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A review by bookstolivewith
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This one was strangely painful to read. One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London follows Bea, a plus-size fashion blogger who has had her heart totally broken and decides to try to find the new love of her life on the Bachelor-inspired show, Main Squeeze. There’s a ton more to this story than this simple sentence, but I don’t want to spoil anything, because my mouth was literally agape by the end of this story and I want y’all to have that same feeling!
I absolutely loved this one, but at the same time, it brought forth some really strong insecurities and feelings to the surface that I honestly still haven’t processed. It took me much longer to get through this one than a normal contemporary romance might because I often had to pause to reflect on some buried emotions. Long story short: as a “bigger” woman (I always hesitate with that kind of descriptor because nothing ever seems right, but oh well, this is where we're at) who has never had a boyfriend, I could firmly relate to Bea’s insecurities and anxieties, her hopes and dreams, and her fear and anger. There’s so much more to say here but honestly, it wouldn’t all fit in a Instagram caption. Let’s just say, in summation, I felt like Bea understood me and I understood her.
Now, despite my love for the book, I did feel it dragged a bit in the middle and the back-and-forth “will she/won’t she trust this guy” aspect of the book became a little tedious, although I suspect that this turmoil is part-and-parcel with the Bachelor concept (a show I have never seen and still can’t fathom watching, to be honest). But I did absolutely enjoy that the book interspersed a traditional fiction format with magazine interviews, podcast transcripts, texts, emails and social media comments — it made the story feel very “in-the-moment” and also just fun!
I absolutely loved this one, but at the same time, it brought forth some really strong insecurities and feelings to the surface that I honestly still haven’t processed. It took me much longer to get through this one than a normal contemporary romance might because I often had to pause to reflect on some buried emotions. Long story short: as a “bigger” woman (I always hesitate with that kind of descriptor because nothing ever seems right, but oh well, this is where we're at) who has never had a boyfriend, I could firmly relate to Bea’s insecurities and anxieties, her hopes and dreams, and her fear and anger. There’s so much more to say here but honestly, it wouldn’t all fit in a Instagram caption. Let’s just say, in summation, I felt like Bea understood me and I understood her.
Now, despite my love for the book, I did feel it dragged a bit in the middle and the back-and-forth “will she/won’t she trust this guy” aspect of the book became a little tedious, although I suspect that this turmoil is part-and-parcel with the Bachelor concept (a show I have never seen and still can’t fathom watching, to be honest). But I did absolutely enjoy that the book interspersed a traditional fiction format with magazine interviews, podcast transcripts, texts, emails and social media comments — it made the story feel very “in-the-moment” and also just fun!