This was a great book. It made me laugh many times. Professional bra fitters are the real winners here. It was eye opening to learn more about what really goes on in the dressing rooms. And to know you as a woman aren’t alone. I felt like the end just happened out of no where. I would have like more or for a better ending.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this book.

I really enjoyed learning all about the lingerie business and the fitting of bras. The author really didn't know what she was getting into when she applied for a job in a department store. It's a very intimate job and to see so much (if you know what I mean).

Bras are a necessary evil in life to help give you that support you need, especially as you get older, and kids help your twins lay down a little further. As I have some baby weight that won't leave without exercise, my bra size fluctuates with every day. I could never see a bra fitter, as I'm embarrassed by a lot with my body. With this in mind, I began to read Full Support*: Lessons Learned in the Dressing Room.

*Side note: when I first requested this book, it was called Boob Job. I think the title change was for the best. It just fits better.

Going into this book, I thought that I would be reading stories solely about Natalee working in the bra department, but was surprised to learn more about Natalee's life than the life of a bra fitter. As we follow Natalee through her journey in her life, we see what life is like in 3 different department stores. I found those parts of the book to be so interesting.

I love reading books about different professions and see what it is like to live a day in their life. I could never do that job, as I would be very uncomfortable having to tell men to get out of the dressing rooms, having to tell women to quit trying on underwear without their underwear on, and handling "used goods" that were returned. Nope. Can't do it! Don't wanna!

Reading through the lessons Natalee learned along the way were less "general" lessons, and more things that she needed to hear at the time. It felt like little guardian angels were planted along the way to help Natalee through when she needed it the most.

As I mentioned above, I loved the moments where we learned what was going on in the department. Much of the book was dedicated to Natalee's personal life and less on being a bra fitter. I understand it was a tool to help us understand what lessons she learned, and why she moved from LA to Seattle and chose the department store's she was working in. I wish it was less of that, and more of the going-on's in the store!

Before reading this book, I was wondering if I should be measured for a bra. I am heavier than I have been before, and I have no clue what my true size is. After reading this book, and the way the women in the department behave has me thinking I will NEVER be fitted. It confirmed my feelings that I will be judged and possibly mocked behind my back by people much younger than me. So if you know of a professional one who has seen it all and does not care, then THAT is the bra fitter I wish to go to!

I also wish there was one more chapter that let us know what happened to Natalee. I surmised what happened by reading the author bio, but it would have been a nice wrap-up to the journey we went on to see that she is still not slinging bras at the end of the day.

This is a good read to see how the other half that touch and see many boobs lives.

While this book had potential with some really great stories and contact, I felt it fell short in presentation. It almost felt like ramblings instead of a set storyline, and I found the writing format being awkward. With that being said, Natalee provided us with some wonderful tidbits of amazing women's stories. I could feel her passion in these stories and it helped open my eyes a little more to how others experience life.

I was really expecting funny anecdotes and so was rather disappointed. Some of the characters who came for bra fitting were interesting. Their life stories seem to represent those of women who could be living anywhere in the developed world. The writing style is fairly good. After a while, though, I just could not carry on reading about breast manipulations, bra sizes and strap adjustments and so forth. Maybe because it reminded me too much of mammograms!

This is my honest opinion based on the review copy I received from the publisher.

Ok who would have thought a book about bras could be so entertaining? This book is a hoot. This is a book that you will not want to put down. I adored this book. So good!!! Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

This was an engaging, fun, and informative story about the author's life as well as her experiences with bra fitting, and her useful tips for finding the right bra.

A book that is meant to be savored!
This is one book that women would definitely enjoy and find joy in. With enough reasons to bring on a smile, this book is one that everyone can enjoy!

Thank you to Amberjack Publishing for providing me with a copy of Natalee Woods’ memoir, Full Support: Lessons Learned in the Dressing Room, in exchange for an honest review.

During College, Natalee Woods applied for a summer job at a high-end department store and was placed in the lingerie department. This summer job turned into an off-and-on career, spanning over a decade, carrying through her move to Los Angeles and return to her native Seattle. During this time she navigated financial instability and the death of her parents. Woods becomes a certified bra fitter, which requires her to come in intimate contact with her customers. She learns that her job isn’t simply about selling underwear, but that often she must use discretion and empathy to serve woman who have a range of body issues, including breast cancer survivors.

Woods never mentions her employer, but it is clearly Nordstrom. As a former Nordstrom employee myself, I could immediately identify with the company culture, including her initial hiring for the anniversary sale, Nordstrom’s biggest annual event. Much like Woods, I was thrown into the fire of the anniversary sale and placed into a department (Men’s Furnishings) where I had to learn on the fly. It was utter chaos and Woods describes it, just as I experienced it.

