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gingerale06's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Moderate: Ableism and Emotional abuse
Minor: Eating disorder
morganwiard's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Listened on audiobook. I don’t know if I LOVED this, but I definitely did not hate it.
Loved: the emotional depth. The REALNESS of what fat women go through with their thinner parents and what they go through dating thinner men. The sweetness between the couple. The emotional availability of the love interest and the desire to be with the main character without acting like he’s a hero for dating a fat girl - basically normalizing a thin man wanting to be with a fat girl cause she’s just awesome and he likes her both personally and sexually.
Not for me: the message board style of reading and the meta-show-within-a-show style.
Here’s the long and short of it all: I liked the characters, the relationship, and the plot enough to ignore the aspects of the book I didn’t like. And I think that’s rare to find.
I will absolutely read more by this author.
Loved: the emotional depth. The REALNESS of what fat women go through with their thinner parents and what they go through dating thinner men. The sweetness between the couple. The emotional availability of the love interest and the desire to be with the main character without acting like he’s a hero for dating a fat girl - basically normalizing a thin man wanting to be with a fat girl cause she’s just awesome and he likes her both personally and sexually.
Not for me: the message board style of reading and the meta-show-within-a-show style.
Here’s the long and short of it all: I liked the characters, the relationship, and the plot enough to ignore the aspects of the book I didn’t like. And I think that’s rare to find.
I will absolutely read more by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Minor: Eating disorder
erikalv97's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this book, it was so fun to read but it also had great character depth.
Definitely 18+ so check the cw
Definitely 18+ so check the cw
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
lizzzzzzzz'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? Yes
4.5
I lovvveeee this book! I thought it was so well written, the characters were so lovable, and the message was fantastic. Also, I usually don’t read books with older character (in this case they were 35&40) but I was pleasantly surprised and I think it very well suited the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia
mandaraffe's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Eating disorder
hayleyvem's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing and Dysphoria
Minor: Pregnancy, Eating disorder, and Alcohol
ourxstorybegins's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Eating disorder, and Sexual content
Minor: Racism and Sexism
thelittlebookishcorner's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I will sit down and re-read this one. I enjoyed April and Marcus and their chemistry, and the spice was good ;)
~ spoiler free ~
I loved reading about a plus size main character who didn't want to alter or change her body for her partner. April was a strong woman who liked herself and her body and who enjoyed her sexuality. Marcus was a kind and sensitive partner, who had his own self worth issues and body image issues. I enjoyed the spice and how much Marcus appreciated April and made her feel loved. I thought the side characters (Alex, and the rest of Marcus' cast mates) were interesting and I will seek out the rest in the series. It was cute, funny, and had some good spice.
~ spoilers below ~
More things I liked:
- April setting boundaries with her parents and other people who made her question her self worth.
- Marcus setting boundaries with his parents too.
- I loved their love scenes
- Alex was a fun side character - he is a little shit and I cannot wait to read the next book which is about him.
~ spoiler free ~
I loved reading about a plus size main character who didn't want to alter or change her body for her partner. April was a strong woman who liked herself and her body and who enjoyed her sexuality. Marcus was a kind and sensitive partner, who had his own self worth issues and body image issues. I enjoyed the spice and how much Marcus appreciated April and made her feel loved. I thought the side characters (Alex, and the rest of Marcus' cast mates) were interesting and I will seek out the rest in the series. It was cute, funny, and had some good spice.
~ spoilers below ~
More things I liked:
- April setting boundaries with her parents and other people who made her question her self worth.
- Marcus setting boundaries with his parents too.
- I loved their love scenes
- Alex was a fun side character - he is a little shit and I cannot wait to read the next book which is about him.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, and Eating disorder
plantbasedbride's review
emotional
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
2.0
I was very excited to dive into this book as a GoT fan who is relatively new to the romance genre. I heard over and over again from booktubers whose opinions I trust that it was a fantastic read with awesome fat rep. I loved the cover and found the synopsis intriguing.
But.
