I'm always looking for romance featuring curvy/plus size leads, and this book fit the bill. It also had a great story of female empowerment, a scrumptious grumpy love interest, and lovable supporting characters.

What would you do if you won the lottery? Isn’t that the million dollar question.

This was a cute and easy read. I would consider it a slow burn, but when the spice was there it was good! It was really fun to see what Rose did with her winnings. She was a very likeabke character and I love a plus size heroine. Especially when it isn’t the main focus of the story. The third act break up was a bit predictable and lasted a tad too long but aside from that it was a good book to read!

“The Honda driver’s eyes are huge, her hands up over her mouth. “Oh shit! I’m so sorry! Thank-you Snickers.” What’d she call me?”

After winning the lottery, Alice, aka Rose, is overwhelmed by the amount of people trying to get a portion of her wealth. Deciding to escape, she gets into her car named Lillian and ends up in the quaint town of Galway. Upon entering the small town, she runs into the town grump, Angus, who helps push Lillian out of the snow. After Angus helps Rose, he decides that the woman is a menace and is glad she is passing through town. But, unfortunately for him, Rose decides to stay in the small town forcing Angus to adapt to her chaotic energy.

During this read, Rose is a likable former waitress who doesn’t want to end up like previous lottery winners and maps out a plan for her millions. As she settles in Galway, she buys a house, starts classes at a community college, and aids the community. Along the way, she falls for Angus. Angus, a therapist that helps veterans, is caught off guard by his feelings for Rose. As he takes a job to help refurbish her house, the feelings continue growing, and the two begin dating. It is not until the last few chapters that Angus finds out about Rose’s millions. It results in Angus and Rose briefly breaking up until Angus explains the reason for feeling betrayed, and Rose explains her reasons for keeping the money a secret. For the most part, it is a lighthearted read about likable characters in a small town with a strong sense of community and full of warmth.

However, one moment took me right out of the book. When Rose gets her passport, Angus peeks at her passport to figure out her birthday. I assumed that would be the moment that Angus realizes that Rose is lying about her identity since you do have to use your legal name to get a passport…but later on in the book, during the angsty “we were on a break,” Angus mentions that he had no clue as to Rose’s real name. I squint at this because did he not realize her first name was not Rose instead, but Alice? It really did confuse me a bit. And I wonder if the author originally wrote the “we were on a break” portion to happen earlier in the book. But I do get wanting to spend more time with Rose and Angus as a couple, but it was just a small moment of, “Wait, what?”

Thanks again to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So, Rose is a plus sized heroine who has won the lotto and is faced with decisions on how to utilize the money wisely. She comes up with some wacky but ingenious ways to part with her money and narrowly escapes getting into serious hotwater. The interaction with her contractor Angus starts out on an unpleasant note but Rosie soon deciphers the best way to deal with him as each day goes by. Misconceptions and secrecy take center stage in their relationship and the town ,but eventually everything comes to light as is wont to happen in small towns. The book flowed at a good pace and the moments of light hearted banter were entertaining. Rosie began to see herself in a new way with Angus' help. It was uplifting to not read about a rail-thin model type woman this time around, but instead see the growth of a self conscious curvy woman who came into her own. This is my unbiased review of this ARC from Netgalley and I would freely recommend this book

This book intrigued me but also made me nervous when I first saw it. It looks like the sort of book where being fat is going to be the #1 focus in terms of the MC but I was pleasantly surprised to find a well rounded, strong, and likeable character. The love interest was also a well fleshed out character. The 3rd act break up was predictable but also out of character for both of them and I wish it wasn’t present or at least was a smaller fight with more in character behavior from both of them. All in all worth the read

