sri_savita's review against another edition
5.0
You and I have seen the worst of each other.
But I just want to keep looking at you every single day.
I love this book with my whole heart. So happy to have a copy on my shelf to revisit whenever I need, and I can't believe it took me this long to read it. This book honestly elevated my mood and I was SOHAPPY as I finished it sitting outside on a perfect summer evening.
Now, I'm not a person who watches much reality TV (besides THE CIRCLE because that is just pure adrenaline and wholesome), but I LOVED this story - so don't let the Bachelorette comparisons deter you if that's what's holding you back!
What I love about this, and books in general, is the element of unity. Sometimes hope and happiness come in small packages, and that might be gushing over a book (as I'm doing now), watching a show and cheering together and feeling together with friends near and far, or people online you never met, or reading a great article that captured your thoughts perfectly. That feeling that you're not alone and there's a community. This is exactly the kind of atmosphere that makes a concert so enjoyable, or how I felt watching the Cavs on a huge screen in a playoff game with my best friend in downtown Cleveland one summer (despite no interest in sports-ball prior to that point, so I can't guarantee I used any of those terms correctly), or even how it felt to watching that one season of Game of Thrones as it was airing and listening to podcasters that GOT MY THOUGHTS. It's what a lot of us are doing on Goodreads and Bookstagram - that magic of connection and shared interests, there's really nothing better. And after a really long time of not socializing in the same way, this story had me excited to connect with people - in person - again.
Kate Stayman-London captured that magic perfectly in this gem of a novel. I loved all of the characters, and I loved being right about my predictions - though I will say it was a very twisty and surprising road to get there! I kept looking nervously at the number of pages left and saying IT WILL BE OKAY THOUGH RIGHT?? And this is exactly why I don't watch sports or reality TV in the first place - I get too invested! And I get upset when it doesn't work out for the people I'm rooting for. KSL definitely gave me some of those moments too, but the end is so worth it! I won't say any more - you just have to read it.
I think there was a lot of representation that was really done well here!
In the 290 books I've read between last year and this year I've learned that I really am starting to love unusual formats or epistolary formats that take advantage of media elements, I loved the interview format for Daisy Jones & The Six and the multiple/alternating timelines in Malibu Rising and People We Meet on Vacation , and I love the use of media and text messages/emails in this book and Red, White & Royal Blue . If you loved the narrative devices used in these stories too, then you might enjoy this one too.
In fact, KSL uses this format so well, that one of my favorite ships had nothing to do with the central group of characters on the fictional dating show Main Squeeze . Instead, it was the supporting characters - everyday people just like you and me, strangers on the internet - in the form of the fan group for the show, SQUEEZE MANIACS, who are only introduced to us by their usernames, and yet, I was so invested in this group of people connecting via watching Bea try to find a connection on TV. This was so genuine and funny and made me feel all the feels. Because we all know exactly what it's like to love talking with other people who love the same things that we do.
I can't wait to read what KSL writes next!
But I just want to keep looking at you every single day.
I love this book with my whole heart. So happy to have a copy on my shelf to revisit whenever I need, and I can't believe it took me this long to read it. This book honestly elevated my mood and I was SOHAPPY as I finished it sitting outside on a perfect summer evening.
Now, I'm not a person who watches much reality TV (besides THE CIRCLE because that is just pure adrenaline and wholesome), but I LOVED this story - so don't let the Bachelorette comparisons deter you if that's what's holding you back!
What I love about this, and books in general, is the element of unity. Sometimes hope and happiness come in small packages, and that might be gushing over a book (as I'm doing now), watching a show and cheering together and feeling together with friends near and far, or people online you never met, or reading a great article that captured your thoughts perfectly. That feeling that you're not alone and there's a community. This is exactly the kind of atmosphere that makes a concert so enjoyable, or how I felt watching the Cavs on a huge screen in a playoff game with my best friend in downtown Cleveland one summer (despite no interest in sports-ball prior to that point, so I can't guarantee I used any of those terms correctly), or even how it felt to watching that one season of Game of Thrones as it was airing and listening to podcasters that GOT MY THOUGHTS. It's what a lot of us are doing on Goodreads and Bookstagram - that magic of connection and shared interests, there's really nothing better. And after a really long time of not socializing in the same way, this story had me excited to connect with people - in person - again.
Kate Stayman-London captured that magic perfectly in this gem of a novel. I loved all of the characters, and I loved being right about my predictions - though I will say it was a very twisty and surprising road to get there! I kept looking nervously at the number of pages left and saying IT WILL BE OKAY THOUGH RIGHT?? And this is exactly why I don't watch sports or reality TV in the first place - I get too invested! And I get upset when it doesn't work out for the people I'm rooting for. KSL definitely gave me some of those moments too, but the end is so worth it! I won't say any more - you just have to read it.
I think there was a lot of representation that was really done well here!
