A Heather Wells Mystery (Heather Wells Mysteries)

Meg Cabot is the author of the extremely successful Princess Diaries series and several popular chick lit titles for the more mature reader. In her latest book, Size 12 Is Not Fat, she has moved into the cozy mystery genre. Her writing sparkles with the same humor and wit found in her previous novels.

Heather Wells was once a teen pop star, adored by her fans, and made into a household name. She had it all, a great career, a fantastic boyfriend and plenty of money in the bank. That is until she told the record label that she wanted to record her own songs, and not the pablum for the masses that they wanted from her. She lost her job, her mother ran off to Argentina with her money, and she caught her boyfriend in a compromising position with Tania Trace, one of Heather's main rivals for pop queen.

So Heather moves on with her life. She gets a job as an assistant director in one of the residence halls of New York College and plans on getting her degree, in something, maybe medicine, when she passes her probationary period.

Everything is working out fine until not just one, but ultimately two, of the female students are discovered dead at the bottom of the elevator shafts. The police and college authorities are ready to write off the deaths as youthful mischief. Heather knows better, she knows teenage girls don't elevator surf, no matter what the clever killer is trying to make it look like. Heather decides that if the police don't care about her information she's just going to have to solve this case on her own. And so a spunky girl detective is born.

After eliminating all the other possibilities in various hilarious and sometimes dangerous ways. Heather figures out who the killer must be, but does the killer know that she knows?

Heather is a bit weight obsessed, she constantly reminds herself and anyone who will listen that Size 12 Is Not Fat, and in fact it's the average size for the American woman. If she spent a little less time sounding like she was trying to convince herself and a little more time being happy in her own skin she'd be a better role model. This book has plenty of laugh out loud moments, and just enough of a romantic hook to draw in both mystery fans and chick lit readers. It is the first in a planned series with future titles slated for publication in 2007 and beyond.

Heather Wells, former teen pop star, has to start her life over. At 28 her career is non-existent, her money is gone, her finance is now and ex, her waist line has expanded and she has no skills other than those that made her a teen pop star. Determined to start over Heather takes a job as assistant resident director for New York College's Fischer Hall. Though the pay is lousy Heather finds this to be the ideal position for her. It is walking distance from her rent free (almost) apartment, and once her benefits kick in she can go back to school for free. Now all she needs is for the man of her dreams, Cooper aka the brother of her ex-finance, to notice her, the world to realize that a size 12 is not fat, and to figure out who is killing girls in her residence hall by throwing them down the elevator shaft.

Size 12 Is Not Fat is not your average detective novel and Heather Wells is not your average detective. She is a size 12 and not exactly proud of it but she is not ashamed of it either. She is witty, brave, and determined to make something of a life that most would think is falling apart at the seems. Though the mystery surrounding the deaths in the residence hall drives the books it is Heather's life and the lives that affect hers that keep you reading this book. You want Heather to get the guy and have her cake too literally. And in the meantime you want to know who is killing these girls because as Heather says girls do not elevator surf.

I can't wait to read the rest of this series and see Heather solve another mystery while trying to make her crazy life work. It will definitely be an adventure.

Reviewed by Desiree
For BBW Reviews

My main complaint with reading Size 12 Is Not Fat is that I have to wait until January 2007 to read the next book in the series!

Yes, I admit that one of the reasons I relate to Heather Wells, the heroine of "Size 12," is that I am all too familiar with what it is like to struggle with my weight and watching the sizes in my closet go up and down (usually up). But as Cooper, Heather's gorgeous landlord says, I admire Heather most because she "just keeps going."

Heather Wells was a teen singing sensation ... until she decided she wanted to sing songs she wrote rather than the canned pop music written for her. That was when her record company dumped her, her mother ran off with her money & her manager, and she found her boyfriend--boy band star Jordan Cartwright--in a rather "compromising" situation with Tania Trace, the new up & coming singing sensation. That would be enough to make anyone give up, don't you think?

But Heather doesn't give up. She decides to start a new life and becomes assistant dorm director at New York College so that, after her six month staff probation period, she can take classes free. But when girls start dying, supposedly while "elevator surfing" in her dorm, and Heather is the only one who believes these weren't accidental deaths, she soon finds herself in situations she hadn't planned on for her new life path.

There is part of me that wants to dislike Meg Cabot, just because she is such a prolific and best selling author. However, with such entertaining stories and endearing characters, I am instead becoming a die-hard fan. Keep up the good work Meg! And write faster!

This is a typical Meg Cabot book: light, hilarious, fluffy, and doesn't require much thinking. She tried to tie in a bit of mystery with the sudden death and crime, but it didn't work out that way. Meg Cabot's style of writing is too basic, fun, and silly to work with a mysterious theme. It was much more of a chick-lit than it was mystery. If you are looking for something intense and fast paced, this book is NOT the one for you.

