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Heather Wells #3
Big Boned
Life is reasonably rosy for plus-size ex-pop star turned Assistant Dormitory Director and sometime sleuth Heather Wells. Her freeloading ex-con dad is finally moving out. She still yearns for her hot landlord, Cooper Cartwright, but her relationship with "rebound beau," vigorous vegan math professor Tad Tocco, is more than satisfactory. Best of all, nobody has died lately in "Death Dorm," the aptly nicknamed student residence that Heather assistant-directs. Of course every silver lining ultimately has some black cloud attached. And when the latest murdered corpse to clutter up her jurisdiction turns out to be her exceedingly unlovable boss, Heather finds herself on the shortlist of prime suspects—along with the rabble-rousing boyfriend of her high-strung student assistant and an indecently handsome young campus minister who's been accused of taking liberties with certain girls' choir members.
With fame beckoning her back into show business (as the star of a new kids' show!) it's a really bad time to get wrapped up in another homicide. Plus Tad's been working himself up to ask her a Big Question, which Heather's not sure she has an answer for . . .
With fame beckoning her back into show business (as the star of a new kids' show!) it's a really bad time to get wrapped up in another homicide. Plus Tad's been working himself up to ask her a Big Question, which Heather's not sure she has an answer for . . .
280 pages, Paperback
First published November 20, 2007
About the author
Meg Cabot
239 books34.8k followersLibrarian note: AKA Jenny Carroll (1-800-Where-R-You series), AKA Patricia Cabot (historical romance novels).
Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.
She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.
Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.
Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.
Series:
* Airhead
* The Princess Diaries
* Mediator
Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.
She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.
Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.
Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.
Series:
* Airhead
* The Princess Diaries
* Mediator
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,260 reviews
December 27, 2016
Y'all know I am Meg Cabot trash, but I have to admit I was pretty bored for most of this. HOWEVER: the ending totally saved it with all of it's cheesy glory and I can't wait to see how the rest of the series plays out. Squeeeee!
July 13, 2018
This is probably my least favorite book in the series so far. I thought the mystery was a little formulaic and I didn't really love the ending. There was a progression in the main relationship that seemed very sudden and random to me. But I still had fun while reading this and look forward to reading the next book.
January 3, 2008
OH MY GOSH!!
I love Heather Wells (the main character). She is so relatable it's sometimes scary. Having been an avid fan of the Heather Wells character since I read the first page of 'Size 12 is not fat', I've avidly followed this series written by Meg Cabot.
I'm not usually a fan of chick lit, but the balance of humor, mystery, characters etc in these books makes them so much fun to read. Heather is a pop tween hit turned college worker just trying to make a living. Shes funny, in love with Cooper (but then after you read these books, you'll find you, the reader, are in love with Cooper also), she loves her food, and doesn't apologise for loving food, especially junk food and coffee.
This third installment of 'The Heather Wells Mystery' collection is as lovable as the previous two 'Size 12 is not fat' and 'Size 14 is not fat either'. (I shout a yell of agreement merely at the titles).
The books are easy to read, yet Cabot still manages to weave a clever mystery into them, so the answers don't leap out of the page at you. There's enough going on that the mystery doesn't take total precedent of the story, there are small yarns going on around Heather which your always eager as to what will happen next.
I'm rather giddy at having finished it and getting the ending I was hoping to read, (my heart and head went into literal meltdown) and at the same time I was sad that I'd finished reading the book. But then I can read all three over again and I've also heard that Cabot has another HW mystery in the pipeline to be written.
Definitely recommend to chick lit lovers, to those readers who enjoy a bit of humor, lovable hunky roommates and scatty heroines who work in the 'Death Dorm' of New York College. And people who appreciate their food, and coffee, and don't worry about calorie content to any extreme degree.
I love Heather Wells (the main character). She is so relatable it's sometimes scary. Having been an avid fan of the Heather Wells character since I read the first page of 'Size 12 is not fat', I've avidly followed this series written by Meg Cabot.
I'm not usually a fan of chick lit, but the balance of humor, mystery, characters etc in these books makes them so much fun to read. Heather is a pop tween hit turned college worker just trying to make a living. Shes funny, in love with Cooper (but then after you read these books, you'll find you, the reader, are in love with Cooper also), she loves her food, and doesn't apologise for loving food, especially junk food and coffee.
This third installment of 'The Heather Wells Mystery' collection is as lovable as the previous two 'Size 12 is not fat' and 'Size 14 is not fat either'. (I shout a yell of agreement merely at the titles).
The books are easy to read, yet Cabot still manages to weave a clever mystery into them, so the answers don't leap out of the page at you. There's enough going on that the mystery doesn't take total precedent of the story, there are small yarns going on around Heather which your always eager as to what will happen next.
