One to Watch

This book was fine, I guess. How many romances am I going to read before I understand deep in my heart that I don’t like romances? A brilliant concept, 5 star idea, 2 star execution. I don’t have time, patience, or the remaining will to live to talk about everything I didn’t enjoy but a few highlights include: Asher, with tears in my eyes I am begging you to go to therapy sir. Listen ok, as a fat woman I understand the struggles of insecurity and those insecurities Bea struggled with felt real and I appreciate that. Mmmmmm but can I just read about a fat woman who doesn’t go on this journey of self acceptance? Why can’t she just love herself and feel confident in her body like, you know, 90% of the time and experience insecurities 10% and not visa versa? Also come on Bea, don’t sleep with an engaged guy, that’s not very women supporting women of you. Or complaining about skinny women. Bea rejects Sam because they had no conflict?! Come on, can we stop perpetuating this idea that arguing/conflict = love? I’m tired. If I could drop kick Ray into the sun, I would. Sorry but what did Bea even like about him???? Also I knew when I started this book she was going to pick herself at the season finale, you see it coming from 100 miles away. Honestly loved Wyatt & hoping Alison & Marin find true love. I don’t know, you might enjoy it more if you’re not old and bitter like me, I encourage you to read it for the concept and obviously form your own opinions. Oh I saw a lot of people complain about all the inserted magazine articles and chats and whatever and how it took them out of the story and I can see that but personally I really enjoyed it.

I wish the main character was developed more. Enjoyed the flip script of a plus size woman in the spotlight. However some of the red flags and toxicity I could have done without - although I guess that’s all life..

This is romance. I loved the character Bea, and I liked that she was plus size. I also like this bring up some of the problems with being plus size. I really did not like how the book changed between normal text, to emails, phone texts, messages, blogs posts, and more. It just took so much from the book for me, and that is the only reason I give it two stars. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

This was an interesting one, and I'm struggling to rate a little bit. I'm not super into reality TV and maybe having more context for the shows would've helped me as a reader, I'm not sure. I loved that we had a body-positive, fat woman looking for love, and saying "yes, I deserve love as much as everyone else" and being someone that others who look similar can see getting love. The friends and family were great, and the prose fun. That said, I had second hand embarrassment and bad feelings for so much of the dating portion because of how the some of the men treated her, I understood her hesitance to giving them a serious chance when there was no real reason to trust their motives. I didn't like how the romance played out and how key players acted at the end, but maybe that's just the drama of this type of show. I was rooting for her, but never for the romance, so I just was meh about the ending.

I loved this book more than I know how to explain. I have never felt more seen or related to with body issues and struggles and yet also celebrations of loving the skin I’m in. I’ve been dying for a plus size romance novel and here we are. Well done, Kate! Can’t wait for the movie version some day, it’s too good not to be!