Sassy, warmhearted and sensual, Set on You is a really lovely book about physical fitness and true love coming in all shapes and sizes.

Scott Ritchie is instantly the most annoying man that Crystal Chen has ever met; the cocky firefighter keeps stealing her favorite squat rack.  Crystal, a personal trainer and Instagram influencer, is constantly battling back Opinions from trolls and other online naysayers because she keeps a focus on fitness without highlighting weight loss. She immediately goes head to head with Scott over the rack, push comes to shove, and their one-upmanship contest leads to a playful rivalry.  They’re both horrified to walk into an engagement party and realize that they’re grandchildren of the bride and groom.

Working on their grandparents’ wedding forces them to get to know each other on a personal basis, and the more they know about each other, the bigger their attraction grows.  But those trolls rear their ugly heads again when pictures of Crystal and Scott together go viral.  Can their love withstand the jabs of strangers?

How I love this novel! Set On You has a fabulous heroine, a secretly sweet hero, some great grandparents, a slow-burn romance and a wonderful commentary about the right to be fat and exercise in public.  Crystal and Scott’s romance is delightful – filled with lust but also love, understanding and humor.  It’s one of the best enemies-to-lovers romances I’ve read in a long, long time.

Crystal is sunny and Scott is grumpy, but their relationships with themselves, and their world, are not that easily boiled down and simplified.  I loved them both.  They are fabulous and funny and dedicated to their crafts and lifting - and one another.

The even more charming secondary romance between their grandparents frequently killed me – they steal the show while often leaving Crystal and Scott with their jaws on the ground.

If you’re sensitive to online trolling or bullying, I will say that this probably isn’t the book for you. The way people treat Crystal and Scott is VERY realistic to the kind of bullying that happens online, and it may trigger you if you’ve experienced this sort of bullying yourself.  But if you can endure it, the book is more than worth a looksee. Set on You is sweet, lovely and romantic.

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THE 411...

Fitstagrammer Crystal Chen has built her platform by breaking gym stereotypes and throwing positivity at the haters who can't help but troll her posts. She's jut experienced a break-up that's left her feeling like setting some boundaries. Tired of having surface level flings and craving a deeper connection, Crystal is on high alert for any guy with red flags. To top it off she finds herself in squat wars with the new guy at the gym who she's dubbed The Squat Rack Thief. This guy doesn't follow any of the gyms unspoken rules leaving Crystal both appalled and determined to beat him to the squat rack each night. Soon a tit-for-tat type relationship develops and with it, a whole dose of sexual chemistry. 

Hopefully Dear Reader, you haven't read the Goodreads synopsis for this book since I feel it gives away a bit too much and I'm glad I went in with very minimal info. For starters, we don't get Squat Rack Thief's name right away and I felt this added a fun mystery and led to a surprising reveal. These characters face a couple of challenges before their romance takes off but nothing they couldn't get through, it was more of a battle of wills playing out. Crystal isn't trying to become anyones rebound (again) and she's also fiercely and proudly protective of her followers. She dedicates her time to working privately with clients and posting motivational videos/captions that we get to read in the book. We also get to see both the positive & negative comments she gets daily and how she handles having a large platform as a plus size Chinese American Fitstagrammer. Squat Rack Thief is described as looking like Chris Evans and having killer abs but he also deals with some stereotypes and Crystal brings those to the surface. 

CW (some of which are mentioned in the author's note): Cheating, Cancer, death of a loved one mentioned, cyberbullying, fatphobia, references to racism, fitness/diet culture

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS...

At its core this book carries such a strong message on what exactly "body positivity" really is on an individual basis and what confidence and self-worth really looks like on the daly. Any book that can make me self reflect is one I'll recommend and this is one I feel did that and more. Personally, my fitness journey like crystals stemmed from wanting to find my way back to a more confident ME. It's not tied to a number on the scale but rather a feeling of happiness and comfort in my own skin. There's also the fact that Crystal doesn't have a traditional job or career, she has built a strong following and with it acquired some endorsements. Her loving traditional self-made father struggles with her choices and that too was interesting to see play out. All in all, we have a independent woman who has worked hard to achieve success, confidence and up her self worth but that doesn't mean every day is a good day.

