Summary: The summer before her junior year, paleontology geek Natalie Page lands a coveted internship at an Ice Age dig site near Austin, Texas.  Natalie, who’s also a plus-size fashion blogger, depends on her retro style and persona to shield herself from her former bullies. However, her vintage dresses and designer heels aren’t great for fossil digging. But nothing is going to dampen her spirit.  She’s exactly where she wants to be, and gets to work with her hero, the host of the most popular paleontology 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 paleontologist hero turns out to be anything but and steals the credit for one of her accomplishments, she has to unearth the confidence she needs to stand out in a field dominated by men.  To do this, she’ll have to let her true self shine, even if that means defying the rules and risking her life for the sake of a major discovery.  While sifting through dirt, she finds more than fossils—she finds out that she is truly awesome.

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

 Cover Lust? Pardon me while I share Mammoth’s beautiful cover EVERYWHERE. I think the cover is so fitting to the book, and I love how much the blue and pink compliment one another.

 My Thoughts:

 In short, Mammoth is the paleontology-loving, plus-size fasionista takes on internship book that I never knew I needed.

Okay, let me rewind.

Mammoth was added to my TBR in early 2018, after I read in its blurb that Natalie was a fashion blogger. Add that to girls in STEM, plus-size rep, AND PALEONTOLOGY! I think the only other paleontology-loving fictional character I know is Ross from Friends.

Mammoth truly combines fashion and paleontology in a fun, unique and refreshing way. Natalie is a paleontology and fashion blogger- an uncommon, but workable duo! It’s just a given that bloggers like to read about bloggers, right??I would definitely be one of Fossilista’s many followers. The book also features pictures of Natalie in her everyday outfits and the accompanying blog excerpts.

The most enjoyable aspect of Mammoth, in my opinion, is its unique setting- an Ice Age dig site in Texas! I can safely say that I’ve never read a YA book with a main character, let alone a whole cast, who loves paleontology as much as Natalie. While I didn’t understand every single thing when it came to the subject, Jill Baguckinsky’s research and knowledge on paleontology is more than evident. While I’m not a STEM girl myself, it was beyond awesome to see girls in the field, especially in an area like paleontology where more female voices are needed.

It was also really refreshing to have a plus-size protagonist like Natalie. I think we’ve seen a few more plus-size characters in recent YA books, but I really enjoyed how confident Natalie was in her body (and fashion sense). However, Natalie does have some less confident moments, like when she reflects on being bullied growing up or worrying about not wearing a shaper while out on the field. While sad, these moments made Natalie feel more real.

Mammoth also has an awesome full cast of characters. Mellie was my favorite out of the intern crew. Her crafty side made me want to break out my own craft box—even if I can’t crochet pillows shaped like mammoths or shark-tooth earrings. I liked that Quinn wasn’t the typical YA mean girl for being jealous of Natalie’s crush on Chase. She definitely wasn’t perfect, but I liked how she a complex person for both the reader and Natalie to figure out. I admit that had a little trouble understanding some of Eli and Cody’s brashness- Eli was just plain mean at some points- but I’m so glad that Cody had a change of heart. And I wouldn’t mind some sort of prequel or sequel starring Natalie and Aunt Judy working at Savage Swallow.

Overall, I especially loved Mammoth for its unique setting and story, fantastic cast of characters, and of course, Natalie. This is definitely a 2018 release not to be missed.

This review is based on an uncorrected proof. By no means did receiving this copy affect my thoughts or opinions.

 Mammoth comes out on November 6^th, 2018

Is Mammoth on your TBR? Share in the comments!