My Eyes Are Up Here

Laura Zimmermann

June 2020 · Sold by Penguin

About this eBook

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.

Ratings and reviews

I enjoyed my time with Greer and found her voice to be authentic for a teen. I enjoyed the first person point of view which immediately placed me inside Greer's head. I found myself speeding through this fun novel and laughing out loud more times than I remember. Greer is truly relatable for teens as she tries to navigate high school and lack of self-confidence and self-acceptance. The friendships in this book are amazing! I cheered for the loyalty these girls had for each other and how they supported each other, even when they pursued their own paths and talents. I also enjoyed the volleyball team, including the coach who knew how to get the best attitude and performance from her team and truly cared for each player as individuals. I thought from the beginning that Jackson would play a bigger role in the story and I wished he'd had more page time to give us incite into his character. Jackson is a sweetheart and gentleman from what the author gave her readers. Greer seemed to focus on her chest on every page and it started getting tiresome after awhile and I'd hoped she'd struggle more with her feelings for Jackson. Greer's parents drove me crazy--what parents ignore their child's pain, both physical and emotional when it's so obvious? I kept waiting for them to show growth in this area too and it never really happened. The ending was good, but felt too rushed and unnatural for me, and left too much hanging unanswered. Overall, I liked this book and would recommend it to others who enjoy YA contemporary.

I am a bit conflicted about this book. I really liked how Greer's friends, Jessa and Maggie were there for her all the time and helped Greer to feel better about herself. I hope every high schooler can have such steadfast friends to help them through the tough teen years. I liked that part of the story, with Greer trying out for volleyball which also helped her change her attitude to her body. What I did not like was Greer's constant preoccupation with "Maude and Mavis". Yes, she is insecure about have larger breasts than some of the other teens and that did make life a bit harder in regards to finding clothes and bras to fit, but reading page after page and chapter after chapter about it, I got a little annoyed. I much preferred the volleyball sections and even the Jackson parts (he is sweet). The ending is good though and I like how Greer was finally able to come to terms with her whole self (at least for the moment) and find her happily now.

My Eyes Are Up Here is a refreshing take on body image issues and the impact they have on a girl’s self-esteem. Fifteen-year-old Greer Walsh has always felt defined and limited by her large breasts. She hides behind oversized sweatshirts and does everything she can to avoid physical contact and attention. But between joining the volleyball team and finding a new community there, and befriending Jackson Oates, the new guy in school, Greer starts to come to terms with her sense of self and starts to see herself as more than just the size of her chest. This is really a story about friendship and a girl learning to love herself for all her qualities. There is a bit of a love story, but I wouldn’t consider it to be the main plot of the story. I adored this story. It was so light and witty, yet incredibly powerful. I personally connected with this story, but for me, it was ballet instead of volleyball. I highly recommend My Eyes Are Up Here! It was such an endearing story but was overall very light. I wouldn’t consider it highly mature YA and would be appropriate for younger YA readers, however, I don’t feel as though you have to be a younger reader to enjoy it, given that I’m an adult and I loved it!

About the author

Laura Zimmermann is a multiple-time champion of the Twin Cities Moth and Word Sprout story slams, and she was chosen to participate in the 2018 Listen To Your Mother storytelling show. She lives with her family in Minneapolis, MN. My Eyes Are Up Here is her first novel.