i absolutely adored this book! I instantly fell in love with Crystal and Scott aka Squat Rack Thief and there were some really cute moments. I also really loved and appreciated Crystal’s journey from ‘self-love’ to self-acceptance and the understanding that sometimes perfection just isn’t possible, and that’s ok!

Thanks to the publishers for this read in exchange for an honest review.

The main character is Crystal Chen. I loved that a novel was written someone that is part Chinese (like myself) as I don’t usually find authors of the same kind of mixture. Crystal is known for showing the world how to be body positive, whatever your body shape is. I was really intrigued by this interesting plot. This gym guy named Scott steals her favourite squat rack and then its game on as the two get at each other. Then, life gets in the way and they are forced to spend time together outside of the gym. She begins to see it is not her type that is being stereotyped as she seems to think she is however Crystal develops as a person. At times I did find her personality a bit too try-hard and skipping over some paragraphs as it wasn’t as relevant.
I wasn’t too into Scott, I found him super annoying and a bit of an ass and I wished Crystal would have seen that too, however this is a romance novel so of course this is not the case although I have seen no reason why she fell for him with the way his personality is.

Overall, it was a light enough read and I enjoyed the message on body positivity and ignoring haters, and those that are most especially jealous of your progress and where you are in life.

Sadly, a DNF for me. I found the two lead characters to be entirely unlikeable and lacking a distinctive chemistry. I get enemies to lovers, but surely we need to be rooting for these two people, right? The message is nice and I'm sure the romance would have developed a bit further, but I couldn't get on board with it.

I was so excited to read this book, but I just didn’t love it. I thought the flip between love and hate was a bit too sudden and unbelievable, although I did really enjoy the characters when they were together.

A lot of the conflict in the book could’ve easily been solved with some communication - which I know is a trope in itself, but it felt a bit too painful here.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book. It was feel good, it was cute and it was inspiring. It's not often romance books have a curvy gal as the narrator and I think there should be so many more. I loved Crystal as a character, she was outgoing, brave and I could relate to her in so many ways. Self confidence and body image is such an important topic that should be woven throughout more literature and hopefully this will show the changes that need to be made in the industry to be inclusive to all. I love a romance book and this is the kind where you don't want to put it down it was addictive and I managed to read it in two sittings. I found myself attached emotionally to this book - I laughed out loud and had moments when I really felt sad. Perfect book, perfectly written and the perfect spring/summer holiday read.

Thank you to Penguin and Amy Lea for this ARC, I've loved every minute!

I really enjoyed this debut novel by Amy Lea. I had my eye on it for a while (must have been the cute cover) and I was happy to receive an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.

Crystal is a curvy fitness influencer on Instagram and when she meets firefighter Scott at her favorite (and sponsored) gym, they butt heads over a squat rack. After a series of infuriating - but hot - encounters Crystal finds he is the grandson of the man who is to marry her grandmother. This is a lovely romcom and I liked the way Crystal promoted self-love even when it got really upsetting later on in the story. I am not a fan of the instagramming and hated the name ' Scotty' but the writing was easygoing and flowing and I liked the family dynamics.

I had hoped for a little more romance overall but I look forward to the next book by this author.

I love the cover and the blurb for this book, but unfortunately I stopped reading it at around 10%. I wasn't able to immerse myself in the story, and even the first chapter wasn't able to grab my full attention. I'm all for body positivity romance stories, and I was so excited when I got approved to review it. However, I thought I'd love Crystal and what she was doing, but she looks like a petty person toward the man who "steals" the equipment she was going to use. He suggests sharing and taking turns with the equipment but she all wants it for herself, and now she makes it her mission to berate him every time he does something she doesn't agree with at the gym. They also start behaving like children, like hiding each other's phones.

What I really enjoyed so far in the book is that that as Crystal is a fitstagrammer, she posts body positivity messages and campaigns as if they were really on Instagram.

Set On You is told in first person from the perspective of Crystal Chen, Crystal is a fitness influencer who has curves but has built a career based on shattering gym stereotypes. The gym is Crystal's place of mindfulness and peace. Firefighter Scott Ritchie steals Crystal's favourite squat rack and she is instantly wary of him. Crystal and Scott find out their grandparents are getting married and they find themselves discovering they have more in common than they first thought. Set On You is a perfectly readable romance that many people will enjoy. Having read a lot of romance this didn't stand out to me, I prefer dual POV as I love to be inside both the hero and heroines heads. However, it is good to see some plus size/curvy girl representation as that is definitely needed especially when the heroine likes how she looks. Overall this is a perfectly fine romance but it just didn't stand out to me.

You know the books that start off so strong and by the end you are pretty underwhelmed?
That’s exactly what it was.

The beginning chapters were so good at building up tension and I was really invested in the story.
Around halfway through, things kinda slowed down for not a good enough reason if you ask me. Also the whole timeline it just doesn’t make any sense.
By the end I was just pissed. I hate communication issues for no apparent reason and I literally had to suffer through multiple chapters of sheer stupidity.
I can’t even say the ending was worth it.