I'm rather giddy at having finished it and getting the ending I was hoping to read, (my heart and head went into literal meltdown) and at the same time I was sad that I'd finished reading the book. But then I can read all three over again and I've also heard that Cabot has another HW mystery in the pipeline to be written.
Definitely recommend to chick lit lovers, to those readers who enjoy a bit of humor, lovable hunky roommates and scatty heroines who work in the 'Death Dorm' of New York College. And people who appreciate their food, and coffee, and don't worry about calorie content to any extreme degree.
August 10, 2011
I like Meg Cabot books but some of her novels definitely go in the 'beach reads' pile. They're amusing but not particularly satisfying -- much like the junk food Heather Wells is always eating.
The concept for this series is cute: former teen pop sensation, Heather Wells, now broke and overweight, works in a NY college dorm as an administrator and solves the repeat murders that take place there. You have to look past the idea that NY detectives are so stupid they couldn't find their butts with two hands and a flashlight to find this believable but hey, that's not so different from most mysteries.
Heather's irrelevant attitude and poor eating habits are where the book gets annoying. In this novel, her boss, Owen, is shot in his office. Within minutes of discovering his blood soaked, brain spattered body, Heather is craving tacos. I'm sorry, that's not cute, it's disgusting on a number of different levels. Later that afternoon, Heather's called into a support meeting to deal with the grief and spends the whole time goofing around with her gay best friend, Tom. This also seemed inappropriate.
Then there's the fact that every single student in the school turns to Heather for help instead of the police. These kids don't seem too bright despite the fact they got admitted into a prestigious NY college but I suppose that's just to make Heather shine more brightly. That comparison kind of falls apart though when Heather decides to confront the crazed murderer alone. You'd think she'd have figured out this was a bad idea from the last two novels.
But it all ends up happy and in this book, Heather and Cooper finally get together with 2 pets. Now, if only the author would do something about this character's atrocious eating habits.
The concept for this series is cute: former teen pop sensation, Heather Wells, now broke and overweight, works in a NY college dorm as an administrator and solves the repeat murders that take place there. You have to look past the idea that NY detectives are so stupid they couldn't find their butts with two hands and a flashlight to find this believable but hey, that's not so different from most mysteries.
Heather's irrelevant attitude and poor eating habits are where the book gets annoying. In this novel, her boss, Owen, is shot in his office. Within minutes of discovering his blood soaked, brain spattered body, Heather is craving tacos. I'm sorry, that's not cute, it's disgusting on a number of different levels. Later that afternoon, Heather's called into a support meeting to deal with the grief and spends the whole time goofing around with her gay best friend, Tom. This also seemed inappropriate.
Then there's the fact that every single student in the school turns to Heather for help instead of the police. These kids don't seem too bright despite the fact they got admitted into a prestigious NY college but I suppose that's just to make Heather shine more brightly. That comparison kind of falls apart though when Heather decides to confront the crazed murderer alone. You'd think she'd have figured out this was a bad idea from the last two novels.
But it all ends up happy and in this book, Heather and Cooper finally get together with 2 pets. Now, if only the author would do something about this character's atrocious eating habits.
June 23, 2020
This book was missing some of the stuff I loved in the first two books of the series. But it did have something the others didn't which salvaged the rating and leaves me ready for the next book. This one was pretty unique, in that Heather really didn't try to get sucked into the investigation in this one. The other books she was much more actively participating. This time she had the sense to mostly stay out of it. I'm interested to see how the next one goes, since there have been minor changes to each book.
It is a bit weird how much of a bigger deal everybody around Heather made of this murder, just because it was an employee instead of a student. I realize the first book nobody but Heather thought it was a murder. But the second book? That was some horrific stuff and the supporting cast was a lot more nonchalant.
It is a bit weird how much of a bigger deal everybody around Heather made of this murder, just because it was an employee instead of a student. I realize the first book nobody but Heather thought it was a murder. But the second book? That was some horrific stuff and the supporting cast was a lot more nonchalant.
June 2, 2008
I did not know this was the third book in the series. Hopefully 1 and 2 were much better than this one, because I found it ridiculous. The main character Heather is so annoying. She has a boyfriend, a crush and Cooper who are all dying to be with her and all she does is complain about her size. The romance with the cafeteria lady and security guard was silly. The murder mystery, murderer, solving the mystery and ending of the book were all dumb. I will not be reading a book by Meg Cabot again.
August 12, 2010
These are the first Meg Cabot books I've read and I really have enjoyed them. Yes, they're fluff. But her dialogue and characters are so genuine that it all seems so effortless. It's fizzy fluff with a zip. Effervescent fluff. If her writing were food, it would be that pop rock cotton candy, which honestly, we all need a little more of in our diet.