"I don't think confidence and self-worth is something you magically attain. And you don't simply hold onto it forever like a tangible object. It's fluid. You can be confident in every aspect except one. Or something could happen and all your confidence can be shattered in an instant."

The journey Crystal is on is hella relatable down to setting healthy boundaries with the male love interest. Yes there were moments where they bent the rules & gave into their cravings but there was also a clear line of communication. I really would've loved for this to have been multiple POV cause I was dying to know what Squat Rack Thief was thinking. Especially during the last 15% where that communication they maintained all throughout was put on pause. Otherwise this was a laugh-out-loud funny, sexy, empowering, and at times five chili peppers steamy read. There's a strong cast of supporting characters made up of family members and friends, each of them well fleshed out with tons of personality. Something to look forward to? possibly? well, Crystal's sister is introduced as a Bookstagrammer/Nurse and I'm more than READY for her story! One can hope amiright?!? Set on You by Amy Lea hits shelves May 10th!

***BOOK REVIEW & COLLAGE GO LIVE ON MAY 3RD. 2022 ON LAIROFBOOKS @8AM EST***

This book had the potential to be fun, but the writing was too choppy and the characters were blah. I had hoped they would spark more interest and be more enjoyable, but alas, it was just too much. Maybe I'm not in the right mode to enjoy this book, but it was just predictable, which I don't always mind, but this was just downright annoying. And the blogging and texting parts made this book be something that will be dated too quickly. The characters were frustrating, they were oblivious and then drama, and then the big apology which should make everything fine, but here's the problem, the book is trying to hard to be cute and realistic, and the story couldn't handle both. That's the drawback of trying too hard, if it would have just been cute and cheesy that would've worked better. It was ok at best, but that's giving it more credit than it should have. Just didn't work for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Not my favorite, but I enjoyed the struggles presented for midsized heroines and general disbelief she experienced.

This was perfection from beginning to end!

I love reading about strong independent women who are all about body positivity, building other women up and loving yourself. Crystal was all of this and more. As a fitness influencer with a different body type than the perceived social norm, along with the fact that she is Chinese American, she seemed to spend her time trying to convince herself as much as other women that loving yourself is the most important thing. Even for those who are totally comfortable in their own skin, this can be a chore sometimes. I think that Amy Lea wrote this beautifully!

When Crystal strikes up a bit of a feud with a new guy at the gym she belongs to, sparks really start to fly. The extension between Crystal and Scott is combustible. He was such a sweet, tender guy and I adored him.

I loved the family aspect of this book. There was a really beautiful blend between these two families that I enjoyed.

If you are looking for a book filled with humor, some steam, tons of body positivity and the cutest enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance, Set On You is one you NEED to pick up.

This was a great read and I loved the growing friendship to lovers between the main characters. Not a huge fan of the Instagrammer storyline though.

Three pages in and I already knew I would love this book. Amy depicts my daily gym interactions and pet peeves perfectly within the first few pages, so I was hooked from the beginning.

As a gym rat myself, I feel like this book was MADE for me. I go to the gym 5-6 days a week, and as a somewhat curvy lady (definitely not thin), I related so much to almost every part of Crystal’s story. She even mentions how her sister is a bookstagrammer, and I couldn’t help but giggle at that little shoutout to all us booksta baddies. Plus, Crystal's wardrobe consists solely of leggings, sweats, and workout clothes, and she would rather stay home or go to the gym than go to a club. Same.

Now for my boy Scott: picture Chris Evans while you read and you will perfectly capture Scott’s essence. No literally, picture Chris Evans, because that’s what Amy had in mind when writing his character and she did him JUSTICE. Oh, and he is a firefighter. Come on ladies, don’t lie to me or yourself and say you aren’t into firefighters. Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Their banter? Hot. Their first kiss? So hot. Them working out together? Hot (also goals). Scott calls her Crys for short which I think is adorable, and sometimes calls her smart-ass, which always makes me blush because for some reason it’s one of my all-time favorite nicknames.

