Charlton-Trujillo’s novel, ‘Fat Angie: Homecoming’, is a treat for both fans of the previous ‘Fat Angie’ works as well as those who read ‘Homecoming’ as a standalone novel. Though references are made to previous books in the series, and much of this novel’s plot is dependent on previous events, enough context is given in ‘Homecoming’ for it to function as a standalone. The story follows main character Angie, who’s stuck in a love triangle between her first love and her current crush. Angie’s interpersonal conflict throughout the story is deciding who to romantically pursue. Meanwhile, she tries to win a music competition with a band she lazily puts together. Angie’s relationship with her abusive mother is a grimly realistic underscore to the otherwise fairly light-hearted teen drama. The way Angie’s behavior is affected by her familial problems, and how those behaviors affect those around her, is by far the most interesting development to track throughout the story, and Charlton-Trujillo weaves it together beautifully. This novel has sympathetic and in-depth characters, explores diverse dynamics between said characters, and overall has a nice flow. The only downside is the boring and redundant dialogue that persists during certain emotional beats in the narrative. The dialogue feels bland and impersonal to the characters, despite how strongly their contributions to the plot and internal thought descriptions fit them. This has been a persistent problem throughout the previous Fat Angie books as well. The way the characters speak feels artificial and as though the author doesn’t actually have a good grasp on teenage slang or vocabulary.