Woods touches on the strange and rude customers that we find at Nordstrom, but that isn’t the focus of her memoir. Full Support is honest, but it is not a tell-all about being a Nordstrom employee. It’s a true reflection on what it is like to work for the retail giant, but Woods is not a disgruntled former employee. Her time with the company was not perfect, but she is not out to slag-off her former company or co-workers.

The focus is on the customers who made an impact on her perspective. For example, shortly after Woods’ lost both of her parents, a father brings his young teen daughter into the lingerie department. She needs a bra and her mother has just died. Woods has the father go off with his son, giving her time to help the daughter. The conversation transitions from bras to loss, with Woods carefully giving the young girl encouragement, as she tries not to break down herself.

During my short time at Nordstrom, I had a few customers who made a lasting impression. I helped a woman find an outfit for her mother’s memorial service and I helped a teenager find a suit for his first job interview. I’m not arguing that working in retail carries the same weight as other professions, but it is possible to make a positive impact on someone’s life and to be of service. The lingerie department is probably the most impactful department. Woods and her coworkers have the ability to help women love their bodies, including women recovering from cancer. Nordstrom has a service where they help with prothesis fits for breast cancer survivors. It is truly a wonderful thing.

Woods beautifully blends the stories of her customers with her own tumultuous life. Woods lost both of her parents to cancer and was with them during the last months of their lives. She also struggled to make it living in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is my hometown and I can attest that this is no easy feat, especially on a retail, commission-based salary. Woods is living life paycheck-to-paycheck and does not have a bigger plan for her future. One hundred percent, I could relate to this. I spent my twenties and early thirties in a survival mode similar to Woods, including being a caretaker for a parent dying of cancer.

My only negative comment is that I occasionally felt that the dialogue rang false. I could easily believe the situations with the customers, even the most outrageous, but the way the dialogue was written felt too quickly intimate or simply not the way people really speak. There are cliches. More than once, the dialogue rang false in a way that made me stop reading to consider it, which disengaged me.

The dialogue issues aside, I very much enjoyed Woods’ memoir. Full Support has a lot of heart. It will be of particular interest to those who have worked high-end retail, but I would recommend it to everyone. Also, if you’re a woman who has not worked with a certified bra fitter, it is a game-changer!

I decided to pick up.this book because of intrigue. I thought, how would an author keep a reader interested in that subject through a whole book?
Well, I have to admit I was positively surprised. The author used a dressing room as a screen. We were able to appreciate how life was lived by the people going inside of it. Natalee is a very nice person, struggling to go on with her life after navigating along a few rough patches. She gives and receives from her clients, and capitalizes their most cherished memories and lessons.
I loved this book and I hope to read more from this author.

The author has done a fabulous job supporting women, no pun attended, and made this book so fun to read. Lots of advice and windows to her life. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I was given an ARC from Netgalley in return for my honest review.

With a subject-matter like a bra-fitting, a generous dollop of gentle twinkle follows the author's experiences.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

The first thing I noticed about is how easy of a read this was. I read it within a day because the language was easy to read and comprehend. 

Natalee's story was very interesting. You learn the life of a bra-fitter and what they go through every day. I would've never really even thought about it if I wasn't interested by Natalee's synopsis. It was very intriguing to see her stories and the daily duties from a high-end department store.

Unfortunately, after reading her stories, I felt as though this dragged a little bit for me. Sometimes, I caught myself skimming because I almost didn't feel like reading through the next story. Natalee's words were funny, but sometimes were pretty dry.

I loved the name of the chapters and some of the words that she wrote were laugh-out-loud funny. I think that Natalee is very funny in real life and not just on paper. It's interesting to see how she was going through the things she was and still had me cracking up at some of her words.

Overall, I didn't love this book and I didn't hate it either. I think that there was a lot of interesting and funny moments in the words, but I had a hard time sometimes getting through the chapters. I'm someone who enjoys nonfiction here and there, and if you are a nonfiction lover, I'd recommend this book.

This book took me by surprise, I did not think I was going to like it as much as I did!

I mainly gravitated towards this book because it was about retail (I worked in retail in my 20's, so it was mainly for the nostalgia factor), but it ended up being one of my favorite books this year.

It is full of so many great stories, many of them thought-provoking. Also, Natalee's writing style never got boring or repetitive.

Highly recommend this book!