I used to be a huge Meg Cabot fan- hence the countless Cabot reviews- and this was one of the later books I read. So I was pretty done with the repetitive plot that she has in every single one of her books. Angsty teen girl has problems with weight, popularity, etc. Her friends support her, she becomes popular, she gets the guy and all her problems are solved. The end. I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did her others, mainly because the characters were so dumb. Most chick-lit main characters are empty shells, but Heather really was a stupid girl. She almost annoyed me as much as Bella did. ALMOST.

This would be a good book for younger teens (although it is classified as an adult book...) who liked Meg Cabot's other books (esp. Princess Diaries) and series like The Clique by Lisa Harrison.

I read the second in the Heather Wells series first by mistake. So now I finally got around to the first one, Size 12 is Not Fat. Thankfully it had been a while since I read the other one, so I didn't remember the exact recap presented. Heather Wells is an ex-teenage pop star, who has just broken up with her major boy band boyfriend; her mother has run off with her manager and Heather's life savings, and now she's living with her ex-boyfriend's brother (whom she happens to be in love with) and working as the assistant director of a university residence hall (it is NOT to be referred to as a dorm--too impersonal). Heather, aside from Jordan popping up *everywhere*, is suddenly smack in the middle of a tragedy at the residence hall--a girl has fallen to the bottom of an elevator shaft to her death. Everyone assumes the girl was idiotically elevator surfing, but Heather knows better. Girls do not elevator surf. Then another girl winds up dead in the same manner. Now Heather's convinced that this is no accident...but she's the only one who thinks so. So Heather Wells suddenly morphs from recovering pop star to amateur detective and everyone thinks she's crazy for it.

Supposedly this is an adult book, and while it's not quite the YA fare, it seems to be not quite adult, either. It was cute, though; and an enjoyable quick read. I like Cabot's stories and they are usually entertaining--this is no exception. Heather is an amusing and memorable character.

An interesting story, Heather Wells was a former teen pop star idol. Her boyfriend cheated on her, her record label dropped her, and her mother ran of with her money. So now she works at a NY college residence hall (dorm). Except she's not dealing with drunk kids and angry roommates. Instead, girls begin dying via the elevator shafts in the building. Suicides, they say. But Heather doesn't believe that - she says they're being murdered. It's actually an interesting read. While I wasn't so caught up in it that I couldn't sleep unless I knew what would happen next, it did keep my attention. The ending wasn't sudden, and I felt like I could really connect with the characters. Good read.

This new series features Heather Wells, a former pop star and a slightly neurotic single woman obsessed with her weight and her ex-boyfriend. She works as a resident advisor in a dormitory in what appears to be NYU, takes classes in hopes of becoming a doctor, and falls into lots of trouble on a regular basis. This mystery features the deaths of two shy retiring students, both of whom supposedly fell to their death while "elevator surfing" in the high-rise dorm. Heather's own investigations into the matter bring her into contact with the college president, his alcoholic wife, and a host of other characters including an exceedingly well-drawn Dominican cook who works in the dormitory cafeteria. In the course of the investigation, she also of course sorts out her love life and, well, occasionally eats. The mystery part of the book kept me guessing until the last minute, while her descriptions of the antics of the students kept me laughing. This is a not very serious read which you would undoubtedly find amusing.

After having read Boy Meets Girl and The Boy Next Door, which I loved, and then Every Boy's Got One, which I didn't really enjoy, I wasn't too sure what to expect from Meg Cabot's next book: Size 12 Is Not Fat. For one, it was a mystery, a genre I often don't enjoy, and for what seemed like the first time, the entire novel was not to be written entirely in emails or text messages - something I loved in her first two books and something that couldn't help me enjoy the third.

Thankfully and somewhat suprisingly, I found myself enjoying this book. It's not deep, but it is cute. It's quick and light, and both the romantic element between Heather and Cooper and the overall mystery of "who killed these girls" made me want to continue to the end. I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the next installments of the series, and hope to enjoy them as much.

Also, I feel it is worth mentioning that when I didn't like Every Boy's Got One, I blamed it in part on Cabot trying to write a novel too closely based on her own life (her European love story). But, I forgive Cabot for writing about working in a residence hall (something she did) because this time around there was more fiction than reality and I think that's a better balance to aim for.

Overall, if you're a fan of Cabot, definitely check this book out and form your own opinion! If you've never read one of her books, it is more chick-lit than mystery, but I think it finds a good mix between the two and that it is a quick, enjoyable read.