Curves for Days is a heart warming read. Rose Barnes moves to North Carolina to start over after winning the lottery. With a history of being bullied and dealing with trauma, Rose struggles with getting close to people. Will this new town have the potential to help her finally find friends and love? Also, what will she do with eight million dollars? Angus is a contractor that also does therapy with veterans. He looks rough on the outside, but has a big heart underneath that scruffy beard of his. I adored the relationship buildup with Rose and Angus, but I loved Rose's heart and determination to do good with her lottery winnings most of all. The body positivity and advocacy for mental health approach is great mixed in with a little angst makes reading Curves for Days deep enough to impact the reader while also providing enough of a cozy summer vibe that readers will walk away delighted and refreshed from this lovely story.

plus size heroines getting their hea will always have my heart actually

Sexy Southern romance with a charming plus-size heroine and a gruff, grumpy hero.

Rose Barnes feels best when she's invisible—so when she wins the lottery and is suddenly thrust into the spotlight where everyone wants something, hiding out in a small town in North Carolina makes perfect sense.

Rose has got curves for days—and to Angus, the big, burly, bearded contractor working on her new house, she's just plum perfect. Rose is surprised to learn that Angus has a sense of humor and a soft heart beneath that gruff exterior. Angus can't help noticing that wacky Rose is smart, funny, and has a sexy underwear stash that leads him to some very unprofessional fantasies.

As their unlikely friendship becomes love, Angus becomes determined to help Rose overcome what he believes are financial troubles. But with Angus's need to always give more than he receives, Rose's multi-million secrets could mean the end of a beautiful relationship.

Oh, this was lovely. Such a wonderfully sweet love story that was funny and lighthearted while also tackling some serious subjects.

The slow build of Angus and Rosie's relationship was such a delight to read. He is just the sweetest, kindest soul and I love how patient and kind he is with her. And while Rosie does have some body positivity issues, it was refreshing that her being fat wasn't really a primary focus of any part of the story - especially her relationship with Angus.

There are discussions of possibly triggering topics like PTSD, suicide (present, mentioned), bullying (past, detailed), slut shaming (past, detailed), sexual assault (past, not explicit but detailed). Take note and be kind to yourself.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was so much fun! I really enjoyed Laura's writing style and this was fun to read. I enjoyed reading!

Rose is a single, 30 something who has won the lottery. No, really. She has a cool 80 million and people coming out of the woodwork to get their hands on it. She sneaks out of her town, and ends up getting stuck in the snow. A Good Samaritan gets her car loose, and she ends up in Galway. She hasn’t really gotten close to many people, but she ends up loving the town and buying a house. She hires a contractor, Angus, to help her fix it up.

This was a cute romance. Grumpy/sunshine with a slow burn. I loved how respectful Angus was of Rose’s boundaries. I hate miscommunication so I didn’t love the secret keeping, but the follow through was good. Dual POV is always appreciated. The bunch of small town characters were pretty great too. Though my thriller/suspense vibes had me questioning Meg for a second there 😂

I did not love this writing style. It’s awkward to read and put me off. Sentences constantly starting like this: didn’t know, couldn’t, etc. it was so weird to me and once I caught onto it, I couldn’t stop noticing it. The sentences just felt so choppy it was unnerving.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the small town vibes of this story, the characters and closeness. While the writing wasn't a style that would generally keep me engaged, the main characters had nice backstory that was enough for me to overlook that and continue reading. The only thing I didn't enjoy was how quick and off-hand certain parts seemed toward the end of the book. Lack of development with some of the side characters left me feeling like I missed an entire book. I can only hope this was purposeful and the author plans to give their story its own book.

Curves for Days is a dual perspective story about Rose and Angus. Rose fled her hometown after she won the lottery and everyone was crawling out of the woodwork. The money has been a bane for her and she doesn't trust anyone. She flees in the middle of the night and wants to go somewhere where no one knows her, or that she has all this money. She ends up in a small town in North Carolina and falls in love with the town. She meets grumpy Angus who feels that he has debt to pay to the world. He is a contractor, an army vet and counsels other vets after his experience with PTSD. He helps out Rose with her new home and slowly begins to see a friendship, and maybe something more develop. What about the secret Rose is hiding, will it ruin everything?

