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monitamohan's review against another edition
2.0
I heard about this book on a podcast and thought to grab it.
Romance novels aren’t my thing, but that’s because they’re not only fantastical and often problematic, but because they alienate or erase anyone who isn’t a certain size.
I listened to the audiobook, which was well narrated, though the voices were occasionally inconsistent.
I like that the book centres a plus size woman and how she must navigate her interactions with people and especially romance. Bea is a fashion blogger who agrees to star as the main squeeze on a Bachelorette type show. Her experiences echo the fears of many fat women in the realm of living—being insulted and demeaned simply for her size.
I sometimes felt the author seemed to revel in writing the mean and horrible comments/ blogs about Bea, but that’s probably because those felt so annoyingly real.
The story was ok and fit within the realm of the genre. I liked how the author tried to ensure there was a diverse cast of characters, with different races, genders and orientations. No open trans or gender nonconforming characters though. She also didn’t introduce a character by their race or orientation first. It was a part of their character, not the whole of them.
What bothered me most was how many characters put the onus on Bea to accept her suitors. It was always her fault that she was terrified of being rejected or hurt. I felt that was totally inauthentic. While a lot of thin and thin privileged people simply don’t understand the reservations of fat people, the book should have provided context and understanding for Bea’s reticence.
Bea faced so many hurtful experiences on the show, how could no one see that these experiences, plus a lifetime of hate and self doubt, would cause her to shrink away from her suitors?
The characters may be blinkered, but I felt the author also condoned bullying Bea into believing that she was in her own way. Nope, that’s society.
I loved Bea and her father’s relationship. Genuinely sweet and touching.
I thought the ending was... too convenient. It didn’t work for me. Too contrived. I preferred the previous one when Bea seemingly made a different decision. I think she sacrificed too much for the ‘happy ending’.
I don’t know how to feel about this book. It’s an escape and a look at the world from a different point of view. At the same time, the ending may not suit everyone. The journey is good, though at times, it’s aggravating.
At least our protagonists are allowed to look a little different from each other nowadays.
Romance novels aren’t my thing, but that’s because they’re not only fantastical and often problematic, but because they alienate or erase anyone who isn’t a certain size.
I listened to the audiobook, which was well narrated, though the voices were occasionally inconsistent.
I like that the book centres a plus size woman and how she must navigate her interactions with people and especially romance. Bea is a fashion blogger who agrees to star as the main squeeze on a Bachelorette type show. Her experiences echo the fears of many fat women in the realm of living—being insulted and demeaned simply for her size.
I sometimes felt the author seemed to revel in writing the mean and horrible comments/ blogs about Bea, but that’s probably because those felt so annoyingly real.
The story was ok and fit within the realm of the genre. I liked how the author tried to ensure there was a diverse cast of characters, with different races, genders and orientations. No open trans or gender nonconforming characters though. She also didn’t introduce a character by their race or orientation first. It was a part of their character, not the whole of them.
What bothered me most was how many characters put the onus on Bea to accept her suitors. It was always her fault that she was terrified of being rejected or hurt. I felt that was totally inauthentic. While a lot of thin and thin privileged people simply don’t understand the reservations of fat people, the book should have provided context and understanding for Bea’s reticence.
Bea faced so many hurtful experiences on the show, how could no one see that these experiences, plus a lifetime of hate and self doubt, would cause her to shrink away from her suitors?
The characters may be blinkered, but I felt the author also condoned bullying Bea into believing that she was in her own way. Nope, that’s society.
I loved Bea and her father’s relationship. Genuinely sweet and touching.
Spoiler
There's a lot of name dropping in this book, including of known celebs. The one that struck me most was that Chris Evans-in the book-kept tweeting at Bea and was excited to meet her and get with her. That was an obvious nod to Frankie Muniz' tweets to Lizzo in real life, but I couldn't help but laugh at this. Let's be honest, Chris Evans may be an awesome person, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he doesn't have his own biases. The trouble with adding fake personalities to real people is that you burst the bubble of the world built in the book. Again, it was another fantastical element that just didn't work and irked me. Maybe this is normal for romance novels?I thought the ending was... too convenient. It didn’t work for me. Too contrived. I preferred the previous one when Bea seemingly made a different decision. I think she sacrificed too much for the ‘happy ending’.
I don’t know how to feel about this book. It’s an escape and a look at the world from a different point of view. At the same time, the ending may not suit everyone. The journey is good, though at times, it’s aggravating.
