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lacyerh 's review for:
The Build Up
by Tati Richardson
Tati Richardson’s dual POV debut novel The Build Up focuses on architects Ari James and Porter Harrison competing for a partnership in their firm. They are assigned to work together on a project that could help one of them land the partnership. Despite themselves, their unlikely alliance soon leads to love. Richardson’s natural dialogue, vivid description, deft character development, and insightful narrative style quickly grabbed hold of my imagination, investing me in her characters and their journey from the first scene to the very last.
Ari James shows up disheveled for her first day at a new firm—not the first impression she was going for. To make things worse, her new, hot colleague walks in on her at the absolute worst time. When she’s assigned to collaborate with him on the project she hopes will get her career back on top, she knows it will be much more challenging to stay focused on her big comeback. A partnership at his architectural firm is on the line, and Porter Harrison can’t afford anything getting in his way of excelling on his new project—including his unpredictable brother, an obnoxious work rival, and especially not his new co-worker Ari. Ari, whose stunning curves he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about since the moment he accidentally walked in on her changing her first day. Neither Ari nor Porter is looking for love. But creatively, they make a dynamic team. And the longer they work together, the more it becomes clear that the connection developing between them is more than creative. However, making a romantic relationship flourish won’t be easy. It may even jeopardize their jobs, Porter’s partnership, and the new life/fresh start that Ari is building for herself because both are focused on winning and reaching the top of their field.
It’s interesting how Richardson shows two characters, each at different ends of the spectrum, in how they allow others’ perceptions of them to control their life choices and happiness. A gorgeous, intelligent, shapely, quirky, talented, confident, and gifted architect, Ari’s making a fresh start with this job and the home she’s renovating. Betrayed by a co-worker who stole her work, lied about her, and ruined her professional reputation, Ari’s sole focus is getting her career back on track. I love Ari’s hard-won confidence. She counters the stereotypes of fat girls being lonely and needing other people to boost their esteem. I love her. Porter is a sweet, fascinating, thoughtful artist who needs to focus on his career because being an architect doesn’t come naturally to him. His life is a façade. In reality, he’s shy, nerdy, insecure, and loves painting more than architecture. It’s not what he wants to be doing or the career or life he chose for himself.
Ari and Porter make a fantastic team once they settle into their partnership. I love Ari and Porter’s flirty, funny, sexy banter; and steamy interactions/love scenes. Ari and Porter talk to each other about all kinds of things and hang out just watching TV. These scenes may be Richardson’s best. Porter falls fast and deeply for Ari. But because of her past, Ari holds back, trying not to make the same mistakes. Not that it keeps her from falling for him before she can keep from being hurt or hurting him. She’s drawn to him despite herself because he makes her feel safe and comfortable.
I love Richardson’s nuanced exploration of the treatment and stereotypes plus-size women face, particularly when Black—through her heroine Ari—and how being judged by appearance affects them in their personal and work lives. She also thoughtfully explores issues of colorism and race and how it continues to impact Black men and women within their families and the workplace. Richardson examines this within the relationship between Porter and his brother and through Porter’s career. Being fair-skinned may have given Porter some advantages career-wise and positively affected his relationship with his grandparents. However, it also increased the expectations and pressures placed on him and created strife/issues between him and his brother, whose skin is darker and a problem for his color-struck grandparents.
The Build Up is a sweet, sexy, funny, emotional, steamy, and a bit angsty romance about taking risks, following your dreams, finding new dreams, letting go of the past, making fresh starts, and taking advantage of second chances. It explores themes of grief, prejudice against people based on appearance—weight, skin color—betrayal, family baggage and emotional trauma, sibling rivalry, colorism, classism, and sexism.
Advanced review copy provided by Carina Press via Netgalley for review.
Ari James shows up disheveled for her first day at a new firm—not the first impression she was going for. To make things worse, her new, hot colleague walks in on her at the absolute worst time. When she’s assigned to collaborate with him on the project she hopes will get her career back on top, she knows it will be much more challenging to stay focused on her big comeback. A partnership at his architectural firm is on the line, and Porter Harrison can’t afford anything getting in his way of excelling on his new project—including his unpredictable brother, an obnoxious work rival, and especially not his new co-worker Ari. Ari, whose stunning curves he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about since the moment he accidentally walked in on her changing her first day. Neither Ari nor Porter is looking for love. But creatively, they make a dynamic team. And the longer they work together, the more it becomes clear that the connection developing between them is more than creative. However, making a romantic relationship flourish won’t be easy. It may even jeopardize their jobs, Porter’s partnership, and the new life/fresh start that Ari is building for herself because both are focused on winning and reaching the top of their field.
It’s interesting how Richardson shows two characters, each at different ends of the spectrum, in how they allow others’ perceptions of them to control their life choices and happiness. A gorgeous, intelligent, shapely, quirky, talented, confident, and gifted architect, Ari’s making a fresh start with this job and the home she’s renovating. Betrayed by a co-worker who stole her work, lied about her, and ruined her professional reputation, Ari’s sole focus is getting her career back on track. I love Ari’s hard-won confidence. She counters the stereotypes of fat girls being lonely and needing other people to boost their esteem. I love her. Porter is a sweet, fascinating, thoughtful artist who needs to focus on his career because being an architect doesn’t come naturally to him. His life is a façade. In reality, he’s shy, nerdy, insecure, and loves painting more than architecture. It’s not what he wants to be doing or the career or life he chose for himself.
Ari and Porter make a fantastic team once they settle into their partnership. I love Ari and Porter’s flirty, funny, sexy banter; and steamy interactions/love scenes. Ari and Porter talk to each other about all kinds of things and hang out just watching TV. These scenes may be Richardson’s best. Porter falls fast and deeply for Ari. But because of her past, Ari holds back, trying not to make the same mistakes. Not that it keeps her from falling for him before she can keep from being hurt or hurting him. She’s drawn to him despite herself because he makes her feel safe and comfortable.
I love Richardson’s nuanced exploration of the treatment and stereotypes plus-size women face, particularly when Black—through her heroine Ari—and how being judged by appearance affects them in their personal and work lives. She also thoughtfully explores issues of colorism and race and how it continues to impact Black men and women within their families and the workplace. Richardson examines this within the relationship between Porter and his brother and through Porter’s career. Being fair-skinned may have given Porter some advantages career-wise and positively affected his relationship with his grandparents. However, it also increased the expectations and pressures placed on him and created strife/issues between him and his brother, whose skin is darker and a problem for his color-struck grandparents.
The Build Up is a sweet, sexy, funny, emotional, steamy, and a bit angsty romance about taking risks, following your dreams, finding new dreams, letting go of the past, making fresh starts, and taking advantage of second chances. It explores themes of grief, prejudice against people based on appearance—weight, skin color—betrayal, family baggage and emotional trauma, sibling rivalry, colorism, classism, and sexism.
Advanced review copy provided by Carina Press via Netgalley for review.