Dear Sweet Pea (Dumplin) by Julie Murphy

Dear Sweet Pea (Dumplin) Reviews

• 
  Chelsea (chelseadolling reads)

  This was absolutely precious and my heart is so dang full.
  
  TW: divorce, homophobia
• 
  Whitney Atkinson

  This book was so adorable and I really, really wish it had been there for me when I was a kid. From a fat main character to an entire conflict about being upset your middle school friends are growing up too much, I saw so much of my younger self in Sweet Pea. I listened to this book on audio and I loved how cheesy and fun it was. It had great representation and mindfully discussed divorce and facing the consequences of your actions, which I thought was a nice touch. Again, I just wish I'd read this when I was younger because I'm sure it would have stuck with me a ton. As an adult, I appreciated it for its message and cuteness.
• 
  Christy

  4 stars


  
  Dear Sweet Pea was such a cute read! I love Julie Murphy’s writing and I enjoyed this middle grade novel lots.
  
  Patricia ‘Sweet Pea’ DiMarco is a middle schooler who is going through a lot. Her parents are recently divorced and now her time is split between two homes. It’s an adjustment. Things are changing and she’s having to learn to deal with the changes Thankfully, she has her best friend, Oscar. But then things happen that have her keeping secrets from Oscar and everything feels like a mess in her life.
  
  Sweet Pea was a fun character and one that I think would be relatable to a lot of kids that age. She felt authentic. As I say with all of Julie Murphy’s books, I wish that these were around the I was this age. I would have loved to read this book when I was 10-11 when my parents got divorced.
  
  This is a great story that focuses on friendship, families, and loving yourself. It’s geared towards middle-grade kids, but I think readers of every age would enjoy this!
• 
  Rachel Reads Ravenously

  4 stars!
  
  A really sweet and heartwarming middle grade read. I highly recommend for readers of all ages!
• 
  Christy

  I chose this one for the "Middle Grade" section of a Reading Challenge I'm participating in. I have previously liked Julie Murphy's Dumplin' series and I thought this one was also cute. I'm not particularly into Middle Grade books, but this was definitely a sweet story for someone who is or a younger reader.
• 
  Layla (Between the Lines)

  Review to come!
• 
  CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian

  Julie Murphy's books are so heart-warming but also don't shy away from complexities and grey areas. This is a great debut into the middle grade market about a 13-year-old who has a lot of stuff going on in her life: parents' divorce, parent coming out, an ex-BFF, and an eccentric elderly neighbour who asks Sweet Pea to look after her mail for her advice column while she's gone. Sweet Pea gets herself into a wee bit of trouble. I loved this! Murphy does a great job casually integrating queer characters in her books about straight characters, which I really appreciate! I also noticed how nonchalantly this book mentions the race of characters as they're described in a way that doesn't assume whiteness. Woo hoo!
• 
  Reading_ Tamishly

  I just love Julie Murphy’s books! And I need to read them all!
  
  I like Sweet Pea. She’s struggling as her parents are getting divorced. Her best friend isn’t even her friend anymore. She’s got people she can talk to but she’s struggling much.
  She tries to compromise and be someone who’s understanding the situation when she doesn’t. Well, the adults do what they have to do while Sweet Pea cannot even ask in whose house she belongs.
  
  I find the characters rather realistic. I feel the representation has been done well. However, the book could have a better ending with a few more pages thinking about all events that happened.
  
  I love the writing so much! Things do end well for our Sweet Pea. She makes mistakes and will keep making mistakes. She’s just being young and trying her best.
• 
  Cortney LaScola Hornyak - The Bookworm Myrtle Beach

  I have been reading a lot of heavy stuff lately, so I just needed a cute and easy palate cleanser. I typically love Julie Murphy's books, but this one fell a little short for me. I say this knowing full well that I am in my 40s reading a book for Middle Graders... but, a good book is still a good book. I think she tried too hard to teach lessons to the readers. Could have been super cute, but it ended up just being OK for me.
• 
  Melanie Brinkman

  Sometimes simply living life is the key to giving others (and ourselves) the best advice.
  
  When Patricia "Sweet Pea" DiMarco's parents announced they were getting a divorce, she wasn't sure what to expect. But their plan to live in nearly identical houses on the same street, with only Miss Flora Mae, the town's advice columnist between them, hasn't been easy for her to deal with. That's not to mention all the problems that going to school with her ex best friend brings. Things might just be unbearable if she didn't have Oscar - her new best friend, and her cat, Cheese.
  
