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kp_writ's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
hannahb1533's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.0
4.5 stars
*Contains mild spoilers*
This would have been a 5 star read, but I won't like it did take my probably 60-80 pages to get fully invested, but once I did... oh boy was I invested.
Our main character April is such amazing plus sized representation and just amazing representation for being who you are with no regrets. This book is so necessary for so many people, and it made me, my body type, and my personality feel seen and helped me believe in love.
A few of my favorite things the book did and focused on:
Fandom Culture
I loved the way this book embraced fandom culture. It can be too easy to pass judgement on fic writers or anyone who fully submerges themselves into a fandom, but this book does such a good job really digging into why April is so invested, what her connections with the story and the characters are, and the community that can be built around fandom.
The book does a great job showing us the juxtaposition of those who you have to hide your passions from (April's former coworkers) and those who embrace that side of you (Her new coworkers, Marcus, her fandom community). I have never written fanfiction, but I have definitely read my fair share and getting this inside glimpse at the motivations folx have for writing and continuing their favorite characters stories was very powerful.
Body Positivity
April is a fantastic representation of body positivity within literature. Honestly, if more TV shows could follow this model, more people would feel represented and seen.
I loved the layers this book brought into April and her relationship with her body. On the one hand she is outwardly comfortable in her body, she embraces her fatness (fat being a word she, as many women, has reclaimed), knows who she is and that she is not defined by her size, and becomes a role model for other women. On the other hand the book still shows those insecurities she has that creep up on any of us, no matter how confident and positive we are. The brief hesitations she has with intimacy, the assumptions she makes when Marcus mentions the gym, the hesitation to post a picture on social media, these are all real emotions and thoughts that creep through no matter how much positivity and optimism we have.
The most powerful piece of April owning her body, is in the storyline with her parents. Without spoiling too much, April is able at one point in the book to truly see the detriment her parents and their views of her body play in her life, and she is able to take a huge step in her relationship with them and herself. It is a point of power and pride that I believe will speak volumes to so many people about the ways in which they let others talk about them and make assumptions about their lives.
The Lifestyle of Fame
I really wanted to keep my review focused on how April carries this story and what she brings to the reader, but it would be impossible to review this book without mention of Marcus and what he does for the reader.
What I loved about Marcus and the way he is portrayed is the way in which he gives the reader someone to look at and say "Celebrities do understand their fans, understand their fans' passion, and can relate and embrace that."
Having Marcus also being so involved in his own fandom that he writes fics is clever. It really makes you wonder how many celebrities are out there lurking on AO3 doesn't it? But while Marcus could have a whole review of his own and his character development, I want to bring this back to April and their relationship.
I love how Marcus embraces the way April is in the fandom. He never even blinks or thinks it weird (granted him writing as well aids in this but). Their relationship is also never about her being overly showy about dating someone famous, it really focuses in on both of them seeing who each other is and bringing out the strengths in each other. Dade does a great job writing Marcus in a way in which he embraces April's body and loves her no matter how she looks, while also keeping him flawed and imperfect and allowing him to mess up, say things wrong, and have to learn and grow.
All of this, plus some pretty steamy scenes, is such a breath of fresh air for us bigger girls. To read a character being so loved and so cared for, while also not making the love interest over-fixated on her weight, or having him feel like he loves her "despite" her weight or "because of" her weight. The book really brings the aspects of April's character and feelings around her fatness in in a way that it touches on all those insecurities someone may feel, but also balances that with true embracement of who she is and a love that is built on so much more than appearances.
10/10 recommend this read to anyone who may be bigger and trying to see themselves in media, anyone who embraces fandom culture, or really anyone who just wants to believe in love.
*Contains mild spoilers*
This would have been a 5 star read, but I won't like it did take my probably 60-80 pages to get fully invested, but once I did... oh boy was I invested.
Our main character April is such amazing plus sized representation and just amazing representation for being who you are with no regrets. This book is so necessary for so many people, and it made me, my body type, and my personality feel seen and helped me believe in love.
A few of my favorite things the book did and focused on:
Fandom Culture
I loved the way this book embraced fandom culture. It can be too easy to pass judgement on fic writers or anyone who fully submerges themselves into a fandom, but this book does such a good job really digging into why April is so invested, what her connections with the story and the characters are, and the community that can be built around fandom.
The book does a great job showing us the juxtaposition of those who you have to hide your passions from (April's former coworkers) and those who embrace that side of you (Her new coworkers, Marcus, her fandom community). I have never written fanfiction, but I have definitely read my fair share and getting this inside glimpse at the motivations folx have for writing and continuing their favorite characters stories was very powerful.
