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A review by the_escapist
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Before describing the premise, I’d like to point out that this book is self-aware, and it does present the setting as a multi-faceted nuanced thing.
This is about a plus-sized model who becomes the star of a reality show based on The Bachelorette. Except it’s about more than that because it's also about discussions of fatphobia, the general lack of diversity in those types of shows, self-acceptance and self-worth, and the fakeness (sometimes realness too) of reality TV.
It’s light-hearted and easy to fly through, with an easy to root for main character.
I didn’t really care for any of the romances (though it’s incredibly rare for me to) since they all felt like they were developing too fast and like they barely had time to get to know each other (to be fair, this is probably typical for these kinds of shows, and I don't think there'd be room for slower development without massively adding to the word count), but it's still an enjoyable read. There are also excerpts from group chats and blogs etc about the goings-on of the show which made it feel like you're involved in the spirit of watching the show as well as getting the experience from the main character’s POV, which was a nice bonus.
So even though I wasn't very into the romances (I didn't dislike them though), I still had a pretty great time reading this.
This is about a plus-sized model who becomes the star of a reality show based on The Bachelorette. Except it’s about more than that because it's also about discussions of fatphobia, the general lack of diversity in those types of shows, self-acceptance and self-worth, and the fakeness (sometimes realness too) of reality TV.
It’s light-hearted and easy to fly through, with an easy to root for main character.
I didn’t really care for any of the romances (though it’s incredibly rare for me to) since they all felt like they were developing too fast and like they barely had time to get to know each other (to be fair, this is probably typical for these kinds of shows, and I don't think there'd be room for slower development without massively adding to the word count), but it's still an enjoyable read. There are also excerpts from group chats and blogs etc about the goings-on of the show which made it feel like you're involved in the spirit of watching the show as well as getting the experience from the main character’s POV, which was a nice bonus.
So even though I wasn't very into the romances (I didn't dislike them though), I still had a pretty great time reading this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Infidelity