From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

Overall I would say this book was pretty cute but that's all about I can say about it. I could see plenty of people enjoying this book but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.
I think the key to a good book, especially a romance, is to get the audience to really root for the characters. I didn't feel a personal connection to them at all and honestly I cared so little I couldn't even remember their names.
When I finish a book I want to think about it long after I close it. I was forgetting it before I even finished. It was a very typical, cookie cutter romance.
To end on a positive note I will say this author has a lot of potential. It was a promising debut novel and I could see future work by this author getting better.

I have so many feelings about this book!!! This serendipitously fell into my life because one morning I told my sister how much I wanted a gym romance, then I saw this on Twitter and my whole life was made (Amy Lea described this as enemies to swolemates....and I have not recovered).

I want to get the serious part of my review started soo I want to talk about how much this meant to me as someone who is also on their #FitnessJourney. My first day going into the gym I was intimidated as hell. Not only is it dude bro dominated but all the women there seem so confident and knew what they were doing that I was really scared about going in. Andddd they all were dressed so pretty and were petite and I am curvier and shorter than most. So to have that represented here was really touching to me. This book doesn't necessarily represent my exact body type, but it did express many feelings I've felt while trying to fall into a fit life. I had struggled so long with caloric deficits and counting and measuring all my worth by a number on a scale so Crystal truly inspired me in her insistence that there's more to it than that. The author approached this topic with such care in her writing that I deeply appreciated and I know so many others will.

Nowww onto the romance and plot:

My man Scott, Scotty (Chris), was WHIPPED. Knowing that he was actually super flustered by Crystal which is why he was acting like a low-key jerk has me DEAD. like he wanted to talk to her and he became public enemy number one. But GOLLY was this man fan. Chris Evans look alike AND. fire fighter AND insanely respectful AND super kind????? What more do we romance readers ask for? Really. He wasn't perfect by any means I have to admit because Amy Lea made him so realistic. He literally messed up from day one of meeting her by being accidentally rude to her, but he tried so so hard to be there for her at all times. And broooo when she was like you have to wait three months he didn't even BAT AN EYE. HE WAS WHIPPED I TELL Y'ALL WHIPPED!!!

And Crystal!! Like I said, her voice really touched me. She had so many walls up, reasonably so, and I was so happy and proud that by the end she was able to lower them for the people she loved and the people she wanted to help. She also had the driest, funniest sense of humor and she knew her worth!! She wasn't about to let some guy make her regress. The fact that she stole his phone.......that was so funny. That had me lAUGHING. They are ADULTS but this was so good. I really loved how she was able to discuss body positivity and self love because I had never considered how harmful that language is and I'm appreciative of Crystal, and the author, for bringing that conversation to light!!

There are so many wonderfully delicious and romantic scenes in this book that had me screaming (aka hot tub) (aka clementine peeling) (aka ikea), and I'm SO happy I read this book. A gym romance is not what the world deserves but what the world needed. I cannot WAIT to read more of Amy Lea's books, meanwhile, I will be day dreaming about Scott in his full fire fighter attire.

Crystal and Scott were fun, I enjoyed this book. The locker room scene was steamy and I liked the lesson Crystal had to learn at the end -relatable.

This winning romcom has it all; man falling in love first, a sprinkling insight into the complex relationship between women and their bodies, humor, sexxxy scenes, medling grandparents, and a happy ending. I loved the look behind the lens of a plus sized fitness influencer and chortled aloud. Amy Lea really rung the *dumb*bell on this one!

Set On You is a smart, inspiring, realistic and and downright steamy contemporary romance debut by Amy Lea. (PUB 05.10.22)

Thank you to @netgalley and @berkelyromance for early access.

"𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘤 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘰. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘦."

It starts in the gym as an enemies-to-more slow burn with palpable tension, but the buildup is worth it because of the way Lea writes dialogue. She crafts her characters and their story with a blend of wit and seriousness that held my interest. I absolutely love how Crystal loved her curves. She's comfortable in her own skin and that was so refreshing. I appreciated the spotlight on working out to feel good vs. losing weight. Plus- cue all the applause for how the author lifted up body positivity realistically. Self acceptance and self love doesn't mean being positive 24/7. It doesn't mean having self-doubt every now and then. The characters felt vulnerable, genuine and gosh darn refreshing.

