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moonlitemuseum's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was such a dream! I don't ordinarily read straight romance, but the reviews I heard by chance were so tantalizing I just had to try it out. Bea is a dream of a lead character; witty, passionate and terrified of her own vulnerability.
The writing is a little cheesy here and there but it adds to the charm; and the supporting cast, especially Bea's family, her best friend and the final four men she chooses for the show, are all so thoughtful and kind that I could feel my heart healing in real time.
Unfortunately I think the absolute peak of the book is deep in the second act. The first portion of the book is an understandable but gutwrenching gauntlet of bodyshaming, self-doubt and depression, while the third act conflict was a little agitating and predictable (though it read true to the characters). I was, as always, not a fan of the slap-argue-kiss dynamic that seems to plague most straight romance (a late game reveal that a minor m/f couple who spent their entire time barbing each other online got together felt weird and superfluous), but the book is great in terms of dotting LGBT rep around in satisfying dollops in characters that felt authentic.
When the book is good, though, it's GOOD. It feels exactly like binging a trashy reality TV show, but with all the meta commentary and interior feelings carefully curated for your benefit. A gem. As a side note, Kristen Sieh, the narrator for the audiobook, does a flawless job with the accents and building drama!
The writing is a little cheesy here and there but it adds to the charm; and the supporting cast, especially Bea's family, her best friend and the final four men she chooses for the show, are all so thoughtful and kind that I could feel my heart healing in real time.
Unfortunately I think the absolute peak of the book is deep in the second act. The first portion of the book is an understandable but gutwrenching gauntlet of bodyshaming, self-doubt and depression, while the third act conflict was a little agitating and predictable (though it read true to the characters). I was, as always, not a fan of the slap-argue-kiss dynamic that seems to plague most straight romance (a late game reveal that a minor m/f couple who spent their entire time barbing each other online got together felt weird and superfluous), but the book is great in terms of dotting LGBT rep around in satisfying dollops in characters that felt authentic.
When the book is good, though, it's GOOD. It feels exactly like binging a trashy reality TV show, but with all the meta commentary and interior feelings carefully curated for your benefit. A gem. As a side note, Kristen Sieh, the narrator for the audiobook, does a flawless job with the accents and building drama!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Infidelity
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia
giulia_and_books's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Grief
sunnyreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I love the premise of this one, but I found the execution to be off. I don't know. It just seemed to go on forever, and I didn't really care for any of the guys she was dating. I did like that one of the men was asexual/aromantic. That was neat, and I loved the fat representation in the story, although the hate she gets online can be really graphic (rape threats). I just didn't fall for the love interest like I usually do in other romances, maybe because she didn't spend that much time with him since it was a dating show and she was dating a lot of men at the time?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
kelpie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
supersandra's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This is a tough book to rate.
On the one hand, for the overall narrative of the book, I'd give maybe 3.5 or 4 stars. It's a little bit unbelievable at timesbut I found the resolution satisfying . And while I really appreciated a fat protagonist, the specific situation she's put into in the book makes the whole book kind of a meta example of what the book is, I think, trying to say shouldn't happen; that someone shouldn't be notable because they are existing in the world as a fat woman, but rather that people should appreciate others for their whole self (of which fatness is one aspect but not the main one).
On the other hand, as a fat woman, this book was REALLY HARD TO EXPERIENCE at times. If you're a fat person, especially a fat woman, and you're not in a good headspace to read very accurate depictions of the types of things that internet trolls and asshole men routinely say about and to fat women, I don't suggest this book, and I especially don't suggest it as an audiobook. The audiobook transitions from chapter to chapter were extra jarring in this regard. So for me that's what brings the score down. I'd probably rate this 2.5 stars, but I don't want to scare off folks who are in a good place to experience this book, as I think it has some really meaningful themes, especially for people who do not understand what it is like to live in the body of a fat woman.
On the one hand, for the overall narrative of the book, I'd give maybe 3.5 or 4 stars. It's a little bit unbelievable at times
On the other hand, as a fat woman, this book was REALLY HARD TO EXPERIENCE at times. If you're a fat person, especially a fat woman, and you're not in a good headspace to read very accurate depictions of the types of things that internet trolls and asshole men routinely say about and to fat women, I don't suggest this book, and I especially don't suggest it as an audiobook. The audiobook transitions from chapter to chapter were extra jarring in this regard. So for me that's what brings the score down. I'd probably rate this 2.5 stars, but I don't want to scare off folks who are in a good place to experience this book, as I think it has some really meaningful themes, especially for people who do not understand what it is like to live in the body of a fat woman.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Sexism and Toxic relationship
Minor: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Rape, and Sexual content
Detailed online harassment and threats toward a fat woman, including rape threats/descriptions, comments that she will die from being fat or that she should just kill herself, etc.100_pages_hr's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book was recommended to me because I like contemporary marriage of convenience. I think the person that recommended it missed the mark - but I'm not sorry I read it.