May 19, 2019
3.5 Stars
This series continues to be all kinds of fun. I liked the mystery in Big Boned more than the last book and I thought all of the characters had some wonderful moments. Heather is a spunky and relateable main characters and I'm excited to see what happens next.
This series continues to be all kinds of fun. I liked the mystery in Big Boned more than the last book and I thought all of the characters had some wonderful moments. Heather is a spunky and relateable main characters and I'm excited to see what happens next.
February 15, 2020
Ko tur liegties, esmu kļuvusi par īstu Heteres Vlesas fanu un pilnīgi noteikti noklausīšos visas viņas sērijas grāmatas.
October 27, 2011
I really didn't like this book. After reading the first two books in the series I felt there was a nice buildup of the story and I really could relate to Heather (except the pop star part)...and then I open book 3 and at first see that they story is very short. I move past that and read on. Wow, talk about rushed ending. Everything happened so fast in regards to Heather's love life and even though it was pretty obvious she would end up that way it still felt so rushed.
Also, the mystery aspect was totally stupid with the worst motive ever! It was just lame...The ending to a series I really did enjoy...was just bad!
Also, the mystery aspect was totally stupid with the worst motive ever! It was just lame...The ending to a series I really did enjoy...was just bad!
January 29, 2022
In the 3rd book in the Heather Wells mystery series, the dorm Heather works at is once again the scene of a murder – this time it’s her new boss. Of course, Heather is the one who finds him. It seems not too many people liked him. Heather has been dating Tad, the perfect guy, but he likes running, herbal tea, and is a vegetarian – and is her remedial math instructor.
I really liked this. This was a lot of fun, but they are as much (or maybe more so) chick lit as mystery, with humour thrown in. And there were parts that made me laugh.
I really liked this. This was a lot of fun, but they are as much (or maybe more so) chick lit as mystery, with humour thrown in. And there were parts that made me laugh.
October 26, 2008
I was so excited to finally read this book! I’m a huge fan of the Heather Wells mysteries, and I couldn’t wait to see what one of my favorite heroines had in store for me this time. I must say that it was better than I expected
So, the last we’d heard from Heather, she had just met her remedial math teacher who turned out to be a hottie. Now, in Big Boned, remedial math teacher Tad is now Heather’s boyfriend! Which is totally forbidden, since it’s against the rules for teachers to date students. Anyway, they’ve been dating for three months now. Tad is a vegetarian, loves to run and doesn’t own a television. Why is Heather dating him again, oh right, he’s hot.
One morning after Heather goes for a run for Tad, well sorta run, she finds her boss dead in his office. Death dorm scores again, I mean death residence hall. Poor Owen he was shot right through the head, but nobody seems to sad about it since the guy was apparently a jerk.
But once again Heather Wells is on the case, even though she is not supposed to be. All of my favorite characters; Magda, Gavin, Sarah, and of course Heather’s and my personal favorite Cooper, make an appearance.
Gavin still has a crush on Heather, but he had found a new girl to like named Jamie. Jamie seems to think that she is the reason for Owen's death, since she has an appt. with him that morning to turn in the new Reverend Mark. Who apparently likes to get a little touchy feely with the choir girls, if you know what I mean. Even Sarah has been bitten by the love bug. Who would have saw that coming, not me!. She has fallen for the murse wearing Sebastian who happens to have a gun in his murse that was used to shoot Owen. But of course Sarah knows he is innocent, so it is up to Heather to find the real killer.
On top of all her work related problems, Heather's dad wants to turn her into a female version of the Wiggles. As in singing songs to little kids about going to the potty! Needless to say Heather isn't exactly thrilled. Plus, Tad tells her that he has a very important question to ask her, when the timing is right. Could there be wedding bells in the future? To bad Heather is in love with another man. A.K.A. Cooper!
Big Boned has moved into my number one Heather Wells book spot, and I’m am really hoping there is going to be another. There has to be! My only complaint is that I wish it would have been longer!
So, the last we’d heard from Heather, she had just met her remedial math teacher who turned out to be a hottie. Now, in Big Boned, remedial math teacher Tad is now Heather’s boyfriend! Which is totally forbidden, since it’s against the rules for teachers to date students. Anyway, they’ve been dating for three months now. Tad is a vegetarian, loves to run and doesn’t own a television. Why is Heather dating him again, oh right, he’s hot.
One morning after Heather goes for a run for Tad, well sorta run, she finds her boss dead in his office. Death dorm scores again, I mean death residence hall. Poor Owen he was shot right through the head, but nobody seems to sad about it since the guy was apparently a jerk.
