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A review by charlottereadsthings
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
One To Watch follows plus size fashion blogger Bea who ends up being the "main squeeze" on a bachelor-esque dating show which she had previously critiqued for its lack of varying body types.
I stumbled across the audiobook in a recommendation section on audible and expected a fun, maybe light-hearted experience, but I came out the other side having gained a whole lot more.
Having navigated many online spaces as a fat woman myself, I've seen every extreme of what vitrol and beliefs are out there about bodies similar to mine, so I saw a lot of that in Bea;I felt connected to her in that sense. What I really liked (that was unexpected) as that Bea isn't always the victim. Her struggles have led her to have blanket expectations about the people around her, before they've had a chance to blink. She's incredibly guarded from her experiences and at various plot points it hinders her belief that someone could just get to know her becausw they want to, eathee than to gain positive public viewings as the TV show progresses.
While the string of guys she must parade around with aren't that diverse in terms of looks, when it comes to mindsets there's such a range from men in their mid twendties that gave "golden retriver" energy to those that put up walls due to their own negative experiences with dating. I personally loved Sam (golden retriver energy) because he made me smile every scene he was in. He was just bloody lovely.
I liked the different narrative shifts from current events, to blog articles about the episodes, to the group chat where Bea's friends place bets on who will win her heart. It was interesting reading the behind the scenes where tye producer gave updates on ratings and how it showed that while making a statement, Bea in a lot of ways was a "controversial puppet' to breathe new life into a dating show and the conversations that could be had around that.
One To Watch was an unexpected surprise and I'm glad I gave it a chance.
I stumbled across the audiobook in a recommendation section on audible and expected a fun, maybe light-hearted experience, but I came out the other side having gained a whole lot more.
Having navigated many online spaces as a fat woman myself, I've seen every extreme of what vitrol and beliefs are out there about bodies similar to mine, so I saw a lot of that in Bea;I felt connected to her in that sense. What I really liked (that was unexpected) as that Bea isn't always the victim. Her struggles have led her to have blanket expectations about the people around her, before they've had a chance to blink. She's incredibly guarded from her experiences and at various plot points it hinders her belief that someone could just get to know her becausw they want to, eathee than to gain positive public viewings as the TV show progresses.
While the string of guys she must parade around with aren't that diverse in terms of looks, when it comes to mindsets there's such a range from men in their mid twendties that gave "golden retriver" energy to those that put up walls due to their own negative experiences with dating. I personally loved Sam (golden retriver energy) because he made me smile every scene he was in. He was just bloody lovely.
I liked the different narrative shifts from current events, to blog articles about the episodes, to the group chat where Bea's friends place bets on who will win her heart. It was interesting reading the behind the scenes where tye producer gave updates on ratings and how it showed that while making a statement, Bea in a lot of ways was a "controversial puppet' to breathe new life into a dating show and the conversations that could be had around that.
One To Watch was an unexpected surprise and I'm glad I gave it a chance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Fatphobia