Overall it was just a really sweet story and I related to so much of it that it has a special place in my heart. AND THIS WAS HER DEBUT NOVEL!! Has Amy Lea become an insta-buy author for me? Yes, yes she has, and I can’t wait for more.

Set on You comes out May 10, 2022. Get your hands on it as soon as you can, you won't regret it!!

Thank you to the lovely Amy Lea and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

A curvy fitness influencer and a grump firefighter meet and fight over the squat rack only to discover they have a family connection. This enemies to lovers book was the stuff dreams are made of!

I LOVED Crystal as a main character - what a phenomenal heroine. She’s strong (physically and emotionally), relatable, and gets herself into some of the craziest situations. She’s also so inspiring and so much of this book was an incredible reminder of the importance of self-love. Add in so many fun pop culture references, fantastic banter, a slow burn but steamy romance - you have the perfect rom com. I adored this and cannot wait to see what Amy Lea comes up with next!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and @lovearctually for the advanced copy!

There were so many things I loved about this book, Scott being the primary one. But there were also some things I really struggled with.

Plot: Crystal Chen is a fitness social media influencer who doesn't fit into the stereo-type of a fitness model being that she is curvy. Crystal's brand has been built around accepting yourself and self love and shattering these stereotypes. One day at the gym a handsome guy steals her squat rack and while, angry about, she also finds herself lusting after him after they continue to run into each other again and again during workouts. The squat rack thief turns out to be firefighter Scott Ritchie, who she never plans to run into at her grandmother's engagement party! As their grandparents plan to tie the knot Scott and Crystal get to know each other and find that there is more than meets the eye to both of them and sparks fly. But when a photos of them goes viral, will internet rolls put their relationship to the test?

Review: There was so much to love about this story. The curvy, self assured fitness blogger who meets the hot firefighter in the gym was such a fun set up for a romance story! I loved their banter and witty exchanges and could there be any better hero and Scott?! He truly shined in this one for me. He was sweet, and caring and he just had so much heart and humor. The families and friend circles were great and there is such a fun, warm vibe for so much of this book.

Where the book fell flat for me was with Crystal's actions in the last 25% of the book. Some of her actions and then reactions just seemed hard to follow. Her reactions to the photo and Scott's and how Scott tried to help seemed not in line with how the characters had acted up to that point. Overall, I felt the first 75% of this book was really stellar. The meet cute was fun, the firefighters and the friends circle were also a fun addition. What kept me from giving this more stars was the last 25% and the way the final conflict played out. It felt like it was written more to preach a point and less to truly bring these characters we have gotten to know and love through something in a way they would have truly handled it.

Overall I think I would give this book a solid 3.5 stars. I would definitely read more from Amy Lea. I think it is a strong debut and I am excited to see more from her.

Set on You is the debut novel from Amy Lea and one of my most anticipated 2022 releases!

Crystal Chen is a millennial personal trainer and body positivity "fitstagrammer", aka she's internet famous for posting great workouts and not being a size zero. Scott Ritchie is the hunky fireman who steals her workout equipment and interrupts her when she's recording her workouts at the gym. When these two gym rats realize their grandparents are getting married, they're suddenly thrown together on the regular and can't deny the chemistry between them.

There was a lot to like about this debut novel from Amy Lea. Scott was such a swoony hero, and I laughed out loud at the antics of some of the extended family. The meet-cute between Crystal and Scott was so funny, and I really appreciated that we get to see them together so much (the IKEA scene was my favorite!) However, I really struggled with the conflict in this book which is ultimately what bumped down my rating. (See my GoodReads review for more information and appropriate spoiler warnings!)

Content warnings: loss of parent/grandparent, health scare, lots of talk of gym/fitness culture which could be triggering to some (read the author's note at the beginning!). I'm pretty sensitive to content that includes diet culture and I thought it was really beautifully handled in this book.

