Book Reviews

Review: Mammoth by Jill Baguchinsky

I knew as soon as I saw Mammoth being announced that I wanted to read it. Thankfully the ARC gods granted my wishes and I was able to get Turner Pub to send this to me. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed at all!

Summary

The summer before her junior year, paleontology geek Natalie Page lands a coveted internship at an Ice Age dig site near Austin. Natalie, who’s also a plus-size fashion blogger, depends on the retro style she developed to shield herself from her former bullies, but vintage dresses and perfect lipstick aren’t compatible with prospecting for fossils in the Texas heat.

But nothing is going to dampen Natalie’s spirit — she’s exactly where she wants to be, and she gets to work with her hero, a rock-star paleontologist who hosts the most popular paleo podcast in the world. And then there’s Chase the intern, who’s seriously cute, and Cody, a local boy who’d be even cuter if he were less of a grouch.

It’s a summer that promises to be about more than just mammoths.

Until it isn’t.

When Natalie’s hero turns out to be anything but, and steals the credit for one of her accomplishments, Nat has to unearth the confidence she needs to stand out in a field dominated by dudes. To do this, she’ll have to let her true self shine, even if that means defying all the rules for the sake of a major discovery

Review

(Disclaimer: I received this free book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

What I love about Mammoth is that it’s so multi-faceted. It’s about a plus size paleontology lover. But it’s about the love of fashion, the importance of women in STEM fields, sexism, and cyber bullying. There are themes of solidarity, blogging, and more. I adored every second of it and this book finished way too soon! I devoured it within a day and it’s easy to get lost in Natalie’s narration and her world.

Let me list all the reasons I loved Mammoth:

  • Paleontology. I am seriously so obsessed with fossils and I have always loved learning about them. Natalie, you go girl!
  • Natalie is plus sized so the representation here is phenomenal.
  • Natalie wears makeup like an armor and loves fashion. She has to alter her clothes to have them fit her, but she has such excellent style taste and I love reading about a MC who is fashion obsessed.
  • Natalie struggles with finding her own voice and self-confidence. She makes mistakes, but she grows as a character, and she learns from them!
  • Her motto is, “Be Awesome” like…I need that hung up on my mirror.

Themes

  • Sexism and elitism are dealt with with thought and patience. I liked that were able to see that not all the students are as privileged and what that means for the implications in the science fields – and also life. How money opens doors.
  • At the same time we are able to see the dangers of ambition and what it does to a person. How it effects who they are at their core. Additionally, we are able to see how we use it as an excuse to take risks, but who pays the costs of our behavior?
  • Natalie deals with what happens when our role models aren’t all they are made out to be.

Find Mammoth on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, and The Book Depository.

Discussion

What would you love to study if you could?


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2 thoughts on “Review: Mammoth by Jill Baguchinsky

  1. I read an ARC of this fun book too and enjoyed it for the same reasons as you. I really love girls who are intelligent and pursue science and math.

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