One to Watch

Like watching a reality show in book form - an addictive read and lots of fun! Not quite sure whether I'd call it rom-com or romance, since it doesn't really seem to fit into either too well, going by genre conventions: no POV sections for her eventual pick; not first-person or really even all that close third for Bea; the sex on-page (not explicit) isn't with the hero (though I did kind of love that). I'd probably call this general fiction, since it ends up being more about Bea's journey to truly believing she's deserving of love and someone who'll treat her well. Some of the things she goes through on the way there can be tough to read, especially if you've ever been treated badly or made fun of due to your weight - honestly, after the first night of the show, I considered DNF-ing this because I didn't want to spend time in a book where a character my size (or close to, there are no numbers given, which is great) is mocked and mistreated constantly. Luckily, it doesn't go on throughout the book, but just kind of a content warning if that's tough for you.

Loved the diversity and representation, with a couple of nitpicks: didn't love that the ONLY guy who wasn't a muscular/athletic type turns out to be the biggest asshole in the show, and also didn't love Luc basically being the "slutty bisexual" stereotype with a French accent, but loved the ace/aro character, which is definitely underrepresented, so. One more spoilery nitpick: unless I missed it, no one seems to acknowledge that Asher's ex-wife seemed to have a pretty clear-cut case of postpartum depression (maybe coupled with seasonal depression, imagine living in upstate New York and knowing no one else and having two babies?), and maybe it was supposed to be so obvious that no one remarked on it, but ... that complicates the story and her supposed villainy significantly for me, and does the same for Asher's character/decisions as well. ANYWAY. This was so much what I needed right now - from the outfit descriptions to the finale in Paris, this was escapist and delightful. Can't wait to see what's next from this author!

DNF at 15%.

Not vibing with this at all. I feel strongly that I won't change my mind by the end of it considering I hate the Bachelor and similar reality shows and I'm not particularly fond of the main character despite the fact that I badly want to root for plus-sized lead. The closest I ever got to enjoying a reality show was Terrace House Tokyo and we all know how tragically that ended so I'm gonna pass.

If you read my reviews then you know I prefer thrillers to anything remotely romantic. I will say that this must be one of the cutest books I have read in a long while. This makes me want to pick up more romance this year which is an accomplishment. I love Bae and the cast of supporting characters that are in this book. I have never felt so connected to a modern romance as I have with this book, and the fact that Bea is a plus-sized beautiful human makes this so much more enjoyable and relatable. I love that this gave such a different presentation of beauty and it is fantastic. I wish I had half the budget to be able to buy some of the things that are so beautifully described in this novel. While other books have given me the romance, for example, pick up any book by Penny Reid and you have a great read. the spectacular plot and all the laughs you can get, this ONE gave me something I didn't have before: an emotional connection to it. It was because of the emotional journey of the main character. Not being a perfect size two myself this book gave me a feel-good love is possible for all people kind of feeling while giving me beautiful scenery. This is one of those books that I cried with and I was not bothered by it at all. I liked the journey that this book took me on and I can simply it was unforgettable. I recommend this book to all lovers of ABC's The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, and the hopeless romantics because the journey was great. I will for sure be reading more from Kate Stayman-London for sure.

The basic storyline for this novel is that plus-size fashion blogger Bea Schumacher is asked to be the lead in a Bachelorette-style dating show, which she agrees to do in order to further her career. She promises herself that she will play along for the exposure and that she absolutely will not fall in love with any of the men. Will she keep to her promise?

I absolutely adored this book and blew through it in two days. Bea is a likable protagonist and one that feels very much like a real person, with flaws and all. She takes on the critics and the men themselves, not all of which are on the show “for the right reasons.” Along the way, she gains new insight into her own self-sabotaging tendencies, learns to open herself up to relationships and to fall in love with the most important person of all: herself. I found myself rooting for her and completely immersed in all her emotional ups and downs. This book is the literal definition of “I laughed, I cried, I could not put it down.” I highly recommend this for anyone wanting to read something happy and inspiring.