Since the synposis of the novel has been written and re-written a couple of times, I thought I'd cut straight to the point- my review.

I am an avid reader of all of Meg Cabot's [[...] adult fiction and this first mystery novel fits right in. At first, I was worried that I wouldn't like this novel as much as the others because it is not told in the style of previous books, with all of the plot and interactions revealed to the reader through emails, text messages, voicemails, letters, notes, etc., that I had come to define as Cabot's personal style. But then I realized that the first Heather Wells' mystery installment could not be told that way and it turns out that I still enjoyed it very much.

This novel is instead written in first person and manages to retain Cabot's unique storytelling voice by starting each chapter with lyrics from Wells' tween fame days. Not only does Size 12 retain Cabot's unique storytelling, it also retains that chick lit vibe of being a quick and entertaining read, it has romance, a strong heroine figure with a supporting cast of relatable, quirky and likable characters. The plot is interesting, and has appropriate mystery twists and I personally loved the climax!

My only regret about the book is that I wished I knew more about Wells' mother, father, and how those experiences affected her. Although, those characters and events are touched upon in the novel and explained it was not done to my satisfaction. To have such tramuatic events happen to anyone [for example: her mom stealing all of her money and running away]is painful and hard to deal with and I wish I could have known more instead of just the surface facts.

Overall, a very enjoyable-up-to-Cabot's-par experience. I look forward to the next couple installments.

After having read Boy Meets Girl and The Boy Next Door, which I loved, and then Every Boy's Got One, which I didn't really enjoy, I wasn't too sure what to expect from Meg Cabot's next book: Size 12 Is Not Fat. For one, it was a mystery, a genre I often don't enjoy, and for what seemed like the first time, the entire novel was not to be written entirely in emails or text messages - something I loved in her first two books and something that couldn't help me enjoy the third.

Thankfully and somewhat suprisingly, I found myself enjoying this book. It's not deep, but it is cute. It's quick and light, and both the romantic element between Heather and Cooper and the overall mystery of "who killed these girls" made me want to continue to the end. I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the next installments of the series, and hope to enjoy them as much.

Also, I feel it is worth mentioning that when I didn't like Every Boy's Got One, I blamed it in part on Cabot trying to write a novel too closely based on her own life (her European love story). But, I forgive Cabot for writing about working in a residence hall (something she did) because this time around there was more fiction than reality and I think that's a better balance to aim for.

Overall, if you're a fan of Cabot, definitely check this book out and form your own opinion! If you've never read one of her books, it is more chick-lit than mystery, but I think it finds a good mix between the two and that it is a quick, enjoyable read.

Since the synposis of the novel has been written and re-written a couple of times, I thought I'd cut straight to the point- my review.

I am an avid reader of all of Meg Cabot's [[...] adult fiction and this first mystery novel fits right in. At first, I was worried that I wouldn't like this novel as much as the others because it is not told in the style of previous books, with all of the plot and interactions revealed to the reader through emails, text messages, voicemails, letters, notes, etc., that I had come to define as Cabot's personal style. But then I realized that the first Heather Wells' mystery installment could not be told that way and it turns out that I still enjoyed it very much.

This novel is instead written in first person and manages to retain Cabot's unique storytelling voice by starting each chapter with lyrics from Wells' tween fame days. Not only does Size 12 retain Cabot's unique storytelling, it also retains that chick lit vibe of being a quick and entertaining read, it has romance, a strong heroine figure with a supporting cast of relatable, quirky and likable characters. The plot is interesting, and has appropriate mystery twists and I personally loved the climax!

My only regret about the book is that I wished I knew more about Wells' mother, father, and how those experiences affected her. Although, those characters and events are touched upon in the novel and explained it was not done to my satisfaction. To have such tramuatic events happen to anyone [for example: her mom stealing all of her money and running away]is painful and hard to deal with and I wish I could have known more instead of just the surface facts.

Overall, a very enjoyable-up-to-Cabot's-par experience. I look forward to the next couple installments.

In the first book of her new mystery series, Cabot introduces us to former pop star Heather Wells. Her mom ran off with her manager and her money, and her dad's in jail. Heather finds a job as an assistant dorm director at a New York college. Everything seems to be going well...until someone finds a dead body. Heather doesn't think it was an accident, despite what the police say. She starts investigating, ignoring the advice of her landlord and crush (and her ex-boyfriend's brother), P.I. Cooper Cartwright. Laugh out loud at this chick lit mystery as you follow the adventures -- and misadventures -- of Heather Wells.

If you want to read more Heather Wells escapades, check out the next books in the series: Size 14 Is Not Fat Either (Heather Wells Mysteries) (2006) and Big Boned (Heather Wells Mysteries) (2007).

