This was a well-intentioned book, but very all over the place and, at times, dangerous. It is a very basic look at how overweight and obese women feel in today's culture, and while there certainly needs to be more stories about that, this didn't seem like the one to write home about. It left a bad taste in my mouth, unfortunately.

This was a book I was very interested in reading because of the subject matter. Haven't we all had some issues with weight? Waisted ended up being an okay read for me, didn't love it but didn't hate it. It was just one that didn't pull me in at the beginning and couldn't really get into it as I continued reading. I found the characters a little annoying and whiny at times. It wasn't a fast read for me as I ended up putting it down to read other books and then picking it up again. BUT...this will not stop me from reading another Randy Susan Meyers book. Sometimes we just don't click with a certain book that many others have raved about. And that's okay.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

I had a hard time with this book. I thought it sounded like a fun and interesting read. Maybe a funny, witty and even a little irony thrown in with some smart fascinating women trying to achieve their goals while getting away from their real lives. What I got was a bunch of heinous, mean spirited people with little empathy, women so broken they were willing to be unknowingly be humiliated for others amusement and a read that did nothing to draw me in. I felt badly for the 2 main women, but didn’t find anyone terribly likable. I started, stopped, started stopped etc for weeks. I wanted to find someone or something to hold on to. There was so much mean spiritedness, cruelty, exploitation, no honestly and well it was just a difficult and unpleasant read for me.

I really expected this to be witty and edgy. What I got was whiney and self-centered. And overly racist in a weird way.

So, it started out interesting. Seven women board a bus to a...what...a spa?...a retreat?...a bootcamp? ... a fat farm? We aren't sure and it seems like it could be interesting. And then we get to some back story on the two main characters. So little development in all of those pages. They seemed to think they were so different. They were the same. Judgmental and horrible. I didn't really care what happened to them. So I plodded through the first half of the book feeling disappointed.

Then it seemed to get interesting again. There is more going on here. Cool. Something is happening other than starvation and weight loss. Abuse, self and otherwise was pretty much the standard. So, I read on. Hope was great at first and then it dwindled. No one really became more interesting or likable, not that I need to like a character, but c'mon.

In the end, there was no satisfaction. Nothing is here I would tell the world about. I really wanted to like this more.

Seven years ago, I read and quite enjoyed Meyers' debut novel and her other novels since have all ended up on my ever-growing TBR. But this book, a fictional book revolving around a weight-loss documentary piqued my interest as soon as I heard about it. The premise itself didn't sound terribly original - over the years, I have seen a sub-set of women's fiction that all seem to include a weight-loss transformation (with various happily ever afters, and methods for said weight-loss), but the documentary angle sounded like this would have a more modern approach to the topic.

And this film-making angle does breathe fresh life into this - and it's also interesting that the seven women participating are overweight, but not in the "My 600-lb Life" way, but in a more "normal" or common range of obesity. The two narrators, Alice and Daphne, each feel realistically drawn. And I think that there are plenty of moments of honesty here about body image that everyone will be able to identify with. But, the beginning of the book does venture into a bit of repetition and some contradictions that make me very curious to see what the ultimate message Meyers will leave readers with.

The last third of the book is the strongest part - though there are a few things missing from expected consequences that I would have wanted to see...Still, the two main characters' arcs are both believable and inspiring in different ways. The final message is just as hopeful and less contradictory than what I started to fear about halfway through. I do like the feminist angle that is present but never gets too political to spoil anything. The male characters, though not the focus, do have some dimension to them as well. It is an interesting and engaging read that. I am sure will do very well with book clubs and inciting plenty of lively discussion amongst its readers!

Seven women are given "the unique opportunity to spend an entire month exploring ways to bring yourself into balance"...sounds peaceful, right? Well, it's anything but! Waisted is the story of how far women will go to lose weight...will they allow themselves to be humiliated and abused? And, in the end, is it even worth it?

I really enjoyed Alice and Daphne's stories (the two narrators). I felt for them in different ways and I think all women can relate to their struggles whether it be with their weight or their family relationships.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy; all opinions are my own.

With obesity being rampant and weight control products always in the news, this is a timely novel about 7 women who want to lose weight . They soon discover that the documentary crew and sponsors of the program want a tv hit, no matter who gets hurt or what happens. This is a story of strangers forming a bond and working together to solve a problem. It does offer insight into women who are obsessed with weight and the lengths they will go to. I think the story might have been easier to follow with less characters. I did like Alice and Daphne and their overall take charge attitude. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have read a couple of books in the past year dealing with weight and the struggles that follow. As a woman who struggles with weight issues I can look at this book through eyes of someone who has been there and done that. I enjoyed seeing both Daphane and Alice’s relationship grow. As the story unfolds, I feel anyone struggling with body issues will find a piece of themself in the book. The story was slow at points and had some structural issues that, for me, weren’t my favorite. It was positive to see how far both Daphane and Alice came by the end. Over all I was happy I picked this one up. It’s wasn’t a top read for me but I still enjoyed the story nonetheless.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy for a review. I wish I could say I liked this book, but i can't. After a few chapters, I really wanted to give up; the characters are described all wrong; and the book in the wrong hands could send the wrong message. I wouldn't call a 5'10 size 18 woman, morbidly obese...
This story was mostly told by 2 sisters, Alice and Daphne, who go away to lose weight for a reality TV program ala "the biggest loser". Of course the women were promised spa-like care, and didn't get it. I thought it would be more humorous than it was. It was just a dud.