  One day Miss Flora takes a trip, and she asks Sweet Pea to forward her the letters for her column. But when Sweet Pea recognizes the handwriting on one of the envelopes, she decides to give out some of her own advice. But is the questioner the only one who needs to listen?
  
  A story of a girl navigating the changes of a life that's different yet the same. The advice we give others may be the key to fixing our own problems.
  
  Trigger warnings for divorce and homophobia.
  
  Quick-witted and bubbly, Sweet Pea was content for life to stay the way it was, even though it couldn't. Her warm, friendly voice was so charming as she as she simultaneously fixed and created her own problems by doling out advice. She may not have always told the truth, but her honest, kind heart always shown through as she delt with the pressures becoming a teen put on her friendships and life in general. The young girl may have experienced some dips in her self-confidence, but I loved how comfortable she was in her own skin.
  
  From her amiable parents to her reliable best friend Oscar, from Kiera, her ex best friend, to the eccentric Miss Flora, there were a lot of people tangled within Sweet Pea's web of got, gave, and listened to advice. Big hearted, her mother was the type of woman who lovingly mortified her daughter, but also made her proud. You just didn't tell her no. A kind painter, her father was happy to be himself and embrace his sexuality. Affable even though their marriage was ending, her parents were genuinely good people and it was abundantly clear that they raised their daughter well.
  
  Understanding, Oscar was always there to bring up her spirits whenever they got low. However, he wasn't afraid to be real with her and let her know she couldn't cast him off when something better came along. A person we're best friends with but eventually we split from because they move on with "better" people, we've all met Kiera in our life. The girls' relationship truly surprised me in the best of ways. The unconventional Miss Flora offered a lot of wise advice even though she wasn't always there. Well drawn and full of life, I loved the supporting cast.
  
  Growing up comes with growing pains. An adorable story of the build-up and breakdown of friendships, the pressures of becoming a teenager, crushes, and dealing with your parents' divorce, Sweet Pea's journey was a lot of fun. Though it took her a while to listen to the advice that was there all along, Dear Sweet Pea tackled society's problem with different body types, self-confidence, and homophobia. Wittly heartfelt, Julie Murphy's middle grade debut drops gems of advice for readers of all ages. Fresh, sweet, and honest, this contemporary proves that we all make mistakes, but we can learn from them. We just have to be willing to listen for the advice they provide.
  
  Take my advice. Read Dear Sweet Pea. It's good for your heart.
• 
  Jade Melody

  Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
  
  This was a cute middle grade story about a girl named Sweet Pea. Her parents have just told her they are getting divorced because her dad has recently come out as gay. Along with that her dad is moving out, but only one house down the street; The house in between is Miss Flora Mae's, the towns advice columnist. While dealing with her family troubles, Sweet Pea is also dealing with the struggles of being "the weird girl" in seventh grade. That doesn't stop her stride though, it's her ex-best-friend Kiara, who all the sudden cares about boys and lipgloss, that has her down. But she has Oscar and her cat Cheese to get her through these weird times.
  
  This really is a good premise for a middle grade story. A girl who is dealing with a divorce, public embarrassment, and friend troubles, is tasked with helping out her next door neighbor, Miss Flora Mae, with her advice column while she is out of town. Miss Flora Mae had originally planned for Sweet Pea to take care of her plants and forward her the letters, but one day Sweet Pea got a taste of what it was like to help people with their problems when she opened one of the letters. From there the story goes on. But only kind of in my opinion. More than half the story was us learning about the characters and what is happening. The "beginning" was so tragically slow that I felt unmotivated to pick it up, but as soon as I finally got past the building of the story it got better. Too bad that it was only the last 75-100 pages of the book where it actually got interesting. Plus, the ending felt rushed like the author had also gotten bored of explaining to us and just wanted to finish the book. If it this story had been explained in a shorter amount of time, this could've been a lot better.
  
