One to Watch
Fiction
Dial Press Trade Paperback
2020
Paperback
432
Purchased
Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger who has amazing friends, a devoted family, legions of Insta followers--and a massively broken heart. Like the rest of America, Bea indulges in her weekly obsession: the hit reality show Main Squeeze. The fantasy dates! The kiss-off rejections! The surprising amount of guys named Chad! But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Since when is being a size zero a prerequisite for getting engaged on television?
Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition--under no circumstances will she actually fall in love. She's in this to supercharge her career, subvert harmful anti-fat beauty standards, inspire women across America, and get a free hot air balloon ride. That's it.
But when the cameras start rolling, Bea realizes things are more complicated than she anticipated. She's in a whirlwind of sumptuous couture, Internet culture wars, sexy suitors, and an opportunity (or two, or five) to find messy, real-life love in the midst of a made-for-TV fairy tale. In this joyful, razor-sharp debut, Bea has to decide whether it might just be worth trusting these men--and herself--for a chance to live happily ever after.
My review:
I know those of you who regularly read this blog (and a big shout out to those who do!) are saying "what's with the rating?" I rated a quasi-romance book about a reality tv show a 5? There must be some mistake! Trust me, no one was as surprised as I was with how much I loved this book! A couple of things hooked me and never let me go. The concept was brilliant. A plus size fashion blogger with a love for a certain reality tv show, writes a blog piece wondering why there are never any plus size women on the show? Next thing you know, the new producer picks her as the next contestant. The other thing that kept me glued to the pages was the description of how these reality shows work. Let's just say that I was part of a fan club for a contestant on DWTS, and you sure do learn a lot about producer manipulation when you dive deeper into what makes these shows tick. Even though our main character Bea thinks she'll have control over her segments, surprises are thrown in with the explanation that it makes for good tv. Needless to say I'm not a viewer of any reality tv now that I know the behind the scenes shenanigans. I loved the character Bea, although do your research because people seem to either love her, or hate that she is not a good representative of plus size independent women. I loved that the book roughly follows the format of the reality show it's based on (in case you haven't caught on yet it's the Bachelorette). The ending was perfect, unlike what used to happen to my favorite on these shows 🙂
A perfect read for those who aren't afraid to poke a little fun at reality tv shows, and want to root for a heroine like no other! This is such a fun, light read that I highly recommend. Reviews for books like this are rare from me, so you best believe I'm still shocked!
I’m torn because I like that there is a plus size heroine, but I’m not a fan of the Bachelorette. Thanks for sharing your thoughts
I watched The Bachelorette way back when it first aired. As I mentioned, since I'm now aware of how much manipulating goes on, I don't watch any reality tv anymore. I honestly think this pokes holes in the show more than praises it. I'll be interested in your thoughts if you decide to read.