4,5 ⭐️
Ein tolles Buch. Ich habe gelacht und geweint, aber vor allem habe ich sehr viel mitgefiebert und auch oft geschrien “nein nicht er” ode “ bitte mach es” ,was ich liebe wenn ein Buch mich dazu verleitet .
Es ist eine klare Empfehlung und besonders wer Bachelor/Bachelorette liebt sollte es lesen es macht einfach nur Spaß

I own the hard cover and the audio version. The narrator is on point and the story line is precious! I was swept up in the characters and their antics. The family meeting at the Main Squeeze's home in Ohio was hilarious! I missed sleep on a week day because I couldn't put this book down. This is my favorite read in 2020, so far. I read some negative reviews, but I can relate so much to the main character that I wholeheartedly got sucked into it all and I can see all points of view, but it is real and the hate in the book is very accurate to how we're treated. The struggle is real! I can see how it may be hurtful or offensive to some, but it allowed the author to take us on such a true-to-life journey with these characters. I hope this becomes a movie or mini-series! Reese and Nic, do you hear me? :)

This book is not for fat women, coming from a fat woman. It's like trauma porn for nonfat people to get a glimpse into the worst stereotypes of the fat experience. I forced myself through this. I'm also not shocked that going through the ratings on goodreads, the people that agree with me are also fat. I really went into this excited about the representation, but the only representation present was the triggering vitriol the mc receives online. I also just did not like Bea's personality. Being obsessed with your best friend who is engaged to someone that you helped him cheat on, but he never gave you the time of day is gross and pathetic and not someone I want to root for. There was no squee moment because the whole book makes you question if any these guys are worth it so I didn't care about her getting with any of them. (If you're not going to have a squee moment, at least give me some smut, ya know?)
If you've read any of my reviews on romance books that I didn't like, you know I'm keeping a Taylor Swift count. Because generally speaking, the more her name is dropped unnecessarily throughout a book, the more I have an uncanny and completely coincidental dislike for it. There were 4 (if you count the author's bio... To be fair other artists were mentioned, but only once: Lizzo, Rihanna, Ariana Grande. I just want to understand this phenomenon with Swifties and their penchant for problematic characters and plot points.
Anyway, if you are a fellow fat and you don't want to read a bunch of traumatic bs, but still want a fat bachelorette Cinderella story where you are actually rooting for the couple, go read If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy.

[b:One to Watch 53103895 One to Watch Kate Stayman-London https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1584401917l/53103895.SX50.jpg 73881997] manages to plumb the depths of some pretty heavy situations while remaining mostly positive. Weight is a HUGE issue for women in America and many of us feel left out of society because of it. [a:Kate Stayman-London 19676884 Kate Stayman-London https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1587071593p2/19676884.jpg] takes on a plus-size problem with a noble spirit.Bea Schumacher is not your typical fashion blogger. By that, I mean she isn't a size zero. Far from it. When she expresses her frustration to her followers about Main Squeeze (a The Bachelor/The Bachelorette-type reality show) never casting less than beautiful people, her followers agree with her. When producers pick her to be the next main squeeze, in hopes of raising ratings, everyone gets more than they bargained for, and not just in pounds either.While Bea is portrayed as insecure due to her weight, she is also smart and resilient. She accepts the offer to be the star of the next season of Main Squeeze, hoping to boost her following for her fashion blog. Falling in love seems pretty much out of the question because she really doesn't believe a man would fall for a woman of her size. She's been disappointed in the past. I think [a:Kate Stayman-London 19676884 Kate Stayman-London https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1587071593p2/19676884.jpg] of [b:One to Watch 53103895 One to Watch Kate Stayman-London https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1584401917l/53103895.SX50.jpg 73881997] does a great job of creating Bea's virtual life as well as her real one. For this main character, it's important to include what happens online and how it affects her outcome on the show—no spoiler—but it wasn't what I guessed and I liked that. Of course, Bea had the general experience of both people rooting for her and dissing her. The cruel internet and real life comments were painful. However, this book kept me reading because of all the twists and turns in the plot. Had it been a real TV show, I would have been hooked for sure. Absolutely a topic I'd like to see more written about.

