This book called Life in the Fat Lane gives you a mouthful of information of things that happen in everyday life. Have you ever witnessed or experienced what it’s like to be judged on what you look like? Lara Ardeche is surprised when she gets to experience living life being overweight. She developed a metabolic disorder called Axell-Crowne making her gain a lot of weight causing her to suffer from obesity. Lara soon gets a taste of what it feels like to be made fun of and put down by people who use to be her own kind. Lara follows a quote in life that says “If you can dream it, you can achieve it.” This quote plays a very important role connecting to the different events occurring in this book.


My main character in this book was a very dynamic character. Her name was Lara Ardeche. Most people described her as the pretty, popular, I wish I could be like her type of girl. Lara is a ‘5’7’ blonde, pageant winner and home coming queen her junior year. She seems to have such a perfect life until you get more into the story. Lara changes and becomes 200 pounds because of a metabolic disorder. She lost all her friends and her boyfriend. Now she works out, diets obsessively, and starves herself all the time. She’ll lie in her bed all day and night because she is ashamed, scared, depressed, and lonely. In the end she may be able to get through it all.



Lara Ardeche, perfect life and perfect parents. She soon came down with a metabolic disorder causing her to gain at least 100 pounds. She looses her friends and breaks up with her boyfriend because she thought her not being thin affected their relationship. Lara’s mother took her to several doctors but none of them could find a way to help them out. Lara’s parent’s marriage started to fall apart and Lara thought it was her fault. Little did she know it’s been breaking down into little pieces for quite a while now. Her parents decided to have a fresh start and move to Chicago. There father still left them with many other surprises leading to the resolution to the book.


Life in the Fat Lanes theme relates to people in everyday life. Don’t judge a book by its cover is a theme we can all relate too. We see it everyday, people are being made fun because of the clothes they wear, what they look like, or being overweight. People are judging other people for what’s on the outside and not on the inside, and that is exactly what happens throughout the whole story. This theme connects to my research in more ways then I can even imagine. Having an eating disorder or suffering from obesity is caused from peer pressure or being told you’re not good enough in some sort of way. Making them take it out on food or starving themselves. Themes relate to many different things and ideas toward my research topic and book.


When I first started reading this book I wasn’t so sure I would like it, but as I got to the end of the book I didn’t want it to end. Life in the Fat Lane is a life inspiring book. It deals with real life problems and things kids and adults go through everyday. This is a book of slow pace but has a wild ride of events during this book. I recommend this book to the young adults but mostly to girls. Girls can relate to the character Lara to help them understand the story well. Life in the Fat Lane is a book I wouldn’t want to miss out on.