Randy Susan Meyers, Author of “Waisted” has written a unique, thought-provoking, intriguing and intense novel about women and weight loss. The Genres for this novel are fiction, and women’s fiction. The timeline is mostly in the present and goes back to the past when it pertains to the characters. The author describes her cast of characters as dysfunctional, complex, complicated and each has their own set of problems.

There is a dull joke that dates back to when my mother was young and alive, “that one can never be too thin or too rich.” In present time, most women are obsessed with the way they look, battling both the bulge and age in many ways. It would be Nobel prize worthy if someone could find a cure to keep us young or thin forever. Randy Susan Meyers has written a novel about women, different ages, colors, different physical characteristics looking for a way to get thin.

Alice and Daphne are both mothers, and are obsessed with their self-worth and body image and relation to the scale. Often that seems to be there biggest worry. The two meet at Privation, a weight loss program that promises a quick way to lose the extra pounds. Part of the program is that it is to be filmed as a documentary,”Waisted: The Documentary”. There are several other women who also are in this program.

Little do the women realize how they will be shamed, demeaned, demoralized and abused by the staff. It seems that the staff is trying to see how far that the women will go to lose weight whatever happens. There is no regard for the women’s mental or physical health. Some women are given what are called vitamins, that clearly are not vitamins.

These women become a sisterhood of women determined to escape, and get their revenge.
I appreciate that the author describes the importance of adult behavior on children, and also discusses the importance of self-worth, self-acceptance, sisterhood, friendship, love and hope.
I would recommend this book to those readers who enjoy a thought-provoking book. I received an Advanced Reading Copy from NetGalley for my honest review.

I so enjoyed Waisted. It dives deep into a topic I love—weight, health and eating—but not in a simplistic way. Many books determinedly sound only the one “right” theme: we can and should love and value ourselves at any weight. Waisted does as well, but not without a meaningful consideration of all the other complexities of our self-image: the fact that many of us do want to be thinner and more beautiful, that society rewards us for it and that even if we hate and disdain the lengths we might go to to get there, we are still happy, at least in some ways, if they work. Tough to explore in a novel, but Waisted pulls it off, and is funny and entertaining besides.

Such a powerfully written book about how women perceive themselves in relation to their weight. Very eye opening and thought provoking. 5 Stars.

WAISTED by Randy Susan Meyers is a book I’ll be thinking about for a long time. In fact, as I try to write my review, I realize I spent much of my life thinking about specific themes in this book. I’m a little concerned about reviewing it because so much of what I felt when I read it was tied to my own experiences coming to terms with my weight and not the novel itself.

So let’s start from the structure perspective. This novel is written from the point of views of two of the main characters – Alice and Daphne. These women fdhave issues with their bodies that impact their relationships with others as much as themselves. Alice has the super supportive parents, a small child that adores her, and a high-profile husband that seems to have mixed feelings about his wife’s outer shell. Daphne is a make-up artist, dedicated to hiding negative things in others to help them feel beautiful and free from their scars. She has a mother that ties everything to weight, a daughter that is paying attention, and a supportive doctor husband who worships her. You assume that these two will go through the book on a journey to land them where they accept themselves.

Enter the subplot – they enlist to participate in a weight-loss experience that they assume with be all full of zen and self-love. Instead it’s just a trainwreck experience with trainers and “mentors” that beat these two, plus five others, to the ground. The language the trainers use in this section is just mean. It is hard to read as someone who fought these same feelings for so long. So as a reader, you start to think maybe this isn’t about coming to a peaceful place but rather some sort of a thriller/survival story.

There is a lot in this novel to digest and talk about. The book explores stereotypes, race, reality tv culture, and family dynamics – all through the filter of weight. Sometimes it reads of humor and wit; other times it reads like a very personal journal entry. Sometimes the encouraging dialog reads a little over scripted. However, the book is written well and ends well and would be a good read for a book club if the people in the room are comfortable to talk about such a taboo subject.

The experience of the two main characters is enlightening as it reminds women how much stronger they are when they stand together. Reminds you of the young eyes that are watching your every move and translating them onto their own young bodies. Reminds you that the love of your spouse is not based on your outer appearance but what you stand for inside. And reminds you that sometimes the biggest sign of strength is just putting down the heavy load you carry, which isn’t necessarily in your hips or stomach. Or maybe that isn’t what the book is about but what it got me thinking about. I will never be sure how much of this story belonged to Waisted and how much of it was mine but isn’t that a sign of a good book?