YOOOOO I've been on a roll this month with good books!!! This one was a bit different from my usual go-to's (those who have been peeping my reviews know I love murder), but this was literally a book about reality TV.

Bea, a plus-sized fashion blogger and feminist icon, gets approached as being the contestant as basically a fictional version of the Bachelorette (aka the Main Squeeze). Sounds like fun right? Well, yeah of course, but having every move criticized, publicized, and judged as a plus-sized women makes everything 10000x harder because everyone thinks they know what's best for you in terms of your health.

i FELT this book in my core. The fat shaming, comparison, diet culture, mansplaining and overall awful behavior from the male population. Yeah, it struck a chord. I was really invested in the main character because of this connection, and the fact that she and I have similar personalities. For this, I felt like this book was made for me. I could not put it down. It was exactly what I needed for a change of pace. Normally, with romances, l feel like after the time I spent reading was kind of wasted. Romances to be lack substance and are altogether really simple and are very easy to guess the ending to or what is going to happen. There is no real plot twists because every romcom movie has already covered everything. BUT this was SO different!! I was really impressed at what happened. I could somewhat guess the ending because of Bea's personality, but that was literally only happening as the ending was happening. You guys, I was obsessed with this book. I remember sitting in my car literally thinking to myself “what the hell is she gonna do?? Bea what is happening??”

All in all would highly recommend for any and all, but especially those who associate and can relate with feminism and the plus-sized community. I hope the author continues to write from this point of view, because it really is a sub portion of the Romance genre that is severely lacking. Hell, it's a subportion of ALL genres that is severely lacking!!

J'adore voir les dessous des téléréalités et ce roman a très bien répondu à mes attentes de ce côté. Par contre, mêmes s'ils étaient sûrement nécessaires au développement de l'histoire, j'ai trouvé les commentaires grossophobes du public un peu “triggering” et je ne recommanderais pas cette lecture à quelqu'un qui peut être fragile à ce niveau. Je dois avoué que ça m'a moi-même secouée par moment.

Il s'agit d'une lecture divertissante qui, comme une toute bonne téléréalité, offre plusieurs rebondissements, certains que l'on voit venir de loin et d'autres qui nous surprennent au détour.

Mes personnages préférés étaient tous des personnages secondaires et à certains moment Bea me tombait énormément sur les nerfs avec ses réactions dramatiques et irréfléchies.

Je recommande si vous chercher une lecture divertissante qui se lit tout seul. Par contre, si vous êtes du genre à tout analyser et à chercher les imperfections, passez votre chemin, ce livre vous donnera un mal de tête.

Powered through in a matter of two days - couldn't help happily escaping into this romantic fantasy where eligible men vie for Bea's hand and heart through elaborate dates, where Bea is draped in couture and drama is both manufactured and painfully real, but real people with real complications abound. I liked the format, filled with the internet detritus that make up an (online) life - articles about Bea's blog and stint on Main Squeeze, group chats and betting pools, podcast transcripts, all interspersed with her own perspective on the things that were happening on the show.

Bea is a lovely character to be around - she's funny and loves her family, she doesn't shy away from setting boundaries with the producers (and men) where she needs to, and doesn't let people walk all over her, but she's still human and has doubts and falls apart, especially when people are cruel assholes.

I loved several of the men that were picked for her - some of them were genuinely wonderful guys even if she wasn't meant to have a relationship with all of them. There were lots of surprising twists because reality TV, but I liked that at the end of it all, Bea is the one with a happy ending and is the one who ends up the hero of her own story.

CW: fatphobia related to internet comments and fetishization