3/5 because I quite liked it in the beginning but ended up being disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin General UK for the digital ARC.

Set On You is everything a romantic comedy needs to be. It made me laugh, cringe and nearly cry. From the first chapter i was hooked to this book! The characters are brilliant, and so easy to fall in love with. Crystal is everything i love in a main female character - honest, raw and confident in herself. I really appreciated how Amy wrote this book in an unapologetically authentic and genuine light. The struggles Crystal goes through regarding self confidence is something i think most people go through, and it was so nice to read about it in a positive outlook. There aren't enough books out there written from the perspective of a confident, curvy woman - but maybe (hopefully) this is the beginning. I found Set On You to be paced really well, with lots of funny lines and situations (the citrus in the eye) which made me nearly cry with laughter.

Thank you Amy for writing such a fantastic and unique debut, this is definitely one of my favourites from 2022 so far. I can't wait to read your future work!

I have to say that I didn't particularly enjoy this book, I've recently had the pleasure of reading much better written romances (see Love on the Brain, Book Lovers and London, With Love) and found this one a bit weak and contrived. The friends to enemies tagline is very loose, literally one scene as enemies and then pretty much straight to love, and the characters are a little one dimensional and in places far too perfect, I also didn't really enjoy all the Insta influencer stuff, but can see how that might absolutely appeal to other readers. An extra star for a diverse cast though, and always great to see a plus size heroine.

Crystal Chen is a curvy fitness influencer, showing the world how it's not just skinny people who are fit. She loves her life, until one day just as she's about to film her daily vlog a ridiculously attractive guy comes and steals her prime squat rack, even after she'd left her gear there. Sparks fly, even if Crystal is reluctant to admit it, but she thinks their tensions are limited to the gym, until her Grandma announce's she's getting re-married and Scottie is her Grandpa to be's grandson. They quickly start bonding over fitness, family and cheesy pick-up lines but when Crystal puts a picture of them on her Instagram she is instantly trolled. Crystal has always pushed body positivity and loving yourself, but she is going to have to take a cold hard look at herself and how she truly feels if their relationship is going to survive.

Crystal was such a brilliant pov to read this story from. She's a feisty and an incredibly fit introvert & I couldn't help but resonate with her from page one. The journey she goes on through this book is certainly emotional, but it's also funny and a little spicy in parts & she grows so much as a character by the end. As well as Crystal we have Scottie who *swoon* is a firefighter and starts off as her gym arch nemesis, Tara, Crystal's sister and permanent roommate after her engagement ended and Mel, Crystal's friend, fellow vlogger and client at the same time. There's also Crystals family, including her Grandma who is exactly the scheming, matchmaking Grandma we all need in out lives, but the above are the characters who play the biggest part in the story.

Can I just say yay for having a plus size MC who never once tries to loose weight, or make herself look more traditionally pretty. Crystal knows she's never going to be a size 0 and has come to terms with that, and now she loves helping others come to terms with their size and showing them how fitness doesn't have to be about loosing weight. As a plus size girl who has numerously been told she can't be fit because she's fat, I loved how Crystal is portrayed in this story. Don't get me wrong, she isn't infallible. She may preach loving your body, but through the story she comes to realise that it's impossible to always love yourself, you are going to have days when you look in the mirror and just think eugh, and that's absolutely fine.

The romance is absolutely swoon worthy and certainly on the spicy side. Crystal starts off determined to hate Scottie and the tension that bled into these scenes was off the charts. There's a lot of misunderstanding, and Crystal, just coming off a bad breakup isn't quite ready to jump into something new, so this book is perfect for those of us who love enemies to lovers and slow burn at that. Their scenes had be cackling in parts, especially when they were both testing their self control, and a little hot under the collar in others, but it was such a brilliant journey to read.

I really loved this book. Everything from the characters to the romance was perfect and I will certainly be picking up any others rom-com's Lea writes!

Loved it! It’s cute and funny and again it was a book I read in one sitting! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this book!!

I've read 76 books this year. I've rated 8 books 5/5 stars. Set On You was the 7th book that I've rated 5 stars this year!

This book is so special. It's an easy read but with some personal themes.
I really connected with Crystal. I love reading POC characters and I enjoyed the way Lea wrote from personal experience.
I loved how strong and assertive Crystal was and her general characterisation. I would've loved to know more about Crystal's identity and relationship with her ethnicity but it wasn't really addressed.
The plot was really different and superbly unique. I was so glad to read something unpredictable for once. The competition between Scott and Crystal to begin with made me laugh a lot! The couple was really cute and genuinely had chemistry.
I thought getting together whilst their grandparents were getting married was a bit weird but honestly, I got over it pretty quickly!
I was also surprised that I actually cared about stuff that wasn't Scott/Crystal related. I sometimes find myself just waiting for the couple to reappear but in Set On You, that wasn't the case.
I have high praise for the conflict. It was handled well and was unpredictably different. I've never read anything like it. On that note though, I do wonder if the Diana stuff eg SPOILER: the text from Diana, was necessary?
There were some parts at the beginning where I found the writing to be a bit unnatural, but it didn't really impact my reading experience.

