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maggies's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
5.0
I have fond memories of watching The Bachelor/Bachelorette as a teen, and this book felt both comfortable and exciting for its obvious parallels to the reality series! I loved, loved, loved Bea and her suitors, her family and friends - the whole cast seemed full and real, and the villains were certainly villainous. A sweet, drama-filled love story was just what I needed *chef's kiss*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Grief, Abandonment, and Infidelity
Minor: Abortion, Pregnancy, and Eating disorder
casey_sunshine's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, and Misogyny
Moderate: Toxic friendship
Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, Abortion, Death of parent, and Death
outtoexist's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
This. Was. Awful. I mean, really. First off, there is no reason a book about a fat chick being on the bachelorette needs to be more than 400 pages long. ESPECIALLY given that it is fade to black style - no spicy scenes here! Now for more specific complaints...
I feel like the main character calling out Gone With The Wind as her favorite romance novel is white bullshit bordering on a dog whistle. I mean, all I've ever heard about that book is how racist it is. Maybe that is generational, but this book is also SO heavy handed on gen Z phrases. You can't have it both ways.
In addition to the dog whistle, the race of individuals was exclusively mentioned when it mattered in a Diversity sense. This was partly due to the authors overarching difficulty describing ANYONE, at all. But it felt especially jarring when it came to people races not being mentioned at all until ideal moments for the white gaze.
I read 432 pages about a fat woman, and the whole book centered on her weight and her relationship with it, and I can not picture her. She was described as fat, obviously, but fat is not a body shape... She was described as wearing a belt for the "illusion of a waist" which gives a bit of an image... But beyond that? She was said to have dimpled thighs which MOST cis women do... And nothing else. I couldn't picture her body which was the MAIN POINT of the book!!
It was just overall not well written. It needed another pass from an editor. It was too long, WAY too long. There was a point where someone cut another person off, like interrupted them... In a chat room. Which is impossible, obviously.
For being a book about how fat women deserve to be on the bachelorette too (they do) she literally got dumped by EVERY MAN but one, who was the too-young puppy dog!
I've no clue how this book got so popular, it was painful to read and I walked away completely unsure of why I was supposed to care.
I feel like the main character calling out Gone With The Wind as her favorite romance novel is white bullshit bordering on a dog whistle. I mean, all I've ever heard about that book is how racist it is. Maybe that is generational, but this book is also SO heavy handed on gen Z phrases. You can't have it both ways.
In addition to the dog whistle, the race of individuals was exclusively mentioned when it mattered in a Diversity sense. This was partly due to the authors overarching difficulty describing ANYONE, at all. But it felt especially jarring when it came to people races not being mentioned at all until ideal moments for the white gaze.
I read 432 pages about a fat woman, and the whole book centered on her weight and her relationship with it, and I can not picture her. She was described as fat, obviously, but fat is not a body shape... She was described as wearing a belt for the "illusion of a waist" which gives a bit of an image... But beyond that? She was said to have dimpled thighs which MOST cis women do... And nothing else. I couldn't picture her body which was the MAIN POINT of the book!!
It was just overall not well written. It needed another pass from an editor. It was too long, WAY too long. There was a point where someone cut another person off, like interrupted them... In a chat room. Which is impossible, obviously.
For being a book about how fat women deserve to be on the bachelorette too (they do) she literally got dumped by EVERY MAN but one, who was the too-young puppy dog!
I've no clue how this book got so popular, it was painful to read and I walked away completely unsure of why I was supposed to care.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, and Infidelity
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Abortion
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: Abortion, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders
baexlee's review
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
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