bit of romance. Saffron is relatable snd I can recognise my teenage anxieties about my own weight. Other characters - some are more rounded than others, but overall a fun read with an important message for teens.

3.5 🌟
This has a slow start so bare with it while it takes its time to establish itself. The pacing is in line with where our MC is and changes as she comes into her own and unlearns some necessary things. Saffron( our MC) makes messy choices which tracks for someone in their late teens but is also held accountable which makes the story feel more real.

The tone is sad which reflects the heaviness of the subject matter being discussed but will be hard for some readers so tread carefully. This covers issues concerning diet culture and body image so be kind to yourself and go in knowing that it will be some intense reading.

I had a good time with this and recommend for teens (16+) and people who are looking to have these conversations with young girls in their lives and don't know how to navigate that conversation yet. It's not just informative it was a good read as well.

I think this book talks about extremely important topics in an accessible way that was overall engaging to read about. I wish I had read something like this back when I was in high school and college when I had some unhealthy eating habits.

I found some parts of the book a little slow and had to push through but it wasn’t too bad. And some things did feel a little triggering but that’s just being a woman in a society focused on thinness over health.

There were also multiple points in the book I felt were kind of random? I think maybe there were so many little sub plots that were moving the story along I’m not totally sure what the main plot was. But the topics in the book are just so important I couldn’t not read to the end

Thank you NetGalley for the arc

Amata Sage has such a powerful writing tone that has my students so beautifully engaged that I have no doubt this will just as captivating.

Saffron Saldana feeks unlovable because of her weight. She struggles with body image issues, and conparing herself to women around her. Around the New Year she create a false image of herself online to cat fish boys. When she moves out, she begins to realise that she can like who she is in her current body. I like Saffron as a character, she was funny and sassy. The book covers toxic relationships, eating disorders, accepting ones self. The other characters were not as fleshed out as the main character, a little one dimension. Overall, I think this novel has a good message for woman and young girls .

This is one of those books I WISH I'd had when I was in my late teens. Saffron is in her first year of uni; she's navigating life without her two school besties by her side every day, trying to figure out if she's chosen the right course, looking for somewhere to live that isn't her childhood bedroom, and is constantly battling with herself over her weight. It doesn't help that of her two best friends, Poppy has always had a killer physique and attention from boys, and Freya, who used to attend SlimIt meetings with Saffron, is now a size 10 with a fiancé to boot. Saffron starts to find her feet when she moves into a house share with Toby, Veronica, Nairong and Keith, but self-hate isn't easy to defeat overnight and her struggles with her own body image lead her to indulge in some less-than-healthy online activity; catfishing.

Saffron's character development throughout is believable and her struggles with her weight and her own feelings about that are entirely relatable (coming from a 33yo who has been 'morbidly obese' for at nearly two thirds of her life and still flip flops between owning her fatness and hating it). Sage explores issues around EDs with care too, showing the complexities of the psychology behind EDs and showing how devastatingly easy it is the let an ED spiral out of control. The supporting cast of 19/20 year olds feel authentic, with cultural references that will ring true for readers of a similar age, while at the same time not alienating an older readership. There's a really nice sub-plot around Saffron's mum and the idea of diet culture being a form of generational trauma (which I absolutely agree with). Veronica is a great character and role model and is the counter to Saffron's mum's 'SlimIt is the way' attitude. The title 'Girl, Ultra-Processed' is a great choice as it hooks into the recent trend in avoiding ultra-processed foods and explores how it is really the ultra-processed media we consume that can potentially do us the most harm.

This is a really worthwhile read which may not have mass appeal, but will feel extremely important to those that need it. Definitely one for KS4/5 in school libraries; some emotionally intelligent Y9s would get a lot out of this too - while there is discussion of sex, there's nothing I would deem inappropriate for 14 year olds and it could really help them to think more critically about what they consume through social media.

Thanks to Netgalley and Faber & Faber for the digital proof..

Girl, Ultra Processed
Amara Sage
I loved this break from reading heavier novels. I learned a lot from this book and from Saffron's thoughts throughout the book. She explores herself in the world around her with her different relationships and working at the restaurant. I loved the character development and how she began to respect herself and those around her. Another aspect of the book that I liked was the text boxes for messages, they are a fun addition. I also liked the timeline of the story, although the chapters were quite long. I can’t wait to see what this author publishes next.

