The instagram post/comments parts of this book didn't play out well with me, too distracting. I enjoyed the premise of the story and the body positive and self-worth messages throughout as I too think they are very important. However, the execution of the story and the flow of the plot didn't work great for me. I found myself often distracted and not really engaged with the book. I did like both the characters and found certain parts adorable. But overall, this wasn't for me.

Thank you so much for an advance copy of Set On You. I LOVED THIS BOOK!

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pub Date: May 10, 2022

This book is amazing. I cannot sing its praises enough. This book tells. a story of learning to love one's self just as much as it does a love story. The main character, Crys, struggles with many of the same insecurities and doubts that I do, and I consistently felt like Amy Lea wrote this character for me as I read. The story of learning to love one's body and respect is a powerful message, and I think the evolution of the body positivity message in this book is extremely powerful. I think it is so important to recognize different body types and to understand that there is no one way to "see" healthy, and this book takes so many strides towards that journey.

And, um, who can say no to a main male lead in Scott created in the image of Chris Evans? I certainly cannot. Scott is everything I dream of, and on paper...yum yum yum. I'm in love. The chemistry and the witty banter between Crystal and Scott is perfection in this book, and I was on board from the beginning. But not so on board that I won't steal Scott if I get the chance! 😂 The steam in this book was hot, not going to lie. And it was written in a way that didn't make me cringe - it was realistic steam that made me just melt.

I also really liked the family aspect of this story. I loved all the crazy family members and all the interconnections. It just seemed like a story of realistic connections, family, and love. You could tell the writing was inspired by real life, to some degree, because the story was so relatable. I devoured this book in less than 24 hours, and I already want to re-read it.

I cannot explain just how much I loved this book... I don't know if I loved the characters, the plot, the messages, or the romance more, but it was all crafted and put together so seamlessly that I feel like I don't have to choose a favorite aspect.

Crystal is a curvy fitness instructor/influencer determined to teach her followers body positivity through her sizeable platform. She has her own way of dealing with the trolls, and no one is able to put her down... until she meets Scott, the sexy fireman who infuriates Crystal from the moment they meet when he steals her favorite machine. Determined to get to know her, Scott continues his childish antics until they can't fight off the sparks any longer.

After a brief, interrupted tryst in the gym locker room, Crystal is convinced she can avoid Scott forever, until she realizes that he is the grandson of her grandmother's fiance. Forced together time and again, the two begin a sizzling romance that Crystal can't help but to share with her audience.

Hateful comments and self-consciousness nearly breaks the two apart until Crystal realizes that the goal should be body acceptance rather than body positivity. This message alone was powerful enough to make me love the book and appreciate it even if the other elements fell short (which they didn't).

Pick up this book now and dive right in! You won't be able to put it down!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a solid rom-com for me, and I greatly enjoyed getting to know both Scott and Crystal. Friends-to-lovers isn’t my favorite trope, but I like the fun twist in there, and Lea wasted no time showing me Scott’s sweet and soft side and making me a fan of this pairing.

Things I Liked

• Plus-sized fitness influencer – Crystal made a living as a non-size-zero fitness influencer and personal trainer. I liked that she took on the stereotypes associated with being overweight and showed that fit comes in all sizes. Aside from that, I really liked Crystal. She was confident and tried to see the glass as half full, but she wasn’t perfect. I appreciated her personal journey and really felt for her as she struggled.

• Sweet as pie hero – I adore sweet and tender heroes. Scott checked those boxes, and so many more. He was overly handsome but dorky. In other words, he was perfect. His relationship with his grandfather tugged at my heartstrings, and I thought he was ideal for Crystal.

• Family – The family connection between Scott and Crystal was such a fun part of the story for me. I delighted in this union and loved that it gave so many wonderful opportunities for these two to bond. I also loved their grandparents. They won my heart and added so much fun to every page they were on.

• The romance – This romance had me grinning. The way it developed and grew warmed my heart, and I swear, Scott brought the swoon on many occasions. I found Scott to be a perfect match for Crystal and really reveled in the mushy moments they shared.

• The messaging – I have read many books that take on the dark side of life online, as I saw here with the trolls and general ugliness of some keyboard warriors, but Lea brought up another pitfall of online life. I saw the term “toxic positivity” thrown around to describe this. I had never really thought about the downside of all that positivity and found that aspect of the story really interesting.