  I also had a problem with Sweet Pea. While I understand she is still going through the growing pains of being a seventh grader, she still does seem really immature and young for that age. Plus she is horrible to all of the people she considers close friends, I know that was supposed to be the point of the story, in a way, but even after she realized she did it to Kiera, she did it to Oscar and even the side character Greg. Like, she knew what she was doing and even recognized it, but didn't take the time to figure out what is making her do that and how to stop. Also how Sweet Pea handled a lot of the problems she was going through was just not realistic. I do not know anyone who would just call out someone they used to consider their best friend in the middle of seventh grade lunch, like that would be the end of you; good bye. I get that maybe this fits Sweet Pea being the weird girl but still, too me it just seems like too much.
  
  Also although Sweet Pea fully admits that she is an overweight girl at the beginning of the book, that never really pans out or is mentioned in full again, except for close to the end when Kiera is dabbing the grease off her pizza. Which some people find disgraceful, but honestly I could care less. Anyways, I just expected this to be more empowering for overweight girls but it wasn't like that at all. It was like the author wanted to say they had an overweight main character and not include that detail at all throughout the story. There really wasn't a point to it if it wasn't going to be mentioned again.
• 
  Emma

  *3.5 stars
  This was the cutest! Review to come <3
• 
  Amanda

  I am in love with this book. I aspire to be just like Flora Mae when I'm old, minus the stuffed dead cat.
• 
  Rian *fire and books*

  This is fucking adorable.
• 
  Samantha (WLABB)

  Rating: 4.5 Stars
  
  Sweet Pea liked the way things were, but they wouldn't stop changing. First, she lost her best friend, Kiera, to the popular older girls. Then, her parents got divorced, and she was forced to split time between their "mirror" homes. It also seemed as though she was losing her new best friend, Oscar, because she was keeping secrets from him. Sweet Pea had all the answers for everyone else's dilemmas, but could she solve her own problems?
  
  It was love at first page for me and Sweet Pea. This kid was so charming, effervescent, and real, and she stole my heart. Her voice was crystal clear, and I swore I heard the tones of my daughter from middle school in Sweet Pea's narration. She was a fairly average tween dealing with her changing family and friendships, and though it was a bumpy ride, Sweet Pea learned to embrace the change as she changed too.
  
  One of the things I really loved about this book was that Sweet Pea was a plus sized character, but this was not a story about her weight. Every now and again, her confidence dipped, such as when she was dress shopping, but for the most part, her weight was a non-issue in this story. She was not bullied or relentlessly harassed for being overweight, but rather, she was a confident and vibrant young woman, who was rather comfortable in her own skin. I always welcome books, where being yourself is not an "issue", and enjoyed the way Murphy wove this into the story.
  
  I also loved the focus of this book. This was about change, family, forgiveness, and friendship.
  
  Sweet Pea needed to adjust to her parents living apart, to them no longer being a trio, and to her parents having separate lives. I thought her reaction to it all was very authentic, and my heart ached for her as she worked through her emotions.
  
  Friendships are bound to change as we grow older, and that was something Sweet Pea had already experienced following the loss of her ex-bestie, Kiera. An incident brought the two back into amicable contact, and this forced Sweet Pea to learn to balance her old and renewed friendships. She had to look at the needs of others and recognize how her actions hurt them. Sweet Pea learned a LOT about having a friend and being a friend, and I was very proud of how much she grew from the experience.
  
  Once again, Murphy created a beautiful story filled with fantastic characters, which delighted me. The blend of humor, drama, and heartfelt sentiment was perfect and landed Sweet Pea solidly in my heart.
  
  *ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
  
  
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• 
  Alaina

  Dear Sweet Pea sort of lies in between Dumplin' and Puddin' for me rating wise. I'm not going to lie, I was really hesitant to dive into this novella because of how I rated the first two books in this series. Now this doesn't mean I completely hated them or this one, but I am trying to find something redeemable or likable in each book. It's a bit of a struggle but I'm hoping that one day it will happen. So maybe Pumpkin can redeem this whole series for me? Who knows!
  
  So in this book, you will meet Patricia (a.k.a. Sweet Pea). She is going through a lot of change for being a 7th grader. One, her parents are getting a divorced. Two, her dad came out to her. Three, she is dealing with some her demons from the past (sort of).
  
