I really liked this book!

Crystal Chen is a plus-size personal trainer and Fitstagrammer known for her body positivity platform. One day at the gym, a very handsome man steals her favorite squat rack, and it is loathing at first sight.

Squat Rack Thief, later known as Scott Ritchie, is a firefighter with a penchant for smartassery and not a small amount of pining for the woman at the gym who will not give him an inch of slack.

As they run into each other at an engagement party for their respective grandparents (really), they are repeatedly thrown together with explosive results.

I really liked the chemistry between Crystal and Scott and found Crystal’s insecurities about her weight and her platform and her jerk ex very believable. Her trust issues and her projected insecurities make finding a happily ever after challenging but not impossible, and Scott was realistically patient and sweet enough to make it work.

There are a few scenes of hanky panky in the gym locker room and showers, which EW GROSS HAVE YOU EVER SMELLED A MEN’S LOCKER ROOM? But other than that, an enjoyable read.

The best way I can think to describe Set on You, Amy Lea’s debut novel is: an absolute delight. I had a blast reading this book, I felt like I could have read it in a few hours by the pool, forgetting to reapply sunscreen because the characters were so enjoyable to read. I did not want to set down this friends to lovers story for fear I may miss something! I was expecting an enemies to lovers trope but that was not the case for, Chris Evans look alike/firefighter Scott, and Lizzo loving body positive influencer, Crystal are never really enemies. The banter and chemistry are there from the beginning but being guarded Crystal wants to take things slow, friends first. In this friendship is where you, the reader, will fall for Scott and Crystal. Scott has endless patience and understanding, and at one point says the words, “I am a 30 year old man, I should hope so…” in that moment I melted. My only real critique is how smoothly everything goes, it’s almost too easy to overcome the “dark night.” I enjoyed this book immensely and will pick up Amy’s sophomore novel without a doubt whenever that comes out! Such a fun read.

I LOVED this book. I thought the characters were unique and realistic, and the witty banter between the two protagonists was absolutely fantastic.

I docked a star for two reasons. One, the spice was very tame (which I was fine with, it fit the tone of the story and flowed well with the plot), BUT there is simply no reason to use the word "warmth" for female genitalia. I mean...what?? Second, though I thought the plot was well developed and interesting, I will admit that the various conflicts that arose felt somewhat one note and repetitive. At one point all I could think was "Crystal is kind of stupid," because it was just the same instance of lack of trust over and over again, with extremely minimal growth each time (until the very end where she grows exponentially).

That being said this is one of my all time favorite romances. The romance itself was 10/10, but the bits of self-acceptance scattered throughout....they really warmed my heart, and I appreciated their presence. <3

An excellent debut! Enemies to friends to lovers. Slow, slow burn with some incredible steam and a great ending!! Scott Ritchie is a swoon worthy hero. I appreciated the body acceptance message.

“I knew I’d be a goner the moment I first talked to you. And I was. So, after I finished my squats, I went back to the front desk and asked for the year-long membership instead of the day pass.”

Crystal, a curvy fitness influencer, has a bad encounter with a Chris Evans look-a-like when he steals the squat rack that she was using: deeming him “Squat Rack Thief”. When a misplaced phone turns into a hot make out session in the locker room, Crystal avoids going to the gym, worried that she might run into Squat Rack Thief aka Scott. But to her surprise, she ends up seeing him again at her grandma’s engagement party dinner who is getting married to his grandpa. Which means they’ll be in each other’s lives more.

What a phenomenal debut by @amyleabooks! Truly enjoyed reading Crystal and Scott’s relationship grow! The steam, the banter, the flirty text messages! Obsessed!! It was funny, swoonworthy and overall amazing! This was one of my most anticipated read of the year and it did not disappoint at all!

🏋🏻‍♀️READ IF YOU LIKE🏋🏻‍♀️:
- gym nemesis to friends to lovers
- witty banter
- pick up lines & GIFs
- body positivity
- fitness influencer x firefighter
- Chris Evans look alike
- clementines
- self love & self acceptance
- biracial, mental/physical health representation

cw: fatphobia, body shaming, cyberbullying, fitness/diet culture, racism, cancer, death of loved ones, trust issues

Thank you to @netgalley and @berkleyromance for the advanced copy! Set on You is available on May 10, 2022!

I wasn't a fan of this book. The male protagonist was not appeal at the beginning of the story. The female protagonist was very needy and had major confidence issues. The writing was weak and repetitive. I just came off reading one of my favorite romances in quite some time. It's unfair that this had to come after that. This title will appeal to some library patrons, but it isn't something that I would recommend to anyone.

Crystal Chen is a “curvy” instagram fitness influencer that falls for a hot fireman at the gym. Their meet cute is more of a meet annoying as Crystal rages at Scott for stealing her gym equipment and taking up her space. They find out that their grandparents are engaged, though, and slowly Crystal’s heart softens for Scott as she gets to know him.