This book was not what I expected it to be.
While I started off quite liking both April and Marcus, my opinion of them plummeted as the story progressed. April is supposed to provide positive fat rep, but (and I am not and have never been fat so take my opinion with a grain of salt) she was hypersensitive to any and all actions that could in any way be related to her size (and in almost every case, they have nothing to do with her) and refused to communicate her needs and feelings. Marcus felt like a teenager in a 40-year-old's body and was constantly over apologizing (and I have anxiety, I understand over apologizing. But he over-over apologized about everything to the nth degree). They were both incredibly immature, lacked communication skills, and were melodramatic as hell.
There were cute moments here and there (mostly concentrated at the very beginning) but my overarching feeling while reading this was discomfort, in large part due to the overt author-insert nature of the story and the very thinly veiled inspiration for Marcus, the famous actor. As an actor myself (though not a famous one) the idea of someone writing a romance with a love interest based on what they know of an actor from their work and interviews while making it blatantly clear which actor they're meant to be is incredibly unsettling. It feels like Dade crossed a line here.
It honestly felt like she wrote this book just to have an excuse to go on about her hatred of the final season of GoT for 400+ pages, which, while relatable, is in poor taste.
I'm glad this book served as positive rep for many fat and dyslexic readers, but I'd recommend staying away if what I've mentioned in this review has you feeling wary. I'd also recommend reading reviews written by fat readers who can give their own views on the representation.
But.
This book was not what I expected it to be.
While I started off quite liking both April and Marcus, my opinion of them plummeted as the story progressed. April is supposed to provide positive fat rep, but (and I am not and have never been fat so take my opinion with a grain of salt) she was hypersensitive to any and all actions that could in any way be related to her size (and in almost every case, they have nothing to do with her) and refused to communicate her needs and feelings. Marcus felt like a teenager in a 40-year-old's body and was constantly over apologizing (and I have anxiety, I understand over apologizing. But he over-over apologized about everything to the nth degree). They were both incredibly immature, lacked communication skills, and were melodramatic as hell.
There were cute moments here and there (mostly concentrated at the very beginning) but my overarching feeling while reading this was discomfort, in large part due to the overt author-insert nature of the story and the very thinly veiled inspiration for Marcus, the famous actor. As an actor myself (though not a famous one) the idea of someone writing a romance with a love interest based on what they know of an actor from their work and interviews while making it blatantly clear which actor they're meant to be is incredibly unsettling. It feels like Dade crossed a line here.
It honestly felt like she wrote this book just to have an excuse to go on about her hatred of the final season of GoT for 400+ pages, which, while relatable, is in poor taste.
I'm glad this book served as positive rep for many fat and dyslexic readers, but I'd recommend staying away if what I've mentioned in this review has you feeling wary. I'd also recommend reading reviews written by fat readers who can give their own views on the representation.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
rainstormdragon's review
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-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
4.5
Really great depiction of the world of fanfiction and its appeal to fans, as well as the betrayal felt from scriptwriters throwing away plotting and character development for shock value! I enjoyed this book a lot. Making the fics themselves so much a part of the book made it even better. A good balance of steaminess, humor, and angst with maybe a little more angst than I would have liked. But the characters were very well developed and their internal conflicts resolved in ways consistent with their characters. This book is not for the reader who wants their characters flawless, though! They both make some pretty big mistakes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Fatphobia, and Body shaming
Minor: Eating disorder and Bullying
Trigger warnings: The heroine is naturally plus-sized and has accepted that about herself but is still sensitive about others commenting on it, especially her mother, who is obsessed with herself and her daughter staying slim. She struggles with insecurity around relationships because she is afraid she will not be accepted for who she is. She also is shown dealing with some online hate after posting a picture of herself in cosplay. The hero is dyslexic and his academic parents homeschooled him in a way that ended up being pretty traumatic for him as he could never succeed by their standards. He has been made to feel that he is not intelligent enough and developed a cheerful, dumb on screen persona that he now doesn't know how to escape.