But once again Heather Wells is on the case, even though she is not supposed to be. All of my favorite characters; Magda, Gavin, Sarah, and of course Heather’s and my personal favorite Cooper, make an appearance.
Gavin still has a crush on Heather, but he had found a new girl to like named Jamie. Jamie seems to think that she is the reason for Owen's death, since she has an appt. with him that morning to turn in the new Reverend Mark. Who apparently likes to get a little touchy feely with the choir girls, if you know what I mean. Even Sarah has been bitten by the love bug. Who would have saw that coming, not me!. She has fallen for the murse wearing Sebastian who happens to have a gun in his murse that was used to shoot Owen. But of course Sarah knows he is innocent, so it is up to Heather to find the real killer.
On top of all her work related problems, Heather's dad wants to turn her into a female version of the Wiggles. As in singing songs to little kids about going to the potty! Needless to say Heather isn't exactly thrilled. Plus, Tad tells her that he has a very important question to ask her, when the timing is right. Could there be wedding bells in the future? To bad Heather is in love with another man. A.K.A. Cooper!
Big Boned has moved into my number one Heather Wells book spot, and I’m am really hoping there is going to be another. There has to be! My only complaint is that I wish it would have been longer!
May 14, 2019
Heather is finally dating someone and is relatively happy, even if he's not the man she's been in love with. They don't seem to have that much in common either, but she tries not to dwell on that fact and does her best to take an interest in his hobbies, even going so far as to go running with him.
She has just gotten in to work after that run, only to discover her new boss's dead body in his office, shot in the head. Determined to stay out of the investigation this time, unwilling to face the same fate, she nevertheless gets dragged into it when .
Cooper, who once again is not happy with her investigating solo, has her back and .
Very engaging, like the first two books, with a heroine who's grown up quite a bit and is finally happy. Her story continues in Size 12 and Ready to Rock, but I think I'll bask in the happy glow of this happy ending for a while before getting to it.
Previous book reviews:
✦ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either (Heather Wells, #2)
✦ Size 12 Is Not Fat (Heather Wells, #1)
She has just gotten in to work after that run, only to discover her new boss's dead body in his office, shot in the head. Determined to stay out of the investigation this time, unwilling to face the same fate, she nevertheless gets dragged into it when .
Cooper, who once again is not happy with her investigating solo, has her back and .
Very engaging, like the first two books, with a heroine who's grown up quite a bit and is finally happy. Her story continues in Size 12 and Ready to Rock, but I think I'll bask in the happy glow of this happy ending for a while before getting to it.
Previous book reviews:
✦ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either (Heather Wells, #2)
✦ Size 12 Is Not Fat (Heather Wells, #1)
January 8, 2010
I rushed out into a snow storm yesterday to buy this book because I had just finished Size 14 is Not Fat Either and I just wasn't ready to part with quirky Heather Wells. I rarely laugh out loud at a book as hard I did when I read this series. So, naturally in a mood for more laughter, and hopefully a resolution to the Heather/Cooper love saga, I speed read through this third installment in the series.
Unfortunately, I felt this was the weakest book in the series. It still had me cracking a few smiles though so I can't complain too much. The mystery was pretty insipid, but I think at this point I was more invested in the characters’ personal storylines anyway. What really threw me for a loop was the fact that (and this is the slightly spoilerish part) we’ve had three books to view the Heather/Cooper relationship through the Heather lens, but the author then only gives us 4 pages to clear up three books of what has been going on with Cooper? Really? 4 pages? It was completely unsatisfying.
Unfortunately, I felt this was the weakest book in the series. It still had me cracking a few smiles though so I can't complain too much. The mystery was pretty insipid, but I think at this point I was more invested in the characters’ personal storylines anyway. What really threw me for a loop was the fact that (and this is the slightly spoilerish part) we’ve had three books to view the Heather/Cooper relationship through the Heather lens, but the author then only gives us 4 pages to clear up three books of what has been going on with Cooper? Really? 4 pages? It was completely unsatisfying.
December 21, 2007
This is the third novel in the Heather Wells series, following Size 12 is Not Fat and Size 14 is Not Fat Either. Personally, I think this might just be the best in the series, albeit a seemingly quicker read than the others. But truly? They're all brilliant. Heather, despite being a former pop princess, is a down-to-earth, funny character who's instantly lovable and easy to relate to. I'd advise you to read the other two books in the series first, although it's pretty easy to follow up and Meg's witty writing style is as fabulous as always.
But I have to say, there is one heck of a downside to this book.
It's
For the rest of the review, please visit
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But I have to say, there is one heck of a downside to this book.
