ARC Review: One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London

Hi all!

My name is Chiara and I am a Bookworm.

How are you?

I’ve got a wonderful book for you this week that I really hope that everyone out there reads. A brilliant book all about body positivity that proves that your dress size doesn’t impact your chances at finding love.

One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London

Blurb

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 Thoughts

I want to start by saying thank you to NetGalley and the publishers, Dial Press, for a copy of this book. I received a free copy from them in exchange for an honest review.

This was a brilliant book. I loved the entire things.

Being a curvier girl I have struggled with body positivity over the years and I go through stages where I enjoy how I look and am able to find clothes that fit me and make me feel great and other times where nothing I wear looks good on me. In short, I really related to Bea.

Especially her love of Paris.

Paris hold a very special place in my heart and I’ve even been to the flea market that Bea went to, though I wish I had found a cape that made me feel confident and powerful and been gifted it for free. I wish!

I loved the trips to Paris though I think I may have spotted a slight error in geography when they are on the Pont des Artes but I could be wrong about that.

Bea is the role model that every curvy girl needs. The boys on the other hand … let’s just say there were some real villains mixed in with the bunch that Bea had to date on television.

Not that I even love the brilliant ones.

Even Asher who Bea had an instant connection with was quick to judge and I became a little fed up with all the wrong conclusions they would draw about each other without giving each other time to get to know one and other.

I think one of my favourite parts ended up being all the jumping about between different mediums to tell the story. Though I found it slightly jarring at first I very quickly grew to love the twitter feeds, the podcast transcripts and the discord chats that told the story from the viewers point of view.

In my honest opinion I could see this book being a brilliant film and those people, the audience being part of telling the story.

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I hope I’ve inspired you to pick up this book, and if I have let me know. I would love to hear your opinions. Did you have as much trouble with the boys as I did? How much did you love Bea? And how much did you hate Ray?

Until next time, happy reading!