Diary of a Mad Fat Girl

August 13, 2012
Graciela "Ace" Jones has a lot on her plate: her best friend Lilly cancelled their annual trip and won't tell her why; her boss hates her and makes her life miserable; her friend Chloe is married to a controlling, abusive man; and Ace's own love life is on the skids since her jealousy and insecurity lead to her break-up with love-of-her-life Mason. Here, Campbell turns in a winning performance, ably capturing Ace's unique voice and bringing her to life. The narrator also creates distinctive voices for other characters, including the prickly principal; the abusive husband; and mousy, nervous Chloe. A NAL paperback.

Starred review from December 1, 2011

Meet Graciela "Ace" Jones, a wildcat Southern version of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, only Ace is a high school art teacher who disrupts the status quo in the quintessential small town of Bugtussle, MS. Depressed over her breakup with Mason, Ace is outraged and suspicious when her best friend and fellow teacher, Lilly Lane, cancels their annual spring break trip to the beaches of Panama City, FL. When Ace discovers that their mutual friend Chloe is battered by her unfaithful husband and that Lilly might lose her job at the high school because of her secret romantic liaison, all hell breaks loose in Bugtussle. Ace, Lilly, and Chloe become an intrepid sisterhood who embark on a nonstop crusade of righting wrongs, which entails breaking and entering, exposing illicit affairs, dressing as drag queens, and tarnishing the reputations of some of the town's golden people. VERDICT In her hilarious debut novel, McAfee has skillfully fashioned Ace as the Southern ironed-fisted maiden, minus the velvet glove, and swathed her story with humor, romance, and intrigue. Highly recommended for chick-lit readers. [A surprise best seller as a self-published ebook, the novel has been revised and expanded in this print edition.--Ed.]--Mary Ellen Rutledge Elsbernd, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2012
Graciela Ace Jones has trouble keeping her mouth shut. Fortunately, she has plenty to yell about. Her almost-fianc', Mason, may be cheating on her. Her friend Chloe is married to a jerk who is becoming abusive. And her best friend, Lilly, not only ditched their annual spring-break pilgrimage for a trip to Paris with her mystery lover but is also then accused of having an affair with a high-school student. The only one in Bugtussle, Mississippi, that Ace can trust is her faithful chiweenie dog, Buster Loo. But even Buster Loo turns out to be a traitor when Mason comes back to town. Although the novel's many plot points move along at a madcap pace, the resolutions rely a bit too much on red herrings. Fortunately, Ace is a likable enough heroine to carry the book, and McAfee is already planning on writing two more in the series. Diary of a Mad Fat Girl has already been on the New York Times e-book best-seller list after McAfee self-published it, but this southern-fried Janet Evanovich should find an audience in print, as well.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)