Fat Forward Books | Pillow Talk

Pillow Talk

Stephanie Cooke

Mel Valentine Vargas

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Grace Mendes a.k.a. Cinderhella is a fierce competitor in the PFF, a pillow fight federation that’s part roller derby, part professional wrestling. But in this fresh, coming-of-age YA graphic novel, Grace needs to learn to overcome her biggest enemy: herself. For fans of Check, Please and Bloom.

When college freshman Grace Mendes reluctantly attends her first pillow fight match, she falls in love with the surprisingly gritty sport. Despite her usually shy, introverted, and reserved nature, Grace decides to try out for the Pillow Fight Federation (PFF), a locally famous league of fighters with larger-than-life personas like Pain Eyre, Miss Fortune, and champion Kat Atonic. They may battle with pillows, but there is nothing soft about these fighters. The first and only rule to pillow fighting is that the pillow needs to be the first point of contact; after that, everything else goes.

Grace struggles with deep-seated body image issues, so she is especially shocked when she makes the competitive league and is welcomed into the fold of close knit, confident fighters. As her first official fight performing as newly crafted alter-ego/ring persona Cinderhella looms on the horizon, the real battle taking place is between Grace and her growing insecurities.

What if people laugh or make fun of her? Why did she think she could pillow fight in the first place when she doesn’t look like your “typical” athlete?

Turns out, no one is laughing when Cinderhella dominates her first match in the ring. And as her alter-ego rises through the ranks of the PFF, gaining traction and online fame (and online trolls), can Grace use the spotlight to become an icon for not just others, but most importantly, for herself?

Pillow Talk is an inclusive, high-octane, outrageously fun graphic novel that aims a punch at the impossibly high standards set for women in sports (and otherwise) and champions the power of finding a team that will, quite literally, fight for you. A knock-out!

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Fat Forward Books\ \ Samantha Puc\ \ • Dec 30 2024

Favorite Books of 2024

I read so many books in 2024—more than I have in years and more than I have chronicled on my online reading trackers. 👀 Of all the titles I picked up this year, here are the ones that have stuck with me the hardest. 📚🖤✨

Have you read any of these books? What would you recommend based on my picks? What were your favorite reads of the year? Tell me in the comments!

(Authors and artists who aren’t tagged: Apparently you can only add 20 tags to a post but I hope y’all see this! Thank you for creating such great books!)

#ReadIn2024 #2024InReview

[Image ID: A 6x5 grid of book covers against a pink, orange, and yellow gradient background with black botanical sketches in the upper right and lower left corners. Bubbly black text above the grid says, “Favorite Reads of 2024.” Books are: Housemates, The Priory of the Orange Tree, Land of Milk and Honey, The Pairing, Behind You Is the Sea, All-Night Pharmacy, The Z Word, The Familiar, Piglet, Motheater, Private Rites, The Gloomy Girl Variety Show, Funeral Diva, The Cycle, Sec with a Brain Injury, None of the Above, Queer Palestine and the Empire or Critique, The Cost of Living, Borealis, Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt, The Chromatic Fantasy, Loving Ohio, The Deep Dark, Sunflowers, Soft (Director’s Cut), Brittle Joints, Punk Rock Karaoke, Youth Group, Pillow Talk, and Mary Tyler MooreHawk.]

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📚 Pillow Talk by Stephanie Cooke, Mel Valentine Vargas, and Sam Pointon 📚 Roaming by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki 📚 Sharp Wit and the Company of Women edited by Michele Abounader, Brent Fisher, Fell Hound, and Justin Richards 📚 Cosmoknights by Hannah Templer 📚 The Greatest Thing by Sarah Winifred Searle 📚 Stargazing by Jen Wang 📚 Phoebe’s Diary by Phoebe Wahl 📚 Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol

Stay tuned for more fat book recs in other genres and age groups, and check our stories for a refresh of what we recommended last year! ✨ You can shop everything via @bookshop_org at the link in our Story and bio.

Compiled by Samantha Puc (@theverbalthing)

#FatReads #FatBookRecs #QueerAndFat #FatAndTrans

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