Overall, I enjoyed working out with Crystal and Scott. It was a special treat to watch them fall in love, and I am giving a round of applause for that awww-shucks ending which left me basking in the happy feels.

I really enjoyed reading this book! I thought Crystal's journey with body respect and acceptance was really relatable, and I loved that the emphasis wasn't on losing way or looking a certain way, but about health and doing things that make you feel good. Scott was basically a dream of a hero. Who doesn't want a Chris Evans-esque firefighter?!?!? I also really enjoyed the social media aspect of the story. As an author, I really related to Crystal's struggles with negative comments and how they can get in your head. Overall, this was a fantastic read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

I was concerned when requesting this book that I'd be getting something preachy and soap box-y, but It really focused more on one woman's journey to understand herself and how she fits into the world.

Crystal's inner monologue was very similar to my own, especially about my own issues with the Body Positivity movment. Lea wrapped it up succinctly when she mentioned that women are prompted to love at every size but that women aren't allowed to feel bad or not confident about themselves. They must be happy about themselves at all times. It's another unattainable goal, guaranteed to disappoint.

But Lea focuses on Crystal's journey as she goes through this thought process. The more powerful message here is that you don't need anyone's approval but your own. And that is such a deeply personal thing that it is difficult to quantify, but will have longer, more satisfactory results.

Also her relationship with Scott was adorable. From the fighting for the weight machines, the subtle workout sabotage, and the endearing confessions from both of them, it was easy to see how these two fell for each other. Could have dealt without the subplot of them becoming cousins by marriage, but in the grand scheme of things, it barely rates on the story scale.

Very good read with a powerful message.

I couldn't not love Crystal. As a fitness influencer and biracial curvy heroine, she is used to trying to embody confidence. To show the haters - and there are haters - that they won't get her down. But is her desire to always be strong, going to mean that she loses the ability to be vulnerable? While this theme is only really focused upon towards the latter half, it's my favorite part of Set on You. As a woman of color myself, I can only empathize with this constant idea that we have to be strong and so this theme resonated strongly with me.

Part of love is to find someone we can trust to help share our burdens. To know that letting them listen to us is enough and that doesn't mean we aren't able to handle ourselves. This universal theme emerging cemented my enjoyment of Set on You. This enemies to lovers romance began with me entirely agreeing with Crystal on why she didn't like Scott. And, to be honest, it took me a while to warm up to Scott. But over time this teasing-and-riling-you-up gives way to a softie underneath - it was just a love/hate for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: fatshaming, fat phobia, cyberbullying, brief mentions of racism

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f gym rivals to friends to lovers
-curvy rep
-labradoodle of a fireman of a LI
-Netflix and chillin

I really enjoyed this debut. Light, funny and authentic. This book gave such a true look at what being curvy is like in the world, how people can think they are complimenting you but it's really not, the things they say, the silent judgments. I adored Crystal, how confident she was in her body but human and having her moments when that was shaken. How that intersected with her family which she adored, I related to her so much. I loved how positive she was and about taking care of yourself, this is not a book about weightloss or diet culture.

And sweet Scott. From the first moment these two clash in the gym they had such chemistry and he was just so sweet and patient. Gone on Crystal from the beginning. He truly cared about her, her passions. Both of them truly introverts who just wanted to hang out together on the couch, eating oranges and watching movies (When Scott didn't sleep through them). This book was just so soft, and lovely.

I can't wait to read more from this author.

Steam: 3.25

3/5 stars

I liked the beginning of this book, and found the introduction to the characters easy to read and fun. Crystal was a charismatic main character, and I loved the body positivity that was written into this title. As someone who has a definite fear of starting at the gym, someone like Crystal is definitely someone I would follow on social media in real life. I did also like Scott, but not as much as I would typically like to see in the main romantic interest.

The story line was good, and fun to follow, with the beginning as a rivalry leading to some spiciness and misunderstandings which was good. Full honesty, I enjoyed this book and found it very well written, but the last 10% of the book is what bumped it down in star rating for me. I'm all for a misunderstanding that leads to a lovey resolution, but the breakup in the last 10% felt a unncessecary. After Crystal and Scott spending the whole book getting better at communicating and being honest with each other, the breakup and refusal to talk things through felt like a step backwards instead of more growth, which I found really disappointing.

Overall, I will definitely still recommend this to fellow romance readers, but I was a little disappointed.

Thanks for the ARC!

To be honest, there wasn't a lot that I enjoyed about this one. I liked the gym meet-cute and the surprise factor with Grandma Flo and Martin. But that's about it.

