Book Review: Big & Fabulous- The Life & Times of Brenda Cankles, by Randi Sherman

Buy the book: Amazon | B&N

Book Type: Fiction -Humor
Summary: Funny. Captivating. Get to know the likeable Brenda Cankles and join her on a journey through life. A journey of struggles, and a journey of learning to embrace her unique individuality.
Read my exclusive author interview with Randi (click here)

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Big & Fabulous- The Life & Times of Brenda Cankles is the first book I've read by author Randi Sherman and now I am ready for her next book! In case you can't tell already, let me tel you, I LOVED the book. It was funny, witty and captivating. I always looked forward to spending time with the book. I rated the book 5-stars and highly recommend it if you enjoy humorous stories and stories about embracing who you are. 

The book is about the life of Brenda Cankles. Each chapter shares a separate story from her life, starting from childhood. We quickly become friends with the protagonist, Brenda (I loved her from the very start). She is wonderful and honest and hilarious. She tells it like it is. She shares the real events of her life and is fully of witty candor. Near the start of the book, Brenda shares the story of attending a play. After the play (Cinderella), the Fairy Godmother and Prince Charming walk up to young Brenda and speak with her. They tell her that she can be anything she wants to be in life. They tell her that she is not like the other kids and that they can't tell yet if it's because she is a princess or a superhero. They tell her the decision will be up to her (she can choose whichever one she wants to be). The Fairy Godmother adds: "I have just one more thing to tell you. You must never apologize for who you are. Never give up your uniqueness. Please promise me that you'll keep being special." Brenda shares that their words spoken to her that day impacted her life in a big way.

Brenda is such a relateable character. Life can be tough. Situations can be awkward. We've all been there. Reading Brenda's story, we understand her struggles and we are rooting for her to stand up for herself and to succeed in every aspect of life.

Once, Brenda's own mother asks her: "How are you going to find a man to marry you if you can bench press a Buick?"  My heart broke when her mother asked her this question. I still remember when my grandmother said to me: "Oh! You've really filled out. I didn't think you ever would. You used to be so skinny!" I'm still carrying the burn from her words to this day- and it's been years.

There are so many delightful parts of Randi Sherman's book, Big & Fabulous- The Life & Times of Brenda Cankles. I smiled A LOT while reading it. I love that Brenda is strong. She is honest. She is learning to embrace herself, despite the struggles life throws her way. She is trying to figure out how to own her individuality. Here's one of my favorite lines from Brenda: "Frankly, if the trust is to be told, I am made of far too much fabulousness to care about what other people think of me..."

I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of Big & Fabulous- The Life & Times of Brenda Cankles right away- it's a wonderful, enjoyable read!

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
The time for BIG & Fabulous, The Life and Times of Brenda Cankles is now! The emphasis is on positive body image,Big & Fabulous is a truly entertaining story that's strongly written,funny, insightful and bitingly smart. Inside it's covers, readers will find no shortage of acidly hilarious accounts of the highs and lows of living life inside a big and fabulous body.

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Stacey Ritz is a bestselling author and award winning writer. An empathetic and compassionate storyteller, Ritz wrote for a plethora of local and national news outlets, magazines, blogs, and websites (copywriter), prior to becoming a novelist. Her book, Covered in Pet Fur  has gained attention from RIVA Media and Animal Planet. She is the Executive Director and co-founder of Advocates 4 Animals, Inc. – a 501(c)3 non-profit animal welfare organization that has saved more than 11,000 lives (and counting). She currently resides in Ohio. Ritz is published through Rockville Publishing. You can interact with Stacey online via Stacey's Book Blog, on Pinterest, andInstagram.

Ritz writes the following genres:
Non-Fiction:
Motivation/Inspiration
Writing/Publishing
Animal Welfare
Fiction:
Love Stories

Click here to view Stacey's fiction books.

Click here to view Stacey's non-fiction books