My Eyes Are Up Here

Written by Laura Zimmermann

Narrated by Kristen DiMercurio

My Eyes Are Up Here is a razor-sharp debut about a girl struggling to rediscover her sense of self in the year after her body decided to change all the rules.

If Greer Walsh could only live inside her head, life would be easier. She’d be able to focus on excelling at math or negotiating peace talks between her best friend and . . . everyone else. She wouldn’t spend any time worrying about being the only Kennedy High student whose breasts are bigger than her head.

But you can’t play volleyball inside your head. Or go to the pool. Or have confusingly date-like encounters with the charming new boy. You need an actual body for all of those things. And Greer is entirely uncomfortable in hers.

Hilarious and heartbreakingly honest, My Eyes Are Up Here is a story of awkwardness and ferocity, of imaginary butterflies and rock-solid friends. It’s the story of a girl finding her way out of her oversized sweatshirt and back into the real world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 23, 2020
• ISBN: 9780593209028

Reviews for My Eyes Are Up Here

[herenya_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An engaging and positive story about a teenage girl’s relationship with her own body. Sixteen year old Greer prefers to avoid attracting attention and hides her breasts beneath oversized sweatshirts, but when she decides to try out for volleyball, she can’t keep hiding.

Greer's narration is funny and astute. Even though I’ve not been in her exact situation, I found her awkwardness, her self-consciousness, and her struggles to find clothing that’s flattering / comfortable / supportive, relatable.

[dairyqueen84 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Oh I just loved this! I can't believe Zimmermann is a debut author! Everything about it is so effortless: the voice (very authentic), the dialogue, the supporting characters, Greer, the main character, the thought processes of a teenage girl self-conscious about her body, the humor. As I read, I wondered, what teenager isn't self-conscious or was it just me?

A few quibbles I had. Ok, I get it; your breasts are really big. They're embarrassing. How much do we have to be hit on the head with this fact? Just shy of the middle of the book I was growing tired of the self-hating, inner monologue. Her mother's cluelessness about Greer's body dysmorphia seemed odd in this day and age of parents overparenting. Maybe her mother didn't want to make her more self-conscious? Still, at least get her better-fitting bras.

More that I loved. I loved best-friend Maggie and her militancy, I loved the names Greer had for her breasts, Mavis and Maude - perfect! I loved the inner butterfly monologues. I loved Jessa's influence on Greer in body positivity. It was really a multi-dimensional novel tackling sexism, bullying, loneliness, binary choices girls are still forced to make, and more without seeming overloaded or preachy.

I received an ebook advanced reader copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[sennebec · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Imagine having almost every moment of your life ruled by a body part. Meet Greer Walsh. For maybe a day she was comfortable in her skin when puberty hit. After that, she was ultra self-conscious, let her insecurities run rampant and endured endless dialogues with Maude and Mavis as she calls her oversized breasts. Comfort is an elusive experience for her as is finding bras and tops that fit. She slouches and hides in oversized sweatshirts. She's very smart, particularly in math, but when it comes to thinking about a social life, she's a babe in the woods. Having a mother who is ultra confident and believes she has all the answers makes confiding a wishful, but impossible thing. Add in a younger brother who's a cross between Attilla The Hun and a barnyard animal and you start to understand why she endures with little hope of living.
All this begins to change when her mother drags her along to meet Jackson, son in a family Mom's working with in her capacity as a relocation specialist. There's an immediate connection between them. It grows as the story progresses, even though Greer's continual dialogue in her head with Maude, Mavis and how she things the rest of the world looks at her gets in the way. Add in a chance to try out for volleyball and a website the coach gives her that starts changing her life, great friends and situations that force her out of her head in time to start living, and you have one heck of a book. Quinlan, Jackson's little sister, may be a minor character, but she almost steals the show. Read the book to find out why. This deserves to be in lots of libraries. It's funny, painful, honest and will strike a chord with any teen with image of self consciousness issues.