Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

#1 in the Heather Wells series
Published in 2005 by Avon Trade
4 Stars

Goodreads Review
Heather Wells Rocks! 

Or, at least, she did. That was before she left the pop-idol life behind after she gained a dress size or two — and lost a boyfriend, a recording contract, and her life savings (when Mom took the money and ran off to Argentina). Now that the glamour and glory days of endless mall appearances are in the past, Heather's perfectly happy with her new size 12 shape (the average for the American woman!) and her new job as an assistant dorm director at one of New York's top colleges. That is, until the dead body of a female student from Heather's residence hall is discovered at the bottom of an elevator shaft. 

The cops and the college president are ready to chalk the death off as an accident, the result of reckless youthful mischief. But Heather knowsteenage girls . . . and girls do not elevator surf. Yet no one wants to listen — not the police, her colleagues, or the P.I. who owns the brownstone where she lives — even when more students start turning up dead in equally ordinary and subtly sinister ways. So Heather makes the decision to take on yet another new career: as spunky girl detective! 

But her new job comes with few benefits, no cheering crowds, and lots of liabilities, some of them potentially fatal. And nothing ticks off a killer more than a portly ex-pop star who's sticking her nose where it doesn't belong . . .

Review:  I listened to the audio book for Size 12 is Not Fat almost a year ago, but with the release of the 4th installment in this series (Size 12 and Ready to Rock) I thought I would go ahead and do a quick book review.

The initial thing that drew me to this book was the title.  I have had weight issues my whole life, and was a size 12/14 when I first heard about this series.  I wanted to read it because I wanted to read a book about a protagonist that looked like me and dealt with the same issues I deal with.

I really enjoyed this book.  I loved listening to Heather's inner monologue (it's so like my own lol) and I loved reading about the antics that all of the college kids get up to.   The murder mystery is also really well done, I had NO idea who the killer was and was thoroughly surprised as the different twists were revealed.  I also really liked the commentary on weight in the media and how gaining weight doesn't reduce your value as a person. 

Honestly, I can't pinpoint the exact thing that made this book so enjoyable for me, it really was everything.  Size 12 is Not Fat is a cute and fun story that is a perfect summer read.