I’m happy there are romance books that represent people in bigger bodies but I felt like this aspect lacked depth at times. Sometimes it was heavy-handed and preachy, but the development of Crystal’s character from body positivity to more of a body neutrality standpoint was well done. The romance was fun but a little rushed. Although, I hate the third act break up trope so the quick pacing was a blessing when I got to that point in the book!

​​ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so stinkin' cute. I love the main character and her opinions on self love, and even acknowledging that she can struggle with her body some days was a fantastic thing to read. Her relationship was steamy, intense, and absolutely lovable in all the right ways. Can't wait for this to come out so I can recommend it to all my romance loving customers.

A charming & sweet debut romcom from a great new voice! Crystal and Scott were just lovely characters who were easy to root for individually and as a couple. I actually overwhelmed by how healthy and non toxic the romance was—what a breath of fresh air for the genre!! Knowing Scott was inspired by Chris Evans made it extra easy to immediately fall in love with him. And Crystal had a wonderful journey, growing in self confidence& taking the necessary steps to care for her mental health, both with therapy & shutting down”helpful” disparaging comments from her father.

I loved the incorporation of Instagram & social media, it felt extremely realistic (especially the comments) and it’s clear Lea actually knows how social media works. Influencers are such a big, burgeoning industry and I loved the accurate representation.

My biggest frustration was Albus Dumbledoodle. Given how toxic and bigoted JK Rowling is, having a character (even a dog) with a name referencing her intellectual property left a sour taste in my mouth. It’s not even a name Scott gives him, so it felt like such an odd choice. There’s so many other intellectual properties to reference that don’t have authors actively trying to undermine trans rights.

All in all, my issues were relatively minor (seriously editing the dog’s name is so easy!!!), and I’m really looking forward to more from this series!

Curvy fitstagrammer Crystal Chen has built her platform on encouraging people to love their bodies and to embrace a lifestyle that focuses on physical and mental health. There are trolls out there who don't think she is worthy of her fitness influencer status because of her size but she doesn't let that get in the way of her helping others find their strength. When Scott, a rude gym rat, steals her squat rack at the gym one day, they begin an aggravating back and forth of getting under each other's skin. They later find out that they will be forced to see one another more because their grandparents are getting married. They slip into a truce, and eventually a friendship that revolves around competitive workout sessions, movie watching, and hanging out. Scott tries to convince Crystal to date him and she resists for many reasons but she soon finds out that she will not be able to resist him for long.

I knew when I read the author's note for this book that it was going to be impactful for me. The first thing that stood out to me in Amy Lea's note was that for those of us who rarely see protagonists who look like us in books, representation is important. Lea wrote a story about a curvy biracial Chinese/White woman and she recognized the importance of having this platform from a major publishing house of telling Crystal's story.

The theme that stood out to me the most in this book is that just because you are a strong, confident, and intelligent woman, it doesn't mean that you don't experience self-doubt or imposter syndrome. Crystal was a successful woman breaking across barriers of stereotypes and she had many things going for her. Even when she slipped into this relationship with Scott and he never gave her any reason to doubt his genuine affection for her, she couldn't help believe the naysayers. Confidence and self-love isn't indestructible or unwavering. We need to give ourselves grace to feel human emotions like self-doubt and hopefully come out the other end having learned something.

Scott was the perfect match for Crystal. He didn't want to dim her light and he was encouraging in her pursuits. I liked that he wasn't threatened by her gym prowess and he used it as a way to have fun competing with her at the gym. I found his slightly awkward but open and honest way of talking to her endearing. Scott may not have known the right thing to say in those difficult situations, but his intentions and how he felt about her made up for it, in my opinion.

This was a cute, thought-provoking, fun, and sexy romcom that I really enjoyed!

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥
⚠️: body shaming, cyberbullying, racism, cancer

Thank you to @berkleyromance and @netgally for the ARC. Set on You is available on May 10th.

I may have begged Berkley for this ARC. I will gladly trash my pride and beg for anything from @amyleabooks again because it was so worth it.

It’s how he looks at me, all of me, washing away all my worries and fears. It’s how he gets me, knowing exactly what I want before I vocalize it. I’ve never felt connected with someone like this before. It’s a completeness I’ve never experienced. A fullness that tells me I’ll never feel empty again when it comes to this man.