After reading The Love Hypothesis, I'm not a fan of book characters being modeled after real life people. There's a lot of that going on in this book, and not just with Scott (aka Chris Evans); there's a Henry Golding in there, a Liam Hemsworth, and a Robert Pattinson reference. It was really weird when Scott's laugh is described, because if you've ever seen a Chris Evans interview his laugh is EXACTLY written. Maybe this is a convenient cheat, but it doesn't make a great impression on me where the writing is concerned.

I didn't love Crystal's trust and insecurity issues, probably because they're very familiar and that made me uncomfortable. But since all the conflict between Crystal and Chris-I-mean-Scott came from these things, I was kind of disappointed that Crystal basically just decides, "oh snap! All I have to do is accept myself on my bad days in order to not believe the worst of my boyfriend!" Ummm, can we go over that a little more? No? It's the end of the book now? Ok.

But the overall messaging with bodyweight and shame (not just body shaming but career shaming) is good. I just wish it had gone a little deeper.

This contemporary, slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance pulled me right out of my reading slump!

"𝚃𝚘 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚛𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚜. 𝚃𝚘 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚌 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢. 𝚆𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚛𝚎."

Crystal is a “full-figured” fitstagrammer who doesn’t necessarily fit society’s standards of 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 or 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩, but that doesn’t stop her from being an inspiration to her 250k followers or a complete 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 at the gym. When she meets the smug new gym patron, Scott, a 6’2 Chris Evans-looking firefighter with a 6pack, he completely rubs her the wrong way - stealing her favourite squat rack, not wiping down his machine, taking up the space she is so obviously using… however, the sexual tension btwn them is undeniable. When Crystal & Scott run into each other at a family dinner & she sees a new side to him, things start to change… but not only just btwn the two of them. As a curvier social media influencer, Crystal is no stranger to haters & their comments, but the negativity that comes with others comparing her & Scott’s appearances is something she doesn’t know if she can handle.

Crystal & Scott’s love story is one that will stick with me forever because it is one so true to our society, especially where social media is involved. If anyone is familiar with @aliciamccarvell, I read this story with her in the back of my mind. Haters love to try to tear people down, they are attracted to the light in others, as @amyleabooks so perfectly words it, but even the most happy, positive or confident of people can only take so much.

Crystal was such a strong, inspiring, kick-ass MC. She was relatable on so many levels & I absolutely loved reading her journey. Scott was incredibly drool-worthy, for reasons way beyond his looks (ie. having a rescue dog named Albus Doodledore!). & just wait until you read about Grandma Flo & the sugar cookies 😂

Set On You is Amy Lea's debut novel and wow is she coming out of the gate strong. This is a wonderful romantic comedy that is a must read this season. Crystal Chen is a curvy fitness influencer who campaigns for body positivity and self love. The gym is her work place, as well as space to regain her power against men, haters and all those who doubted her.

Scott Ritchie is a firefighter who starts going to her gym and quickly they become rivals. Fighting over squat racks and lanes to complete sled runs, their relationship starts with frustration and competition. But quickly those feelings transition to more, as they tend to do in these sorts of books.

Scott proves himself to be a reliable, loveable, and encouraging friend, a strong pillar (both physically and emotionally) in Crystal's life.

From rivals, to friends, to lovers, the reader experiences the ups and downs of an unexpected romance, but one that is completely swoon worthy and filled with angst and some spice.

The message by the end of the book is one that we all need reminders off. It's okay to not be okay and that there is strength in asking for help/support.

If you've ever heard of Jenna and Drew Kutcher, parts of this story reminds me of their instagram journey and the feedback/hate they received as being a couple.

Everyone who has ever struggled with body image and self conscious concerns needs to read this book. But also just read this book because it is an amazing romantic comedy that is relatable on a myriad of levels.

The premise of this book intrigued me as well as the body positivity theme was highly appreciated throughout the book. But overall, the book fell flat. Not good, not bad just average. Insta love is not
My favorite and I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was expecting more.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I was really excited about this title, especially because the discussion around how fitness and body neutrality fit together is something I am still trying to tease out for myself. From the opening author's notes, I was anticipating something spectacular. Unfortunately, this wasn't what I was hoping for. I didn't care for either Crystal or Scott, both characters felt flat and I personally don't care for the insta-love trope. I did like the conclusions Crystal came to on body positive and self love, but I do wish the book dug a little bit deeper. Perhaps because this is a topic I've mediated on a lot, I didn't feel like it offered me anything new, but I can see how meaningful this discussion will be for someone just beginning their journey into body neutrality. Overall, didn't quite care for the romance or the discussion that was attempted in this book. We need more books with biracial plus size women, and I know there is an audience that will resonate with this, unfortunately it just was not for me.