Body Positivity
April is a fantastic representation of body positivity within literature. Honestly, if more TV shows could follow this model, more people would feel represented and seen.
I loved the layers this book brought into April and her relationship with her body. On the one hand she is outwardly comfortable in her body, she embraces her fatness (fat being a word she, as many women, has reclaimed), knows who she is and that she is not defined by her size, and becomes a role model for other women. On the other hand the book still shows those insecurities she has that creep up on any of us, no matter how confident and positive we are. The brief hesitations she has with intimacy, the assumptions she makes when Marcus mentions the gym, the hesitation to post a picture on social media, these are all real emotions and thoughts that creep through no matter how much positivity and optimism we have.
The most powerful piece of April owning her body, is in the storyline with her parents. Without spoiling too much, April is able at one point in the book to truly see the detriment her parents and their views of her body play in her life, and she is able to take a huge step in her relationship with them and herself. It is a point of power and pride that I believe will speak volumes to so many people about the ways in which they let others talk about them and make assumptions about their lives.
The Lifestyle of Fame
I really wanted to keep my review focused on how April carries this story and what she brings to the reader, but it would be impossible to review this book without mention of Marcus and what he does for the reader.
What I loved about Marcus and the way he is portrayed is the way in which he gives the reader someone to look at and say "Celebrities do understand their fans, understand their fans' passion, and can relate and embrace that."
Having Marcus also being so involved in his own fandom that he writes fics is clever. It really makes you wonder how many celebrities are out there lurking on AO3 doesn't it? But while Marcus could have a whole review of his own and his character development, I want to bring this back to April and their relationship.
I love how Marcus embraces the way April is in the fandom. He never even blinks or thinks it weird (granted him writing as well aids in this but). Their relationship is also never about her being overly showy about dating someone famous, it really focuses in on both of them seeing who each other is and bringing out the strengths in each other. Dade does a great job writing Marcus in a way in which he embraces April's body and loves her no matter how she looks, while also keeping him flawed and imperfect and allowing him to mess up, say things wrong, and have to learn and grow.
All of this, plus some pretty steamy scenes, is such a breath of fresh air for us bigger girls. To read a character being so loved and so cared for, while also not making the love interest over-fixated on her weight, or having him feel like he loves her "despite" her weight or "because of" her weight. The book really brings the aspects of April's character and feelings around her fatness in in a way that it touches on all those insecurities someone may feel, but also balances that with true embracement of who she is and a love that is built on so much more than appearances.
10/10 recommend this read to anyone who may be bigger and trying to see themselves in media, anyone who embraces fandom culture, or really anyone who just wants to believe in love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Ableism
dhawley's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Moderate: Ableism
anainthecastle's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
memorable's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.75
This is one of those books that you can’t put down yet you don’t want it to end. It had me laughing, almost in tears and it definitely did something to my heart. This is just so pure! And so important! All people regardless of their size are to be loved!
I loved both April and Marcus, their vulnerability, but also their fierce behaviour to set boundaries and to stand up for each other. And also the fanfic storyline is definitely something the younger part of myself can still identify with.
The only thing I didn’t love as much as the rest was the stretched and very public ending; that was simply a bit too much for my taste. Other than that, I loved it!
It’s definitely not the last time that I’ve read this book and I guess I gotta get the paperback as well, since this cover is just stunning!
I loved both April and Marcus, their vulnerability, but also their fierce behaviour to set boundaries and to stand up for each other. And also the fanfic storyline is definitely something the younger part of myself can still identify with.
The only thing I didn’t love as much as the rest was the stretched and very public ending; that was simply a bit too much for my taste. Other than that, I loved it!
It’s definitely not the last time that I’ve read this book and I guess I gotta get the paperback as well, since this cover is just stunning!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism and Fatphobia
Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Sexism
bygollyollie's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
marigo1ds's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-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? It's complicated
2.25
This is a really silly premise, made all the more silly by how cheugy the dialogue is. The clear author-insert/ the dude who played Jamie Lannister parallels were awkward and pretty unbelievable. Marcus could be annoying, but I mostly liked April. I loved that she stood up for herself at every opportunity.
It’s really nice to have a fat woman as the lead in a romance, and to have a sex scene where she is desirable. That can’t be discounted. It’s cute for sure, but it feels a lot like stumbling onto a 40 year-old’s ao3 account.
It’s really nice to have a fat woman as the lead in a romance, and to have a sex scene where she is desirable. That can’t be discounted. It’s cute for sure, but it feels a lot like stumbling onto a 40 year-old’s ao3 account.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
rainstormdragon's review against another edition
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, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
Minor: Bullying and Eating disorder
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.ifer0105's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Ableism