Spoiler
Asian romantic leads - YES! Linus and Bea taking over the fashion world - YES!In the 290 books I've read between last year and this year I've learned that I really am starting to love unusual formats or epistolary formats that take advantage of media elements, I loved the interview format for Daisy Jones & The Six and the multiple/alternating timelines in Malibu Rising and People We Meet on Vacation , and I love the use of media and text messages/emails in this book and Red, White & Royal Blue . If you loved the narrative devices used in these stories too, then you might enjoy this one too.
In fact, KSL uses this format so well, that one of my favorite ships had nothing to do with the central group of characters on the fictional dating show Main Squeeze . Instead, it was the supporting characters - everyday people just like you and me, strangers on the internet - in the form of the fan group for the show, SQUEEZE MANIACS, who are only introduced to us by their usernames, and yet, I was so invested in this group of people connecting via watching Bea try to find a connection on TV. This was so genuine and funny and made me feel all the feels. Because we all know exactly what it's like to love talking with other people who love the same things that we do.
I can't wait to read what KSL writes next!
bookishkash's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Exciting concept of the book. I loved how inclusive it was. Brilliant idea.
The story just seemed to drag, watching the show on TV and reading it are very different experiences. Atleast for me I felt that it could have been a shorter book.
But I loved the characters and the premise. So would recommend reading it! It’s one of the most unique books I have read this year.
Exciting concept of the book. I loved how inclusive it was. Brilliant idea.
The story just seemed to drag, watching the show on TV and reading it are very different experiences. Atleast for me I felt that it could have been a shorter book.
But I loved the characters and the premise. So would recommend reading it! It’s one of the most unique books I have read this year.
kristen_eden's review against another edition
5.0
Ugh I loved this book. I feel like I could watch the bachelor if Bea was a real participant.
bianca_rodriguez's review against another edition
2.0
I am just a girl asking for a plus-size main character to ONCE not have her main problem (and honestly only problem) be whether or not she is worthy of love!!
jillybean357's review against another edition
4.0
If one thing is for sure, this book is a juicy read. It is perfect for getting lost in for hours on end, I was always cranky when I had to pull myself out of the story to go do other things with my life. I was always eager to return to the book and re-immerse myself in a world with so much elegance, fashion, and romance.
The decision of including podcast scripts, news articles, and twitter feeds was brilliant. It really set the scene and built up the culture of everything happening online, in the blink of an eye. It also gave the reader a sense of just how much pressure was on Bea’s shoulders, and how many people were watching her and either rooting for her or hating on her.
Three cheers for casual representation! A big theme in this book was body type representation, and racial representation had some achieved depth as well, but I was very impressed by the casual LGBTQ inclusion too. Never have I ever read a straight romance novel with LGBTQ identities that were relevant to the plot. Wyatt’s journey to identifying as asexual and Linus’s gender non conformity were my absolute favorites, although there were other smaller references in other parts of the book. I love that the two identities represented were ace and gender non conforming, which are two that you don’t see present very often, not just in books but in any kind of media. And in a romance novel nonetheless… consider me impressed.
All of the discussion about body types and body positivity hit the nail right on the head. I don’t feel like anything was left out when talking about the side discrimination many women face for not conforming to a certain range of clothing sizes. Topics like how medical concerns are nobody’s business except an individuals, plus size women being denied designer clothing because of their size, the unique discrimination plus size women face vs. plus size men (I have never heard of a man being called “plus size”, usually a man’s weight or size is left out of his description while it is always mentioned if a women is plus sized or not), and many other important sizes of this issue were brought into light. Some characters fetishized Bea, tried to entice her to workout, or were blatantly rude to her face, and while I hated reading those characters, they were important to show just how much discrimination plus sized women face. Sometimes we intend to say things in a “looking out for them” context, but that is usually not helpful.
My not so favorite parts were as follows: the plot “twists” were incredibly predictable, so much so that it was no fun reading them because I had predicted them so far in advance. I have never been a giant fan of dating shows, so reading this book further solidified my opinion that dating shows are more trouble than they are worth. I constantly found myself feeling bad for Bea. I do not think it is a very good idea to tell one person to date many other people at the same time, for an extended amount of time, and then force the person to pick somebody. Building scenarios like that does not set a precedent for love, it sets a precedent for drama. I suppose drama is better for ratings than love is, but that seems pretty cruel to the poor souls that are subjected to being on the show. The ending felt a bit rushed and the characters decisions did not feel very “in character”. We barely got any closure with Asher, or much of an explanation as to why is was such a jerk. And Luc got villainized much more than he deserved. I was never the biggest fan of Lauren, but I was very happy to see that her career did not end because of her affair, it didnt even come close. After all, why should an affair mean the end of a woman’s career but not a man’s?
This book was not deeply profound, or rich with substance. However it was a highly entertaining read that also brought a lot of feminist and body positivity concepts into the spotlight. It is the perfect book to get lost in, I would highly recommend it for a long plane ride or a weekend when you have nothing going on.
