A high schooler boldly decides to go au naturel after her cousin is ridiculed for her body hair-and thus begins an unexpected journey of self-doubt, self-love, and the realization that sometimes your harshest judge is yourself.
"Unflinchingly honest, real, and raw in its examination of body image. Every hairy brown girl will see a reflection of their lives in its page."-Adiba Jaigirdar, author of Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating
"Filled with heart, humor, and a swoon-worthy academic rivals-to-lovers romance of my dreams, Jesmeen Kaur Deo proves self-worth isn't up for debate."-Jessica Parra, author of Rubi Ramos' Recipe for Success
It's about to get hairy . . .
When TJ Powar-a pretty, popular debater-and her cousin Simran become the subject of a meme, with TJ being the "expectation" of dating an Indian girl and her Sikh cousin who doesn't remove her body hair being the "reality," TJ decides to take a stand.
She ditches her razors, cancels her waxing appointments, and sets a debate resolution that she will go all in to defend: "This House Believes That TJ Powar can be her hairy self, and still be beautiful." Only, as she sets about proving her point, she starts to seriously doubt anyone could care about her just the way she is-even when the infuriating boy from a rival debate team seems determined to prove otherwise.
As her carefully crafted sense of self begins to crumble, TJ realizes that winning this debate may cost her far more than the space between her eyebrows. And that the hardest judge to convince of her arguments might just be herself.
Autorentext
Jesmeen Kaur Deo grew up in northern British Columbia, where she spent most of her childhood daydreaming. She loves books that can make her laugh and tug at her heartstrings in the same paragraph. When not wrapped up in stories, she can be found biking, playing the harmonium, or struggling to open jars. TJ Powar Has Something to Prove is her debut novel.
Klappentext
A charming rom-com about high school debater TJ Powar who-after becoming the subject of an ugly meme-makes a resolution to stop shaving, plucking, and waxing, and prove that she can be her hairy self and still be beautiful…or at least worthy of respect. Perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon and Netflix's Never Have I Ever.
When TJ Powar-a pretty, popular debater-and her cousin Simran become the subject of a meme: with TJ being the "expectation" and her Sikh cousin who does not shave, pluck, or wax her hair as the "reality" of dating an Indian girl-TJ decides she's going to take a stand.
She decides to ditch her razors, cancel her waxing appointments, and set a debate resolution for herself: "This House Believes That TJ Powar can be her hairy self, and still be beautiful." Only, as she sets about proving her point, she starts to seriously doubt anyone could care about her just the way she is-even when the cute boy from a rival debate team turned Nationals partner seems determined to prove otherwise.
Ultimately, TJ's outer change might just transform her innermost thoughts and deliver her final resolution to the judge who matters most, herself: Because the resolution "This House Believes That TJ Powar can exist as a hairy girl, and still be worthy of respect, beautiful or not," is simply not up for debate.
TJ Powar Has Something to Prove is a delightful and thought-provoking contemporary romance perfect for fans of Lyla Lee, Jenny Han, and Becky Albertalli.