It was rather nice to read a plus sized female lead. There are too many size 0 females on covers of books and in movies and television. However, the reality television scene is definitely not my favorite and made it hard for me to love the book.
If you like reality television and are looking for more diversity in fiction though this is a good book.
It was rather nice to read a plus sized female lead. There are too many size 0 females on covers of books and in movies and television. However, the reality television scene is definitely not my favorite and made it hard for me to love the book.
If you like reality television and are looking for more diversity in fiction though this is a good book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Abortion, and Death of parent
kry_yang's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Homophobia and Rape
baexlee's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Overall this was an enjoyable read that felt like I could pick it up and put it down easily, the story flowed nicely and I had no problem wanting to come back for more. There were moments where I yelled out loud and moments where I was pissed, but part of the reason I can't give this a 4 or higher is that I had a hard time investing in Bea's story. If you asked me at 50% if I thought Bea would have a relationship at the end I would say no because she'd self-sabotage. The second half of the book was where all her growth really shined, however the beginning was difficult to get through, it's hard to root for a main character that doesn't even want to root for herself. I wanted to get to know so much more about Bea - what made her the kind of person she was, her hobbies outside of fashion, her childhood and background - but the plot centers so heavily around her romantic insecurities and her body-image that I had a hard time wanting to spend time in Bea's perspective in the early pages.
Strangely there was a moment where I felt very exposed by the author, I go into more details in the spoilers but let's just say I am more familiar with some of the date locations and got to vicariously live some of my own fantasies. The second half of this book felt like I was reading something else, the pace picked up dramatically and I began to invest in the romantic interests and their relationships with Bea. My thoughts on the ending are in the spoilers.
So I'm disappointed that I fell for Luc and he broke my heart. I'm surprised how it feels like he was still redeemed in the end because Bea accepted and forgave him? I had been rooting for Luc from the beginning. The date in Amboise was so unexpectedly pleasant for me, I had the opportunity to travel to both Chateau d'Amboise and Chateau de Chenonceau my senior year of high school and I dreamed of a magically ball where I met and handsome french man that swept me off my feet. Seeing that date realized in a novel was not something I ever expected, especially not almost 6 years after my trip to France. Then to have Luc betray Bea by doing exactly what he thought Bea was doing - which was confusing for me emotionally - I was heartbroken when I started to see the end come together. Anyway that aside, I was happy that Bea found her chosen family with Asher, it felt like a satisfying ending, and I certainly didn't expect that would be the means that we arrived to the end.
Strangely there was a moment where I felt very exposed by the author, I go into more details in the spoilers but let's just say I am more familiar with some of the date locations and got to vicariously live some of my own fantasies. The second half of this book felt like I was reading something else, the pace picked up dramatically and I began to invest in the romantic interests and their relationships with Bea. My thoughts on the ending are in the spoilers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Sexual assault
Minor: Toxic relationship and Abortion
kelseyland's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
It was very odd to read a book that's essentially skewering the Bachelor franchise, while still finding myself falling into the trap of that type of show, where all character development and narrative arcs are reduced to "Who will they choose??" But ultimately Stayman-London is able to subvert those tropes, while showing how addictive they are. The bullying and fatphobia that the main character experiences as the first fat Bachelorette is intense and extreme, and I wouldn't call this escapist literature, but her journey is definitely a compelling one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, and Infidelity
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Rape
captainsharmie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
a cute fun romance that treats its fat girl lead with the same love and respect any romance heroine deserves. i laughed, i cried, i texted my best friend, i threatened to quit the book in the last bit because i was SO upset but the author brought it back home with a lovely ending. anyone who likes reality tv, hopeless romantics, and fat girls falling in love - please read this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Bullying
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Eating disorder and Rape
the main character is a fat woman on tv/the internet. think of all the stuff people say on the internet to women. think of all the stuff people say to fat people. that's in the book, in a steady but mild form. i only had to skip a few sections, but not all characters treat our hero like a person. none of these warnings took away from the story for me - i would say it was 90% needed for the story.