I loved this book. Couldn’t put it down. The writing felt effortless. Funny, snarky, sweet, honest. I was consistently laughing out loud at Crystal’s commentary on anything and everything (I also don’t know whatever Engine X, Tower Y means). This was a steamy, contemporary romance for sure but don’t let the quote fool you. It was hilarious too. I want to be friends with Crystal. I want her to be real so I can read her blog and absorb her body positivity messages and kick-ass attitude all day long. I also want Scott, in my calendar during June in his uniform. My husband has been begging me to watch Lord of the Rings with him since we got together but I’d rather watch with Scotty (IYKYK). I want an invite to Grandma Flo’s bachelorette party too.

Underneath all the humor and romance was a solid storyline about body image, stereotyping, social media and just how hard it is in today’s day and age to block out all the noise, no matter how strong you are. The book balanced that with humor perfectly. I loved every page and now I want to make Amy Lea a friendship bracelet.

This was such a cute and fun romance! It also tackled some sensitive topics like body image and exercise and I think it covered them in a really conducive fashion to allow for growth and understanding. It brought a fresh perspective to some of the pressures we place on ourselves because of social media.
Set On You follows Crystal Chen, a confident and curvy biracial fitness influencer who has recently acquired a hot new gym nemesis. Things heat up quickly between the two and they just can’t seem to stay away.
With so much humor and entertainment, this book had me laughing out loud. I loved the banter between Crystal and Scott and the pop culture references were perfect to top it all off. Scott was a total cinnamon roll of a character, he was so sweet and thoughtful and the fact that he was also an adopted dog dad was almost too much to handle.
Crystal herself was strong yet vulnerable and I really appreciated her honesty and authenticity. She struggled with some online hate and this became a major source of conflict in the story. There was also a big theme of confidence in yourself and your appearance and how that’s such a personal journey for everyone. It brought up a really interesting discussion around the concepts of body positivity and self-love that made me think about these phrases in a different way.
There was also a super sweet father daughter moment that was one of my favorite parts of the whole book! It was really touching and I’m so glad that was included.
I really enjoyed this debut from this author and I can’t wait to see what else she writes in the future! Whatever it is, I’ll definitely be picking it up 💕
Thanks so much to NetGalley, Berkley and the author for providing me with an early copy!

I so very enjoyed this debut from Amy Lea!

This one focuses on fitinfluencer, Crystal and her gym enemy to lover, Scott. I loved a lot about this book! The focus on realistic and growing definition of body positivity, the steam, the concept of being guarded but also attracted to someone. I like that Crystal had both external and internal factors going into her decision making. Her career, her personality, her past hurts all impacted her and I believed her reasonings.

Scott (Chris Evans inspired need I say more) is swoon worthy and I love how he pursued Crystal but also gave her space when needed and pushed her when needed. They had a lot of cute and hot moments. But I loved that they were their own developed people!

I feel seen after reading this book! I love reading romances with curvy girls as the lead, and this one was incredible discussing self appreciation and body respect. I’m a huge fan and will be recommending this book for years to come. Loved every second! It was steamy and sexy, laugh out loud funny, and incredibly relatable. I love seeing bookstagrammer friends reach their goals and write such incredible books! Congrats Amy!

✨Do I want to go buy matching workout sets I’ll never use? Yes.✨

I really loved the first half of this one and was pretty okay with the second! The fight scene wasn’t for me (although it rarely is) but overall I had a good time. There was a bit of steam (yay!!) and I liked the side characters and their support system (while also not afraid to call bullshit).

I liked Crystal and Scott and how their relationship began. Their interactions at the gym were enjoyable to witness and the revelations at the end were pretty cute. It was definitely a mild enemies to lovers moment which quickly progressed into friends-to-lovers-trying-not-to-be-lovers-but-gave-up-on-trying-pretty-quickly situation.

I also loved the connection they had through their grandparents. (I didn’t read the summary so it was fun to watch that play out in real time.) I read through this super quickly and it kept me engaged and the author’s voice was strong and clever. There was also a sizable number of pop-culture references.

This was only a single POV from Crystal’s perspective which I didn’t mind. I do like when a book (especially contemporary) is kept to single POV because it just ups the tension and angst for me. However, since Scott was very clear with his intentions pretty much from page 60, I would’ve liked his POV so it could add a little extra depth to his character.

This was a pretty low angst, low tension book and fairly slow burn. It may be a stretch to call this a rom-com (idk we all have different definitions at this point) but I did laugh a few times (mostly when he gave his bad pickup line puns).

✨

The steam was actually pretty good! Most notably, there was a hot bathtub (sans water) moment and steamy shower (with water) scene. The former happens before sex and the latter happens after that initial scene. Their first *intercourse* scene wasn’t my favorite compared to those other two moments which does say a bit. It was pretty short but still nice (of course it summarizes the second time they had sex that night). Do I think this is “extremely sexy” like Helen Hoang said? Uh no. Especially when comparing to the extremely sexy Kiss Quotient lmao.

