Mates, Dates, and Chocolate Cheats

"Hey listen guys. I need you to tell me something and I want you to be really really honest...." "Sounds serious," said Nesta. "It is. I want you to tell me, do you think I've put on weight?" Nesta, Lucy, and T J looked at each other. "No," said T J after a moment too long. "Not really. Well, we all did a little on the school trip. So no more than the rest of us."Izzie has always been "curvy," but since Christmas she has gained eight pounds, and nothing seems to fit anymore. In an attempt to lose weight, Izzie tries everything: one diet after another, a punishing exercise program, and every bit of conflicting advice anyone can give her.Her constant worrying about her weight causes her to lose her confidence, and she stops appreciating the things in her life that are special -- her supportive friends, the fact that she has been selected for a TV teen panel, and a cute boy at the TV studio who seems to like her just the way she is.

Cathy Hopkins lives in North London with her handsome husband and three deranged cats. She has had nineteen books published. The fifth book in the Mates, Dates series, Mates, Dates, and Sole Survivors, was recently released in the U.K. Piccadilly Press has launched a new series from Hopkins, based on the classic sleepover game of Truth or Consequences.