  Coming from a household of divorced parents, I didn't see the big deal. I was actually applauding her dad and mom for telling her the truth. The only thing that weirded me out was the whole mirror housing thing. Also living on the same street. Yeah, those two things kind of freaked me out. Mostly because my parents got divorce when I was in 4th grade and they moved into houses that were about 5ish minutes apart. They live in the same city but different districts. So, for me, that seemed normal. I also have friends who have divorced parents and they live in different states. Which seems normal to me as well.
  
  The whole two houses on the same street - not normal to me.
  
  Besides that, she is still dealing with the fact that her ex-best friend ditched her forever ago for skinnier and prettier girls. The whole drama around that situation seemed a bit pointless to me but then again all middle school drama does. People change and grow all the time.
  
  Other than that, it did have some cute moments and dove into interesting topics for being a middle grade book.
  
  
• 
  Darla

  There are a lot of moving parts in this book and I am not sure if it all comes together as a middle grade novel. Sweet Pea is an engaging character, but she often acts younger than a 7th grade girl. She is struggling with the loss of her best friend, Keira. The DEAR MISS FLORA MAE writer asks Sweet Pea to help shuffle her advice column mail. Her friend Oscar starts growing away from her. On top of that her parents have decided to divorce since her dad is gay. The relationship she has with her parents is one of my favorite parts (and her cat, Cheese), but all of the parent drama seems to take away pages that could have given more attention to the body image issue. "Everything I Know About You" by Barbara Dee is more focused and has fewer distractions from that message.
  
  Thank you to Baltzer + Bray for both a paperback ARC and a digital ARC on Edelweiss.
• 
  Elizabeth☮

  Sweet Pea is a great character. Her parents are recently divorced but live on the same street with one neighbor between them (the eccentric Miss Flora Mae). Flora Mae has an advice column in the local paper. While Flora is away visiting a family member, she asks Sweet Pea to take care of her plants and send her the letters of those seeking advice. Flora Mae is dealing with dividing her time between two homes, trying to figure out why her ex-best friend is her ex-best friend and she really wants to know what her father is hiding from her.
  
  This unfolds nicely and is filled with likable side characters like Sweet Pea's Best Best friend Oscar and Miss Flora Mae herself. I liked that the art of letter writing is what helps guide Sweet Pea to enlightenment. A sweet look at the end of junior high and the shedding of assumptions about those around us.
• 
  Casey, with a book

  SO much to love about this.
• 
  CorniHolmes

  Von Julie Murphy hatte ich bereits ihre zwei Jugendromane „Dumplin‘“ und „Ramona Blue“ gelesen und da mir beide Werke total gut gefallen haben, war ich sofort Feuer und Flamme als ich das erste Mal von ihrem neuen Buch „Liebe Olivia, wie buchstabiert man Freundschaft?“ hörte. Cover und Klappentext sprachen mich einfach direkt an. Für mich stand daher sehr schnell fest: Das Kinderbuchdebüt von Julie Murphy muss ich unbedingt bei mir einziehen lassen.
  
  Das Leben der 13-jährigen Olivia DiMarco ist zurzeit alles andere als leicht. Ihre Eltern haben sich gerade scheiden lassen und sind auf die geniale Idee gekommen in zwei fast identischen Häusern in derselben Straße zu wohnen; in der Schule sitzt ihre Ex-Freundin Kira direkt vor ihr und erinnert sie täglich daran, dass ihre einstige Freundschaft vorbei ist und dann soll sie auch noch die Post für ihre Nachbarin und stadtbekannten Ratgeberkolumnistin Miss Flora verwalten, solange diese verreist ist. Als sie sich dann auch noch auf einer Geburtstagsparty bis auf die Knochen blamiert (Trampolin springen, nachdem man jede Menge Pizza und Torte gegessen hat ist definitiv nicht die klügste Entscheidung), ist sich Olivia sehr sicher, dass es schlimmer nun nicht mehr kommen kann. Was für ein Glück, dass sie Oscar hat, ihren weltbesten (und einzigen) Freund, auf den sie immer zählen und sich verlassen kann. Auch ihr dicker und eigenwilliger Kater Cheese ist ein wahrer Trostspender in schwierigen Zeiten.
  Ihr Leben soll allerdings tatsächlich noch komplizierter und chaotischer werden, als sie unter den Briefen an Miss Flora einen Umschlag mit Kiras Handschrift entdeckt. Den Entschluss, den sie daraufhin trifft, wird eine Kette von Ereignissen auslösen und vieles für immer verändern.
  
  „Liebe Olivia, wie buchstabiert man Freundschaft?“ war mal wieder so ein Buch, bei welchem ich schon nach wenigen Seiten wusste, dass ich einen echten Glückstreffer gelandet habe und eine tolle Zeit zwischen den Buchdeckeln verbringen werde. Und wisst ihr was? Meine anfängliche Vermutung hat sich vollkommen bestätigt!
  Mir hat Julie Murphy mit ihrem ersten Kinderroman ein wunderschönes Leseerlebnis bescheren können. In meinen Augen hat die US-amerikanischen Autorin mit „Liebe Olivia, wie buchstabiert man Freundschaft?“ eine rundum gelungene Coming-of-Age-Story geschrieben, die die perfekte Mischung aus Herz, Witz und Tiefe enthält, viele wichtige und auch ernste Themen behandelt und einfach nur glücklich macht. Ich habe mich von Beginn an pudelwohl in der Geschichte gefühlt und sie für meinen Geschmack viel zu schnell beendet.
  
  Erzählt wird alles aus der Sicht der 13-jährigen Olivia in der Ich-Perspektive. Olivia habe ich sofort in mein Herz geschlossen. Sie ist witzig, selbstbewusst und unheimlich sympathisch, sie mag ihren Körper, obwohl dieser ziemlich füllig ist (was ich einfach nur großartig fand!), sie ist authentisch und einfach so herrlich unperfekt. Mit Olivia hat die Autorin eine ganz besondere und bezaubernde Romanheldin erschaffen, die man als Leser*in sofort liebhaben muss und in die man sich dank der realistischen Darstellungsweise ihrer Empfindungen und Gedanken mühelos hineinversetzen kann. Mir jedenfalls, als Erwachsene, ist Letzteres prima geglückt.
  Ich habe beim Lesen stellenweise richtig mit Olivia mitgefühlt und mitgelitten. So habe ich es beispielsweise nur zu gut verstehen können, dass ihre neue Lebenssituation alles andere als leicht für sie ist. Und dass sie ziemlich darunter leidet, dass sich ihre ehemalige Freundin Kira so verändert und von ihr abgewendet hat, habe ich ebenfalls absolut nachvollziehen können.
  
  Neben Olivia hat mich Julie Murphy auch mit den weiteren Figuren überzeugen können. Ihre Eltern mochte ich auf Anhieb, vor allem Olivias Vater habe ich richtig liebgewonnen.
  Auch Oscar hat sich sofort in mein Herz geschlichen. Er ist ein so lieber Kerl und toller bester Freund. Die innige Freundschaft zwischen ihm und Olivia wird einfach wundervoll beschrieben, mir haben so einige gemeinsame Momente der beiden ein breites Lächeln ins Gesicht gezaubert.
  Auch die kauzige Miss Flora fand ich klasse. Sie ist zwar schon irgendwie recht schrullig drauf, hat das Herz aber definitiv am rechten Fleck. Zudem ist sie äußerst weise und schlau.
  Kira, Olivias Ex-Freundin, habe ich zunächst nicht leiden können, was aber auch seine Richtigkeit hat. Kira ist eine längere Zeit äußert unfreundlich und gemein zu unserer Ich-Erzählerin – als eine Sympathieträgerin kann man sie anfangs wahrlich nicht bezeichnen. Aber, so viel sei schon mal gesagt, dies wird sich noch ändern.
  
  Auf eine feinfühlige und leichte Weise behandelt Julie Murphy in ihrem ersten Kinderbuch viele für die Zielgruppe relevante und teils schwierige Themen wie Freundschaft, Familie, Scheidung, Streit mit dem besten Freund oder der besten Freundin, Selbstliebe, das Erwachsenwerden und Diversität. Die Erzählung regt zum Nachdenken an und vermittelt wichtige und starke Messages, zugleich berührt sie einen aber auch und macht total gute Laune. Mir ist beim Lesen öfters richtig warm ums Herz geworden und da der Humor absolut meiner war – Olivias Art und Weise wie sie uns die Geschichte erzählt, ist einfach entzückend und höchst amüsant – bin ich des öfteren sehr ins Schmunzeln geraten.
  Ausgesprochen gut gefallen hat mir auch die Idee mit Miss Floras Radgeberkolumne „Miss Flora weiß Rat“. Da ich aber nicht zu viel von der Handlung verraten möchte, werde ich euch über diesen Teil der Geschichte nichts weiter mehr erzählen. Spannung muss schließlich sein.
  
  Mit dem Setting konnte mich das Buch ebenfalls vollauf begeistern. Ich liebe Bücher, die in den Südstaaten der USA spielen; mich hat es daher sehr gefreut, dass uns Julie Murphy in eine Kleinstadt ins sommerheiße Texas mitnimmt.
  
  Neben der Story konnte auch die Gestaltung bei mir punkten. Die Kapitelanfänge werden von hübschen kleinen schwarz-weiß Vignetten von Constanze Guhr geziert und beim Cover war es bei mir Liebe auf den ersten Blick. Ich finde es zuckersüß.
  
  Enden tut das Buch ziemlich abgeschlossen, sodass ich davon ausgehe, dass es sich bei „Liebe Olivia, wie buchstabiert man Freundschaft?“ um einen Einzelband handelt. Mir hat das Ende sehr gut gefallen, es ist völlig zufriedenstellend und herzerwärmend schön.
  
  Fazit: Warmherzig, lustig und klug. Ein zauberhaftes Buch!
  Dies war mein drittes Werk aus der Feder von Julie Murphy und auch mit diesem habe ich wunderbare Lesestunden verbracht. „Liebe Olivia, wie buchstabiert man Freundschaft?“ besitzt einfach alles, was ein gutes Kinderbuch für mich ausmacht: Eine starke Buchheldin, liebenswerte und authentisch ausgearbeitete Charaktere und eine mitreißende Geschichte, die voller Herz, Witz und wichtiger Botschaften steckt. Ich kann „Liebe Olivia, wie buchstabiert man Freundschaft?“ nur empfehlen und vergebe 5 von 5 Sternen!
• 
  steph

  This is sweet. A very solid middle school book about a girl going through a divorce with two civil parents who are still friends while trying to manage her own changing friendships on the cusp of 8th grade. There is little romance in here other than small crushes which was kinda nice and refreshing. I would recommend.
• 
  Abby Johnson

  SO GOOD, you all.
  
  I had high hopes for Julie Murphy's first middle grade novel because I am a huge fan of Dumplin' and Puddin'. Friends, it was everything I hoped it would be.
  
  Sweet Pea is a small town Texas girl with a lot on her plate right now. Her parents have just gotten divorced because her dad realized that he's gay. Things are heating up in the war against her former best friend who ditched her for some older, cooler, thinner? girls. And her neighbor, Miss Flora Mae the eccentric author of the town newspaper's advice column has left town, charging Sweet Pea with gathering her mail and sending it to her so she can continue to write the column - all top secret, of course.
  
  Things start to really go awry when Sweet Pea decides to crash Kiera's birthday party and completely humiliates herself by throwing up all over Trampoline World. That's why, when she sees that Kiera has written Miss Flora Mae for advice about her parents fighting, she takes it upon herself to write a mean-spirited response and slip it into Flora Mae's responses for the paper.
  
  And it all goes downhill from there.
  
  I loved that this is a book about a fat kid that felt very real to me - it's written by a fat lady and includes incidents like dress shopping when the stores don't carry your sizes and how you feel whena friend talks about getting fat like it's the worst thing that could ever happen to you. But the book is firmly centered on the story. It's not an issue book about being the fat kid or even about self-acceptance (although readers will get plenty of those elements). It's a story about growing up and navigating friendships and navigating changes in your family.
  
  I loved Sweet Pea so much - she's not afraid to be herself, but she's not fearless either. She felt extremely real to me. I would read a thousand books about her.
  
  Hand this to fans of Like Vanessa by Tami Charles, another realistic story of a fat girl being herself and dealing with friends and family. Or Shug by Jenny Han, a story of a small town Southern girl growing up and navigating changes to her friendships. Or even All Four Stars by Tara Dairman, a story of a girl posing as an adult restaurant reviewer and writing for the newspaper.
• 
  Madeline O'Rourke

  Dear Sweat Pea is a wonderful middle grade novel. Though it never drops the actual word, it revolves largely around empathy; Sweet Pea's empathy, the empathy afforded toward her, and the kinds of empathy she is learning.
  