It's
For the rest of the review, please visit
http://www.trashionista.com/2007/12/b...
September 9, 2017
I forgot how fun this series is! Heather always ends up in the weirdest situations. And I loved the ending of this book.
January 10, 2021
Funny, light hearted, entertaining and easy. And if you listen to the audio, the narrator is terrific! Looking forward to the next Heather Wells story!
April 20, 2021
3,5 bintang
Dari tiga buku pertama, bisa dibilang Big Boned ini agak lemah dalam segi misterinya, walau romansanya malah lebih kental. Mungkin yang doyan romens (ya kayak gue lah wkwk) akan senang, tapi yang doyan misteri (ya gue juga sih) akan merasa kurang puas.
Kasusnya kali ini cuma bosnya Heather ditembak di kepala dari luar ruangannya dan sialnya (atau beruntung?), lagi - lagi yang nemuin si bos tergeletak tak bernyawa ya, Heather lagi, Heather lagi. Padahal Heather aslinya lagi senang2nya abis lari pagi (walau saking ga kuatnya, sampai bilang rahimnya jatuh di jalanan. Gue juga paham lari itu capek buat cewe obese, lol. Tapi ya g sampe rahimnya copot :)) ) sama pacarnya, Tad Tocco (loh terus, Cooper kemana? Entar, ada lanjutannya. Sabaar) dan kayaknya Tad mau ngelamar Heather (Heather antara senang sama bingung, karena aslinya dia masih cinta-tak-berbalas ke Cooper). Parahnya lagi, Heather ga terlalu suka sama (mantan) bosnya yang satu ini. Tapi bukan Heather namanya kalau ga jadi amateur sleuth (lagi) walau sudah diperingatkan sama Cooper dan Detektif Canavan buat ga usah bikin penyelidikan sendiri (lagi dan lagi).
Gue merasa pemecahan kasus misterinya termasuk agak simple dan ga banyak cingcong. Plus buku ini emang terasa banget lebih tipis dari dua pendahulunya. Entah karena kualitas kertas (kertas koran super tipis) atau jumlah halamannya (yang ternyata juga lebih dikit. Pantesan.) Heather tetep saja "ajaib", tetap banyak monolog dramatis plus histeris, yang menurut gue ya itulah menariknya seri Heather Wells ini. Heather ini salah satu contoh heroine yang mau ga mau pembaca bakal merasa terkoneksi, karena di luar komentar - komentar ajaibnya, Heather emang beneran punya hati yang sangat baik dan besar. Salah satu contohnya, adalah mau membantu Sarah, asisten mahasiswa yang sejak buku 1 sudah bawel dan bener - bener menyebalkan. Gue ga yakin mau temenan sama Sarah dikehidupan nyata, lol. Tapi toh dengan segala kekurangan Sarah (apalagi Sarah hobinya nyindirin Heather dan suka heboh sendiri), Heather tetap mau membantu saat kecengan Sarah dituduh jadi pembunuh (mantan) bosnya Heather.
Emang sih, tante Cabot ga cuma bikin satu tapi lebih "red herring" di kasus ini, dan bagi gue ini cukup menarik. Hanya saja pemecahan kasusnya itu bagi gue kurang memuaskan. Kayak . Ditambah kalau kamu pikir Heather sudah belajar dari kasus buku 1 dan 2, dimana JANGAN mengkonfrontasi si pelaku...ya anda akan kecewa :))). Karena Heather MENGULANGINYA lagi. Tapi seperti halnya kucing yang punya sembilan nyawa, Heather masih bisa beruntung karena dia selamat. Walau ini semacam plot device yang (kayaknya) sering dipakai di banyak novel - novel tema serupa, I kid you not. Jangan coba - coba menghadapi pelaku pembunuhan sendiri. Tanpa bala bantuan. Jadilah seperti Kindaichi/Conan/Sherlock/Poirot saat menyudutkan pelaku, di hadapan banyak orang tentunya. Bukannya main jadi jagoan.
Yang penasaran sama hubungan Heather - Cooper, akhirnya, the ship is SAILING. Terus gimana nasib Tad? Ya ga gimana - gimana, gue ga akan terlalu spoiler kenapa Heather akhirnya ga jadi sama Tad, tapi alasan Cooper cemburu juga lucu sih. Ni cowok berlagak cool selama dua buku pertama, tapi endingnya dia ga sanggup juga lihat Heather sama cowok lain :P. Yang penting, love is in the air. Karena ga cuma Heather yang dapat ending bahagia, tapi teman - temannya juga (termasuk si Gavin yang nyentrik).
Gue merasa kayaknya Tante Cabot hanya bermaksud bikin seri Heather Wells ini sebagai trilogy, karena emang kayaknya ceritanya Heather cukup sampe di Big Boned ini (dia selamat dari percobaan pembunuhan berkali - kali, dapat happy ending juga sama Cooper). Tapi ternyata masih ada lanjutannya di Size 12 and Ready to Rocks yang ditulis 5 tahun kemudian setelah Big Boned terbit (edisi aslinya terbit tahun 2007, Size 12 and Ready to Rocks tahun 2012). Gue sih ga keberatan buat baca "antik"nya si Heather, karena kalau urusan humor dan sarkasme, Tante Cabot emang juaranya <3.
Dari tiga buku pertama, bisa dibilang Big Boned ini agak lemah dalam segi misterinya, walau romansanya malah lebih kental. Mungkin yang doyan romens (ya kayak gue lah wkwk) akan senang, tapi yang doyan misteri (ya gue juga sih) akan merasa kurang puas.
Kasusnya kali ini cuma bosnya Heather ditembak di kepala dari luar ruangannya dan sialnya (atau beruntung?), lagi - lagi yang nemuin si bos tergeletak tak bernyawa ya, Heather lagi, Heather lagi. Padahal Heather aslinya lagi senang2nya abis lari pagi (walau saking ga kuatnya, sampai bilang rahimnya jatuh di jalanan. Gue juga paham lari itu capek buat cewe obese, lol. Tapi ya g sampe rahimnya copot :)) ) sama pacarnya, Tad Tocco (loh terus, Cooper kemana? Entar, ada lanjutannya. Sabaar) dan kayaknya Tad mau ngelamar Heather (Heather antara senang sama bingung, karena aslinya dia masih cinta-tak-berbalas ke Cooper). Parahnya lagi, Heather ga terlalu suka sama (mantan) bosnya yang satu ini. Tapi bukan Heather namanya kalau ga jadi amateur sleuth (lagi) walau sudah diperingatkan sama Cooper dan Detektif Canavan buat ga usah bikin penyelidikan sendiri (lagi dan lagi).
Gue merasa pemecahan kasus misterinya termasuk agak simple dan ga banyak cingcong. Plus buku ini emang terasa banget lebih tipis dari dua pendahulunya. Entah karena kualitas kertas (kertas koran super tipis) atau jumlah halamannya (yang ternyata juga lebih dikit. Pantesan.) Heather tetep saja "ajaib", tetap banyak monolog dramatis plus histeris, yang menurut gue ya itulah menariknya seri Heather Wells ini. Heather ini salah satu contoh heroine yang mau ga mau pembaca bakal merasa terkoneksi, karena di luar komentar - komentar ajaibnya, Heather emang beneran punya hati yang sangat baik dan besar. Salah satu contohnya, adalah mau membantu Sarah, asisten mahasiswa yang sejak buku 1 sudah bawel dan bener - bener menyebalkan. Gue ga yakin mau temenan sama Sarah dikehidupan nyata, lol. Tapi toh dengan segala kekurangan Sarah (apalagi Sarah hobinya nyindirin Heather dan suka heboh sendiri), Heather tetap mau membantu saat kecengan Sarah dituduh jadi pembunuh (mantan) bosnya Heather.
Emang sih, tante Cabot ga cuma bikin satu tapi lebih "red herring" di kasus ini, dan bagi gue ini cukup menarik. Hanya saja pemecahan kasusnya itu bagi gue kurang memuaskan. Kayak . Ditambah kalau kamu pikir Heather sudah belajar dari kasus buku 1 dan 2, dimana JANGAN mengkonfrontasi si pelaku...ya anda akan kecewa :))). Karena Heather MENGULANGINYA lagi. Tapi seperti halnya kucing yang punya sembilan nyawa, Heather masih bisa beruntung karena dia selamat. Walau ini semacam plot device yang (kayaknya) sering dipakai di banyak novel - novel tema serupa, I kid you not. Jangan coba - coba menghadapi pelaku pembunuhan sendiri. Tanpa bala bantuan. Jadilah seperti Kindaichi/Conan/Sherlock/Poirot saat menyudutkan pelaku, di hadapan banyak orang tentunya. Bukannya main jadi jagoan.
Yang penasaran sama hubungan Heather - Cooper, akhirnya, the ship is SAILING. Terus gimana nasib Tad? Ya ga gimana - gimana, gue ga akan terlalu spoiler kenapa Heather akhirnya ga jadi sama Tad, tapi alasan Cooper cemburu juga lucu sih. Ni cowok berlagak cool selama dua buku pertama, tapi endingnya dia ga sanggup juga lihat Heather sama cowok lain :P. Yang penting, love is in the air. Karena ga cuma Heather yang dapat ending bahagia, tapi teman - temannya juga (termasuk si Gavin yang nyentrik).
