I enjoyed reading this book. Sam is a normal sized person, not a skinny model type. She has been in love with her boss for years, but he never notices her. One day all that changes. I didn't like the character of her boss, Dave, and would have preferred a different ending to the book!

oh my... where to start with this one.

Sam, a want-to-be journalist at the San Francisco Chronicle is in love with her boss, Dave. According to Sam, Dave is everything a man should be - handsome and intelligent. Oh and handsome ... big focus on his sex appeal.

According to Sam - she's smart and hardworking, but she isn't a woman Dave would look at twice - aka she's not a size 00 - more like a size 14, with self-esteem in the negative double digits.

My issues with this book had a lot to do with the story-lines and the characters. There was such potential for self-growth - especially for Sam, and yet everything is touched upon only superficially. I assumed that the Beautiful Curvy beauty contest was going to be a major focus of the plot - however it was brushed aside and pulled out as needed - when we wanted Sam to dress nicely - bring out the contest. When we want Sam to ignore Dave's calls - bring out the contest. But instead of Sam being fully immersed in the contest, she was pulled back and forth into Dave's world of trying to win a bet of abstinence while covering Fashion Week. Super ridiculous plot that isn't helped by immature characters - because each character was immature (Dave is sex-crazed, Sam is boy crazy, and everyone else just rolls their eyes at the two of them).

Immature characters weren't my only issue. Dave wasn't a likable character. He was a jerk. He never became very redeemable - and the belief that because he made a "romantic" declaration to Sam in front of their colleagues which won her over, only made me disappointed in Sam.

This was a 2 star read. A quick rom-com that could have been so much more - it could have been more about self-empowerment, more about self-discovery, and more about how a funny, smart girl comes out on top not because the guy she idolized decided to pay her some attention.

This is such a witty and intuitive take on the effects of being a curvy girl in a thin world. Many of the descriptions of life as a not size 6 are so on point and painfully funny. The story tells the tale of Samantha (Sam) Preston, curvy girl, aspiring journalist, and her long held crush on the deputy editor of the Chronicle, Dave. Dave does not see Sam as anything more that a capable worker. That is until her world explodes into one of beauty and desirableness when she is entered in a curvy girl beauty pageant by a mysterious man she meets at the pageant’s press time. All the changes made in and to Sam force Dave to really look at her and see not only her work ethic but her inner beauty and outward appearance. Maybe it is all due to a boss imposed moratorium on Dave’s loose dating and newsworthy escapades or maybe it really is Dave growing up and seeing the truth of his behavior. I am not telling which is true and even though he really is a cad, Sam works hard to find her way out of all of this and retain her compass.

Sam is a reporter at the Chronicle but is treated as a dogsbody by her colleagues. Particularly by the deputy editor Dave, who Sam has a desperate crush on. After a reckless fling, Dave has been banned by the editor from dating any woman for the next three months. So he invites Sam, who he doesn't find attractive at all, to work with him during Fashion Week. Only problem is that Sam gets roped into entering a curvy pageant and as she grows more confident in her appearance, her male colleagues finally take notice of her. Including of course Dave.
This book's release perhaps could not have come at a worse time given the current #metoo movement and spotlight on abuse of power. Dave is an abusive jerk who does not redeem himself at all. The way he manhandles Sam in what should be tender intimate moments made for uncomfortable reading. (Perhaps a sequel will be titled Where's That Guy's Sexual Harrassment Lawsuit?) I wonder if this is one of those books where the characters wrestled control of the storyline away from where the author intended to go. There is no rhyme or reason why Sam would find Dave an attractive mate and it was disappointing that the only reason people started paying attention to her was because she switched from jeans to dresses. Not because she stood up for herself, not because she became a better reporter, not for a single girlpower reason. The question I am left with: should a romance like this even have a place in 2018?

I have to say that I was so disappointed with who Sam ends up with, it killed it for me. Sam was a beautiful curvy girl with no self esteem, and unfortunately has a crush on her bully of a boss Dave, who never notices her until she some how gets involved in a beauty pageant. She also catches the eye of another person Al, who does not treat her like crap, so I ask why, why did she not pick him. So even though it had it had its funny moments I can not condone being mean to someone.. Sorry folks..I will not give it less stars because writing was not bad.

This was a fun romantic comedy of a book that would make a great movie. However, the lead male is not redeemed in my eyes and comes across as an abusive jerk, not the romantic hero. The lead character is going through a journey of self-acceptance, particularly around her weight, but I don't feel like she really has any true growth because of where her story ends. So, while I would watch the movie and enjoy it, I didn't particularly like the characters.

Samantha Preston reminded me the way I used to be 7 years ago. Seriously, she was such a believable character and so relatable. Though I was still a young girl back then and not a Journalist working for a high class newspaper, it's her behaviour that reminded me of mine. Always ready with a "yes", "no problem" at the tip of her tongue, not being able to say "no", all in all letting people walk over herself, being a doormat and a people pleaser. Yeah, that were the characteristics I had 7 years ago. She is insecure of the way she looks, she thinks she is "fat" since she isn't size zero. I think almost everyone alive on this planet goes through body image issues at some point in their lives, if it isn't all the time. Also, she is after Dave, fantasies about being with him, crushing after him. I would say that was one hell of a toxic crush where you even think of being on a diet where you are only allowed to have raw antelopes thinking that maybe it might help you to reach a closer to size zero. Sam would do anything for him and finds it impossible to say "no" even when she doesn't want to put up with the extra work load.

Enters 'The Mysterious Al' who is the exact opposite of Dave. He is such a sweetheart that I almost found him to be unbelievable. Do such guys even exist? I want one for myself. *Sigh* Who would have though that "boring Sam" would become a contestant in the highly anticipated beauty pageant of San Francisco, 'Curvy'. It was Al who actually put up with Sam and helped her see past the idea she had built about herself in her mind. He helped her see for who she truly is : funny, witty, sexy, smart and just her.

The beginning was a little boring for me and I wasn't feeling the story right from the beginning but once Al is introduced, the story gets interesting. I wanted to punch Dave right on his face, how can a person be this insensitive? —_— At times, I was cursing Sam for letting Dave dictate her all the time and being all heart eyes and all. I was really feeling the characters. This was a fun read but at the same time it gives out a clear message : Love yourself the way you are.

Confusing yet enjoyable...? Can that be the same book? That’s how I felt when I finished this book. I enjoyed it but it was a little confusing. The book was funny but I kind of felt like there were gaps in the plot. Almost like when you’re watching a movie and you accidentally hit the fast forward button for like 5 seconds. It feels like that’s what keeps happening throughout this book. I hated Dave. He was a stupid jerk but I found I liked the book...like I said, confusing....

Oh my goodness the was a fun read! 

Sam wants to be a journalist. She's working at The Chronicle but her job turns out to be everyone else's jobs they don't want. Not writing, no chasing stories. 

As a matter of fact the only thing she is chasing is Dave. Dave who has never actually looked at her. But in her mind he is hers!

While Dave tries not to get into trouble and lose his job over fashion week, Sam has fallen into a beauty pageant for curvy gals! And underneath all of those sweats and baggy clothes is a stunner of a woman. Not the ideal thing when Dave is trying to behave.

I loved that Sam found her voice and figured out for herself that she was beautiful and curvy and she loved it! And now she has not one but two men fighting over her. Who will she choose? One? Neither?

Read it and be surprised. This was a fun read with a little moral of not judging people!

Good Job!

Netgalley/Aria   February 01,2018