This is about Heather Wells, a 28 year old former teen pop star, who got forced out of her contract by her agent because she 'got too fat' (size 12 is not fat!). Her mom ran off with all her money and then her boyfriend, Jordan, cheated on her. Jordan's older brother Cooper, a private investigator, took her in since she was living with her ex.

Now she's working as a residence hall director, at a nearby New York college, where a girl was found dead at the bottom of the elevator shaft. Accidents happen, right? Or so the cops think. Heather doesn't think it's an accident so she starts her own investigation, with Copper by her side, to find out how it really happened and if the girl was murdered.

This is the best mystery chick lit I've read in a while. I'm dying (pun intended) to read the next in the series called "Phat Chick". Whether you're a fan of mysteries, chick lit, or just a fan of Meg Cabot, I guarantee you'll enjoy this book!

Likes:
The writing is snappy and witty. The dialogue is very age appropriate and never sounds dated or like an older woman trying to sound like a 28 year old.

There are plenty of 'plus size' novels where the main character does nothing but complain about their weight for the entire book. Heather doesn't do this. I liked that Heather acknowledged her size and accepted it instead of whining about being 'fat' and wishing that she was a smaller size.

While reading 'Size 12 Is Not Fat' I wasn't sure who the murderer was. I liked that the murderer wasn't made glaringly obvious until the end of the book and even when I found out who the murderer was, it was someone unexpected.

And also, the 'Vulcan mind control' had me laughing out loud.

Dislikes:
I really don't have anything bad to say about 'Size 12 Is Not Fat'. In fact, the only thing I have to say is that I feel like Magda sort of disappeared. In the beginning of the book, Magda was introduced and she seemed like a very interesting character. Heather also said that Magda had become one of her best friends but I feel like she didn't play a very big role in the story.

Having just completed this first of series story. I feel I have a good sense about Heather Wells. I know I like her and find that she would get on my nerves, like friends do. I enjoyed the story and honestly, I kept looking at two other characters as the killer.

The author does have Heathers inner dialog spinning out of control(almost as much as I do myself) and I hope in future stories, Ms Cabot helps Heather to control herself a bit more.

Overall i enjoyed this book and it did keep me from turning the TV on in the evening,which is always a good thing. Looking forward to "Size 14 is Not Fat Either".

Heather Wells is an ex-pop star who was unceremoniously dropped by her record label, dumped by her boyfriend, and robbed by her mother in a short span of time. She decides to try a new avenue in life and takes a job as a residence hall assistant director with the hopes of starting over, getting a degree, and attracting the attention of her private inverstigator landlord, Cooper. When freshman girls start turning up dead, Heather takes a page from Cooper's book and starts investigating their deaths.

I don't usually read mysteries, but this one was cute and a very fast read. It was nice to have a heroine who isn't picture perfect since, as Heather is quick to point out, the average woman is a size 12. This coupled with the always interesting world of college life and Cabot's flair for comedy made this book a worthwhile read. My only problem was that Heather's character was annoying at times and her discussion ad nauseam of the difference between a residence hall and a dormitory got old quickly. Still, I would be interested to find out what happens with the rest of this series and I'll look out for the next installment.

Meg Cabot writes books with strong female characters who get confused once in a while, yet manage to do the right thing by the end of the day. This pattern continues with the first of a series about former teen star Heather Wells, in Size 12 Is Not Fat. Heather is a confused adult who finds work in college environment so she can go to school for free. While there, she discovers a dead body and becomes an amateur sleuth. Each book in the series uncovers a little more about Heather's personality and aptitude for solving crimes. Hefather also has recurring relationship issues, which develop with successive stories. I also liked the book because I work on a college campus and once was a hall director. It amuses me and brings me back to when I was in my 20's. Luckily, I never found a dead body in the elevator.

This was one of the first female sleuth mysteries I'd ever read, actually it was one of the first mysteries I'd read period and it started a love affair with the genre. While I now lean more towards cozy mysteries, I really loved this book. Heather Wells is such a fun character and her love life can be down right hilarious. If you want several good laughs, some romance, and a good mystery, I highly recommend this book.

Who can resist a humorous murder mystery that involves romance, elevator surfing and pop music?

My fave books are mysteries and I read in both adult and juvenile fiction. I stayed up late finishing SIZE 12 IS NOT FAT and totally loved it. This is a mysteries series that both teen fans of Meg Cabot and adults fans of Janet Evanovich will enjoy.

The heroine Heather Wells is an ex-pop-star who peaked at age 16 and is now struggling to get by in New York by working in a college residence hall. There's romance, lust for food and a little sex, too, which adds to the fun.

