I really enjoyed this charming body positive, enemies to lovers romance. Cassie is a photographer who specializes in pinup or boudoir photography for people of sizes, ages, and colors. She has a competitor named Reid, who gets a lot of the jobs she wants. Cassie’s best friend Dana is launching a plus size lingerie line, and she can’t be the model. Cassie ends up in front of the camera modeling while Reid takes the pictures.
They’re very attracted to each other, and their bond grows stronger as they spend time together. However, Reid is hiding something that could destroy their relationship.
I really liked Cassie, she was confident about how she looked and didn’t take grief from anyone. This was a great read, 4 stars.

Synopsis:
Rival photographers are forced to collaborate on a body-positive lingerie campaign, but they might have to readjust their focus when sparks fly.

Photographer Cassie Harris loves her job—her company Buxom Boudoir makes people look beautiful and feel empowered with her modern twist on classic pinup photography. Cassie’s best friend, Dana, is about to launch her own dangerously dreamy lingerie line and wants Cassie to shoot and direct the career-changing national campaign. But company politics and Dana’s complicated pregnancy interfere, and Cassie finds herself—a proud plus size Black woman—not behind the camera but in front of it.

Though she’s never modeled herself, Cassie’s pretty sure she can handle the sheer underwear and caution tape bralettes. She’s not sure she can work so intimately with the chosen photographer, her long-time competitor in the Chicago photography scene, Reid Montgomery. Their chemistry is undeniable on set, however, and feelings can develop faster than film.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

The Accidental Pinup is a unapologetically diverse feminist rom-com.

What a fun book to read!! There is just so much to love about this book; it has a fun and sexy story and a diverse cast of characters that you will never forget. The story itself falls into that typical romance story mould. Girl meets a guy who is her rival, they are forced to work together, sparks fly, and they eventually fall in love. Overall, I enjoyed the story; there were enough laugh-out-loud moments, cute moments, and swoony moments to keep me entertained. What really makes this book stand out is the cast of characters and positive messaging within its pages. I just love the body positivity in this book. Danielle not only embraces but celebrates all body types. There are no negative putdowns about weight, shape, or a character’s skin colour. All the characters are huge cheerleaders for each other, which I absolutely loved. This book also features a strong take-charge cast of female characters. They are all friends and support one another. These women are smart, funny, and know how to get things done. I just loved watching them work; their passion for what they do just leaps from the pages.

This is a beautiful blend of workplace and enemies to lovers romance. Cassie and Reid’s chemistry and attraction for each other is almost instantaneous. They may not want to work together, but there is no denying the sparks between them. I like these two as a couple, their chemistry felt real, and once they got over that weariness of each other, their conversation flowed perfectly, and you could really see that chemistry becoming stronger.

If you are looking for a romance book that is full of strong gorgeous women then you should check out The Accidental Pinup.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

DNDed at 56%. I tried really hard to like this book. I knew I probably wouldn’t in Reid’s first POV - he clearly didn’t respect either Cassie OR his models in general. But I really loved the idea of a fat Black woman as our romantic lead, and so I tried to push on. I just couldn’t do it anymore. The miscommunication trope? Tired. Played out. Done poorly here. The romance? Not strong - a lot more telling than showing. Ultimately though, I never got over her being used as the model instead of the photographer she wanted to be. It just doesn’t vibe well.

Cassie Harris has a wonderful job that she shares with her business partner Dana. The business is called Buxom Boudoir and it has met with quite a bit of success. Their latest business opportunity is a campaign that is about to take place with a new line of lingerie and Cassie plans on winning this contract, not only as the photographer but as the director. She has two problems at the outset. First of all, she’s up against a rival that has proven to be her biggest competitor in his name is Reid Montgomery. A much bigger problem is that Dana, who usually models for their business, is dealing with a complicated pregnancy and has thrust Cassie into the role as model.

A genius behind the camera, the last thing Cassie wants or expects is to be modeling skimpy lingerie in front of the camera, especially in front of Reid, considering the fact that the pair share an intensely powerful chemistry. He is as sexy as can be and a definite attraction. Will Cassie except this role as model, and what about her dream to win the contract itself and also direct it?

