Only a few weeks ago, the latest of chick-lit queen Meg Cabot’s Heather Wells series came out: Size 12 and Ready to Rock. This the fourth book in the series and was extremely enjoyable.

Now I’ve been reading Meg Cabot for quite a few years now. I first picked up a book from her twelve years ago, when I was 12, and fell in love with her books. Most people know Meg Cabot as the writer as the ever so popular Princess Diaries series. She’s also the author of a ton of other series as well: the Airhead series, the 1-800-WHERE=R-U series, the Mediator series, and so many more. I have always enjoyed reading her books and anxiously wait for the releases of her new books. I literally am never disappointed.

The thing about Meg Cabot’s books is that they are hilarious. They literally make me laugh every single time. Most of her books are extreme and near-impossible situations. A teen girl finding out she’s a princess of a country and she didn’t know? Suze can talk to ghosts, Jess gets struck by lightning and is suddenly psychic, Em gets her brain transplanted into a supermodel’s body, Jean is a witch, Jen goes to a school with a famous movie star, the ruler of the Underworld falls in love with Pierce, and so on. But the best part about them is that normal teenage things are happening while these not so normal things happen around them. I was not a popular kid in high school, and I had awkward moment after awkward moment. I love reading these books because you can relate to these girls as they are teased and bullied and pine after crushes they never think they can get.

Now my favorite of Meg’s books are the Princess Diaries series, easily. But the ones that I have learned the most from are the Heather Wells series. The four books so far follow Heather Wells, who once upon a time was a pop princess, dating the lead singer of the most popular boy band. She had it all. Until she gained some weight, lost her recording contract, gets dumped by her boyfriend and her mother runs away with her manager and her money. She finds herself living in the upstairs floor at her ex’s brother’s brownstone in New York City, working a job as assistant dorm director at a New York university. Things are normal and fine until murders start happening around her dorm, hem, excuse me, residence hall.

When you get past the humor and the action and the fun of the novels, there are some lessons in these books. Heather used to have it all, the body, the fans, the boyfriend, everything. And now she’s heavier, working a job with not so many perks and pining away after her ex’s brother. But she seems okay, you know? She’s content with her life. She doesn’t hate her mom, or her ex. She is just living her life.

I’ve struggled most of my young adult life with my weight. In high school, I was overweight. When I graduated high school, I lost a ton of weight to the point where I was just under 100 pounds. Not attractive and probably not that healthy. But I thought I looked great. Then, slowly, within the last few years, I’ve gained a lot of weight back. It took a long time for me to come to terms with that. I was used to looking in the mirror and seeing a flat stomach and it was especially disappointing after losing all the weight in the first place. But Heather Wells helped me come to terms with it.

There is nothing wrong with being a size 12, which is what I am now, or a size 2, which is what I used to be. It doesn’t matter if you’re a size 8 or 14 or 22. It just doesn’t matter. What matters is being happy in the skin that you’re in. I may not be perfect size but I’m healthy and I’m happy with the way I am. Sure, I have days when I see girls smaller than me or I try to buy an article of clothing that just doesn’t look right and I get upset and can feel a little down. But the fact is, I’m a healthy girl. Sure, I like my sweets and junk food, but I don’t live off of it. I eat well, I take care of myself and I enjoy really good food and I don’t think that is a bad thing. I have a boyfriend who loves me and most days that I look in the mirror, I’m happy with what I see. But it took a lot to get there.

Not to mention the fact that she has been an amazing inspiration for myself as a writer. She makes me believe in myself, that I can become a writer, even if it takes awhile and even if I get a million no’s. My best friend once told me, after reading my novel, that she could tell that Meg Cabot was an inspiration of mine…that you could sometimes hear Meg Cabot’s voice in mine. I found this to be a huge compliment.

Every time I read one of Meg Cabot’s books, I am in love with the fact that these girls can accept who they are and be happy with how they look, especially Heather. I read these books and I think, I can do this too. I can have my cake and eat it too. I can enjoy good foods and still look cute. I can not kill myself with exercise but be happy with the way that I look. So whenever I’m having a bad day, I pick up a Meg Cabot book. They may not change the world and you most likely won’t be seeing them in high school English classes anytime soon. But ever since I was twelve years old, her books have been changing my life. Whenever I’m feeling down or blue and I need a pick-me-up, especially when I’m feeling down on myself, I pick up one of her books and suddenly, everything feels that much better.

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