Book Smart Kate

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by Jenny Howe – Many thanks to @jennylhowe for joining our romance book club discussion and to @purplecouchbookshop & @sweetsread for hosting!

Everly Winters doesn’t want to stand out. She doesn’t push for more than her receptionist job with the marketing firm she works for; she isn’t exploring her artistic talent, and she’s definitely not getting that tattoo she wants…she isn’t even commenting in the forums she lurks in for her favorite reality tv show – On the Plus Side. Who can blame her? Her grandmother, the person who believed in her, passed away, and her mom thinks the key to happiness is losing weight. Then, she is secretly nominated as one of the people who will be transformed by the show’s third season. The whole goal of the show is to help you gain confidence in your beautiful-as-it-is body and discover the paths you want to explore for your future. Everly immediately connects with the outgoing co-hosts and the very handsome plaid flannel-wearing cameraman, Logan. As their connection grows, so do the ratings, and when an intimate moment ends up caught on camera, Everly will have to use the lessons she’s learned to fight for what she wants.

The body-positivity message of this book is compelling, as is the storyline about how people’s words and actions can hurt even when they think they’re helping. Everly and Logan have serious issues but discover in each other a person who sees them completely and doesn’t think anything needs fixing. In many books that have plus-size FMCs, the ripped guy loves her “despite” or “because of” her curves, but that’s not how this narrative plays out. Through his camera work on the show, Everly gets to see how Logan sees her in a beautifully intimate and heartfelt way. Everly’s relationship with her mom spoke deeply to me, and if your mom has ever told you that you could stand to lose a few pounds, it will resonate with you, too. Amid people who don’t respect Everly, a whole group is cheering her on. There are also many adorable dogs & a great third-act drama that brings our main characters closer rather than pulling them apart.

The audiobook is a well-done single narration by Zura Johnson that, if listened to at 1x, is around 11h 40m.

Do you have a favorite reality tv show or book set in reality tv?