The decision of including podcast scripts, news articles, and twitter feeds was brilliant. It really set the scene and built up the culture of everything happening online, in the blink of an eye. It also gave the reader a sense of just how much pressure was on Bea’s shoulders, and how many people were watching her and either rooting for her or hating on her.
Three cheers for casual representation! A big theme in this book was body type representation, and racial representation had some achieved depth as well, but I was very impressed by the casual LGBTQ inclusion too. Never have I ever read a straight romance novel with LGBTQ identities that were relevant to the plot. Wyatt’s journey to identifying as asexual and Linus’s gender non conformity were my absolute favorites, although there were other smaller references in other parts of the book. I love that the two identities represented were ace and gender non conforming, which are two that you don’t see present very often, not just in books but in any kind of media. And in a romance novel nonetheless… consider me impressed.
All of the discussion about body types and body positivity hit the nail right on the head. I don’t feel like anything was left out when talking about the side discrimination many women face for not conforming to a certain range of clothing sizes. Topics like how medical concerns are nobody’s business except an individuals, plus size women being denied designer clothing because of their size, the unique discrimination plus size women face vs. plus size men (I have never heard of a man being called “plus size”, usually a man’s weight or size is left out of his description while it is always mentioned if a women is plus sized or not), and many other important sizes of this issue were brought into light. Some characters fetishized Bea, tried to entice her to workout, or were blatantly rude to her face, and while I hated reading those characters, they were important to show just how much discrimination plus sized women face. Sometimes we intend to say things in a “looking out for them” context, but that is usually not helpful.
My not so favorite parts were as follows: the plot “twists” were incredibly predictable, so much so that it was no fun reading them because I had predicted them so far in advance. I have never been a giant fan of dating shows, so reading this book further solidified my opinion that dating shows are more trouble than they are worth. I constantly found myself feeling bad for Bea. I do not think it is a very good idea to tell one person to date many other people at the same time, for an extended amount of time, and then force the person to pick somebody. Building scenarios like that does not set a precedent for love, it sets a precedent for drama. I suppose drama is better for ratings than love is, but that seems pretty cruel to the poor souls that are subjected to being on the show. The ending felt a bit rushed and the characters decisions did not feel very “in character”. We barely got any closure with Asher, or much of an explanation as to why is was such a jerk. And Luc got villainized much more than he deserved. I was never the biggest fan of Lauren, but I was very happy to see that her career did not end because of her affair, it didnt even come close. After all, why should an affair mean the end of a woman’s career but not a man’s?
This book was not deeply profound, or rich with substance. However it was a highly entertaining read that also brought a lot of feminist and body positivity concepts into the spotlight. It is the perfect book to get lost in, I would highly recommend it for a long plane ride or a weekend when you have nothing going on.
ggould5's review against another edition
4.0
Thoroughly enjoyable. A plus sized woman’s journey to loving herself, an ode to The Bachelorette, who do without a doubt really need to celebrate more body diversity.
joyyboyy's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this! I’m a huge bachelorette fan, and although it didn’t surprise me too much, I really enjoyed the arc of this story and felt connected to Bea throughout her process. It’s fun to read this type of writing too with news blurbs and tweets!
anastasiaeleni's review against another edition
I can’t. I just can’t.
Those 17 odd pages were a waste of my daily morning reading routine.
I’ve discovered that I do like the Bachelor/ Bachelorette Reality TV trope, but if you’re writing about a plus sized woman at 30– DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE portray her as an advocate and influencer for plus sized woman, and give her insecurities about her body.
As a 24 yr old woman who struggles with chronic obesity, I hate it. I like how I look, my insecurities come from a medical POV.
It’s supposed to be a romance— not a YA contemporary/ coming of age. Give her some fucking confidence instead of having her pine for a guy who cheats on his fiancé.
Those 17 odd pages were a waste of my daily morning reading routine.
I’ve discovered that I do like the Bachelor/ Bachelorette Reality TV trope, but if you’re writing about a plus sized woman at 30– DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE portray her as an advocate and influencer for plus sized woman, and give her insecurities about her body.
As a 24 yr old woman who struggles with chronic obesity, I hate it. I like how I look, my insecurities come from a medical POV.
It’s supposed to be a romance— not a YA contemporary/ coming of age. Give her some fucking confidence instead of having her pine for a guy who cheats on his fiancé.
sprinklesofspooky's review against another edition
5.0
A plus-sized fashion blogger, a reality TV show with 25 suitors, a story told in different formats- I am obsessed with this book.
I just want to turn right around and read it again, and I think anyone that reads it will feel the same.
Stop reading this review and read One to Watch.
Five stars to this amazing book that will be a huge summer smash.
Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I just want to turn right around and read it again, and I think anyone that reads it will feel the same.
Stop reading this review and read One to Watch.
Five stars to this amazing book that will be a huge summer smash.
Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.