MORE:
Gym Romance
Scott- Cinnamon Roll firefighter
Side characters- The sweet, melding grandparents were lovely and absolutely stole every scene they were in
Representation- Biracial/Asian
Content- Fatphobia, infidelity, weight loss, online bullying,

First of all, thanks again to Netgalley for an eARC of this book. I want to say how much I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It excites me that more romance books with a female Plus Size lead are getting published. Growing up fat I never saw myself as the one to be desired or as an equal to those who are conventionally attractive or were thinner. Weight Loss culture also had a huge impact on me growing up and not for the better. Although the main character is a Plus Size Fitness Insta model, she puts the emphasis on working out to feel good and healthy not to lose weight. This is something that is very important to me as I believe you can be healthy at any size given right circumstances. Working out should be something you enjoy doing or to improve health but not about overdoing it just to lose weight or establish an ideal body.
This was the whole purpose of of Crystal and her platform. You also see her struggle with body image because it's not just a be happy with your body 24/7 or else. You see that even she has struggles and past relationship trauma. She meets this gym bro and its instant enemy to lovers as he steals her favorite squat rack. Come to find out they are thrown together due to a family relationship. They have to learn how to be friendly and ignore their raw chemistry because Crystal doesn't want to be someone's rebound. You see them develop a friendship first and how well suited together they are. I won't say more because no spoilers but it is an amazing read and I recommend it to anyone.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun and quick read. I loved how body positive it was and how it really portrayed how it can be for those who are more plus sized. There were some points where the MC was kind of frustrating to me, but it was refreshing because she saw herself being ridiculous and changed how she was acting. I would definitely recommend this to a friend!

This book was a classic “enemies” to lovers except in this case the guy is a hunky firefighter and the girl is a curvy fitness instagrammer who deals with public hate comments and is afraid of being a rebound girl. Honestly this book was fun to read and it had me a smiling a couple times- it wasn’t my absolute favorite but I did like the chemistry between the two and any rom com book has my heart

Set on You meets all the markers of a PERFECT rom com. Amy’s writing is hilarious and witty, I actually burst out laughing multiple times. While the overall feel of the book is fun and light, she also tackles heavier and important issues such as self acceptance,

Other things I ABSOLUTELY LOVED:
•TONS of pop culture gems sprinkled throughout, I squealed a couple times 😂
•14% and the locker room, IYKYK
•Crystal’s badass-ness, I love her whole vibe and everything she stands for
•Scott - everything Scott. Boy oh boy - another addition to the book boyfriends list for sure
•the BANTER!!!!!!!!!
•I need to just point out how refreshing it was to have Scott not be tree scented
•Crystal’s entire family and the representation of her culture
•Tara being a bookstagrammer and all the bookstagrammer chat - I cannot wait for her book!!!

5 massive ⭐️s!!!


Thank you to Berkeley Romance for the #gifted ARC! Mark this one down in your calendars - or better yet - pre-order it!! Out May 10th


⚠️content warnings: fatphobia, body shaming, bullying

Love this gym romance. Body positive and done so so well. The romance does not focus on MC growth, it just encourages her journey. Love that!

This is hands down one of the best books I've ever read. I loved the message about self-acceptance and body respect. The love story was fantastic. The main character was one of the most relatable characters I've ever come across.

This book was honestly such a breath of fresh air. With so many angsty books and a**hole leads nowadays, our golden boy sweetie Scott was the perfect treat (not that we don't love our angsty book boyfriends too, but it's nice to shake it up, ya know?).

Anyway, Scott and Crystal have this really fun enemies-to-lovers style of chemistry that develops over the course of the book. Crystal is a curvy queen, and her inner-monologue and embedded social media posts really enhance the story.

My only complaint is that the third act drama/conflict was not relatable at all. Crystal is dealing with the darker side of being an influencer, and unless you're a major social media influencer (which most of us common folk are not), the conflict will probably seem pretty silly.

But that only slightly dims this story, because Crystal and Scott still shine bright enough to make this a worth-while read.

I'm somewhere between a 3.5 and 4 star - This is one of the purest rom coms I've read in a while! So if you are looking for a story that is true to that wheelhouse, this delivers. It is very voicy in a way that worked for me, and I liked where it went thematically. I didn't connect with our main characters as much as I do for my favorite romances, but they were interesting in their own ways, and I really loved their final moment of getting together. I appreciated the author's note to set the stage for the themes of the book regarding fatphobia, fitness culture, etc., and I would take that note to heart - this book is largely set in a gym, so if that is not a setting you like or comfortable with, this might not be the book for you

CW: fatphobia, diet/weight loss, online harassment.

