ARC Review: “Mammoth” by Jill Baguchinsky

“Mammoth” by Jill Baguchinsky

Publishing Date: November 6, 2018

Genre: YA, Fiction, Contemporary

Page Length: 304 pages (paperback edition)

Synopsis:

The summer before her junior year, paleontology geek Natalie Page lands a coveted internship at an Ice Age dig site near Austin. Natalie, who’s also a plus-size fashion blogger, depends on the retro style she developed to shield herself from her former bullies, but vintage dresses and perfect lipstick aren’t compatible with prospecting for fossils in the Texas heat. But nothing is going to dampen Natalie’s spirit — she’s exactly where she wants to be, and she gets to work with her hero, a rock-star paleontologist who hosts the most popular paleo podcast in the world. And then there’s Chase the intern, who’s seriously cute, and Cody, a local boy who’d be even cuter if he were less of a grouch.

It’s a summer that promises to be about more than just mammoths.

Until it isn’t.

When Natalie’s hero turns out to be anything but, and steals the credit for one of her accomplishments, Nat has to unearth the confidence she needs to stand out in a field dominated by dudes. To do this, she’ll have to let her true self shine, even if that means defying all the rules for the sake of a major discovery. (description from Goodreads)

Review:

I love the cover art for Mammoth and how fitting it is for the theme of the story! I always enjoy reading books about characters in the STEM field so I was excited to read this YA novel that focuses on paleontology (which I don’t think I’ve encountered in that genre). This book also caught my eye because I’m always looking for more stories about body positivity

The story follows the main character Natalie, who is a geeky plus-size fashionista who loves vintage fashion and paleontology (which she tells everyone and anyone she meets). She obtains the internship of her dreams and learns quickly that every isn’t as she always pictured. With multiple obstacles standing in her way, she does her best to conquer the summer heat and show what she’s made of.

This is (for the most part) a lighthearted book, but I love how real it is. Natalie seems confident on the outside to others, but struggles daily with her body confidence and self-love. The summer experience is not only a testimony to learning her career field, but also dealing with her inner struggles. When she comes to a self-realization that is not her outer beauty (ex, makeup, fashion) that makes her awesome but herself it truly makes the story come full circle.

I learned more about paleontology (which is a field I’ve always found interesting) which I appreciated. The novel taught me about the layout of dig sites and the various jobs within the field from prospecting fossils to doing lab work. The story also focuses on the politics/hierarchy in the field and the competition between scientists. And it discusses sexism in STEM and Natalie has to fight to get credit for her ground breaking discoveries.

I enjoyed the Fossilista fashion aspect of the novel, in between chapter breaks we get to see pictures of Natalie’s outfit of the day. She’s got good style! Though she deals with bullies that try to bring her down, I was proud of Natalie and how she preserved through it all. She has her moments of self-doubt and her journey of self-love is an ongoing process.

This book has a good mixture of everything: science, coming of age themes, action, and romance. She does get into a love triangle at one point, but thankfully it isn’t too messy. The relationship development between her and Cody was too cute!

I recommend this bone-digging read!

*Trigger warnings: Body-phobic slurs, self-harm

Final Verdict: