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A review by adammm
More to Love by Jayda Marx
2.0
This book is a bit of a disappointment. Baker Matthew is short, overweight, and hairy (aka a bear - technically a cub based on age). He meets Simon, the older, highly attractive, rich scion of a hotel magnate. Insta-love occurs.
That's my first complaint: I'm not a fan of insta-love. Here they aren't fated lovers or anything, but they do go from zero to a hundred in twenty-four hours. Which, I mean, good for them, I guess? But insta-love in "real-world" romances bugs me because it is so unrealistic. I'll admit that the book opens with an author's note explaining how her stories are always insta-love, so I didn't go into this story unaware of what I was in for. But I... don't really enjoy the way it plays out here.
The book does contain a rather shallow villain and minor family-related angst, but what bothers me the most is the reason I picked this book up in the first place: the representation of an overweight character. Now, I actively seek out romances with overweight characters because reasons, so when I saw this recommended, I was hopeful that it would be better than other "fat guy" romances I've come across. Unfortunately, the plot is pretty weak, the characters are dull, and overall the story falls flat. Some thoughts: Matthew is 26 and stopped dating years earlier because of his weight - unfortunate yet realistic. Yet he doesn't consider seeking alternative apps or resources for meeting people? Really? In addition, not even once in this book are the terms "cub" or "bear" (or hell, even "chub") referenced. Simon's fetishization of overweight men is leaned into yet even he doesn't mention those terms. For as appearance-based and identity-politics-obsessed the community is, this is a pretty major failing of this book.
One day I'll find my golden snitch: a romance with an overweight character who doesn't lose weight, who falls in love at a normal pace, and who actually seems like a real person. At this rate I should probably just write it myself.
That's my first complaint: I'm not a fan of insta-love. Here they aren't fated lovers or anything, but they do go from zero to a hundred in twenty-four hours. Which, I mean, good for them, I guess? But insta-love in "real-world" romances bugs me because it is so unrealistic. I'll admit that the book opens with an author's note explaining how her stories are always insta-love, so I didn't go into this story unaware of what I was in for. But I... don't really enjoy the way it plays out here.
The book does contain a rather shallow villain and minor family-related angst, but what bothers me the most is the reason I picked this book up in the first place: the representation of an overweight character. Now, I actively seek out romances with overweight characters because reasons, so when I saw this recommended, I was hopeful that it would be better than other "fat guy" romances I've come across. Unfortunately, the plot is pretty weak, the characters are dull, and overall the story falls flat. Some thoughts: Matthew is 26 and stopped dating years earlier because of his weight - unfortunate yet realistic. Yet he doesn't consider seeking alternative apps or resources for meeting people? Really? In addition, not even once in this book are the terms "cub" or "bear" (or hell, even "chub") referenced. Simon's fetishization of overweight men is leaned into yet even he doesn't mention those terms. For as appearance-based and identity-politics-obsessed the community is, this is a pretty major failing of this book.
One day I'll find my golden snitch: a romance with an overweight character who doesn't lose weight, who falls in love at a normal pace, and who actually seems like a real person. At this rate I should probably just write it myself.