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kingrosereads's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This is the first Bachelor-esque romance novel I’ve read since I hate The Bachelor and everything it stands for. But when I saw the blurb about this book and that the protagonist was plus-sized, I had to read it. It’s a cute little PG romcom Cinderella retelling with a sprinkle of instalove between Cindy and Henry. I love that Cindy is this confident plus-sized young woman who knows her worth (I can tell you I did not have the same confidence when I was 23). I appreciate that she loves fashion, shoes, and food, and no one gives her shit about it. She’s a big girl and she’s allowed to eat. Cindy’s so sure of herself and willing to stand up for herself. I think her stepsisters, Drew and Anna, are great and they stick up for their sister. The relationship between Cindy and her stepfamily is great and I really like that as a Cinderella retelling they weren’t just downright ugly towards her. Cindy actually pulls away from them as she’s wrapped up in the grief of losing her father suddenly a few years after her mother dies from cancer. I think Henry and Cindy have great chemistry, though it was icky that he was dating and flirty with other women (even if it was acting). This is advertised as an adult romance but really it’d be appropriate for 16 year olds to read (sorry, no spice just fluff). If you’re looking for just some cute romance with good plus sized representation, this is your book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia and Death of parent
Minor: Terminal illness and Car accident
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
This was a really cute read with a really likeable protagonist. My only real complaint is the ending. It came totally out of nowhere, didn't really match Cindy's character and was a really big dick move. Was there no other outcome besides humiliating your love interest on national television for basically no reason? Why would you just assume none of it was real when he strongly implied it was? It doesn't make sense to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying and Grief
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, and Car accident
ishouldbereading's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I expected SO much from this book, I was so sure this will be a 5 star read. However, this book disappointed me greatly.
First off, they had so little chemistry I almost couldn't believe they should be in love. They had their moments, you could say, but it wasn't something to root for. But to be fair, Henry had zero chemistry with all the girls. Next up, Henry altogether. He was so flatly written, I still don't know who he is. He had no character traits and so many things about him didn't make sense. Especially his decision making, mainly in the end, made no sense.
Now the body positivity part. I really REALLY liked that nobody really cared about her being plus-sized (except Addison, I still want to know what she said) and she seemed confident in her body. I loved the part when she made her own dress and her comments in the show about being plus-sized. I especially loved that Henry didn't make the cheesy comments in most body-positivity books/movies and just seemed to not even realize it. But I feel like we didn't get that big of a respond from public. Yes, the audience loved her, but I wanted to know more. I know they didn't have phones in most of the book but they could add a little more audience reaction, tweets and just women appreciating her.
Now my probably biggest issue with this book: It felt like a copy of Selection. Most of the characters and plot was the same as in Selection. And let me tell you, I liked Selection more, it was better written. The participants were the same and yeah, it makes sense that they were similiar since they're both based on The Bachelor but these similiarities felt too similiar. Addison was a total copy of Celeste, Sarah Claire was Kriss, Anne was Marlee and so on and so on.
But the best part about this book was the retelling. The little details like her having blue dress and those shoes, midnight and all those cute references. It was such a good retelling and I loved that her stepmom wasn't evil. It felt natural and it's my favourite retelling so far.
First off, they had so little chemistry I almost couldn't believe they should be in love. They had their moments, you could say, but it wasn't something to root for. But to be fair, Henry had zero chemistry with all the girls. Next up, Henry altogether. He was so flatly written, I still don't know who he is. He had no character traits and so many things about him didn't make sense. Especially his decision making, mainly in the end, made no sense.
Now the body positivity part. I really REALLY liked that nobody really cared about her being plus-sized (except Addison, I still want to know what she said) and she seemed confident in her body. I loved the part when she made her own dress and her comments in the show about being plus-sized. I especially loved that Henry didn't make the cheesy comments in most body-positivity books/movies and just seemed to not even realize it. But I feel like we didn't get that big of a respond from public. Yes, the audience loved her, but I wanted to know more. I know they didn't have phones in most of the book but they could add a little more audience reaction, tweets and just women appreciating her.
Now my probably biggest issue with this book: It felt like a copy of Selection. Most of the characters and plot was the same as in Selection. And let me tell you, I liked Selection more, it was better written. The participants were the same and yeah, it makes sense that they were similiar since they're both based on The Bachelor but these similiarities felt too similiar. Addison was a total copy of Celeste, Sarah Claire was Kriss, Anne was Marlee and so on and so on.