I can't wait for the next book in the Heather Wells series, due out Jan 07. (Reviewed by Linda Joy Singleton, author of The Seer psychic series)

Heather Wells is a formally popular rock star, until she caught her ex-fiancé, and c.d. producer's son, Jordon, cheating on her with another rock star. Now Heather works as a dormitory director as she attends classes at NYU. To make things worse, Heather has a crush on her landlord, and ex-fiancé's brother, Cooper. When college girls begin mysteriously dying in elevator shafts, Heather must try to convince the police that they were not elevator surfing. Why? Because college girls don't do that. She must try to solve the mystery behind the deaths, before she is the next victim! Oh, and try to prove to people that size 12 is not fat!

This is an excellent book by Meg Cabot, and I would recommend it to anyone who has read other books by her like, Boy Meets Girl or Every Boy's got one. It also has a mystery to it like her series, 1-800-where-R-you or The Mediator. This book has parts that are hilarious, sad, and romantic. But of course the main part of this story is a mystery!

Having read--conservatively--eight or nine billion mystery novels, I very rarely these days run across one that keeps me (incorrectly) guessing whodunnit all the way up to the reveal. In Size 12, Meg Cabot has not only managed to write a mysterious mystery, she has introduced a narrator/protagonist so beguiling that I would enjoy reading about her even if this were a bad mystery. Which it is anything but.

While this book is not out of place on the "light, funny, enjoyable reads" shelf--you'll laugh a lot--this is only due to Cabot's skillful pen, unspoiled perspective, and unmatched sense of humor. This book deals in serious, interesting stuff, and thus the narrator becomes a real, resiliant, delightful person instead of (as happens too often when less talented authors try to write "light, funny novels") an empty, overcaffeinated spaz. The character development, enhanced by incredibly natural dialogue, is terrific, and all characters, even evil and annoying ones, are engaging. The plot is beyond delectable--who doesn't love reading about teenagers and rockstars? If only every book with a pretty cover could be this good.

Speaking as someone who worked as a campus resident assistant when she was in college, I have to say that the main character, Heather's, musings about working in a "residence hall" not a "dorm" took me straight back to that time and place in my life. I remember the canned speeches all too well and I laughed out loud at several places in this novel when I remembered being in similar situations to that of the protagonist.

The contrast between the mystery fueling this book and the way that Heather was almost completely unprepared to deal with any of the trouble she faced made for some hilarious encounters too. And when you combine that with a great cast of ensemble characters rounding out the book, I really don't think you can go wrong.

There was just the right amount of quirky fun and who-dun-it antics in this novel to really make it work. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of Heather Wells and Company in the future.

Although a little slow in the beginning, 'Size 12 Is Not Fat' picks up and turns out to be not only suspenseful with its mystery and crime-solving but laugh-out-loud funny when it comes to the heroine Heather Wells' quirky attitude and pining love for her roommate and partner-in-crime Cooper Cartwright.

I couldn't put this mystery down once I got trucking with it- Heather proved to be funny and relatable although a former teen pop sensation. The book is a little longer than the usual novels of Meg Cabot's, but it was jam packed with adventure and humor. I was able to envision the dramatic moments- whether it be dangling from a cord in an elevator shaft or dueling sixteen stories above a busy New York City street- and through Heather's quick thinking, I not only felt as if I were experiencing these frightening moments but the humorous ones as well!

Heather Wells life has definitely taken a turn for the worse. Ten years ago, she was a huge teen pop sensation dating another huge teen pop sensation. Now that her label dropped her for wanting to sing her own songs, her boyfriend dropped her for the new teen pop sensation, her mother took her life savings to Argentina, and she's working as an assistant directo in a New York College residence hall (NOT dorm), you could say life has done a complete 180 on her. Now she's living in her ex-boyfriend's (hot) older brother, Cooper's, brownstone, while she tries to make a yearly living on what she used to earn in a week. But when two girls in Heather's residence hall die, Heather realizes exactly how different her life is. Even though the NYPD is disinclined to believe her, Heather knows that those girls' deaths weren't accidents. With some help from Cooper, Heather has to catch the murderer before more lives are lost. This chick-lit-slash-murder-mystery is one of Meg's best books yet. It employs all her usual humor, romance, and character development, with an added bonus of a murder mystery. This is a must-read for all chick-lit, mystery, and Meg Cabot fans.

I really enjoy Meg Cabot's humorous writing. Her characters are lively and likable. The plot pulls you in and keeps you guessing. A lot of the narratives in this book are the rambling thoughts of the main character, Heather Wells. While funny, sometimes the sentences are so run-on that you have to read them over to figure out what the girl is saying. I also read the second book in this series, Size 14 Isn't Fat Either, and it every bit as entertaining as the first, but either Meg Cabot reduced the ramblings or I'm learning to understand Heather's thought processes. Either way, I enjoyed the 2nd book even more. On to the third!