  Sweet Pea's experiences and her responses to events feel very true for her age. Navigating her parent's amicable divorce, her father's sexuality, and the difficulties of friendships, Sweet Pea is a charming main character. And I loved the slight, ever so slight, reference to the characters of Puddin'.
• 
  Lydia Hephzibah

  3.5 rounded up because fat protagonist!! I so needed this book when I was Sweet Pea's age and I'm so glad kids have it now!
• 
  QNPoohBear

  3.5+ stars with extra points for Sweet Pea.
  
  Sweet Pea DiMarco is a thirteen-year-old girl with a double chin and a cat named Cheese. Her world has been upended by her parents recent divorce, or as her therapist mom calls it "mindful division." Sweet Pea's dad, who has recently come out as gay, moved out and into a nearly identical house two doors down. Mom has the original house and Dad has the duplicate - complete with all the same furnishings. Sweet Pea divides her week between her two parents and splits Thursdays so neither parent is dominant. She pretends not to mind this so much but it's a hard adjustment when things are almost the same but not quite. As 7th-grade comes to a close and the class prepares for graduation, Sweet Pea's old best friend Keira, freezes her out while her new bff Oscar is willing to watch endless episodes of America's Most Haunted on Netflix (LOL hi Sweet Pea from my work, one of the places featured on the show!) until secrets and growing up threaten to tear apart all of Sweet Pea's friendships. Growing up is hard! Sweet Pea needs some advice and writes frequently to Miss Flora Mae, author of the popular "Miss Flora, May I?" column in the paper. Unfortunately Miss Flora hasn't written back. When Miss Flora Mae, who lives next door, has to go away suddenly, she leaves Sweet Pea in charge of her plants and her mail! Sweet Pea collects the letters for the column and forwards them to Miss Flora Mae and back again. One day Sweet Pea happens to get a look at a letter and recognizes the handwriting. She can't resist writing back and that decision will change her life.
  
  This is a really cute story for middle schoolers. It's firmly in the children's camp and not for adults unless adults are reading it with their child and can resist rolling their eyes at the slightly heavy-handed message. If you liked the Netflix adaptation of
  Dumplin', you'll probably enjoy this almost as much. This one is set in the same world as that one and
  Puddin' but in a different town. Julie Murphy really knows how to paint the small town feeling. Everyone knows everyone else's business and everyone will talk about it. She also does middle school very well. I felt Sweet Pea's pain and empathize what she was going through. The story got off to a bit of a slow start but once Sweet Pea found the letter, I was hooked and had a hard time putting the book down. I appreciate how Julie Murphy shows the teen years as messy and confusing for both girls and boys especially for young teens transitioning from childhood and those who wish to remain behind in childhood. The story wasn't super uncomfortable because Murphy dials back on the kid cruelty. The kids I know would never ever let Sweet Pea live down what happened on the trampolines.
  
  Murphy's characters are so real. I just adore Sweet Pea. She's so cute! I give the book extra points for her. I can relate to Sweet Pea still wanting to be a child at 13, dealing with body changes and having a tough time with old friends who are into lip gloss, boys, etc. I love how she comes to an understanding of herself through soul music. It's so hard to be a teen and Sweet Pea has it extra rough because her parents are divorced in a small town. The reason for the divorce is kind of confusing for a young teen and also very upsetting. I questioned how accepting of LGBTQ+ people the teen characters in Murphy's two previous books are and this book also features gay characters but the adults are less accepting than the teens. Sweet Pea loves her father very much and even if she doesn't understand or like his decision to split from her mom, she defends him and wants him to be happy. Her bff, Oscar, may be gay. She isn't sure and doesn't feel comfortable asking. He may be questioning or a late bloomer, who knows. I wasn't crazy about him. As adorable as Sweet Pea is, Oscar is kind of annoying and selfish, especially when other kids are around. Oscar is an outcast and likes having Sweet Pea to be an outcast with. Yet, his reasoning is that he's a true blue friend and protective of her and of his own feelings. It's messy and complicated like real life friendships. Sweet Pea's other bff is her cat, Cheese. Cheese is really cute for a cat. He doesn't like splitting houses any more than Sweet Pea does but apparently he gets a choice.
  