Although she is a plus size woman, this does not play into any reservations that Cassie has. She is a strong, self-assured, beautiful buxom Black woman who exudes incredible confidence. Fighting her attraction to Reid is the real problem, especially when it becomes more than just a physical connection. Cassie finds that what she feels for Reid goes much deeper.

I loved this beautiful story as it paid off in several ways. The confidence that Cassie has made the greatest impact. I loved the slow-building romance while watching the sparks fly between her and Reid. Also, Cassie‘s friendship with Dana was strong and gave another layer to this wonderful and well written story.

Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy the following YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/P01jIe4o6DA

Cassie is a boudoir photographer who has a pinup style and has been trying to make it as a more commercial photographer. Reid is a white male photographer who has a similar photographer and continually beats Cassie out for the same jobs. When Cassie’s best friend Dana has a lingerie line, she sets Cassie up to be the photographer. However, when Dana is put on bedrest for her pregnancy and is unable to model, the company decides Cassie would be better as a model than a photographer and she has to work with Reid, her arch-nemesis.

This book was so boring. I felt like I was reading a Mad Lib romance novel. It was insanely formulaic and I found no chemistry between the characters. I actually got so bored with this story that at about 60% I jumped forward to the 80% mark. Even from there I skimmed the final 20% just to finish it.

So much of this book could’ve been cut out. Reid is asked to be the photographer even though Dana demanded Cassie be. But, the whole point is that being a white man he doesn’t see how this is an issue. In addition to that though, once Cassie is made the Art Director, the company asks Reid to “keep tabs” on Cassie. This plot point was just so weird to me. Like, I understand the company wants to make sure their vision is produced but Cassie and Reid pretty much have the same style. And he does it for money to help his brother. Yet he lives on the Gold Coast? I don’t understand how he simultaneously lives in a super expensive apartment, wins every photography in the city, and yet is hurting for money as that seems to be his primary motivator.

I also disliked how quickly they fell for each other. It was definitely an insta-love type of story but it seemed like more for him than her since she disliked him and he didn’t even know who she was. In addition to that, if I heard one more time about what a knockout Cassie was and how slammin her bod was in the lingerie my eyes would’ve rolled out of their head. There was one scene where no less than 3 people commented on how hot she was as she walked on set, yet she never felt like she was worthy of being a model and was shy in front of the camera. Gag me.

The ending played out exactly as I expected, but I did at least finish it.

This is the type of romance novels that gives romance novels a bad name. It was boring, formulaic, no chemistry, and sex just for sex sake. I found pretty much no redeeming qualities about this book except for maybe the first 20% which is why I didn’t give it 1 star but I was pretty close. Even though the cover is kind of cute, give this one a pass.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

Take one confident, ambitious lead, introduce her to a new challenge—like modeling her BFF’s body-inclusive lingerie line—& watch her be a firework…totally stealing from Katy Perry obvi 😆.

Danielle Jackson’s The Accidental Pinup—of the fabulous cover—has a lot going for it, mostly centering for me around lead Cassandra Harris, a plus-size boudoir photographer with big dreams that’ll get a big kick from the national ad campaign featuring her BFF’s upcoming line.

But thanks to some maneuvering by the marketing company, Cassandra isn’t given the photography job for the campaign. She’s made art director & model. & unbeknownst to her, her art actions are being reported back to the marketing company by her professional rival, hottie Reid Montgomery, who was hired to be the photographer.

So this book has rivals to lovers, forced proximity, let’s make art together energy with some deception thrown in.

The latter is where the book is weakest for me. I didn’t quite get the rationale for Reid’s less than honorable actions at the end; I don’t feel like the groundwork is adequately laid for me to feel even vaguely sympathetic toward what he does.

Though Cassandra is a creative dynamo force of nature & seeing her confidence & cool photography style intrigued, I just didn’t 💯 feel the romance in The Accidental Pinup. Reid can be sweet & he’s certainly talented but forgettable for me…outside of what he does to Cassie, which I didn’t like.