✨

This did feel like a debut in terms of writing style and presentation though. A lot of their relationship happened off the page and has been randomly told to us. It’s written kinda weird… You blink and she’s like oh yeah I’ve been to his apartment a million times and knows all this stuff about him that we weren’t privy to and I’m Iike…what now? It was still a pretty good time but I ultimately was not very invested in the two.

The break up scene (before the actual breakup scene) felt very forced and random and the whole plot thing it introduced was also done and gone in a blink of the eye. The actual breakup scene wasn’t much better. It didn’t make a lot of sense and I was very confused why Crystal did what she did. It was explained but even then I’m not quite sure.

✨

It took me most of the book to really see what the actual message of it was, but in the end it was a nice bow on the book as a whole. (Message how I understood it: body positivity all the time is actually not positive at all and it’s very harmful. It can make you think your feelings toward your body aren’t valid if they’re not always positive.

Crystal went down this spiral of thinking she needed to feel 100% all the time and realized it wasn’t sustainable. She also realized that was a HUGE part of her platform.) Would I reread this one? No probably not. I will probs read the next book by the author because I’m assuming it’s about her bookstagrammer sister… and I think I need that. Although, is that the healthiest thing for me to read? Idk.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶🌶.75/5

Scott and Crystal were such enjoyable characters to read about. I loved Crystal's group of friends too and just her overall personality. Of course there were times that I felt frustrated with her or her choices, but in the grand scheme of the book plot it worked out for the best that way. The conflict really did work well for the storyline and I just overall enjoyed it all. I am excited to read more by this author. Her writing style and voice is enjoyable and it makes for a quick read. Great job building tension and the chemistry between the characters was excellent.

Ok so you know how some books talk about food and it makes you hungry? Reading this book made me want to join a gym and work out. Which is... a very unusual impulse for me. Someone please bottle whatever motivational magic Amy Lea put into this thing.

I really enjoyed Crystal and Scott's love story. Their chemistry was fantastic, and their steamy moments did not disappoint! Crystal's grand gesture was so sweet and unexpected, and I really liked the message about the problematic side of the body positivity movement. The supporting characters were also a lot of fun, and I'm hoping to see some of them again in Amy Lea's next book!

I REALLY enjoyed this debut romance by Canadian author Amy Lea that features a biracial Chinese American fitness influencer and her firefighter gym nemesis love interest. Crystal spends a lot of time at the gym and when Scott (aka "Squat Rack Thief") butts in on her workout a 'friendly' rivalry ensues.

I loved the banter and one-upmanship as Crystal and Scott fight their growing attraction at the gym. Crystal isn't looking to get into a rebound relationship though and pushes Scott to take things slowly. It was great seeing these two become friends and watch their relationship evolve. Problems arise though when Crystal gets caught up in the toxic body-shaming comments she receives online.

Overall this book had a great message about body positivity and being kind to yourself (no matter your size) as well as working out for the right reasons (mental health and well-being as opposed to being ashamed of your body size). There were some steamy scenes but nothing too explicit and great side characters (aka Grandma Flo!).

Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended! Much thanks to NetGalley and Berkley romance for my advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book caught me by surprise in the best possible way. I have read a few books for Fat Girls in Fiction that have the theme of working out for health. Sometimes they completely miss the mark, sometimes they atleast hit the target, this one was a bullseye. I loved that we join her as someone who already loves her body and loves working out. She is a influencer in a larger body with a brand all about health at every size and I can get behind that. I love the enemies to lovers aspect of the romance. It was so easy to cheer for them and swoon with them. The story was great, but where this book really shined what the nuance in fat representation. It masterfully handles health and working out. It touched on the way you are treated as someone dating a conventionally attractive person when you yourself are not a conventionally attractive person. It dealt with trolls and internet comment. And most importantly I dealt with the body positivy movement. It talked about how, as fat people, we are supposed to transition from self hatred to radical self love with out missing a step. That is so hard to do. It is ok to have good days and bad days on your journey to self acceptance and this book handled that theme so well.
This is a book I will be thinking about for the weeks to come, and to me that is the sign on a good book.

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Berkley, and Amy Lea for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! Set On You is an inspirational story featuring an enemies-to-lovers romance and I really enjoyed it.

This book follows Crystal, a curvy fitness influencer, and Scott, a firefighter. They meet at the gym and don’t get along at first, but slowly get to know one another better due to family gatherings. I really loved Crystal and I found her story to be really inspiring. I also liked reading about her life as an influencer and learning that her sister is a bookstagrammer!

The relationship between Crystal and Scott was really cute and they had a ton of chemistry! It was nice getting to see them start to bond and seeing more of who Scott really is. It’s sure to make readers smile!

Overall, this is a light-hearted, fast, and inspirational read that I enjoyed a lot. I recommend it to people looking for a new romance novel and I hope to read more from this author in the future!