At least our protagonists are allowed to look a little different from each other nowadays.
bookgeek2872's review against another edition
Plot: I just want to preface this by saying I don't watch Bachelor/Bachelorette type shows. I totally get why people watch them, and if you love them, that's great! I've just never really been all that interested in them. The whole reason I picked up this book, was because it had a plus sized main character. So I didn't know if I would like the dating show part of the book or not. But I actually really did enjoy that part! And I really, really enjoyed reading this book! I loved reading about Bea's journey, and everything that happened. And can I just say how nice it was to read a book, where the main character was plus sized, stayed plus sized, and wasn't even trying to lose weight? As someone who is definitely not considered thin, it made me really happy to read a book where the main character is happy with how she looks. And I also wanted to mention how much I enjoyed how each chapter opened with text messages or articles or tweets? It was fun to get an "outside" view of what was going on during Bea's time on the show.
Characters: Bea was such a great main character! I liked how even though she was happy with how she looked, she had moments of insecurity, which was really relatable. And even though at the beginning I had a little bit of a hard time keeping track of who all the guys were (That might just be me, I have a little bit of a memory problem because of my Lupus.), by the middle I felt like all the guys had distinct personalities, and I honestly didn't know who she was going to choose. (Side note: Not spoiling, but I was very happy with the entire ending!)
The Cover: LOVE! I love illustrated covers, and to have a plus sized main character on one? Awesome!
Overall: This was an excellent book that I highly recommend! :)
I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher.
Characters: Bea was such a great main character! I liked how even though she was happy with how she looked, she had moments of insecurity, which was really relatable. And even though at the beginning I had a little bit of a hard time keeping track of who all the guys were (That might just be me, I have a little bit of a memory problem because of my Lupus.), by the middle I felt like all the guys had distinct personalities, and I honestly didn't know who she was going to choose. (Side note: Not spoiling, but I was very happy with the entire ending!)
The Cover: LOVE! I love illustrated covers, and to have a plus sized main character on one? Awesome!
Overall: This was an excellent book that I highly recommend! :)
I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher.
melissalynn526's review against another edition
3.0
Picked this book up when I saw it was on list of best rom-com for 2020 on goodreads. It was a fun easy light hearted read which is just what was needed to end 2020 and begin 2021.
abbysiemen's review against another edition
4.0
So fun and dramatic, I feel like I watched a season of The Bachelorette! As the execs of the show strive to add more diversity, this book would not be a bad guide! There is more to creating a diverse cast than we have seen on the show so far, and this book navigates that idea.
katrae22's review against another edition
4.0
Fast, cute, easy read. Predictable but still good.
I thought she did a good job giving the characters depth and their emotions were relatable.
I thought she did a good job giving the characters depth and their emotions were relatable.
sarahbb_'s review against another edition
4.0
Quick read. Realistic, entertaining and funny. It comments on various aspects of our society and internet trolling in a non-abrasive/overall light manner.
squalo's review against another edition
3.0
Really well done. I don't watch the Bachelor but this was super entertaining.
victoria7401's review against another edition
3.0
This is a romance, so there will be a happy ending, it's just how are we going to get there? Well, this time it's going to be through a reality TV show. Yes, this book is like an alternative Bachelorette. In this book, unlike the show, for once the Bachelorette isn't a size 2. Bea is a successful plus-size fashion blogger whose scathing critique of the fictional show "Main Squeeze" goes viral and she winds up being the next main squeeze.
I used to watch the Bachelor franchise but gave it up a few years ago when I realized it was always going to be a parade of thin young women and men who were on the show more often than not to up their social media profiles so they could translate that into endorsement deals. This fiction version of the show will ring true to watchers of the actual show, and also gives the show more true romance than I think actually exists IRL.
I borrowed this book from my library's Libby App because I need distractions while I train for the marathon. This book was a good distraction! A must listen if you are part of #BachelorNation
3.5 stars for this book
I used to watch the Bachelor franchise but gave it up a few years ago when I realized it was always going to be a parade of thin young women and men who were on the show more often than not to up their social media profiles so they could translate that into endorsement deals. This fiction version of the show will ring true to watchers of the actual show, and also gives the show more true romance than I think actually exists IRL.
I borrowed this book from my library's Libby App because I need distractions while I train for the marathon. This book was a good distraction! A must listen if you are part of #BachelorNation
3.5 stars for this book
rightsaidred's review against another edition
4.0
I feel that this is an okay plus size woman empowering book but I think I could easily do without the amount of internal monologue of self hate.
bparkerzillich's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars for body positivity, LGBTQIA+ inclusivity, and always choosing one's self!