Still, if the thought of a fun Chicago setting, a loyal, sparkly friend group, & a stand-out heroine sound good, consider checking this one out!

3.5 ⭐️ . Out now.


CWs: references to a secondary character’s miscarriage & on page, that character is prescribed bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy.


[ID: a white person wearing pink shoes stands in front of a table holding flowers. On the table is the ebook on top of a floral white dress. On the second pic, everything is the same but the flowers are resting on the table, to the left of the book.]

The Accidental Pin-Up is a wonderful look into self image. Cassie was a strong woman to take on all that she did. I really enjoyed watching her and Reid fall in love, despite everything they had going against them. I appreciated that although there was an ease to how they got together, they conquered difficult times together. There was some steam but not too much, which I prefer. I really liked this book.

Thanks to @BerkleyRomance, @NetGalley and @letstalkbookspromo, I got a chance to read this book before it was released today and discuss it with a great group of bookstagrammers.
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The Accidental Pinup was a cute debut by Danielle Jackson. It is a rivals-to-lovers romance that had a very body positive focus, friendships that we all want, a little look behind the scenes at photography, and steam (I was pretty sure their camera lenses would be fogged over from the steam).
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I enjoyed this easily binge-able book. Of course the two main characters were going to have a romance, with the miscommunication plot point that is in many romcoms. Seeing if and how they get over this BIG issue kept me reading.

I loved the way in which this book discusses friendship. The side characters really shine along with the main characters. The writing was excellent. The biggest issue was the spying that the hero is engaged with. It felt very wrong for him to d that especially the more he comes to understand the heroine and her professional struggles. It was just frustrating to want the heroine to succeed and be given every opportunity and then have the hero be working against her.

Cassie is a talented, creative, and hardworking photographer who owns Buxom Boudoir, a pinup photography company located in Chicago. She hadn’t planned to start her own business, but as a Black woman, she kept losing jobs to white men and finally had enough. Her business is growing and Cassie can’t wait to start shooting and directing the campaign for her bestie’s new all-inclusive lingerie line, but due to unforeseen circumstances, she finds herself modeling rather than photographing the lingerie. She would do anything for her friend, but will she be able to keep her composure when she finds out the photographer is Reid, her long-time rival?

The Accidental Pinup was such a fun, fresh, sexy, and highly enjoyable debut! Getting a glimpse into the world of photography through these characters was incredibly interesting, and the whole premise of photographer turned model was really fun and unique! I loved the body positivity, diversity, and found family! Cassie’s friends sounded amazing, and the Friendsgiving was one of my favorite parts! Cassie was easy to root for and it was wonderful see her gain more confidence both in front of and behind the camera. I don’t think I could ever model, let alone model lingerie, so kudos to her! But ugh, Reid! I really wanted to hate him but I could also understand that he had issues to work through, and people make mistakes. Even though I’m not a huge fan of insta-love, I enjoyed this romance book so much, and I hope to see more from this author!

I absolutely loved Cassie and Reid. The voice is sharp, witty, and fun. The writing is tight, yet you can tell Danielle is enjoying herself as a writer--everything is done with such care. This is the perfect steamy summer romance!

Thank you to @netgalley, @letstalkbookspromo, @djacksonbooks, & @berkleypub for having me as a part of this tour & allowing me to read Accidental Pinup!

@goodreads blurb: Rival photographers are forced to collaborate on a body-positive lingerie campaign, but they might have to readjust their focus when sparks fly. Photographer Cassie Harris loves her job-her company Buxom Boudoir makes people look beautiful and feel empowered with her modern twist on classic pinup photography. Cassie's best friend, Dana, is about to launch her own dangerously dreamy lingerie line and wants Cassie to shoot and direct the career- changing national campaign. But company politics and Dana's complicated pregnancy interfere, and Cassie finds herself-a proud plus size Black woman-not behind the camera but in front of it. Though she's never modeled herself, Cassie's pretty sure she can handle the sheer underwear and caution tape bralettes. She's not sure she can work so intimately with the chosen photographer, her long-time competitor in the Chicago photography scene, Reid Montgomery. Their chemistry is undeniable on set, however, and feelings can develop faster than film.

