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ohsnapsabrina93_'s review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Not really into romance novels but this one was cute story. Alot of challenges on the way, but the main character made it through & it inspired me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Body shaming
kyrstin_p1989's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-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
3.0
I felt like this book treated fatness as a problem to solve instead of fully allowing Savvy to embrace her figure, the only way she begins to love herself is by noticing how her body has changed from the beginning of her workout journey til the end. To me, body positivity is about loving the skin you’re in without having to change yourself and this book didn’t really espouse those ideals. I liked the romance aspects and the friends made me laugh out loud often so the book wasn’t a total wash.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Dysphoria, Misogyny, Sexism, Gaslighting, Body horror, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
daja's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Starting this book was such a treat! This book follows Savvy Sheldon, a plus size Black woman who is freshly out of a bad relationship. Because of this, she goes on a journey of improving her life romantically, health-wise and career-wise.
The beginning of the story started so strong from me, especially the first chapter. Savvy's ex had the audacity to say certain things to her and I was so here for her revenge glow-up (I know it wasn't the healthiest way to go about being on a diet, I was here for the potential scene of pettiness). However, that quickly lost its glamour. Savvy is pretty insecure about her weight and has low self-esteem. I knew this was going to be a focus for her character growth because it was a major motivation for her to get healthy. However, after a certain point, I started to get annoyed with Savvy's insecurity. Even 70% into the story, it felt like she was still super insecure and not really learning to love herself. She was doing all of these tennis lessons and yoga sessions but it didn't feel like her self-esteem was improving. Others had to point out to her that she was growing and becoming healthier. It wasn't until the very end that she really saw her own beauty. Also, the glow-up really only felt superficial. I didn't really see her do the internal work to improve her self-esteem. It was mainly the male love interest, her friends and her working out that made up her growth arc and I think that's why the entire character arc didn't work for me. Her entire glow-up wasn't the healthiest way to go about trying to get healthy either.
I didn't hate Savvy's character, though. I really loved that she loved how to cook. The food descriptions sounded so good! And I really liked how caring she was of other people. I also really enjoyed the friend groups of each of the love interests. They were so funny and I loved how supportive they were. Spencer, the love interest, wasn't really that interesting. He was a contractor who worked on her house and had a dog but honestly, I don't think he felt like a real person to me. To me, this is because most of the book felt more like a women's fiction novel than a romance. Most of the book focused on Savvy and her trying to grow. Like I mentioned before, a lot of that was her yoga sessions and tennis lessons. Those scenes felt very repetitive to me and I wish that it would have focused on building the romance between Savvy and Spencer. Spencer almost fell for her instantly and I couldn't really see why he liked her. I know he was attracted to her but there was nothing else I really got from it.
Overall, it was an okay read. It probably should have been marketed as a women's fiction novel. Also, if it engaged in more about Savvy's life outside of the fitness aspects, I probably would have enjoyed it more.
The beginning of the story started so strong from me, especially the first chapter. Savvy's ex had the audacity to say certain things to her and I was so here for her revenge glow-up (I know it wasn't the healthiest way to go about being on a diet, I was here for the potential scene of pettiness). However, that quickly lost its glamour. Savvy is pretty insecure about her weight and has low self-esteem. I knew this was going to be a focus for her character growth because it was a major motivation for her to get healthy. However, after a certain point, I started to get annoyed with Savvy's insecurity. Even 70% into the story, it felt like she was still super insecure and not really learning to love herself. She was doing all of these tennis lessons and yoga sessions but it didn't feel like her self-esteem was improving. Others had to point out to her that she was growing and becoming healthier. It wasn't until the very end that she really saw her own beauty. Also, the glow-up really only felt superficial. I didn't really see her do the internal work to improve her self-esteem. It was mainly the male love interest, her friends and her working out that made up her growth arc and I think that's why the entire character arc didn't work for me. Her entire glow-up wasn't the healthiest way to go about trying to get healthy either.