Thank you to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

4.5 out of 5 stars from me!!!

OH MY GOSH THIS BOOK WAS SO CUTE AND ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!!!

I was having a hard time deciding what to read and this book got me out of a bit of a reading slump. SO THANK YOU AMY LEA FOR THAT!

Definitely one of my favorite rom coms that I’ve read thus far. I loved the fact that the meet-cute was at a GYM!! (Similar to my real life one ahhh!) Crystal and Scott have such a fun dynamic and I love everything about them! A firefighter and a personal trainer/fitness instagrammer… what a fun combo?! Also, they have some SIZZLING chemistry and the banter was GOOD.

Two words: LOCKER ROOM.

More importantly, There were so many life lessons to learn from this book about body respect and self acceptance, which is just amazing!

You need to read this Enemies to lovers rom com that will have you rooting for a happy ending like nobody’s business!

Humorous, full of chemistry, and an interesting look at a fitstagrammer's body positivity journey. I was...slightly bothered by the constant use of euphemisms for fat -- Crystal is curvy, etc, because it felt a lot like hedging away from the character having anything more than a slightly larger than skinny body. But otherwise the story was sweet, and I enjoyed the side characters.

OH MY GOD this book had me thinking I need to go to the gym more so I can meet a hot man. But, in all seriousness, SET ON YOU by Amy Lea is an incredible debut. It deals with issues of body image and that nagging feeling in the depths of all of us: are we good enough? I cannot wait to see what Amy does next! PREORDER!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this romcom about Crystal Chen, a fat-positive fitstagrammer, and firefighter Scott. Going into it, I wasn't sure I would like the social media influencer aspect of the story but I quickly found myself invested and routing for Crystal. The chemistry between her and Scott was clutch and really made story for me. Always in for some Chris Evans vibes! For me, it had a good mix of heart, humor, banter, sizzle, and was paced well.

This was a good read but I didn't love it. I enjoyed a lot of this, especially the final message, but something was missing for me. I hated the break-up part and thought it was a little out of the blue. I got what the author was doing, but it just felt forced IMO. With that said, Scott was a really fun character and probably my favorite out of them all! All in all a quick read.

REVIEW: Set On You by @amyleabooks 🏋🏻‍♀️🔥💕

When one of your first bookstagram followers writes her debut novel, you move it to the very top of your tbr! 😍 You guys…I’ve been so excited to review this book. It quite possibly might become one of my favorite 2022 releases, and 2022 hasn’t even started yet!

Here’s what I loved about it:
🏋🏻‍♀️ Crystal and Scott are so cute together! Their banter, their sense of humor, all of it was just so perfect 😍😍 I loved them so much!
🏋🏻‍♀️ open door steam-in public!! 🔥🔥 Enough said.
🏋🏻‍♀️ there were so many LOL moments! 😂 the scene when they’re seductively-eating oranges while watching LOTR? Priceless 🤌🏻
🏋🏻‍♀️ all the mid-2000s references that are so quintessentially Amy were amazing 😍 I also loved her homage to Bookstagram because Crystal’s sister is a bookstagrammer! ☺️
🏋🏻‍♀️ I was so here for the messages of body positivity and confidence 🥰 so, so important!

Bottom line? This book will make you smile, swoon, and laugh all at the same time. 🥰 Thank you to @berkleyromance, @netgalley, and Amy for my ARC of this adorable book. Set On You releases 5.10.22!

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#setonyou #amyleabooks #debutnovel #bookstagrammerturnedauthor #bookreview #romcombooks #bookrecommendations #bookstagram #bookworm #fivestarreads #netgalley #advancedreaderscopy #readathon #bookish #booklover