When she gains weight becoming a size 12 and nears thirty, her boyfriend Jordan Cartwright switches to a size 2; her recording studio Cartwright Records (owned by Jordan's dad) assumes her fans at the mall will desert her because she became too "normally" fat dump her. However, the biggest hurt is that her mother and her manager embezzled all the money she earned as a singer to live the good life in Argentina while Heather Wells needs to find work to survive.

Heather obtains a job as an assistant dorm director at Greenwich Village's New York College. The work is relatively easy mostly keeping raging hormones out of the dorm though her coeds are smart, sneaky and sly when it comes to gender warfare. However, everything changes when the corpse of a female student is found at the bottom of the elevator shaft in the residence hall Heather oversees. The NYPD detectives quickly assume it is an accident due to surfing the elevator; Heather's boss Rachel gleefully accepts their ruling. Heather thinks murder occurred. When no one listens to her including the centerfold private investigator Jordan's brother, Carter, she begins to investigate on her own as another student dies leaping across elevators.

Meg Cabot's satirical look at what a person does when their fifteen minutes of fame ends is a humorous satirical amateur sleuth tale that young adults and older readers will appreciate. Obviously Heather is the focus of the amusing story line as she tries to solve what she assumes is homicide and everyone else concludes is a youthful accidental foolish tragedy. Size 12 is the right size for a fine Manhattan murder mystery.

Harriet Klausner

Heather Wells is a former pop singer who is working as assistant director at a residential dorm of New York College. Two girls die apparently accidentaly while elevator surfing, but Heather is convinced that their deaths are not accidental because 'girls don't elevator surf'.

Heather lives in the house of her ex-fiancee's brother Cooper (on whom she has a crush) who is a Private Investigator. She tires to interest him in the case, but he is sceptical, as are the police. So Heather decides to do some investigating on her own account.

The story is not uninteresting, but it is rather rambling, with too many details about food, clothes, beauty routines etc. And Heather's constant drooling over Cooper gets a bit tiresome. I guessed whodunnit about halfway through the book, though why didn't become apparent to me until sometime later. There is some genuine excitement towards the end, and Heather is rescued from the villain in an delightfuly unexpected way. The book would have been better if it had been about 100 pages shorter.

This was my second Meg Cabot book (the first being The Princess Diaries, of course), and I have to say she's really got a way of making her characters lovable even with their flaws. Poor Heather is kind of a psycho, but we understand why and we love her. I loved the setting of the dorm-- oops, I mean residence hall-- since I worked in one in college. I have to admit, I was a little put off my the suggestion running throughout the book that size 12 really IS fat (mostly because, hey, I'M a size 12), but then I read the bio on the back that Meg Cabot, skinny thing that she is, was once a size 16. And, for some reason, that made me feel better about the whole thing.

Much like my illicit love of Marian Keyes, I have been a fan of Meg Cabot since my sophomore year in college, when I was working in a Bettendorf, Iowa resource room and read two chapters of All-American Girl to the eighth-graders twice a week. There is something addictive about Cabot's humor in All-American Girl and she writes an impressive teenager. My fondness carried over to The Boy Next Door and Boy Meets Girl, which are romantic comedy stories told, rather than through narrative, through e-mails, letters, menus, IM conversations -- basically, in any non-traditional means you can imagine.

When Cabot came out with Size 12 is Not Fat, then, I was instantly excited: a new Meg Cabot? About a girl detective who isn't really a detective? Set in a college dorm? And she's not a skinny girl? Who would've thought! I was excited for the book and then ended up putting it on a shelf for a while before I actually read it. I finally dusted it off this past week.

The plot is fairly simple: Heather Wells used to be a pop star, but her "decade of fame" has ended and landed her in a job as an assistant residence hall director for New York College. She's looking forward to the perks the job has to offer -- like free tuition! -- until tragedy strikes in the form of a girl dying in the dorm. She suspects something fishy. Especially when a second girl dies. But since the cops don't believe her, she has to turn to her landlord-slash-true-love Cooper (older brother of her ex-fiance and boy-bad headliner) and her crazy friends in the dorms to help her solve the case (and get her ex off her back while she wins over his brother!)

But honestly, I think Cabot should've stuck to non-traditional stories and teen novels.