While I understand the premise of this book and the point it is trying to make, unfortunately this did not mesh with me in the way that I would have hoped.

From the first pages I was completely unimpressed and annoyed by main character Saffron who in short was very depressing. As I’ve said I understand that dealing with her body image and stressing about body positivity in the wake of such a online social media climate is the point of this and therefore would be very relatable to some, but for me it was too negative and depressing and basically just not any fun.

Despite her reasoning for doing so, I could not get behind saffron‘s catfishing of others, her jealousy of her friends who at the start were only trying to be nice to her. Her insecurities basically annoyed me more than they allowed me to feel sorry for her because they almost felt self-inflicted?
Other than the ridiculous ex who treated her terribly and the truly nameless strangers that treated her bad on the app, Saffron’s image of herself was purely based on everything she had been consuming and had there been more emphasis on her wanting to change this consumption earlier in the book then 60% I may have felt more positive about it.

I stopped reading at 78% when I found myself skimming to see if it was going to get any more positive. I didn’t like the representation on her mother, didn’t like the internal conflict. I didn’t like the constant self-deprecation and again to use the word depressing, but it was just so extremely negative that I just didn’t want to continue.

I understand as I said above that these feelings can be relatable to many people who are dealing with body images and I can only imagine what that is like for girls struggling but for myself who only wants to engage with things that are positive and don’t make me feel terrible about myself, this was not the right content for that. Some great quotes on social commentary and the effects of social media which i respect but i just wasnt enjoying it and i read to have fun and this just made me sad.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for the arc. All opinions on my own

Cannot review as book will not download for me. Adding even more words again to reach character limit.

This book is very reminiscent of one of my favourite nostalgic shows; My Mad Fat Diary. Whether inspiration was took or not, I got a lot of Rae Earl vibes from Saffron. I love the show, but this book left me, in a way, hopeless, as a plus size person. I fully relate to the main character I'm terms of how she sees and always has seen her body, and it's bittersweet seeing people like this in media as life isn't always sunshine and roses for them.

Saffron is a likeable character, she makes some mistakes, but she is someone you would like as a friend. She’s very down on herself, again, realistic, and has been conditioned by her mums' obsession with dieting to believe that no-one will love her plus-sized body. There is a ton of self doubt, dodgy dieting, dating apps and awful boyfriends, balanced with new friends, forgiveness, self love and romance. It's quite the page turner as Saffron negotiates friendships, family and her future.

I am honestly so jealous of all the teens who get to grow up reading these kind of books that I would've loved to have had 10-15 years ago.

It deals with bullying, body image, eating disorders and the negative side of social media. With the topics that it deals with, it's definitely written with a younger audience in mind though I found that it read fine and was really relatable.

Highly recommend for mid-late teens.

Loved the main character, Saffron, as she was so real and relatable for me. It was refreshing to see her actually struggle back and forth in the book and I think a lot of women and girls will relate to that a lot. It’s not as straightforward as saying ‘I now accept my body just the way it is’ and all of a sudden insecurities and negative feelings towards yourself are fixed so it was good to show the main character going through it too. I also loved how Saffron grew and developed as a character throughout the book.

Some of the side characters were a little cliche and one dimensional but at the same time I understand how they fit into the story and I think they worked.

Overall, I really love this book! I think the message it conveys about everyone being perfect just the way they are is so important and so many people will benefit massively from reading this. It tackles such a big and common issue in society and that’s not easy, but it does it so so well.

Thanks NetGalley for the e-ARC!

Raw, insightful and uplifting story about weight, dates and mates.

I don't mean to sound flippant there. This became quite dark at times, with almost every character having secrets/problems that made this very much a more intense YA read that adults will take a lot from as well.

Following the end of school, Saffron is now at her first year of Uni, on a course she didn't really choose, at home still to stay near friends and family. And constantly counting calories, measuring herself next to other women, hiding herself from in-person lectures and still obsessing over the boy who'd she slept with secretly at school, who refused to acknowledge her in public.

