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funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Personally, it's a 3 for me, but I didn't want to bring down the overall rating in some way because it's a good book. I just didn't enjoy how it's the plot/"fate" pushing the characters together instead of the characters themselves working for it in some way. I would've been more accepting of it if it actually had been some sort of fantasy or magical realism setting because then the characters would be actively working against a force of nature or something, but it's set in a realistic world, so I wasn't vibing with it; I prefer characters to have more agency.
Romance also developed too fast for me, largely again due to the "fate wants them together". I get that it's physical attraction at first, but that's way too fast and neither of them react with like "gross"; they instead go "THIS ONE" and that just doesn't feel believable to me. It feels more like they are in love or attracted to each other because the story is a romance novel and not because they are supposed to be believable characters.
That said, the dialogue is really snappy and fun. And even if the start of the romance didn't really hook me, I did think they had convincing bonding moments together (I just wish it wasn't so heavily interspersed with the story banging you on the head that "THEY'RE MEANT FOR EACH OTHER. FATE WILLS IT SO"). I really enjoyed the realistic depiction of fatphobia especially from family members (aka moms) and body positivity.
I said "it's complicated" for diversity because while we do have a fat female protagonist and a dyslexic male love interest where both of these aspects play a significant part in their personal insecurities and how they try to connect with other people, they are white. In fact, I think all the main characters and major side characters are. I guess you can argue that Shanna isn't and she's also a lesbian, but I don't think she's prominent in the story enough for her to be considered major.
Race also doesn't play any big role in anyone's background or experience with the world as being fat or dyslexic does, most likely because again all the major players are white. If you look at it harshly, it kind of treats whiteness as a default and non-factor in anything. If you look at it more gently, the author's staying in her lane? Not a major issue and doesn't affect the reading experience in any way, but it was something that kept popping up in my head as I got through it and got me thinking about how to answer the diversity question in the MC review section. BUT on the other hand, this is largely because Min's mom acts and talks exactly like mine about my weight, so I honestly kept imagining Min as Asian instead of white. So I guess this argues in the favor of the author's writing, that Min's still a very relatable character with relatable family tension regarding weight in a relatable fatphobic world.
Romance also developed too fast for me, largely again due to the "fate wants them together". I get that it's physical attraction at first, but that's way too fast and neither of them react with like "gross"; they instead go "THIS ONE" and that just doesn't feel believable to me. It feels more like they are in love or attracted to each other because the story is a romance novel and not because they are supposed to be believable characters.
That said, the dialogue is really snappy and fun. And even if the start of the romance didn't really hook me, I did think they had convincing bonding moments together (I just wish it wasn't so heavily interspersed with the story banging you on the head that "THEY'RE MEANT FOR EACH OTHER. FATE WILLS IT SO"). I really enjoyed the realistic depiction of fatphobia especially from family members (aka moms) and body positivity.
I said "it's complicated" for diversity because while we do have a fat female protagonist and a dyslexic male love interest where both of these aspects play a significant part in their personal insecurities and how they try to connect with other people, they are white. In fact, I think all the main characters and major side characters are. I guess you can argue that Shanna isn't and she's also a lesbian, but I don't think she's prominent in the story enough for her to be considered major.
Race also doesn't play any big role in anyone's background or experience with the world as being fat or dyslexic does, most likely because again all the major players are white. If you look at it harshly, it kind of treats whiteness as a default and non-factor in anything. If you look at it more gently, the author's staying in her lane? Not a major issue and doesn't affect the reading experience in any way, but it was something that kept popping up in my head as I got through it and got me thinking about how to answer the diversity question in the MC review section. BUT on the other hand, this is largely because Min's mom acts and talks exactly like mine about my weight, so I honestly kept imagining Min as Asian instead of white. So I guess this argues in the favor of the author's writing, that Min's still a very relatable character with relatable family tension regarding weight in a relatable fatphobic world.