The thing I love about Meg Cabot is her ability to write a believable teenager. I loved Sam in All-American Girl and the teens in Size 12 is Not Fat were absolutely pitch-perfect for eighteen-year-old girls away from home. But Cabot trying to write an adult just makes me want to speed through the book. More pages were filled with Heather's relentless whining, moping, and worrying about how fat/unattractive/unwanted/unpopular/embarrassed she was than it was on the actual plot. There are people dead but she is terrified that Cooper will reject her? That Jordan and she want to get back together? That she will not have her three children and the dog and the house and -- I'm sorry, but I can't take her seriously at all. She was insipid, whiny, and completely useless as a main character. I almost felt that she was more concerned about getting Cooper to like her as a motive for crime-solving than she was actually, you know, solving the crime.

It doesn't help that Cabot's obviously new at writing mysteries. The book suffers horribly from "no way you could solve that from your chair" syndrome, which is one of my biggest beefs about the amateur sleuth (or any sleuth) genre. If my high school students can solve "The Case of the Speckled Band" before Holmes's big reveal, I should be able to pick out the baddie in this, but the groundwork wasn't laid at all. The surprise was an interesting twist, but really not plausible based on the information we had. I find this really frustrating as a literary move in any book, but especially in one that was as weakly written as this (because it feels like just another flaw instead of the one low point in an otherwise marvelous story).

That said, I found the last 150 pages better than the first 180 and I liked a lot of the minor characters, which made it not entirely unenjoyable. I actually finished it off today because it was finally picking up, as opposed to the mere one chapter a night I have been managing for the last week.

However, my last comment is the doozy of them all, and that is the author's note sort of thing at the end of the look, written by Cabot herself. The book alternates between indictment and praise of the American fashion/body image standard, with Heather being alternately proud and horrified by her size and the characters around her being hyper-superficial to make up for her seemingly "down to Earth" character. She doesn't buy vanity-sized jeans but spends an entire night worried that the dress she borrowed from a friend (which was a maternity dress and therefore proves the ridiculousness of the premise because being fat =/= being pregnant; bodies are built completely differently, especially one as apparently form-fitting as the one she borrowed) will split open; she prides herself on eating real food but then is miserable at the skinny girls around her. I found the message conflicting to begin with, but Cabot's note sat firmly on the border between ridiculous and obnoxious. It started off condemning those who say that size 12 is fat but then, at the end, is "backed up" by Cabot's own statement that she has been size 12 and even size 16 before but is now back to a size 6. It felt to me like taking the at least mildly positive message of Heather -- that it might not be easy to accept yourself in a size that's viewed as "fat" but it's not necessarily bad -- by saying, "Yeah, I was fat once. BUT NOW LOOK. I AM BETTER. CURED!"

I have two more Cabot books to read on my shelf but I think I might be done with her after that. Maybe even before.

In our society today, having a heroine with a positive body image is a treat. A real treat. And what a great pick up line that title is.

As a Size Twelver myself - and most certainly NOT fat - I can totally relate to Heather. Well, not in the "former teen pop star" aspect, but in the size aspect. How many times are people discriminated just because of a number? But Heather does have something very important - she has sass. Real live sass. Well, not live, but still... she has sass. And a sense of humor as well. And she's cool. And totally relatable. Which makes her a great heroine. Which makes "Size Twelve is Not Fat" a great book.

Go Meg Cabot! You're the best! Thank you for writing such a great book! I can't wait for the next one!!

This book was referred to me by my neighbor...... It didn't take long for me to like this book, i wouldn't say the book was real good, but more on the lines of a cute, corky humor. The story starts of by introducing Heather Wells....a so call teen pop star that not only lost her slim size 2 but lost all of her money, due to her vindictive mother. Though she doesn't seem to sulk too much about the loss of her money, power and fame. She takes optimistic view that life will go on,,,, and lands a job as assistant dormitory director at NYU.This is when the story focuses on Cooper..... a sleek hot guy that Heather has a crush on. The story takes a turn when Heather finds a dead body in the elevator shaft. She and Cooper (her live in roommate) come together and are in hot pursuit to catch the killer.

Having read Meg Cabot's previous books, I was excited to read this one. I absolutely loved "The Boy Next Door" and thought writing it in all email was creative. Instantly, I became a fan of hers. This book, however was very repetitve and slow at times. How many times do we have to hear Heather say "...dorm...oops I mean residence hall". Ok, we get it. The mystery was very loose. I still liked reading about Heather and how she's trying to make a comeback for herself. I will continue to read the next books in this series. Let's face it, I want to hear what happens with Heather and Cooper.

I never put spoilers in my reviews.
I truly enjoyed this book. I didn't pick up on the antagonist before the reveal. If I was younger I'd probably give this one 5 stars but this is about youngsters and all that angst is just tiring. :) The chapter headings were a bit much, as well.
All in all it's well written, well edited and very much worth reading.