I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I love this book!
Once I got started reading I couldn't put my kindle down!
I would definitely recommend this book to everyone!
The story is riveting, suspenseful, disturbing, and inspiring! It will definitely take you on a heartfelt ride of emotions!
It explores the lives of several women who decides to go to this fat camp in the promise that they will lose weight and hopes for a new look on their future lives! But what they discover is shocking and upsetting!
The story shows the women's history of being overweight, their struggles, and how the women become fast friends and what they do to rise above the cruelty the world throws at them!

***I received an Advanced Review Copy of this book. all opinions are my own..***

This book tries to psychoanalyze a bit too much for my liking. It assumes to know why overweight women are overweight and lumps them in together and stereotype them and misses the mark for me. I think it was aiming to be empowering, but instead was insulting in so many ways. Just like society judges, this book felt very judgemental as well. I found it flat and offensive at several points throughout. Thanks NetGalley for an opportunity to read an ARC for my honest opinion. I just hope this book with its judgements and assumptions doesn’t find its way into too many hands.

This is a book that is about much more than initially meets the eye. I started this book thinking I was just going to read a book about women's desire to lose weight. As a woman that struggled for many years with her weight, this book hit really close to home about my journey. It was difficult to read many of my thoughts written down.

Getting in to the story, it became apparent that this story is also about marriage, relationships with parents, relationships with ourselves, self acceptance, cultural issues, our society's impact on our self image and often our self worth in addition to other more minor themes.

I felt like the author got many of her points across by using extremes at "the mansion".

Waisted should be read by every woman, no matter their size or skin color! As a woman that has always struggled with weight and body image issues, I connected with this story from the first page. Am I too fat? How do people see me? Why can I not stop at one cookie or chip instead of eating the entire bag? Will this diet work? Waisted follows Alice and Daphne on their quest to break the yo-yo cycle of dieting and food addiction. They meet at Privation, a weight loss center used to film a documentary about women and weight loss. While it all seems to be good to be true, they soon find out how far they will go to lose weight and how the weight loss affects their relationships and self image. I absolutely loved this book!!

I couldn't get into this book no matter how hard I tried. By chapter three, I just gave up. I can't even explain what I didn't like about it, it just wasn't for me.

I thought a book about women who are exploited while trying to lose weight would be at least reasonably sensitive. But Meyers takes every opportunity to remind us that fat people are disgusting, they're filthy pigs who eat everything in sight. One man describes the women as "swimming in lakes of fat," which is an appalling way to describe another human being. It's as if Meyers has no idea that people who struggle with their weight are human beings with feelings and redeeming qualities. As if being fat is their only defining feature. The whole thing is gross.

I gave up when Meyers took her fat shaming to a whole new level, singling out specific heights and weights as unacceptable in her point of view. Learning via this book that I'm apparently disgustingly fat and of no benefit to society because of it convinced me to put the book down and walk away before I threw my Kindle out the window. After reading this book, I want a shower, and Meyers owes all women of all sizes an apology.

P.S. I wear a size 8. Thanks for making me feel terrible about myself ON MY BIRTHDAY.

Wow!!! This book is a very superbly written courtroom drama that will evoke feelings of empathy and leave you spinning. Trust me, this is one you don't want to miss—it's going to be huge! Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy.

I couldn’t wait to get my book loving hands on Waisted by Randy Susan Meyers. Once I got an advanced copy to review, I cleared my schedule so I could read this.

The premise is so fun and relatable. Take a look:

Daphne, the plump one in a family of model-thin women, learned early on that slimness earns admiration. Alice, skinny when she met her husband, now risks losing her marriage if she gains any more weight. Though both are successful working mothers, they harbor a secret: an obsession with their weight that overshadows concerns about their children, husbands, work—and everything else of importance in their lives.

That’s where Privation comes in. Located in a remote Vermont mansion, the program promises fast, dramatic weight loss and Alice, Daphne, and five other women, are desperate enough to try it. They’ve left behind their families for this once in a lifetime opportunity. The catch? They must agree to being filmed; afterwards, the world will see Waisted: The Documentary.

Alice and Daphne soon discover, however, that the filmmakers have trapped them in a cruel experiment to test how far they will go to drop weight. With each pound lost, they edge deeper into obsession and instability…until they decide to take matters into their own hands.



For these seven women, heading to a fat camp might help them turn their problems around. Each woman has her own issues to deal with and they are eager to lose weight. Everything seems wonderful, simply head to a camp and lose the extra weight. But what if you were secretly filmed for a reality show? The camp isn’t a luxury retreat, it’s more like a prison and the women are not pampered, they are treated with cruelty.

Waisted is fiction but how the author writes about the characters and their feelings about their bodies and rings very true.