I’m not sure what I was expecting from this memoir, but it never quite lived up to my hopes. There were a few laughs and some distinctive characters, but many of the stories are actually pretty dark. The book is well written with some clever turns of phrase, but I don’t feel like I gained much wisdom to apply to my own life. It was interesting reading about all of the different fears and insecurities that women bring to the lingerie fitting rooms, but not really surprising or life-changing.

If you’re a fan of memoirs and curious about what goes on during bra fittings, or you’re searching for short stories about female solidarity, this might appeal to you. Note that the book includes swearing and describes some difficult situations.

I was provided an ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.

If you're looking for a "light, easy read", this is not the book for you.
If you are looking for a book that stimulates thinking and pondering about life and in particular how women are seen in society - how they are "supposed" to look; dress etc - then this IS the book for you.
Natalee takes you on a trip through the various dressing rooms of her customers - the difficult ones; the easy ones; the sad ones; the insightful ones. Through her words we learn so much more about ourselves as women.
Although she portrays herself as a humble retail worker in a job she doesn't really like, she is actually way more important than that to her customers.
Her revelation of her own personal weaknesses and the health issues of her parents add a human element to the face of a retail worker.
We get to experience her lows after tragedy strikes and see her come full-circle, ending up at the lingerie department she started off at aged 19.. Some of the most profound and honest conversations with fellow women happen during a very personal experience.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this book.

The title for this memoir has changed since I downloaded it and it was a good change to more accurately fit the text. Within the first few pages I suspected where Natalee worked and as I read on I was 100% sure. She nailed the management, HR, and ambiance. The lingerie department wasn't where I worked so I was anticipating to read about the more intimate side of retail.

This memoir is funny at times and deeply moving at other times as she reflects on the personal relationships she has with her parents and makes a move to be independent. Working as a bra fitter is dealing with people at a vulnerable time as they bare it all. To be great at her job she has to be sensitive and sensible and holding her tongue when 'the customer is always right'. Dealing with customers can be both exhausting and rewarding and it was a treat to read about her experiences and what she took away from the people she highlights.

A fun and touching read!

Thank you to Natalee Woods, NetGalley, and Amberjack Publishing for an advance copy.

Natalee Woods worked as a bra fitter in Seattle and Los Angeles at various times. She did not intend to be a bra fitter as a career, but at various times when personal or family stresses forced Ms Woods to change cities, bra fitter experience got her steady work in good department stores.

Women, like their bras, come in all shapes and sizes, ages and mental condition. Being so physically close to women in the fitting rooms gives Ms Woods a particular view into their personal lives and circumstances. She brings us along.

I was recently fitted for a bra and the experience wasn't much like Ms Woods describes. My fitter measured my band size and let me take care of the cups myself. I had heard about more hands-on fittings, but not in my uptight town. Ms Woods' description of her work is not at all graphic, but squeamish readers might not like to read even what she does include.

Full Support has had a long journey to publication, which is still to come in the next few weeks. It is Natalee Woods’ debut memoir of her 10 years working in a fitting room in the lingerie section of a high end store. If you have ever worked in retail, you know some of what Natalee feels, but her job was much more personal to the women she fitted. We live in a world where 8 out of 10 women are in the wrong size bra, and this candid memoir is for every woman out there as it shows how society pressures us about our ‘imperfect bodies’ and influences us in every way possible.

We meet a variety of Natalee’s customers in many different situations. These customers (women, men, and transgender) give the reader a mix of emotions from hilarious (an entertaining and raucous bridal party) to the serious (women dealing with mastectomies to a widowed father trying to find his daughter a bra) to the anger-inducing (an over the top beauty pageant mom). And we see how Natalee handles each situation, as each customer has unique and specific needs.

It is a quick and enjoyable read. It is a memoir and Natalee also goes into her family situations, which includes a death, but for me it took away from the rest of the book. I was not attached to Natalee; I just wanted to read more stories from the fitting room.

Most of my bra shopping is done online as most stores do not carry the much larger sizes. I do remember when I was getting fitted for undergarments to wear under my wedding dress and I knew I was in the wrong size bra, but to find out my actual size was shocking. The bra fitter helped to put me at ease and made a nerve wracking experience pleasant. Every woman needs a positive fitting experience and Natalee helped to give her customers what they needed. If only more stores catered to the larger sizes and had some cute bras that were not over the top price wise!

Full Support is recommended for every woman out there! Special thanks to the publisher Amberjack Publishing for granting me an arc.

This book got better as if went, but I had a difficult time getting into it. The stories were interesting, but the recaps and summaries at the end of the chapters were too much. It’s nicer when the reader uncovers the purpose without being explicitly told what it is.