This book's premise drew me in and the story definitely was interesting. The characters are strong and relatable. I didn't love this book, but I think it will appeal to a lot of readers who will greatly enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Randy Susan Meyers and Atria Books for this ARC.

This book was just ok for me. While I liked the characters and the premise, the story itself was just meh. I enjoyed the first half, but ended up skimming through the rest of the book.

Waisted by Randy Sue Meyers is a work of fiction that taps into the current view of being overweight and body image. Some of the references to size and weight I felt were unrealistic but over all Waisted talked of issues that overweight women deal with and how far they will go to take the weight off. Sad and interesting at the same time. I would recommend.

Let me start by saying that Randy Susan Meyers is one of my favorites. I have read all of her other books, loving the Widow of Wall Street. I thought the premise of this book sounded interested and was excited for the advanced copy, Unfortunately, I only got through about 30% of the book. I didn't enjoy the writing style, nor did I like how negative the conversations were. I found it hard to connect to the characters. I was disappointed.

I loved this book. If you have ever struggled with your weight, you will be able to relate to the stories of Alice and Daphne. And even if you’ve never struggled with weight, but have struggled with family, marriage, or identity, you will be able to relate to the stories of Alice and Daphne. I felt like I knew these women, like I was these women, as I read this book and I highly recommend it. It’s not a fun topic, and it’s not sexy. But it is real and it is so well written about here, that the stories and characters lived on in my thoughts for a long time after I finished. How far would you go to lose the weight? Would you go this far?

If you like reality TV or want to see a group of women overcome manipulation by reality directors/producers you’ll like this story.

Many people may recognize themselves in the thoughts the characters have about body image, food, and racial/cultural differences.

Alice and Daphne are obsessed with their weight and decide to do something about it. Daphne has mother issues and Alice risks losing her marriage if she keeps gaining weight.

The two women meet at Waisted. Located in a Vermont mansion, the program promises fast, dramatic weight loss, and Alice, Daphne, and five other women are desperate enough to leave behind their families for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But then they find out they need to be on camera; and the world will see Waisted: The Documentary.

This book was slow reading in the beginning but picks up as the ladies find themselves in total humiliation at the hands of the owners running Waisted. They are trying to find out just how far women would go to lose weight, so they are pushed to their limits. It does bring out some great points about how we judge people by their looks and weight and what it means to those who are overweight. None of them had self-worth and toward the end of their 4 weeks they realize that it is not worth it and decide to get some revenge and expose this group.

There are good and bad in both thin people and fat people; it is how you feel about yourself that brings these things to a surface. And if the rest of the world doesn’t see your worth…..well, too bad!

This book was received from NetGalley for an honest review. It is not due out until 5/1/19 so put it on your TBR list.

Irreverent...insightful... incisive...delightful. Randy Sue Meyer's latest delivers an instantly absorbing and beguiling read--with characters every woman will instantly identify...and identify with.

This novel about the lengths women will go to in order to lose weight gave me so much to think about in terms of how I think about weight and how I can let it control my life. The idea that a number on a scale can actually change my mood is ridiculous and yet dead-on.

In this novel, Alice and Daphne go to a weight-loss retreat that is really a documentary experiment in disguise. They are shamed, put through devastating workouts on little food, and plied with pills. As difficult as it was for me to watch them go through this, I had to think, "Yeah, I might do the same." Meyers does such a great job capturing the mindset of these women and how society views them.

There's so much more to this novel--how race plays into body expectations; the examples we do or do not provide for our own children; family dynamics--and I'll be thinking about it for a good long time. I think this is novel looks at some important topics but disguises them in this amazingly readable and engaging novel. I had to see how it would end! This would be an excellent book club novel as there is so much great stuff in here to discuss!

There is an old Yiddish proverb, “You can never be too rich or too thin.” Well, maybe not a Yiddish proverb, but find me a Jewish mother of a certain era, and I guarantee her daughter will tell you she heard this at least once or twice. This is the premise behind Waisted, a novel about the lengths women will go to to adhere to society’s expectations.

Alice is a mixed race mom married to a white documentary film maker. At the time she met Clancy, she had endured a bitter breakup and was the thinnest she could ever imagine being. Clancy didn’t know that this was not the norm for Alice, so his expectations were that she’d always be rail thin. Alice had a Jewish mother, but her Jewish mother didn’t espouse the “too rich or thin” mantra. In fact the opposite. Her mother went out of her way to make Alice embrace her “blackness” by accepting her curves.

Daphne is a white Jewish middle class mom from the burbs who grew up with the quintessential Jewish mother, always watching every crumb that Daphne consumed. Daphne married Sam, the most gentle, kind man one could imagine. Sam would love Daphne if she shaved her head and tattooed every inch of her body, so there are no expectations in their marriage that Daphne should be thin. But as most of us know, a mother’s words can play tapes on repeat in your head. Daphne is forever striving for her mother’s approval.

When a flier for casting for a documentary film ends up in both these women’s hands, they jump at the opportunity to participate. The documentary is going to cover the weight loss adventures of seven women. The caveat is that you must relinquish any contact with the outside world for one month. One month that the filmmakers will cover your salary for missed work. In this brochure they promise all sorts of wonderful things such as quick weight loss in a healthy setting, but the reality is anything but.