Heather Wells is exactly what you'd expect from the woman who brought us Princess Diaries. Pop-star turns form director Heather is the neurotic women in all of us. Insecure, a little lost and not sure what she's doing. But one thing is for sure...Size Twelve is NOT Fat!

Honestly, from reading all of the reviews, I was expecting more. I have read all of Meg Cabot's other adult books, and this one was far below the cut. I certainly know what I am getting into with Meg Cabot - chick lit of course, but very very light chick lit - but this book was definitely not what I was expecting. Heather is an okay enough protagonist although rather immature and disturbingly wallowing in self-pity and misery at times, but the story just was not good - it was a sub par mystery, the jokes were not funny and the overall plot was not terribly enthralling. Just know if read this that you will not be receiving work that is of the author's normal caliber.

Meg Cabot describes Heather as a size 12 woman who is obessed with tasty junk food, with all kind of fantasies in her mind all the time, with a kind heart and confidence. Which...I think is basically what a woman in real life is, hoping that a man is her dream will confess his love for her, cannot resist junk food when you know they will do you no good.

The mystery of the dead girls in the RESIDENCE HALL just keeps your reading...I really like this book a lot and certainly far more interesting than I expected.

If there had been one more rilly (instead of really) at the beginning of the book I would have quit reading it. The story was okay. I don't feel attached enough to the characters to go read another Heather Wells story which is why I rated it 3 stars. I should care more but the story was kind of like a pop song... it just wasn't deep enough.

While not a literary mystery or a particularly well-crafted one, Cabot has a casual and engaging style and Heather Wells is a very likable character in her puppy dog eagerness. What makes her characters so effective for me is how everyday they are. While I won't generalize and say that all women are like her somewhat neurotic characters, I think she does a good job of portraying the insecurities and worries with which women in general deal. Cabot's novels are light and effervescent and always make for a pleasant read.

Okay, so I know Meg Cabot from the Princess Diaries movie (which I thought was very cute), but I've never been tempted to read her books because they seemed aimed at the teen market. Then I read Size 12 Is Not Fat and changed my mind. I love the heroine and Cabot is funny and entertaining the whole way through. I've read the two follow-ups to this book and while I enjoyed those, this stands as my favorite so far.

Meg Cabot has written some of my favorite books in recent years ("All American Girl" is a work of comic genius). I was a little doubtful when I'd heard she was entering the mystery genre, but this book rocks! The story of Heather Wells, a has-been teen pop idol, and how she investigates the mysterious deaths of two residents in the dorm (um, I mean, residence hall) where she now works, is funny, well-written, hip, and just sexy enough. Great job, Meg! I look forward to more entries in this series soon.

Heather Wells was a raging pop star until, at the peak of her career, she decided to open her big mouth and sang the wrong note. After telling her record label "my songs or nothing" she loses her contract, her boyfriend, and all her money. Now an ex pop-star working at a New York college residence hall, she leads a seemingly normal life. That is until two girls wind up dead at the bottom of an elevator shaft. It's up to Heather to convince her roommate, her co-workers, and the police that these girls' deaths aren't merely accidental.

As a die-hard murder/mystery/thriller reader it's obvious why I picked this book up. It was definitely not what I expected though. In the genre of young adult, comedy, or even romance this book is great. All of the characters are appealing and well developed and the main character is very comedic. I also liked that the author was able to mix in Heather's minor conflicts with the main one. The only problems I noticed were the repetition of dialogue, such as whenever someone recognizes Heather they say, "Don't I know you from somewhere?" Also, Heather often interrupts her thoughts with another thought, making it hard to follow the text.

As a mystery novel, it is pretty disappointing. Heather plays amatuer detective and it gets irritating after awhile when she frequently asks her private investigator roommate, Cooper, if something is relevant to the case and jumps to conclusions about who the killer is. The mystery would have been better if it were more complex and Cabot had done a bit more research.

Overall, Size 12 Is Not Fat is a great comedy with a good mystery. I would definitely recommend it to someone who's looking for a light mystery with an awkward yet hilarious heroine.

The first three chapters were good. The "chipmonk" at the start was great.

The next few chapters got a bit blah, and really slowed down. But once it hit about chapter 15 it perked up again and started to get really interesting.

I kept thinking I knew who it was, but was at no stage anywhere close. Oh and I think I love Cooper.

This was a terrible book- literally every other word was about how 'fat' she was. Like oh I need a pencil, reminds me of all the fries i like to eat! really hard to get through this book, and the romantic interest comes off as a real a*hole.

I started reading this series because I finished all the other Meg Cabot books, and I was not disappointed in my selection (but honestly I will never be disappointed with her books). And I just finished this book and ready to read Size 14 Is Not Fat Either. Can't wait!