Set on You by Amy Lea is the Boston fat-positive fitstagrammer rom com you didn’t know you wanted. Crystal Chen is a curvy fitness influencer who loves nothing more than the perfect set in the weight room and a good pair of leggings. She’s just off a bad breakup and just wants a good day at the gym, that is until firefighter Scott Ritchie walks in and blatantly ignores her clear dibs on her squat rack. So begins their gym rivalry. Neither of them expected their gym nemesis to be at their grandparent’s engagement party. Now, with their respective grandparents impending nuptials fast approaching, Crystal and Scott will have to learn how to get along. Scott might actually be kind of a perfect friend and an excellent something more, but when a couple pic of them goes viral, they will both have to be at their best if they want to get through.
As someone born and bred in the Boston area, the vibes were top-notch. Between the classic Irish family repression and the energy of the city, I felt like these characters were from the area without leaning on any Boston-movie tropes. Their families and friends were fun and complicated and brought wonderful texture to their relationships. Her Chinese-American family is amazing. Their grandparent’s wedding is adorable, and I love them. I was a big fan of the trappings all around.
Now let’s get to Crystal. She is young, messy, and I love her. I enjoyed the way readers went with her personal journey through her shift in perception on her career, body positivity, and self-acceptance. When fitness and health become your profession, it is easy to feel like you are not achieving enough to be looked at as an ideal. It was also nice to see her deal with her grandmother finding a new partner. I was down to go with her. She is a true introvert who makes bad choices sometimes but honestly it is impossible to dislike her for long.
Scott is also an interesting and equally messy character. He’s a swoll firefighter who loves his dog and his family and is honestly adorable most of the time. When he makes mistakes, it's because he wants to protect others and feels a responsibility to say or not say something. He doesn’t get Crystal all the time, to be fair Crystal misreads him too, but at the end of the day they decide to work on it together (this is a romance after all).
So, should you read this book? Yes, if you are looking for the Boston firefighter/ fitness icon vibes. Set on You by Amy Lea is set to release May 10, 2022, so do a set of crunches and pick up this spring read. Thank you, Berkley, via NetGalley for providing the eARC of Set on You by Amy Lea in exchange for my honest review.

Oh yes, yes I DID read this in two days! Thanks @netgalley and @berkleyromance for the digital ARC. I truly loved this sweet, steamy, heartwarming book! My favorite things:
- Crystal’s journey from body positivity to body respect and acceptance
- Scott is a lovable teddy bear of a man with a heart of gold (plus hot!)
- Supportive family members and side characters
- Perfect level of spice (open door, steamy but not overly descriptive IMO)
- Great example of characters working through their emotional wounds in a healthy way and communicating well, even when there are a few missteps and misunderstandings

SET ON YOU was completely enjoyable from beginning to end and I highly recommend it! This releases May 10, 2022 so put it on your radar.

Sending my virtual hugs and kisses to the author of this book who injected so much inspiration and happiness into my dark mood! I’m absolutely feeling lighter, more exhilarated, joyful after reading Crystal and Scott’s enemies to lovers troupe with the widest smile on my face!

Curvy Crystal is definitely pure inspiration, a talented gymstagrammer/ fitness influencer who creates such brilliant videos emphasizing the importance of self-love and acceptance! She promotes fitness! You don’t have to look skinny for feeling hotter! Atta girl! I liked you since the beginning of the story. Such a honest, genuine, relatable character!

When Scott meets Crystal at gym : their hate at first sight relationship eventually starts because Scott decides to steal prized piece of equipment belongs to Crystal! That smug gym patron who is also fireman gets into her nerves.

The sweet-smart-sexy banters and slow burn romance between them were the most adorable parts of the book!

I was afraid of hating Scott at first when he kept stealing dumbbells and workspace of our lovely heroine even though I never say no to sunshine meets the grump troupe. But when we learn more about the characteristics of Scott, we realize he’s also genuine, caring, gold hearted man who can easily empathize with.

The grandparents of the characters were chapter stealers : they were so lovely. I wanted to give them long hugs and beg them to adopt me!

I wish we may also read the perspective of Scott. I’d love to see the events from his POV!

Overall: this is fast, easy to read, enjoyable debut! Absolutely I’d love to read the author’s future works!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I loved this book!!!! So cute, I wasn’t sure at first with the synopsis but omg what a cute rom com. The banter is to die for and Scotty is the perfect man. Spice level 3/5.