Reviews with content warning for Fatphobia - Bet Me

Reviews tagging 'Fatphobia'

Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

8 reviews

allingoodtime's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Since it is not something that can be parsed out by the blurb of this book, I want to make it very clear this story contains a LOT of body shaming and internalized fatphobia. The arc the MFC has to make is learning to love her body and understanding that she is actually sexy and wonderful. It turns out to be very inspiring and those closest to Min always lift her up. Yet I know this is a huge trigger for some people and feel it needs to be known before going in. Also, this book was published in 2004 so the language used in regards to food and bodies is of that time. Quite grating.

The way this story is set up reminds me of a sitcom in many ways. We don’t just get the POV of Min and Cal. Once in a while we see things from the POV of their exes and their friends. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that the first time it happened, but it worked. You’re able to see all the forces working against this couple and the way fate just won’t let them get away from each other.

Because of the language used about some issues and the way technology was sometimes referenced, the story feels dated at times. This made the first few chapters move a little slow for me. Things evened out and the flow was much smoother once I got used to it and was invested in Cal and Min’s relationship. They are great together and kept this story engaging. I wanted to know what they’d say to each other next. They did not like each other when they first met but they were never mean to each other. As much as they didn’t get along, they couldn’t seem to forget each other. Even when they weren’t being inadvertently thrust together by circumstance.

While I loved the romance overall, my favorite part of this story is how much Cal is attracted to Min and lets her know it over and over. And when she disparages herself, he tells her she’s not listening and reiterates what he said. It never comes across as her fishing for compliments or being a Debbie downer. Cal never comes across as smarmy or insincere. It’s a great balance and helps build Min up in the one area of her life she’s always felt has kept her down.

This was my first Jennifer Crusie book. I enjoyed it enough that I’m sure I’ll read more by her.

Content Warnings

latetotheparty's review

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funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

My first J. Crusie romance (July 2023) and I really enjoyed it! The start of the plot was weird to me but not enough that it's bothersome. I liked all of the supporting characters - friends, family, etc. I understand that there's some debate amongst romance readers about how to describe fat or not-perfectly-conventionally-attractive main characters and bodies in general: as descriptive as one would be with a thin/fit one or just talk about the highlights. I like how Crusie did it here with her descriptions of Minerva and think I'd have appreciated it back in 2004.

Content Warnings

emilyveryromance's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-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? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

mariakureads's review against another edition

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funny 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? Yes

4.0

I've lost count of how many times I've read this because I've been rereading this since before I started keeping track but the dynamic between Min and Cal always get me.

They have this great back n forth dynamic, each having their moments together, some highlighting their flaws and others in acceptance of their growing dynamic as they keep coming together time and time again and I can't help but fall for it every time.

Once that first rush of "this one" is in the page, I know I'm going to keep reading till the end and I'm there for that. 🥰

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chels_ebooks's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted

I very rarely read contemporary romance and I picked this up on kind of a whim because I've heard wonderful things about Jennifer Crusie.

The only way I can really talk about this book and be honest about it is to compare it to Bridget Jones's Diary (the movie! I haven't read the book). There's a lot of easy comparisons: extremely fun dialogue, a full-throttled embrace of early aughts culture that feels both comfortable and repulsive at the same time, an extremely charming heroine you can't help but root for, and most notably the weight thing.

Minerva Dobbs is a fat character in a book that is body positive for 2004 standards, which, if you lived through the time you will know that's not saying much. Min's mother is a familiar type: a body-obsessed gargoyle who thinks a person's value corresponds with their size, and she deliberately orders Min a bridesmaid dress that is too small in order to try to force her to lose weight.

So when we (and her love interest, Cal), meet Min, despite her reluctance to go along with her mom's plan, we are bombarded with genuinely witty observations that are speckled with diet talk. It felt a bit like Minesweeper: you're cruising and then suddenly BOOM, someone says something about carbs.

I mention this because it's honestly the only reason why I wouldn't blanket recommend this book. This isn't a story where Min slims down to find her bliss, but I often hate reliving the time where 'Can I eat this donut' was a major consideration, and I know I'm not the only one.

And yet I could not stop reading. I was mostly delighted by the story, and the quippy contemporary dialogue didn't give me secondhand embarrassment, as is often the case. This is a slow burn, but Crusie is a master at building feelings and making the smallest interactions hot.

Content Warnings