I didn't hate Savvy's character, though. I really loved that she loved how to cook. The food descriptions sounded so good! And I really liked how caring she was of other people. I also really enjoyed the friend groups of each of the love interests. They were so funny and I loved how supportive they were. Spencer, the love interest, wasn't really that interesting. He was a contractor who worked on her house and had a dog but honestly, I don't think he felt like a real person to me. To me, this is because most of the book felt more like a women's fiction novel than a romance. Most of the book focused on Savvy and her trying to grow. Like I mentioned before, a lot of that was her yoga sessions and tennis lessons. Those scenes felt very repetitive to me and I wish that it would have focused on building the romance between Savvy and Spencer. Spencer almost fell for her instantly and I couldn't really see why he liked her. I know he was attracted to her but there was nothing else I really got from it.
Overall, it was an okay read. It probably should have been marketed as a women's fiction novel. Also, if it engaged in more about Savvy's life outside of the fitness aspects, I probably would have enjoyed it more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Fatphobia, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual assault
kellyskubic's review
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
Minor: Toxic relationship and Fire/Fire injury
raisinglebarre's review
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
This was the perfect lighthearted read. I really appreciate how strong and healthy friendships was such a big part of this book. I cackled multiple times because it felt so relatable and there were many times I could see some of my friends doing and saying the same things. Even though it's a romance, this book is truly a testament to the importance of having great friends as an adult.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
aproudmc13's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Fatphobia
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Body shaming
mamawantsbooks's review
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
peachani's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, and Fire/Fire injury
debby_caleb's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, and Body shaming
thefatpaperback's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
First off, this really isn’t a romance. It’s a fiction book with a romance subplot. Overall, I just don’t think this was a book for me, as it is about one’s journey to self love. It will likely resonate with readers who are beginning a journey toward accepting and loving their bodies. However if you, like me, enjoy reading books where someone’s fatness is either not problematized in the plot OR the MC is already confident in their bodies and combats stigma, then this likely isn’t the read for you. It will also likely be a difficult read if you struggle with an eating disorder and/or body image concerns.
Savvy’s character describes on-page her negative feelings about her body, and much of the plot is focused on Savvy achieving a “revenge body.” There are discussions about dieting, clean eating, using exercise as a way to “earn” food, implementing workplace wellness programs, and some mentions of weight loss. While her “revenge body” plan is supposedly not about losing weight, there are later comments in the book about Savvy wishing the scale would show her progress.
A pro for the book is that it discusses some of the very real ways fat people face stigma, but a con is that it doesn’t push toward breaking down that fat stigma. Instead, the book and Savvy’s character focuses on prioritizing health, even at the risk of perpetuating some anti-fatness and ableism, such as jokes about sugar intake and diabetes.
It’s a complicated read for me because I love reading about fat people and our experiences—and Savvy Sheldon does illustrate real experiences for so many of us. She also gets the happy ending, which is delightful for fat readers. This book will likely resonate with many, but if you struggle with an eating disorder or have complicated feelings about the “revenge body” concept, I encourage you to proceed with caution.
Savvy’s character describes on-page her negative feelings about her body, and much of the plot is focused on Savvy achieving a “revenge body.” There are discussions about dieting, clean eating, using exercise as a way to “earn” food, implementing workplace wellness programs, and some mentions of weight loss. While her “revenge body” plan is supposedly not about losing weight, there are later comments in the book about Savvy wishing the scale would show her progress.
A pro for the book is that it discusses some of the very real ways fat people face stigma, but a con is that it doesn’t push toward breaking down that fat stigma. Instead, the book and Savvy’s character focuses on prioritizing health, even at the risk of perpetuating some anti-fatness and ableism, such as jokes about sugar intake and diabetes.
It’s a complicated read for me because I love reading about fat people and our experiences—and Savvy Sheldon does illustrate real experiences for so many of us. She also gets the happy ending, which is delightful for fat readers. This book will likely resonate with many, but if you struggle with an eating disorder or have complicated feelings about the “revenge body” concept, I encourage you to proceed with caution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Abandonment
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