Cassie was an amazing character. I loved everything about her. From her body positivity to her take no crap attitude. She knew how good she was & wasn’t willing to let anyone question it. There were times when I wanted to smack Reid, but in the end, I thought he was a great character. I absolutely loved all the secondary characters as well. This was a perfect summer read that was a quick one! It’s out now. I highly recommend it!

Cassie is more comfortable behind the camera as the creative director but a series of events she's now the cover model for a lingerie campaign. Her mission to to capture Black skin on camera correctly was really a nod to the importance of representation. She also wants to make her clients feel comfortable in their photos, where I think the body positivity comes in. Reid on the other hand is a playboy that is enamored by Cassie. I think there was a subtle point that Cassie isn't his normal type, but her creativity and confidence really made him fall for her.

Cassie is living her dream. She is working as a photographer and owner of Buxom Boudoir, a company that specializes in Boudoir photos. Her best friend is about to launch a plus size lingerie campaign and Cassie is set to shoot the campaign, but life doesn’t go as planned. Soon Cassie finds herself as….an accidental pinup, see what I did there?
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Anyway, she ends being a model with the constant competition, Reid shooting the campaign. They soon realize that they are more than just business competition for each other as sparks fly. I really loved the setting of Chicago in this one. I’m always a sucker for a hometown setting. This book is out today!
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cassie is a professional photographer who is most comfortable behind the camera lens. Her best friend runs into a dilemma and needs Cassie to model a few sexy lingerie pieces. Cassie agrees because what kind of best friend would she really be. However, she never expected to have some of the sexiest photoshoots her long-time competitor, Reid.

I have mix feelings on this one. On one hand, I really enjoyed moments of the books. I think the main character is adorable. I was rooting for her all throughout the story. I like a curvy girl who is successful and not too shy. I think Cassie has everything on paper.

On the other hand, I didn’t like her male lead. He had too many jerky moments for me and I just didn’t really care for their romance. It needed some spice. Then the fact that the heroine let too many people take advantage of her throughout the story. There is no growth with that either which always turn me off because that means I’m led to believe she is just a natural pushover.

Last, the rivalry…now if you have read any of my reviews, you know I love a good enemies-to-lovers vibe. While I didn’t really expect that in this book, I thought I would get a bit of tension at first with them since Cassie claims he is her competition. I got nothing. They were on the insta-love kick and I had to go back to read the blurb again to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. Maybe that make the romance kind of weak to me but I could have used some drama.

Overall, this is a fast and light hearted read.

~ Samantha

This was a cute enemies to lovers romcom.
Cassie has struggled for years to establish her photography business - usually in competition with Reid Montgomery. Cassie built her business - Buxom Boudoir, with the help of her longest and bestest friend Dana. Creating an empowering and comfortable atmosphere, Cassie exudes body positivity - inspiring Dana to create an amazing lingerie line for people of all body types.
Dana is forced on bedrest for the duration of her pregnancy - pushing Cassie to become the model. And Reid the photography.
The conflict between Reid and Cassie could have been embellished. I really enjoyed the author's clear emphasis on the difference between their career paths - Cassie's struggles to be seen, taken seriously and landing career building gigs.

Rival photographers can’t resist the undeniable chemistry between them in The Accidental Pinup. Danielle Jackson has delivered a fresh and fun romance in Cassie and Reid’s story.

Cassie Harris is a talented photographer with a keen eye and a sharp mind. She has a successful boudoir photography business, but no matter how hard she works or how good she is, she keeps losing jobs to Reid Montgomery whose pinup style photos lack the twist and imagination of hers. When Cassie’s best friend, Dana, launches a major, inclusive lingerie line, Cassie knows she’s finally going to get her chance to show that she can create a successful national campaign. Except the execs don’t want a plus size Black woman behind the camera, they want none other than Reid. They do want Cassie to model and when she’s able to get the role of art director out of it, she agrees. Neither she nor Reid expect their mutual attraction to be so distracting, however. And the longer the two rivals are around each other, the more interesting things get.

