Knowing about Erin Jade Lange by her previous works, I was excited to dive into this much talked about novel the first time around. As a writer, reading is one of the most important things that can be done. Finding a good book that contains a good beginning, exciting middle, and an impactful ending is what we all look for. I had formerly read this book but decided to go back, read different reviews and see if it would affect me the same way almost four years later.

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult Fiction

Theme: cyberbullying, suicide, social cliques and obesity.

Overview: A 423-pound, 16-year-old teen nicknamed "Butter," after being bullied into eating a dirty stick of butter has always been the butt of the joke. Although both talented and smart, no one ever looks past his weight, and that increasingly infuriates him. One day when scrolling through social media online, he realized he was voted, "Most Likely To: Have A Heart Attack," and that was the final straw. He notifies everyone that he will end his life by doing "what he does best" which is eating his final meal, and live streaming on www.butterslastmeal.com during New Year's Eve. He even plans on finishing his final meal with an infamous dirty stick of butter that has become his unpatented trademark. This irrational reveal had gained headway in his high school and rather than pity, he receives something much worse that's hastily fleeting, popularity. For Butter, popularity has an expiration date and time was definitely running out.

Review: With the first glance, I was attracted to the cover. There are a few different types but I had seen the black cover with the words, "Butter" written on a butter dish. I thought, "Well, what exactly about Butter?"

Being the type of person who reads both the blurb, and the first few pages of a potential book I want to buy, I can admit I was hooked instantly. It started off with a bang, and you were immediately introduced to the situation that Butter had dolefully created for himself.

This book was dark but contained some comedic relief, thankfully. It showed you exactly how people can quickly turn on you, as they had begun betting on what he would consume, and if he would actually go through with his final meal. Butter's character overall was very blunt and I found him to be pitiful, and rather ill-natured– although, for his situation, you realize he needed to have thick skin to continually deal with everything in life. He exceeded at his self-loathing, being self-destructive, arrogant and complex. That's what made him a fantastic character; He wasn't placed in this book for us to love him, but to understand his view point during a horrid situation.

Dealing with the issue of false sense of popularity is what creates the issue for Butter. When the people who bullied him or ignored him in the past befriended him, he was unsure about whether or not his plan was beneficial to him at all. Although, the "friends" he had now made, encouraged him to follow his act of suicide, and even decided to make a party out of it among the others.

There's a lot of talk about suicide, bullying, and we're dealing with Butter, our main character who is severely obese and depressed. There were multiple times where Ms. Lange could've properly addressed the topic of bullying to add a lesson within, but that was the only aspect that was missed. I was able to fly through the pages the second time around, and I wouldn't change my opinion of the book. This book was unique in plot and extremely interesting to the point where you don't want to put the book down.

Rate: 8.5/10