Gue merasa kayaknya Tante Cabot hanya bermaksud bikin seri Heather Wells ini sebagai trilogy, karena emang kayaknya ceritanya Heather cukup sampe di Big Boned ini (dia selamat dari percobaan pembunuhan berkali - kali, dapat happy ending juga sama Cooper). Tapi ternyata masih ada lanjutannya di Size 12 and Ready to Rocks yang ditulis 5 tahun kemudian setelah Big Boned terbit (edisi aslinya terbit tahun 2007, Size 12 and Ready to Rocks tahun 2012). Gue sih ga keberatan buat baca "antik"nya si Heather, karena kalau urusan humor dan sarkasme, Tante Cabot emang juaranya <3.
May 26, 2024
2,5 ⭐️
Ziemlich schlecht gealtert, war mir zu viel Bodyshaming und auch kein besonderer Spannungsaufbau. Ganz nett für einen Sonntag.
Ziemlich schlecht gealtert, war mir zu viel Bodyshaming und auch kein besonderer Spannungsaufbau. Ganz nett für einen Sonntag.
July 10, 2008
Spoiler Alert! I’m sorry, I can’t talk about this book without giving away some major details. After reading the first two books in the series, I had mixed feelings—but I was really enjoying the third entry until the last few pages. What really, really disappointed me was the fast-forward of Heather and Cooper’s relationship. Yes, I wanted to see them end up together—eventually. Heather’s been crushing on Cooper for roughly a year but they’ve just been friends—roommates, yes, but just friends. She starts dating someone and Cooper thinks she might be getting serious—so he decides to go for it before his chance is gone. I get that. What I don’t get is that their first kiss is followed shortly by a marriage proposal. Okay they’ve both been suppressing feelings but can’t we see them explore the transition from friends to something more??? If this were a stand-alone book, I might be more receptive to the jump—maybe—it’s a pretty big jump. However, as this is a series, I really wanted to see the romantic relationship develop over time (rather than a few pages).
Other than that, I enjoyed the book. This time around, the dorm/residence hall jokes are used sparingly enough to be funny and the cops aren’t as dimwitted. Like Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, we’re treated to an eccentric group of series regulars—and while the two series both have spunky, memorable characters and funny commentary, Cabot has created a distinct New York College/Heather Wells storyline. I still take issue with Magda—she’s forty years old and calls the dorm residents ‘her little movie stars’—I’m forty and I don’t baby talk anyone above baby age. That aside, she’s a likeable character—and since those comments barely appeared in Big Boned, I’m hoping this is a character eccentricity that Cabot gradually lets go.
Still a series with potential . . . looking forward to the next installment!
Other than that, I enjoyed the book. This time around, the dorm/residence hall jokes are used sparingly enough to be funny and the cops aren’t as dimwitted. Like Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, we’re treated to an eccentric group of series regulars—and while the two series both have spunky, memorable characters and funny commentary, Cabot has created a distinct New York College/Heather Wells storyline. I still take issue with Magda—she’s forty years old and calls the dorm residents ‘her little movie stars’—I’m forty and I don’t baby talk anyone above baby age. That aside, she’s a likeable character—and since those comments barely appeared in Big Boned, I’m hoping this is a character eccentricity that Cabot gradually lets go.
Still a series with potential . . . looking forward to the next installment!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2010
Even though Big Boned is pretty much the same book as the first two books in the Heather Wells series (Size 12 Is Not Fat and Size 14 Is Not Fat Either), it's still a fun, fast read. Heather, a former teen pop star and now assistant residence hall director at the fictional New York College's Fischer Hall, tries to solve the dormitory's third (or maybe fourth, I've lost track) murder to occur in the year she's worked there, while at the same time figure out what to do about what seems to be a looming marriage proposal from Tad Tocco, who was only supposed to be her transition boyfriend (and math professor) before she moved on to her true love (and landlord) Cooper Cartwright. This is a cute and funny book, the corpse in chapter 1 notwithstanding. Cabot has a breezy style, which is only sometimes annoying in its similarity to TWoP recaps, e.g., treating "snark" as if it's a real word, constructions such as "No. Just ... no," and in general an abuse of ellipses. But otherwise, this is a good book to read at the beach or on a rainy day when Tolstoy would just depress you.
January 18, 2018
3.5 stars
I didn't like this one as much as I did the first two in the series but I still enjoyed it. The ending made up for all the not so great parts in the rest of the book. I've been looking forward to this since we first met Heather and her landlord in the first book and I'm happy it finally happened. I'm really looking forward to reading more about Heather and her friends some more.