We can see that Saffron is unfortunately too typical of too many young people. Finally deciding to move out into a student shared flat, meeting both confident plus size young women and an instantly attractive male flatmate who seems to see past her bulges and curves, Saffron still can't gain the confidence to be herself, even on dating apps.

Alter-ago-ing up as the AI thin version of herself, Sydney, Saffron feels guilt as well as thrills as she talks to young men as this 'better' version. But with a slimming coach mum, a young impressionable niece and a collection of friends who just aren't there anymore as they move on with their lives, Saffron feels torn between the way she's been raised and encouraged to fit in, and accepting more than she's even felt she could about herself.

Not only was this a story about coming of age, the diet culture and young love, but there's a fantastic catfishing story here as Saffron/Sydney seek control and power over the gender that's hurt her... but which itself reveals some unexpected consequences.

Loved Saffron, despite and because of her insecurities. Loved Toby, the flatmate who cooks his way into the reader's heart. Loved Saff's family and what they represent for all of us. It's just a bold and open statement with great characters and an event greater message.

For ages 15 and above.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

I really enjoyed this book and I would have loved to read something like this in my teens when I was struggling with bullying, body image and an eating disorder I didn't talk about up until my 30s.
I am so glad teens in this time will have access to these stories, hopefully they will find it easier to love oneself.
I would have loved a bit more development on the side characters as they were quite plain and cliché, but they worked well in the story and played their roll nicely, so it is not a big complaint. Saffron story was all too relatable, her experiences and thoughts do similar to mine's at that age and older. And, to be honest I also created a false persona on the Internet at that age, just to experience what it was not to be rejected, luckily I didn't hurt anyone, but I was hurt by someone doing the same and it hits hard.
So in all I enjoyed this book. It has a great message, the main character is really relatable, and the story and subplots are lovely.

A great book about overcoming body issues and becoming more confident. I loved Saff and her character developed in a relatable way. A great book for new adults

Student Saffron Saldana lacks confidence mostly due to her body image and resolves at a New Year’s Eve party to diet amongst other things so perhaps she can be as ‘ desirable ’ as her friend Poppy. She creates an alter ego, Sydney, a body confident AI generated Instagram model, her motives one of revenge catfishing mostly associated with Jack, her ex. This relevant YA novel focuses on a late teenage girl trying to navigate a body obsessed world while trying to juggle the ups and downs life throws at her and focuses on the dynamics of friendship, the world of dating, family issues as well as betrayal.

It’s fair to say I’m far removed from the target audience of this book and I’m surprised how much I enjoy it chiefly due to the engaging way that Amara Sage writes. With age came confidence in my own skin and not caring less what people think but I totally understand and worry about the pressure that women face especially by the toxicity of social media and society’s judgements especially over body size.
I really hope this book with its excellent message hits home and gives young women the freedom to be themselves. Who decided rake thin is a good look??

The novel feels authentic to me as it navigates many tricky waters. I like Saffron a lot she feels real and I enjoy her humour and attitude, I hope many teens and young adults will relate to her especially how she masks her insecurities and how she starts to overcome them. The dialogue is good some of it is very witty and makes me chuckle.

Overall, the novel asks relevant and pertinent questions, raising serious issues associated with the dieting industry and the pressures on the young. The friendships here are heartwarming and so very important. Go Saffron I say!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Faber and Faber for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Saffron’s Mum, on divorcing her husband, used SlimIt to achieve her goal weight and has now become an avid dieter, constantly avoiding anything unhealthy and obsessing over her daughter doing the same.
Saffron and her best friends have been separated since they left school with Freya in a job and long-term relationship and Poppy partying her way through her first year in university while Saffron continues to live at home, hardly venturing out.
When Saffron tries a dating app which involves chatting first before revealing photos of one another she feels positive until it gets to the reveal stage where suddenly the boy on the other end loses interest. So she tries an experiment of using an alter ego, Sydney, an impossibly beautiful AI-generated Instagram photo of her real self. Saffron finds she now can retain the interest of boys. But when real life conflicts things start to get messy.
Our body-obsessed, internet-perfection world collides with best friend dynamics, dating and betrayals.