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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
I can't believe this is the author's debut novel! Ari is a brilliant, talented, and beautiful plus sized woman. Porter is drop dead gorgeous, successful, and in a little bit of a rut. Despite a kind of disastrous meet-cute on Ari's first day as Porter's new coworker in a prestigious Atlanta architecture firm, they have instant chemistry. The author portrays fatphobia and misogyny in a very realistic way, and and does a great job balancing those heavier themes with the swoon worthy sweet and sexy stuff.
Overall I rate this 9 out of 10
Overall I rate this 9 out of 10
This book was super cute!
Representation always matters & seeing a plus-sized FMC be a confident & strong boss chick was lovely to explore. I love how Porter loves Ari! ❤️
Workplace romance is not my favorite trope but this was funny & had me hooked from the first day of work
Representation always matters & seeing a plus-sized FMC be a confident & strong boss chick was lovely to explore. I love how Porter loves Ari! ❤️
Workplace romance is not my favorite trope but this was funny & had me hooked from the first day of work
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
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:
Yes
A very sweet story, I really enjoyed the fact that the characters were in their 40s and the challenges they faced reflected that.
The sex scenes were great, the fat positivity was great, the side characters were great. Overall, I loved this book and will definitely check out others by this author.
The sex scenes were great, the fat positivity was great, the side characters were great. Overall, I loved this book and will definitely check out others by this author.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
This was a super fun read for me!
I have to say that I think I was even more obsessed with this book from the jump because it takes place in Atlanta. I loved all the references to landmarks and well known places in the city. It was so fun!
Read this for:
- Workplace romance
- Plus size rep
- Forced Proximity
- Just a hookup
- He's gone for her
Ari is trying to start over and is finding herself back in the same situation she was trying to leave behind. She is once again attracted and then becoming involved with her co-worker Porter. She can't have the same thing happen where it effects her job. This time she forces herself to not let herself truly fall for Porter.
Porter is totally gone for Ari from the start. This man wants to be her one and only and you can tell by all the moves he makes to support her, and show his affection.
I loved the plus size representation that was included. It painted a realistic picture showing the challenges Ari encountered in the workplace, relationships and her day to day life.
The chemistry between Ari and Porter was felt throughout the book. The fact that they were an older couple was also great to see represented in romance.
Can't wait to read more from Tati Richardson!
I have to say that I think I was even more obsessed with this book from the jump because it takes place in Atlanta. I loved all the references to landmarks and well known places in the city. It was so fun!
Read this for:
- Workplace romance
- Plus size rep
- Forced Proximity
- Just a hookup
- He's gone for her
Ari is trying to start over and is finding herself back in the same situation she was trying to leave behind. She is once again attracted and then becoming involved with her co-worker Porter. She can't have the same thing happen where it effects her job. This time she forces herself to not let herself truly fall for Porter.
Porter is totally gone for Ari from the start. This man wants to be her one and only and you can tell by all the moves he makes to support her, and show his affection.
I loved the plus size representation that was included. It painted a realistic picture showing the challenges Ari encountered in the workplace, relationships and her day to day life.
The chemistry between Ari and Porter was felt throughout the book. The fact that they were an older couple was also great to see represented in romance.
Can't wait to read more from Tati Richardson!
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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:
No
I really enjoyed this debut novel and hope Tati Richardson continues to write more books! Build up was the perfect name for this book! The "build up" relationship and chemistry between the two main characters was super cute. The workplace description and storyline seemed very believable. The sexual harassment was annoying, I'm sure situations like this happen all the time to women. This novel also tackled weight/fatphibia, classism, and colorism. It was refreshing to read an older adult romamce, especially with a confident plus size woman. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Anna Lynn Wright and Vance Goodwin.
The Build Up was an incredibly cute, fast-paced romcom that centers a later-in-life love between a compassionate, intelligent hero and plus-sized, brilliant heroine, without making these intersections of their identities feel like overkill. I also love how the topic of workplace SA—or even the perception of such—written from this POV, because it is often times not slanted this way.
Tati Richardson masterfully writes about issues that plague the Black community without writing it in a way that centers coddling the oppressor and breaking things down for them that often serves as browbeating for Black readers from other authors whose books cover the same topics. I really loved this one and would love to see more from these two! Even the supporting characters were dynamic, fun, and hilarious.
4.25 ⭐️’s
2
Tati Richardson masterfully writes about issues that plague the Black community without writing it in a way that centers coddling the oppressor and breaking things down for them that often serves as browbeating for Black readers from other authors whose books cover the same topics. I really loved this one and would love to see more from these two! Even the supporting characters were dynamic, fun, and hilarious.
4.25 ⭐️’s
2
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-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:
No