But the best part about this book was the retelling. The little details like her having blue dress and those shoes, midnight and all those cute references. It was such a good retelling and I loved that her stepmom wasn't evil. It felt natural and it's my favourite retelling so far.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Grief
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, Car accident, and Alcohol
le3713's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Delightful take on Cinderella, with a Bachelor-inspired setting. Many aspects reminded me of One to Watch. I particularly loved the way that this book evoked, and then changed, the familiar Cinderella story. Henry and Cindy have one of my favorite meet cutes in recent memory. This was a quick read and lacked some of the depth of character and relationship development I look for in romance, but was still very enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Cancer and Car accident
itsmeyseniab's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
THIS WAS SO CUTE!
If you're looking for a fluffy, make-you-smile-from-ear-to-ear, butterflies-in-your-tummy romcom this is the one for you! AND it's a body-positive, Cinderella retelling (with a different family dynamic than we're used to seeing in the original)?! Set in a Bachelor/Bachelorette-esque television show?! With a confident, talented, and funny female lead who has goals beyond finding a partner?! This book is literal perfection and it's being shelved in my mind as a book to pick up whenever I'm feeling sad and need a little pick me up!
If you're looking for a fluffy, make-you-smile-from-ear-to-ear, butterflies-in-your-tummy romcom this is the one for you! AND it's a body-positive, Cinderella retelling (with a different family dynamic than we're used to seeing in the original)?! Set in a Bachelor/Bachelorette-esque television show?! With a confident, talented, and funny female lead who has goals beyond finding a partner?! This book is literal perfection and it's being shelved in my mind as a book to pick up whenever I'm feeling sad and need a little pick me up!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia and Grief
Minor: Cancer, Infertility, Miscarriage, Car accident, and Death of parent
this_momma_is_booked's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I thought this book was a very cute read about a plus-size bachelor-style contestant! What I loved most about it was that Cindy's body was a main focus for everyone else in the book but her. She didn't care what others thought of her and she loved her body. Even more important, she did her part to take matters into her own hands to showcase her body in a way that highlighted it's beauty. I appreciate that Henry not once mentioned her body - he took her exactly as she is with no caveats or asterisks involved.
Grief ran as an undercurrent of the plot and I think it was done so well. Julie Murphy really did a great job showing how one doesn't ever move on from grief, just learns to live with it, and how it can still sneak up on you and punch you in the gut when you least expect it. I LOVE that she subverted the whole "evil stepfamily" plotline that is typical of Cinderella stories because this is not always the case and it is so important to show that family isn't always blood.
This is a zero on the steam scale, for those who are wondering. But cute, nonetheless!
Grief ran as an undercurrent of the plot and I think it was done so well. Julie Murphy really did a great job showing how one doesn't ever move on from grief, just learns to live with it, and how it can still sneak up on you and punch you in the gut when you least expect it. I LOVE that she subverted the whole "evil stepfamily" plotline that is typical of Cinderella stories because this is not always the case and it is so important to show that family isn't always blood.
This is a zero on the steam scale, for those who are wondering. But cute, nonetheless!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Cancer and Car accident
rebecca713's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
The dialogue seemed a little unnatural and I wasn't that attached to the characters, but the premise was fun and it was engaging!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Terminal illness, Car accident, and Death of parent
saffyre's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, and Car accident
kayladaila's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, and Death
Minor: Fatphobia, Misogyny, Grief, Car accident, and Alcohol
readwithde's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was the perfect rom-com, and that's coming from someone who really dislikes Cinderella and Cinderella retellings.
The fast pace left little room for how "real" the narrative might be, but I liked that it focused on the "actiony" bits instead of a lot of commentary. While I think the book did a great job of showcasing problems with sizes in the fashion industry, as well as inclusivity in media, it felt very natural and past of what was happening.
I really liked Henry and Cindy, but they seemed not-quite three dimensional; I could honestly barely remember Cindy's name! I think that's what made it such a fun read, though: I could picture almost anyone going through this, including myself.
Overall, it was like a cookie skillet sundae: warm, gooey, a bit original but still pretty vague, yet comforting. And best if indulged quickly.
The fast pace left little room for how "real" the narrative might be, but I liked that it focused on the "actiony" bits instead of a lot of commentary. While I think the book did a great job of showcasing problems with sizes in the fashion industry, as well as inclusivity in media, it felt very natural and past of what was happening.
I really liked Henry and Cindy, but they seemed not-quite three dimensional; I could honestly barely remember Cindy's name! I think that's what made it such a fun read, though: I could picture almost anyone going through this, including myself.
Overall, it was like a cookie skillet sundae: warm, gooey, a bit original but still pretty vague, yet comforting. And best if indulged quickly.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Fatphobia, and Grief
Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, Sexual content, Car accident, and Death of parent