Set on You follows two gym rivals who may have more in common than they think. Curvy fitspo influencer Crystal Chen has worked hard to build her body and her platform in to what it is today but sparks fly when she meets smoking hot firefighter Scott Richie, sparks and banter ensue until the unthinkable happens and they run into each other at their grandparents engagement dinner. But, as the days lead up to their grandparents wedding, Crystal discovers a warmth in Scott she didn’t see before, and she just may love it and him. But, when the internet gets a hold of pictures of them, and internet trolls put their relationship through the ringer, will they get through it together?

An absolute lovely story a that made me love my body more by the time I finished reading it!

Set on You was a cute read and a great debut by Amy Lea. I always love a curvy protagonist, and Crystal Chen was easy to root for and sympathize with. As someone who isn't a size zero, but enjoys working out, I found Crystal extremely relatable and at times felt like her thoughts were coming exactly out of my own head of things I think when I'm at the gym.

I loved the beginning of Crystal and Scott's journey when they were true enemies and the grump and sunshine trope was in full effect. I do wish there angst between them was drawn out longer in the book. I did like them as friends, but their competitiveness in the gym was so much fun to read about. Scott was a great character, and I liked how quick he was to stick up for Crystal and help her work through her insecurities.

One of my favorite parts of the book were Crystal's posts at the end, and I loved to see the evolution of how she felt about herself and her body through them.

Crystal is a fitstagrammer with curves. A new guy shows up at her gym and ignores all etiquette by stealing the squat rack she was using. Their misunderstandings escalate, and their chemistry is clearly high. And then they learn that their families will be interacting a lot with each other.

The book begins with the most beautiful Author's Note I have read. It highlights both Amy Lea's goals in changing media representation and also that no one story can speak to the experience of an entire marginalized group. And it also touches on the way in which gym and fitness culture are explored in the book. Personally, I really enjoyed the references to the gym and found them healthy. For me, they served as a reminder of all the reasons I love to work out.

I was also a fan of both Crystal's Instagram post captions and the messages she and Scott exchanged. I like seeing those other media incorporated into the text.

I enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers attraction between Crystal and Scott. This is a slow burn, and they had a chance to get to know each other. I liked that their connection went deeper than the physical.

I wish the synopsis for the book hadn't spoiled so much of it, so I recommend against reading the synopsis.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

TW: bullying and cyberbullying

Enemies to lovers? Yes please!! I never would have guessed this was a debut book, this book was absolute perfection. Not only was the banter amazing, the story and message throughout was written very well. I really enjoyed the blog posts scattered throughout and the Instagram comments. It broke up the hook up nicely, and gave us something to look forward to. My favorite part of the book was at the axe throwing place. Flo and Martin are my new favorite couple!!! Albus Doodledore is my new favorite pet name!! This had the perfect amount of steam, and I cannot wait to read more from Amy Lea.

Also thank you for the call out to all bookstagrammers who have stacks of books piled all over the house!!! 😂😂😂

Thank you so much Berkley for my gifted copy!

While the book summary sounded like a rom-com that was right up my reading alley, I found I had a very hard time connecting with these characters. I found them to be relatable, and quite honestly, a little annoying. Maybe my timing was off and I am sure many readers will enjoy this "meet cute" romance read, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Berkley for my gifted review copy.

When I tell you I absolutely loved and adored SET ON YOU by Amy Lea, no truer words have ever been spoken. This is one of the top-tier romances I’ve read this year and I’m eagerly anticipating everyone getting their hands on it!

The witty banter was everything you could have wanted and more. Our protagonist and her love interest literally had sparks flying from every interaction they had. I just loved Crystal and Scott, their chemistry was undeniable! Don’t even get me started on Scott’s cheesy pickup lines - all of those brought me absolute JOY!

I have tried to really put my love and adoration for this heartwarming debut novel into words but have found myself unable to do so! Just please know that I loved this one more than words could ever express!

Do yourself a favor and preorder this one - you won’t want to miss out!

Thank you so much to @berkleyromance for the opportunity to read this e-ARC!