I didn't like this one as much as I did the first two in the series but I still enjoyed it. The ending made up for all the not so great parts in the rest of the book. I've been looking forward to this since we first met Heather and her landlord in the first book and I'm happy it finally happened. I'm really looking forward to reading more about Heather and her friends some more.
August 3, 2017
Less fun of a read than I thought it would be to be honest. The situations were a little too ridiculous for me. I feel like I must have forgotten a lot about the tone of the first 2 books or this one was just really off the mark for me.
October 3, 2016
Big Boned (Heather Wells Mysteries) - Meg Cabot Loved this one too. I really like how Heather is generally dismissed, but is really very clever. Very.
Library copy
Library copy
January 29, 2018
Solid narration. Weirdly I remembered almost nothing about the actual plot of the book so it was fun feeling like I was reading it again for the first time.
April 4, 2023
What a beautiful day
June 15, 2022
I just love Heather and all her crazy side characters. This one has nice happy ending ❤️
June 13, 2016
DNF - Pretty disappointed. I usually like Meg Cabot's adult fiction, and her HRs (writing as Patricia Cabot) are what got me hooked on the genre - see Educating Caroline.
I listened to the first two Heather Wells books as audiobooks borrowed from my local library. Typically, I get so into a book that I end up having to check out the hard copy, too, because I can't wait to continue reading when I get home. That didn't happen with these. I was perfectly content to wait until my next car trip.
The books were OK. Definitely cheesy, but entertaining enough while I was sitting in traffic. However, as the series progressed, I liked the main character less and less. For titles that discuss a person's weight, you'd think the series would be more empowering, but all Heather does is talk about food. I'm a size 12, and while I love food as much as the next person, every single thought in my head does not revolve around food. I felt like the character played right into the stereotype that a size 12 (or 14) IS FAT, and we're all a bunch of starving fat kids who eat cream cheese & bacon bagels all day long. Beyond that, Heather is incredibly superficial and harshly judges any of the women skinnier than her. She also makes some pretty dumb decisions - sometimes that's funny, but most of the time you just roll your eyes.
If I hear the phrase "dorm, I mean residence hall" ever again, I'm going to throw something.
I listened to the first two Heather Wells books as audiobooks borrowed from my local library. Typically, I get so into a book that I end up having to check out the hard copy, too, because I can't wait to continue reading when I get home. That didn't happen with these. I was perfectly content to wait until my next car trip.
The books were OK. Definitely cheesy, but entertaining enough while I was sitting in traffic. However, as the series progressed, I liked the main character less and less. For titles that discuss a person's weight, you'd think the series would be more empowering, but all Heather does is talk about food. I'm a size 12, and while I love food as much as the next person, every single thought in my head does not revolve around food. I felt like the character played right into the stereotype that a size 12 (or 14) IS FAT, and we're all a bunch of starving fat kids who eat cream cheese & bacon bagels all day long. Beyond that, Heather is incredibly superficial and harshly judges any of the women skinnier than her. She also makes some pretty dumb decisions - sometimes that's funny, but most of the time you just roll your eyes.
If I hear the phrase "dorm, I mean residence hall" ever again, I'm going to throw something.
November 19, 2017
Seriously guys... OMFG!
It is about god damn time Cooper.
I have no idea what the next book will be about but I'm so excited to dive back into her world again. I wonder who's going to die this time.
July 9, 2020
#3 in the Heather Wells series.
I had not read books 1 or 2 prior to reading this one. It might have helped a bit, but this book is a stand alone and I was not too much in the dark about characters and prior events, although there were references to prior events.
In this installment, Heather unluckily stumbles across the body of her dead boss. There's a lot going on at the college; protesters, the potential for a strike, and now, her boss dead. Heather is sort of enjoying her relationship with boyfriend Tad (but why does she have feelings for Cooper then). And why does dad want her to rekindle her singing career, but for a children's show?
There is a lot going on in this book. Is it a cozy mystery, or a comedy romance? The answer is 'yes'. The mystery is well done and the romance is not too sappy. All in all it was a fun read.
I had not read books 1 or 2 prior to reading this one. It might have helped a bit, but this book is a stand alone and I was not too much in the dark about characters and prior events, although there were references to prior events.
In this installment, Heather unluckily stumbles across the body of her dead boss. There's a lot going on at the college; protesters, the potential for a strike, and now, her boss dead. Heather is sort of enjoying her relationship with boyfriend Tad (but why does she have feelings for Cooper then). And why does dad want her to rekindle her singing career, but for a children's show?
There is a lot going on in this book. Is it a cozy mystery, or a comedy romance? The answer is 'yes'. The mystery is well done and the romance is not too sappy. All in all it was a fun read.
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