Grade: 5
I’m sure we all have TBR lists that never truly end. Somehow this book ended up never even hitting my TBR list. It went straight from hearing about it, buying it and opening it immediately. I’m usually hesitant to read books with a plus size women, not because I don’t yearn to read books with people that look like me, but because so often they don’t live up to my expectations. I don’t know what about this book made me want to read it immediately, but it did. Spoiler Alert not only did a wonderful job tackling the body image issue, but it also took a hard and fast look at self-image for those that are considered attractive by society’s standards.
Let’s get a little more into the story. Marcus is a lead in a fan-heavy genre TV show based on a popular book series. He is swoon worthy to the extreme, and has cultivated an image of someone without much behind the curtains. We find out quickly that it is indeed a cultivated image for a plethora of reasons, but mainly because he’s struggled with dyslexia most of his life. It was easier to play the charming, hunky leading man than expose his more vulnerable self to the whole world.
April is a big woman and has only recently found a way out of body image issues through good friends and supportive people surrounding her. She has separated all the pieces of herself in a protective mechanism, but has recently decided it was time to merge her lives together. Her first step is to post a picture of herself dressed in cosplay without cropping her face out. She knew trolls would be along shortly after, but she didn’t expect Marcus (the star of the show she was cosplaying) to step in and defend her…and then ask her out.
Since this is a romance, I’m assuming you all know where it goes from there. They date, spend more time together, have some bumps, work it out, etc.
First and foremost, I appreciated how the author dealt with image issues. It was incredibly refreshing to read a book where both characters had self-image issues to deal with, along with dealing with trauma from their childhood, parents, friends and past lovers. It would have been really easy to rely on the plus-size character to carry the burden of dealing with a personal growth plotline. To have the conventionally attractive character dealing with how he felt about himself was so refreshing. And kudos must be made that never once did Marcus or his friends in the industry discuss or worry about how him dating a plus-size woman would look to people.
Miscommunication is one of my least favorite plot devices. If everything can be solved by a simple conversation…the book really isn’t that great. It was used as a plotline in this book and there was a point where I just wanted Marcus to lay it on the table and move on. I will say, however, that the way it was dealt with afterwards was incredibly mature.
Bottom line: Great read. I’m not only looking forward to the next book in the series, I’ve already ordered Olivia Dade’s backstock.
Lori Carroll
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