Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - One to Watch

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.

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kelseyland's review against another edition

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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.

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captainsharmie's review against another edition

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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!

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jbellomy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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samchase112's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This Bachelor-inspired romantic drama was a really interesting read, and a much-needed look into what it means to live as a fat woman in modern day. Stayman-London obviously did her research, for all aspects of her novel, and Bea was a fantastic, rootable character. My favorite part of the book was the social media reactions to what was going on in the show - honestly, it would have been so cool if that was the entire novel - because it made what was happening feel like a real production of the Bachelorette. The romance ended up sweet, but it was definitely rough going. I probably would not have picked this one up if I wasn't reading it for the Romancetheque Book Club, because I don't want all the drama, but I ended up enjoying it. While I didn't find myself itching to pick it up and find out what happened (the library due date got me to finish it so quickly) I was enjoyed myself and would definitely recommend this as a good, realistic-but-still-a-reality-show romance.

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ajparmentier's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a great reality tv romance. I was absolutely gripped it had the drama but the main character's emotional journey was also very satisfying. I do have a few caveats. A good portion of this book is written in internet articles, podcast transcripts, and text and chat logs. Not up to 50%, but enough that if you don't like that sort of thing this book might be frustrating. There is so much fatphobia in this book. Not from the author, but because the author realistically depicts how the world would react to a fat contestant on a dating show. This is really intense early on in the book, but tapers out and only comes up occasionally later on in the book.

With such a large cast of bachelors, some amount of short-handing was bound to happen. I did find myself able to get invested in Bea's relationships with the bachelors that were around for longer, but it did feel like the men of color didn't have much of a cultural identity. I'm not a part of those groups so take that analysis with a grain of salt. As to other representation I can speak for,

the bisexual is depicted as promiscuous and the asexual as a blushing virgin. I'm not too impressed with either of those, even though I did enjoy the characters.

I thought this was pretty good fat rep. This is not the story of a woman fully confident at the beginning, but I felt the book made a good choice in focusing on how Bea felt insecure, rather than describing how Bea felt physically about her body. So many stories dwell on the protagonist thinking about all her "rolls of fat." Bea did feel uncomfortable sometimes, but there was less of the self hatred if you know what I mean. Also, Bea is a fashion blogger and she got to wear so many beautiful outfits that made her feel beautiful and powerful! If you want a story about a fat girl who is fully confident from the beginning with all sorts of boys being her prince charming, however, this isn't that kind of story. And it's not really escapist. It has a

happy

ending.

But yeah it was a really cathartic and engaging read. I got to indulge in a story intimately familiar with reality dating shows and internet fandom about them, while also not having to watch any of those shows (because they make me super anxious and I can't deal with the artifice). Juicy juicy drama, even though parts of the book were super hard to read.

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