Overall, a really special and well thought out book. Genuinely enjoyable. BONUS PRAISE: The Chris Evans jokes were 10/10 and really spoke to me as a Marvel/Chris Evans fan... I'm excited to see what else Amy Lea will write and I won't hesitate to pick up her next book too.

I absolutely adored Set On You by Amy Lea! I loved the witty banter and the undeniable chemistry between Crystal and Scott, they had all the sparks! Were some parts a bit cheesy? Sure. But who doesn’t love a bit of cheese sometimes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

Light hearted, cute and easy read

This follows Crystal Chen who is a biracial plus sized/ curvy girl ‘fitnessgrammer’ and Scott who is a firefighter. They meet by chance when Scott steals Crystals favourite squat bar at the gym. We see then become gym enemies then friends then lovers.
I love the body positivity message throughout as well as talking about social pressures. The chemistry between the 2 main characters is charged and I love the banter.

Tropes
- Insta love
- gym enemies to friends to lovers

Thank you to Penguin UK and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.


I knew I was going to love this book from the first pages.

Crystal Chen is a biracial fitness influencer, who loves her curves and encourages her followers to love themselves and be confident in their place in the gym — something that would be easier without squat rack stealing assholes and online trolls. One of those is less trouble than first thought, Scott — formally the asshole in question — is actually charming, and attractive, and totally a bad idea. But, as their lives pull them closer together how long can they both resist the pull between them?

This book is pure rom com, but manages to touch on some important and empowering messages along the way. The writing style of this book is perfect, the characters are loveable and believable and flawed in the best ways. The writing style is very ‘voice-y’ in a way that really worked for me, and Crystal is one of the most relatable female main characters I’ve read in a long time. Scott is endearing, clearly besotted in the way that only men in rom coms can be, and an excellent counterpoint to Crystal. Their relationship is delectable and the spicier scenes in the book are exquisite.

Each of the side characters are also relatable and enjoyable. Her sister Tara and friend Mel stand out particularly and I will be praying to the book publishing gods that we get sequels about both of them!

Of course body image is a massive part of this story and something that Lea has been sensitive about portraying. The book begins with a note from the author on the topic, and it was so sensitively written that I knew the topic would be handled well throughout the book — and I wasn’t disappointed. The discussion about ‘self-love’ vs ‘self acceptance’ is one that the fitness community is only just starting to have, and something I loved to see in this book. It was also so refreshing to me to have a curvier MC who genuinely likes her body most of the time, and struggles when she has moments of doubt in a way that doesn’t totally erase all of the self acceptance that’s come before.

All in all a masterful romcom, easy to read, made me misty eyed in all the right places and I couldn’t put it down!

I was very excited to receive the arc of this book and let me tell you I wasn’t disappointed one bit.

This book follows Crystal a biracial curvy fitness instagrammer who is constantly dealing with online hate. Crystal meets Scott (a very handsome firefighter) in the gym and from the get go the tension between them is undeniable.

I don’t want to spoil too much but Amy Lea should be proud of this book. She covers topics that are very sensitive and dear to a lot of peoples hearts and having a book and a person you can relate to can really make life just that little bit easier.

This book is sweet, spicy and bold. Everything you could want in a romance novel and more.

An excellent debut.

Set on you was definitely an unforgettable story and it just gets more beautiful and moving as it goes on until it reaches its conclusion which is a perfect ending. I absolutely loved it.

Crystal Chen knows a lot about showing the world how to be confident. As a curvy fitness instragrammer, she's an inspiration to thousands of people and is determined to break down all the negative stereotypes associated with the industry. She's a shining example of positivity and mental well being. That is until she meets her gym nemesis Scott. After stealing her favourite squat rack, the game is on and the pair are determined to win the gym war, whatever the cost. However when life intervenes, and the pair are forced to spend time together outside the gym, Crystal begins to see that she's not the only one being stereotyped.

This was incredibly cute and cuddly to read. Crystal is a wonderful protagonist, incredibly confident in her own skin and abilities, hard working and loyal. Yet she's also vulnerable too, with some major trust issues that often hinder her relationship with Scott. She's been hurt in the past by people just looking to use her. She's also incredibly family orientated, helping her grandmother plan her perfect wedding without complaining (and often leading to a number of funny scenarios) and I found the scenes with her family particularly endearing.

Unfortunately I just wasn't that enamoured with Scott. He's not as well developed as Crystal and at times he felt very unrealistic. It was almost as though he was too perfect. I also thought that the sexual tension fizzled out as the story progressed, peaking at the steamy locker room scene, as the two go from enemies to friends too quickly. I absolutely loved the start of the story, with all the gym fighting and petty small talk and I wish that this had been expanded on and gone on for longer as I loved the banter.

Like a warm hug with a body positive message, this was a really comforting read but I just wish the initial enemies to lovers trope had played out for more of the story.