  Sweet Pea's former bff Keira acts like a typical "mean girl." Her new friends are certainly mean girls. Why are they hanging around with a younger kid? They're not a good influence. Yet, Keira has stuff going on in her life that makes her act out. Their storyline is a little cheesy but I managed to have empathy for Keira even if I'm a Sweet Pea and ALL the other girls were Keiras. I really like when they really talk to each other about what's been going on. That part was nice, the rest was kind of cringe-worthy. There are two other boys willing to talk to Sweet Pea. She has a little crush on Greg, a new boy at school. He seems nice for a teenage boy and I kept waiting for some drama from that storyline. Greg is bffs with Cooper. Cooper is not too bright and kind of annoying for monopolizing Greg.
  
  The adult characters are well done too. Sweet Pea's mom is a therapist and apparently a feminist crusader. As an adult, I enjoyed her scene at the store but I would have been MORTIFIED as a teen. Ms. DiMarco is also going through a tough time. She's supposed to help other people solve their problems but she can't even solve her own. She's oblivious to her own family drama partly because none of them talk to each other. "Mom" wants to get back out there and date again. This much is obvious to an adult reader but again, it's strange and upsetting for a teen. (Mom's choice is excellent, by the way). I admire her for dealing with the situation so well. Mom is also all about normalizing the human body. This is not normal for a teen! It's super embarrassing when your mom doesn't see gross bodily functions as the end of the world. MOM! The adult me likes her body-positive stance but the teen me is mad she doesn't remember how it feels to be a teen girl. Dad is a nice guy who just wants to be free to be himself. He seems easy going and isn't all that bothered by the homophobic remarks people make. "Dad" corrects people when they use "gay" as a synonym for bad but he never gets angry or reacts. He's willing to keep an open mind and understand where others may be coming from.
  
  Mrs. Young, Sweet Pea's 7th-grade teacher, is awesome. She's the kind of fun, caring teacher every kid loves. I especially adore Miss Flora Mae. She's eccentric and doesn't care. Miss Flora Mae is privy to everyone's secrets but knows how to keep a secret herself. She's wise but she doesn't have all the answers. Most of her advice is common sense and I appreciate that. I wish she was in the book more.
  
  If you were or are a girl who could just barely fit into Junior's sizes in 7th-grade, a girl who experienced mean girl drama or someone who didn't fit in and wondered about their place in the world, this book is for you. I hope to pass this one on to younger niece when she's a bit older.
• 
  Melissa

  I had read
  Dumplin' a while ago and really enjoyed
  Julie Murphy's writing style. I saw
  Dear Sweet Pea in some social media posts and decided to give it a try. Even though it's closer to my daughter's age-level, I really enjoyed it and could even relate to Sweet Pea in some ways. It was a quick read and moved at a nice pace. I felt bad about what Sweet Pea was going through with her parents' divorce and feeling like an outcast at school. I love how she starts answering letters for her neighbor and I thought she gave some good advice.
  
  This novel covers topics including body shaming, bullying/cancel culture, homosexuality, and divorce. It's a good story to read with preteens (or read it separately so you can discuss it with them).
  
  
• 
  Christine Indorf

  A 4.5 book!!
  
  I have never tried Julie Murphy before and I felt this book was so amazing. The story of Sweet Pea. Her parents are getting a divorce, her Dad is gay, she lost her best friend and is also losing her new best friend. When her advice columnist neighbor goes away she pays Sweet Pea to get her mail, but in the process she starts to write advice to some of the writers, and some are her friends!! She's doing everything wrong, but can she make it right??
  
  I really fell in love with Sweet Pea. She is plus size, which I was as a child. You see normal struggles that one goes through as a plus size person. Her lost of her parents to divorce is so true to form. She is push back throughout the week to make her life "normal", but can you be normal going through divorce? Such a great read for young and the young at heart. Highly recommend!!
• 
  Lindsey Lynn (thepagemistress)

  I love Julie Murphy and just think her writing works for me. She is great at showing insecurities but also showing you that they can be overcome and sometimes seen as normal. This is about a vulnerable time in young adolescent life, friendship and growing apart. Really well done
• 
  ~☆~Autumn♥♥☔

  Five stars as I enjoyed it so much. What a nice surprise after the last 3 awful books. Very pleasant and entertaining.
• 
  mars

  *3.5
  
  cute story with a lot of good elements, but I really did not like the main character or her actions!!