Cassie is an easy heroine to root for. She’s vibrant, funny, honest, and hardworking – she’s the kind of person you’d want to be friends with and Buxom Boudoir is the place you’d want to work. I understood her frustration with constantly being passed over for jobs in favor of straight white males like Reid – the racism and sexism she constantly deals with is easy to see. Reid is a slightly adorkable hero who is immediately struck by Cassie. He doesn’t see the privilege he has until it’s pointed out to him, but he mostly means well. He does have a secret, however…one that could ruin everything with Cassie. Jackson makes Reid’s motivations for what he’s doing understandable, even knowing he is absolutely in the wrong. That she does makes it possible to easily fall into his and Cassie’s romance. It’s flirty and fun, mixing romantic fantasy with real world truths.

The Accidental Pinup flew by for the most part and I was totally charmed by it. It is a bit insta-lovey, but whether you can fall into the fantasy or aren’t a fan of how quick things happen is really reader preference. The ending did, however, feel a little fractured. The last quarter of the book kind of pulled things down with time jumps, things feeling like they instantly happened, and a lack of smoothness present in most of the book. And while I finished the story satisfied with the romance and Cassie’s personal arc, I had a couple of questions about Reid. But even with these issues I still really enjoyed The Accidental Pinup overall. Cassie and Reid’s friends and family fill out the world of this book and make it all the brighter. I cannot wait to see what Danielle Jackson comes up with next!

In The Accidental Pinup, author Daniellle Jackson tackles misogyny, toxic masculinity, the patriarchy and systemic racism in both the fashion industry and the business community as a whole. Cass Harris is an educated, talented, successful photographer (and voluptuous, beautiful black woman) who has consistently been passed over for jobs in favor of Reid Montgomery, a white male competitor who is known for his vintage pinup-inspired style. While her Buxom Boudoir business (started with her supermodel, social media influencer, and emerging lingerie designer best friend Dana) is booming, she wants the recognition and prestige that would come with directing and shooting a major national advertising campaign. When Dana collaborates with Luscious Lingerie to produce her body-positive, edgy Dreamland line, it’s with the understanding that Cass, her muse, will be in charge. However, when Dana is forced to go on bed rest early in her pregnancy and the executives at Luscious express their discomfort working with a relatively unknown photographer, she is once again passed over for the job in favor of Reid. The compromise is for Cass to replace Dana as the primary model as well as serve as Art Director, but will the greedy capitalists on the board be able to step outside their comfort zone and back up their performative support for the body-confidence movement by entrusting a major campaign to a plus-size black woman?

When Reid and Cass start working together, sparks start to fly almost immediately despite their professional relationship. It’s a pleasure to see how they treat each other with mutual respect and share their love of both photography and their city of Chicago. However, will the pressures of family and finances destroy everything they’ve been building?

As someone who has more than a little knowledge of how shamefully the fashion industry treats curvy women and black models in particular, it is frustrating and stressful to read about Cass’s experiences since they accurately reflect the real struggles black women face in the business world. However, it’s a testament to Jackson that she makes readers uncomfortable. I also appreciate that she has a male protagonist who can admit when he’s wrong and who is attracted to a curvy woman without qualifiers. This story will appeal to readers who are looking for strong, successful heroines and have a passing interest in the fashion industry. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

This was exactly the spicy fun book I wanted it to be. A great cast of characters with a real sense of the community they had, good chemistry between the main characters, and a really solid reason for the challenge they face. Cassie deals with issues of being taken seriously and having her talent recognized, and honestly perhaps the hardest part of the book was wanting to slap Reid for his inability to recognize how wrong he was. I'd read more by this author anytime.

Liked the setup but I just didn’t jive with the writing style from the getgo. I’m sure it’s fine for a different reader but the cadence was off for me and I couldn’t get into it. I set it aside early on. DNF.