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kelseyland's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Body shaming, Infidelity, and Bullying
Moderate: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Cursing
Minor: Rape
captainsharmie's review against another edition
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Bullying
Moderate: Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Minor: Eating disorder and Rape
the main character is a fat woman on tv/the internet. think of all the stuff people say on the internet to women. think of all the stuff people say to fat people. that's in the book, in a steady but mild form. i only had to skip a few sections, but not all characters treat our hero like a person. none of these warnings took away from the story for me - i would say it was 90% needed for the story.jbellomy's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Grief
fayelle's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was definitely a fun book - romantic, funny, sappy, sad... but it felt like there was another book sending messages and making us aware of issues - and that was fabulous but the 2 didn't gel fabulously into one book. A great read I thought about a lot but also felt like it was trying so hard to be more - it accomplished that but not naturally, but kind of forced.
Still fun!
Still fun!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault
whatcaitreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, and Panic attacks/disorders
fromjuliereads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I can't really figure out my feelings on this book. I honestly think it is closer to a 3.5 rating for me.
I struggled with the fact that there were only 4 female characters, and one becomes the villain... why do we keep needing storylines like this? But I think my biggest issue is that none of these characters felt fully developed to me. Even the main characters. And there wasn't really any character growth? I think I just had higher expectations for this book that weren't met... which is okay!
It has some fantastic moments. If you are a fan of any of the Bachelor- type shows, definitely recommend reading this one. It felt exactly like when I used to watch a season when I was younger!
I struggled with the fact that there were only 4 female characters, and one becomes the villain... why do we keep needing storylines like this? But I think my biggest issue is that none of these characters felt fully developed to me. Even the main characters. And there wasn't really any character growth? I think I just had higher expectations for this book that weren't met... which is okay!
It has some fantastic moments. If you are a fan of any of the Bachelor- type shows, definitely recommend reading this one. It felt exactly like when I used to watch a season when I was younger!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Sexual content
ajparmentier's review against another edition
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 ahappy 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.
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,
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
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Bullying
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Sexism
Minor: Sexual content
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