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A review by janewhitehurst
Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie
3.0
Where to begin with this one.....
Let me start with the bad, then end on a good note. Bet Me was full of so many problematic elements, both for women and especially for fat women. Let's address that issue... The main character, Min is described as a big girl, and she never lets the reader forget it. She is fat-shamed by her mother excessively and arguably to the point that it's almost abuse. When she meets Cal, an extremely handsome charmer who asks her out on a bet, Min is first horrified by her body, but then learns to love it as cal Cal falls for her and tells her how much he loves her curves. I wish she didn't need a man to validate her beauty. And let's talk about Cal's weird fetishizing of Min's size. He is constantly talking about her "roundness", which was actually awesome, but then, he seemed to get off on watching her eat. Each time she took a bite of ANY food, (chicken marsala and donuts because each food is mentioned every 4th page, as it seems to be all that Min eats) Min is near orgasmic with the taste. Cal loves this, wishing she would have the reaction to him that she has to food. So, he feeds her. He forces her to eat bread when she's on a diet, feeds her donuts in a very sexual way, and basically is a feeder. It's a bit fetishy, if you ask me. Which is cool, but I'm not sure it was intended that way.
Then there was the issue of her repeatedly calling Cal "beast" "wolf" "devil" etc...it was kind of weird. I know Cruise was writing this to be a "fairy tale" of sorts, but I wish she left that whole element out. It felt forced, the constant talk of happy endings, fate, etc. If you cut that part out, the book would not only be shorter and more readable, but it would make more sense.
There is then the issue of the "evil villains" in Min and Cal's exes, who band together to break up the two, also seems to be overkill. Their plotting and scamming really add nothing to the narrative and take up too many pages.
The supporting characters were all right, if a little sexist/stereotypical, but that was minor.
I have to wonder if E.L. James read this book before writing 50 Shades of Grey...because I see lots of similar elements. Cal barks out one-word orders to Min similar to Christian, he has a spotty past, and is sexually promiscuous, he ties Min up, and he has this rich guy turned good guy persona. A woman changes him. Etc....Part of this is just the fantasy- a female writer making a book about a man who loves your curves, feeds you donuts, buys you shoes/dresses, is hot as hell, rich, and coaches a t-ball team...it goes on and on. Pure fantasy.
All of this being said, I blew through this book. I found it funny at times and engaging and I couldn't wait for the characters to just get together. When all is said and done, I do love chicklit. I love the tension and the misunderstandings, and the will they/won't theys. I zipped through this and did enjoy myself. If I didn't think about it too hard, it was extremely enjoyable. So enjoy it for what it is, mediocre chick lit, but with likeable characters.
Let me start with the bad, then end on a good note. Bet Me was full of so many problematic elements, both for women and especially for fat women. Let's address that issue... The main character, Min is described as a big girl, and she never lets the reader forget it. She is fat-shamed by her mother excessively and arguably to the point that it's almost abuse. When she meets Cal, an extremely handsome charmer who asks her out on a bet, Min is first horrified by her body, but then learns to love it as cal Cal falls for her and tells her how much he loves her curves. I wish she didn't need a man to validate her beauty. And let's talk about Cal's weird fetishizing of Min's size. He is constantly talking about her "roundness", which was actually awesome, but then, he seemed to get off on watching her eat. Each time she took a bite of ANY food, (chicken marsala and donuts because each food is mentioned every 4th page, as it seems to be all that Min eats) Min is near orgasmic with the taste. Cal loves this, wishing she would have the reaction to him that she has to food. So, he feeds her. He forces her to eat bread when she's on a diet, feeds her donuts in a very sexual way, and basically is a feeder. It's a bit fetishy, if you ask me. Which is cool, but I'm not sure it was intended that way.
Then there was the issue of her repeatedly calling Cal "beast" "wolf" "devil" etc...it was kind of weird. I know Cruise was writing this to be a "fairy tale" of sorts, but I wish she left that whole element out. It felt forced, the constant talk of happy endings, fate, etc. If you cut that part out, the book would not only be shorter and more readable, but it would make more sense.
There is then the issue of the "evil villains" in Min and Cal's exes, who band together to break up the two, also seems to be overkill. Their plotting and scamming really add nothing to the narrative and take up too many pages.
The supporting characters were all right, if a little sexist/stereotypical, but that was minor.
I have to wonder if E.L. James read this book before writing 50 Shades of Grey...because I see lots of similar elements. Cal barks out one-word orders to Min similar to Christian, he has a spotty past, and is sexually promiscuous, he ties Min up, and he has this rich guy turned good guy persona. A woman changes him. Etc....Part of this is just the fantasy- a female writer making a book about a man who loves your curves, feeds you donuts, buys you shoes/dresses, is hot as hell, rich, and coaches a t-ball team...it goes on and on. Pure fantasy.
All of this being said, I blew through this book. I found it funny at times and engaging and I couldn't wait for the characters to just get together. When all is said and done, I do love chicklit. I love the tension and the misunderstandings, and the will they/won't theys. I zipped through this and did enjoy myself. If I didn't think about it too hard, it was extremely enjoyable. So enjoy it for what it is, mediocre chick lit, but with likeable characters.