Thank you to Berkley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this book so much. Although I don't care for stories centered aorund fitness and athleticism, I loved the beginning rivalry betwen Chrystal and Scott, and the evolution of their relationship. Is it a little strange that their grandparents are getting married? A bit, but I tried to overlook that fact.

Now, although I loved the body positivity and literally everything baout this book (especially Scott, because hot damn) why oh why did his dog need to be named after a certain HP wizard? It wasn't necessary! This is the seocnd book in a row that is new, and in light of JKR's clear stance as a terf, any other name could have been chosen for the dog.

A really ,truly fantastic and hot debut. It would have been 5 stars but for the HP mentions.

A contemporary romance revolving around Fitstagram - how fun and potentially horrifying! As pretty much everyone who has ever interacted on the fitsta sphere, the toxicity abounds. How is this going to make an enjoyable rom com?
Lea is mostly successful in producing a well-balanced, believable, and readable romance even with the large focus on social media and with a lot of scenes happening between the main characters at the gym. I haven't read too many romance books with this fitness setting and it was an interesting change. I was worried about how social media negativity would come into the picture, and it does wind up playing a big part in the storyline but is handled pretty well overall.
I'm not sure that I would seek out more books based on instagram fitness influencers, but it was a new take in the rom com world and so for that, I had a good time reading this one. I will say, if you have any bad experiences with social media, fitness, body image, etc., this could be a rough ride.

Imagine me: 35 weeks pregnant with baby #4, in the dead of winter, reading a workout/fitness themed romance! To be completely honest it made me want to work out a little bit! (Slight emphasis on the *little*!)

This was a lovely slow burn and super satisfying romance!!! I loved watching these characters start off feisty and then become friends before forming a deeper romantic connection. The chemistry is there from the beginning with an addictive start, and Amy Lea keeps you drooling and waiting for the big moments through most of the book! I loved it. Crystal's journey to self-love was meaningful and a delight to read about.

Other highlights:
Cute, meddling grandma. How can anyone resist?
Curvy, biracial fitness influencer vs. fire fighter-cinnamon roll hero
Fantastic discussion throughout the book on body positivity/body acceptance.
Side character is a bookstagrammer - like me!
Sexy, silly, and romantic shenanigans at the gym.
Overall, a very unputdownable and uplifting romance!

I can't wait to read whatever Amy Lea writes next!

Thank you so much Netgalley and Berkley Romance for the opportunity to read an e-galley of this book!

If you loved The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams, you need to be ready to fall in love with this beautiful debut by Amy Lea. This had such a beautiful message and such growth, I was crying by the end. (happy tears of course).Crystal had such a good support system in her friends and family. The enemies-friends-lovers aspect was cute and exciting to read. The character development of both Scott and Crystal was refreshing and I was rooting for them the whole time. AND THE meddling grandma...... 10/10

I really wanted to like this book because there just aren't a lot of romcoms or even books in general with 'curvy fitness influencers' as the main characters. Unfortunately this book just didn't hit right. The main character's inner dialogue was very odd and didn't feel natural at all. Her thoughts felt like the kind of thoughts someone thinner would assume someone curvy has, and not like genuine thoughts someone curvy might have (and I have no idea what the author looks like, so this isn't meant to be a jab at the author, that's just how it felt to me.) There was a lot of focus on and repetition of her thoughts about body positivity, and her explaining what it was, and it almost felt kind of preachy at times.
I also felt like the social media posts/comments included throughout just didn't add to the story at all, and honestly it was a little jarring to sit down to read a romcom and be sort of bombarded with the nasty anti-fat fake comments on the fake posts throughout the book. The whole book kind of felt like the target audience was thin people who don't know what it's like to be bigger. I also wasn't a huge fan of the romance. One minute they were enemies, the next they were lovers, and I didn't feel like the journey from A to B made sense.
Overall, I can see this book's appeal, and it wasn't poor written or anything, but it just fell flat for me. As a bigger person, it didn't make me feel like I was the intended audience even though the main character's "curviness" seems to be a key selling point.

I enjoyed this book for many reasons but the big one that stays with me and that I have told everyone, is how real the character is. She is scared, nervous, and finding a character who you see having some of the same thoughts and feelings your have had about body image is quite refreshing. It's a beautiful story of love.