I found this novel a fabulous tale of finding your voice and your true self in a world where the “norms” are not always achievable. I grew up with a mother like Daphne’s so I really identified with how she felt growing up and still hearing those voices as an adult. I think that each one of the women has a quality that most of us can identify with. Fitting into society’s molds is what a lot of parents expect from their kids. I think that is the moral of this story. You don’t have to fit a mold to make a difference, or be a great mom, or love yourself. Myers has crafted a story of women bonding and finding friendship in spite of their differences. Also, about acceptance, which is something I believe our culture struggles to find. I would recommend this one to all my female friends.

Review to be posted near publication date at BookwormishMe.com

This book begins with a bang--women sign their rights away to go to an extreme weight loss camp in New Hampshire for a month. It's all being documented by videographers and it seems like The Biggest Loser at first. Nine hours of exercise a day. Under 1000 calories per. The group is split into two teams to compete for the best results.

What ensues is utter humiliation, methamphetamine abuse and extreme unhealthy weight losses--like 40 pounds in 3 weeks. I went from wanting to go to the camp to feeling so sorry for the miserable women held captive there.

Interesting premise that lasts about a third of the book, then it devolves into an exploration of women's psychological food issues and the women's back/home stories.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read a prepublication copy of the book.

I struggled with reading this novel. I loved the basic story line and the premise of exploring the lengths that some women will go to in order to lose weight. I enjoyed the characters, however I struggled with keeping their stories straight and what was happening to who. When a novel is written from multiple perspectives and back stories, I always struggle with keeping things straight and this one was no exception. In fairness to the author, it is a personal issue and not with her writing. She writes a beautiful story of of acceptance and finding oneself when one is plus sized in a world that seemingly tells us we need to be thin.

I wanted to really love this book, but I had the hardest time getting into it. I tried 3 times.... to no avail. In all fairness, I probably won't review it anywhere else.

I really connected with the characters in this book because they way that they felt a different times, I know I have felt before. It is a good story for anyone who has has dealt with issues of not feeling thin enough, good enough, etc. I believe all of us at one time or the other has had the feeling that they don't fit and it's nice to read their story, how they deal with these feelings and how they learn to live and love themselves.

This could easily have been a 4 star review with better editing. The premise itself is gripping. A group of 7 fat women sign away their privacy rights to attend a month-long fat camp. They agree to be filmed a la "Biggest Loser" at a place in the remote Vermont woods called "Privation". And indeed it is privation, and much more: fat shaming, humiliation, food deprivation and long days of forced difficult exercise. The pounds do come off in an unrealistically speedy manner. Perhaps it is the inclusion of amphetamines, although that still does not make it believable.

This description of the camp was the most readable and difficult part of the novel, yet also the most gripping and interesting. Other aspects of the book, not so much. The two main characters (One a make-up artist, the other a community center director, two women who should be unique and very different, unfortunately become confused in your mind. Is Alice the bi-racial Black Jewish woman or is she the mother of the two teen agers? Which one has the medical family? Whose husband is a documentary film maker? They are so different that they should never become conflated...yet they do because they sound so much alike.

Every few chapters there are quotes from other books about weight loss and dieting, with comments about their efficacy. Cute, but unnecessary space fillers.

That said, Waisted is a book that is hard to put down. You know a happy ending is coming, but want to see how it works out. Too bad you never find out what ultimately happens to the Privation people and their documentary.

It took some time to understand where this was going- if you have never had a weight problem you might not get this story. I hated it at first and kept asking myself why I was still reading it. I am glad I did because as the story developed and the women became real I could identify with them. I loved the ending- you go girls!!

Thanks to Netgalley for giving me a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This book covers a very important and difficult topic, weight. It is something that I personally relate to in so many ways. There is so much pressure from family and society to look a certain way. Unfortunately, everybody faces things about themselves that they do not like and sometimes will go to extremes to change. Some of these issues are also brought out in this story. Weight is a big industry and people spend a ton of money to look better and feel great. Some of this book was so raw and painful that it was hard to read but it also was accurate. I loved the family dynamic that comes out in this book as well. We see many different families with different religions and ethnic backgrounds that really adds to the complexity of our main characters.

I only gave this book a three star rating because, while I thought it was a very important topic, it was at times disjointed to read. It seemed to really lag at some points as well. I did not really feel connected to the women but more so felt like I was reading a report. I wanted to enjoy reading it more than I did so there was some disappointment in that.

I wish I had better things to say about this book. The premise was interesting to me, but I just don't think it was fully developed. More could have heppened to the characters, especially after they left the mansion. I wanted to know more about that! Just ok.

This was a bit hard to read but a good book none the less. How far would you go to get the perfect American body? 7 women are challenged to just that. One month of becoming the body you want only the darkness is there.

OMG - what a GREAT BOOK!

I loved that this book explored the difficulties faced every day by women who don't love the bodies they are in due to being overweight. It brought to the forefront some of the challenges, disappointments and struggles without every presenting the "pity party" side of things. It makes you really understand where these women are in their head and you end up identifying with each and every one of them for completely different reasons.

Unlike in Dietland, the women DO close the loops without violence or extremism, but in an eminently satisfying way for them AND the reader. When the book ended I was terribly disappointed because I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the compelling characters and their sidekicks.

Get the book!