Secrets of Truth & Beauty by Megan Frazer

Dara Cohen is 17 and she is fat. Her classmates are shocked to learn that Dara was once cute enough to win a beauty pageant - it was actually a talent competition and Dara was 7 at the time. Dara is shocked, in turn, to learn that she is not an only child. Her parents won't talk about her older sister, Rachel, who left home before Dara was born. A series of events leads Dara to realize that she can no longer rely on many things that she once took for granted. When her world crumbles around her, Dara decides to track down her sister, who is living on a lesbian communal farm. It turns out to be one of the best decisions Dara has ever made. Grade 8 - up