Due out May 21, 2019

This is a book that I could really relate to. I too have weight problems which is why I requested to be able to read this book. I loved the women and the emotional baggage that they carry and how they deal with their weight and weight loss. This was an emotional read for me. For me it was something that I needed and really loved it.

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria books for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I've long been a fan of Randy Susan Meyers, and this title was no exception. I will say, though, it had a different feel than the author's usual books. That said, I think I actually liked it a bit more, because it felt fresh and original. What happens when we become so focused on our weight that we're willing to do almost everything, including be humiliated, to lose it. And when does the fixation go in the other direction...to becoming obsessed with being thin. You'll enjoy this book.

How far would overweight women go to lose weight? Daphne and Alice are two women unhappy with their size,pressured by families and society. Deciding to enroll in a program branded as a healthful retreat with mindful approaches, they end upon a terrible situation, more like boot camp with malice. The importance of body image influencing your self esteem is an important theme, shown by the struggles of the women at the retreat. A thoughtful, empathetic approach, the story is engaging. Recommended.

The perfect blend of great storytelling and incisive commentary, Waisted peels back the layers of women’s feelings about their bodies, their relationships, and ultimately their self-worth.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of Waisted in exchange for an honest review.

Waisted is feel-good book that centers around two women, Alice and Daphne, who find themselves enrolling in a "fat camp" in a last-ditch effort to shed some weight. The camp ends up being unlike anything they could have imagined and NOT in a positive way. They then deal with not only the repercussions of the camp itself, but it also forces them to reflect on their personal and family lives in a way they had been actively avoiding all this time.

This was a good read. I liked both Alice and Daphne as characters and found them relatable. After all, I, like Daphne, am a lover of a black-clothed wardrobe. The first half of the book that takes places leading up to and through the "fat camp" was very interesting and exciting to read. The second half of the book (post-"fat camp") slowed down considerably and was a bit more of a push to get through. I do believe the portion of the book about accepting yourself and learning to cope with these negative views is important and well written, but I don't think it needed to take almost half of the book to develop. I was a bit disappointed that there weren't any real ramifications to the "discovery" of what was taking place at "fat camp". Everything seemed a bit too easily solved and neatly taken care of.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to any woman (or anyone, really!) who has ever struggled with their self-worth due to their weight or appearance.

Although I am a big fan of Randy Susan Meyers' other books (particularly THE MURDERER'S DAUGHTERS) this one fell flat for me. WAISTED follows the journey of two women as they embark on a weight loss program with a twist. This weight loss program is part of a reality TV show and the producers are most interested in trying to humiliate the participants than actually helping them lose weight. Although the concept is interesting, the character themselves were not compelling enough to hold my interest.

I appreciate that I was given a chance to read this title via Netgalley. Bu this was not the kind of book I enjoy. It was majorly philosophical about body image and being overweight. I’m more into action novels not those mulling over ideas.

Seven women agreed to go to Vermont and take part in an extreme weight-loss journey and have it made into a documentary. That meant every single thing they did was filmed. It was a little like a riff on “Biggest Loser” a style which has been proven not to work or be maintained. However,the small fraction of the book that was devoted to the women’s time at Privation in Vermont and the cruel experiment, was pretty darn exciting and I could done with a lot more of that.

Sorry, but I can’t recommend this novel.

'You can never be too thin or too rich.'

This fantastic new book by Randy Susan Myers is about the goal to be thin! Utilizing her two main characters, she shows us women who allow their weight to be their determining factor about how they think the world views them and how they view themselves. Weight is more important than friends, family or jobs. As a woman who has struggled her entire life with weight issues, I can assure you that these two characters are a true reflection of how the world treats overweight women and how they subsequently treat themselves.

Daphne learned at a young age that being the only heavy daughter in her family would cause lots of criticism from her tiny mother. She has a successful profession as a make-up artist and is very giving with her talents, often helping young girls who have been burned or disfigured. She has a loving husband and two children but often feels 'less than' when she faces the world.

Alice is married to a film maker who values beauty and style. She was thin when they got married but since she has put on weight, she feels that her marriage is now in jeopardy. She also has a successful job and a loving family but only sees the negatives in her life due to here weight gain.

Daphne, Alice and five other women go to an extreme weight loss camp for 4 weeks. They can have no contact with their families or other friends and need to follow the rules of the organizers who will be filming them constantly to make a documentary about what their weight loss. They soon find out that they are trapped in a cruel experiment to test how far they will go to drop weight. How much will they take before they are able to fight back.

This provocative and fantastic book is a deep look at body image - both at how society treats overweight women and how overweight women treat themselves. I loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.