I am a huge fan of two former books by Myers, The Widow of Wall Street and Accidents of Marriage. Those two books were able to engage me deeply in the characters, which is my favorite kind of story. However, this book was a miss for me. I felt like it struggled to find what it wanted to be? Was it a tale of a "fat farm" gone wrong, where dieters were abused in order to compel them to lose weight? Or was it a story of race or of women's friendships or of marriage issues or parenting problems? I just could not tell. I just never cared enough about any of the women to either cheer for them or against them. Perhaps it is written for a different audience than me. I am thankful to Net Galley for a free book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars—An interesting look at adult women struggling with weight loss. It put me in mind of The Biggest Loser in book form. I felt like I connected to the book during Alice’s perspective about binge eating, and a lot of women, and probably men, will find this book relatable.

I do think people that have struggled with bulimia may struggle a bit in some parts, so be aware when reading. As someone who struggles with bulimia, I had to put the book down at one point and pick it up again later. It is very well written—just hit a little close to home.


One aspect I felt that is overdone is the description of Alice as part African American and part white. The book mentions this quality several times, and it gets to be unnecessary.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Well, I managed to finish this book without throwing my Kindle against the wall. I truly hate having to give an ARC a bad review, but they do ask for honesty so here goes:

I hated the characters... period! I hate how they viewed themselves, I hated their unrealistic thoughts, I hated their angst, I hated how Alice (half black/half white) and her mother (white/Jewish) were so bigoted/prejudiced, I hated that once I finished this book I couldn't even remember how it ended *scratches head* did they ever get satisfaction from posting their own video? And isn't it sad that this book left such a little imprint on me that I can't remember such an interesting part of the book...the ONLY interesting part I might add? I hated that this was such a verbose read.

I don't know what kind of 'fat' this author is or was or what kinds of research she did, but out of all the fat women I know (and I'm included -as a matter of fact I've been on both sides of the scale, obese and then nearly anorexic via an undiscovered thyroid issue and then years at an average weight) not one of them are as self-absorbed and obsessed as these two are.

I know that many of the early reviewers loved this book -so you may really want to try this book and give it a chance and not be colored with my little rant.

*ARC supplied by the publisher.

In the beginning I was ready to give this 2 stars. The story bounced from character to character with not enough substance. BUT part way through the women became stronger. They became what I was hoping to find in a story like this. I'm giving it a 4 because there is a lot of good head talk in the second portion but I still felt the characters were too fluffy and self absorbed.

How far will someone go to lose weight? That question is the heart of this story—a brutally honest look into the lives of a group of women whose weight impacts every aspect of their lives. It’s hard to be objective about this subject, as one who has had my own struggles with weight gain and loss most of my adult life. The guilt, the shame, the psychological battles that one who is overweight faces on a daily basis are written candidly but with deep compassion. The scenes in the book that take place at Privation, a mansion in Vermont that promises fast, dramatic weight loss are uncomfortable to read, but they serve as a stark illustration of just how far someone truly will go to lose weight. Waisted is provocative, thoughtful, and compelling.

I don’t know whether to be amazed or outraged!

This book touched waaay to close to my core. Having always battled with my weight and body image, I could feel everything these women did. I don’t know that I have ever connected to characters so completely!

If you’ve ever doubted yourself in any way, please read this story. You will feel so many emotions. It will truly be a rollercoaster but you won’t regret it.

This is the first book I've read by Randy Susan Meyers and I so enjoyed her excellent character development! She stands apart in my mind for having deep, complex and multi-faceted characters, that especially came through in this book that dove deep into internal motivations and our own inner monologues.

The topic seemed perfectly relevant to issues today and it's a sort of anthem for body positivity and learning to see the world as more than what size someone wears. Haven't we heard that forever, that it's what's on the inside that matters? And yet daily we are confronted with messages that say it matters what we look like on the outside. Randy stages a coup on this frame of mind and develops characters that learn to find their own peace with their bodies (or at least take steps toward that). Aside from the self-victory these women discover, they also see how our negative thoughts don't just hurt ourselves, they impact everyone we relate to and encounter. As much as I loved watching them come to peace in and of themselves, I enjoyed seeing their family relationships restored even more!

I admit I struggled with this book for awhile and about what I was going to say in my review. Having struggled with a weight issue my whole adult life, the topic brought up some really raw and sore emotions for me. But it also gave me pause and a whole lot of “food for thought” and I’m glad I stuck with it.

I recommend this one to lovers of drama, a lot of angst and lots of material for great discussions.

I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I liked this book a lot in the beginning. The characters were very interesting, and the premise certainly peaked my interest.

But as I kept reading, I lost interest. Ultimately, I didn't feel like it led us to the conclusion it reached.

WAISTED is a well-intentioned book that stumbles repeatedly on its message of purported feminist empowerment. Weight gain is the third rail of American life right now. Whether we blame it on reliance on fast food, too much sugar, not enough exercise or the changing nature of human lives, it’s clear that modern Americans are overweight. This book focuses on women’s issues with weight and the specific media, social and family pressure designed to humiliate women into losing that weight. It’s a bit dated because increasingly we know that willpower is the very least component involved in weight. But this book lays it on heavily that women have been brow-beaten into accepting their need to slenderize AND satisfy their husbands/mothers/children, everyone. This is not a light, humorous book, although the description suggests it might be. Nor is it filled with a satisfying revenge story once the overweight women realize the plot of the tale. I could have read an old Glamour magazine story from 20 years ago and gotten pretty much the same tale. So, this didn’t do much for me. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I loved the description of this book; however, I had a difficult time getting through it. I believe the author had good intentions in wanting to address several issues woman in particular feel around weight, body image and eating disorders but I thought it fell flat. I don’t know the authors personal experience with these issues, but it did not feel as though she truly grasped it at times though I commend her for trying (and I also realize it is different for everyone). The book was also difficult to follow at times. Though I love alternating POV’s this one got complicated- it rotated between Alice and Daphne but also between the present and the past with each. The characters were also very similar. Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.