Rose is definitely the sunshine to Angus' grumpiness. She challenges him and works her way into his heart by just being here. Rose is a plus-sized gal, but that is the not "the story", but rather a part of who she is and how she lives. The chemistry between Rose and Angus is off the charts and their banter and developing friendship is top notch.

This is a light hearted novel, but does touch on some tougher themes such as fatphobia, mental health issues and body shaming/bullying. These topics are handled with appropriate skill and sensitivity. Adding a layer to the novel is the small town in North Carolina where the characters there add much to the story, including the friendships that Rose is able to develop.

I felt that the third act breakup was a little bit drawn out and immature. The pure fact that they wouldn't talk to each other made the breakup last longer and it was really for a poor reason. It was still an enjoyable read.

This was a great debut novel of Laura Moher, I look forward to checking out her future books. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of Curves for Days by Laura Moher

I really wanted to love this. I really really did but the characters just felt a little too 2D for me. It was a fine read but there were definitely parts where I had to push myself to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for giving me a digital copy of "Curves for Days" by Laura Moher in exchange for an honest review.

Rose Barnes wins the lottery and decides to change her life. Until then, she'd been working as a waitress, struggling to make ends meet. Her mother had long since passed, her father was never in the picture, and her only friend was the elderly restaurant customer who gave her the winning lottery ticket as he lay dying in her arms. She also had unresolved trauma from a sexual assault that occurred in high school, which combined with a school-wide campaign of slut shaming, caused her to shut down and drop out.

Once she wins the lottery, a bunch of creeps and would-be leaches crawl out of the woodwork, hoping to take advantage of her new-found wealth. So she leaves, and winds up in a Small Town. (Doesn't matter which one. There really aren't any defining characteristics of this place; it's just Small and full of appealing, friendly people, as fictional small towns usually are..) She befriends the owner of a local B&B, as well as the owner of the local diner, and somehow manages to royally alienate the hero Angus, who takes an immediate and lasting dislike of her because she semi-accidentally beans him in the head with a Snickers bar

His dislike of her is so thorough and long-lasting that I kinda wanted to shake him and say, "What's your problem, man?" Now, it's a contemporary romance, In the modern era, relationships are not really bound by the same constraints as in, say, Regency England, so authors have to be a little more creative in thinking up reasons why two unattached adults cannot immediately hook. Misunderstandings are a common setup. But Angus's stubborn refusal to like her for the LONGEST FREAKING TIME was very frustrating . Yes, he eventually changed his mind, but until then, it was a little bewildering, bordering on unlikeable.

Also, he's a therapist. He has a degree and works with veterans with PTSD. But he is so incredibly blind to his own patterns, I almost didn't even like him for Rose.

Rose herself is great, apart from being a little too good at everything she tries. She's an A+ student, despite going to college for the first time in her adult life! She's a talented garden designer! She has a natural flair for home decoration and she learns to cook tasty food! I am not a fan of making the heroine a hot mess in the name of making her relatable, but I would have liked to see Rose fail at SOMETHING.

The Big Conflict, the one that temporarily drives them apart, is very predictable, but I thought Rose's part in the resolution was surprisingly awesome. That one scene was honestly my favorite part of the whole story.

I liked the emphasis on getting quality mental healthcare for veterans, particularly for those who were sexually assaulted while serving the military. I would have liked to see Rose get actual help for resolving her own trauma, but that didn't really happen on the page. It felt unbalanced, that while she was healed enough to discuss the episode, the author neglected to actually have her pursue therapy for it. Healing for Rose, damn it!

On the whole, it was a sweet enough story. It balances serious issues (like PTSD and sexual assault) with an otherwise, low-key romance. As I said, I was not a huge fan of Angus in the beginning but he was alright once he got over himself..

Another Plus Size FMC centered romance that hits the spot on many levels. Rose's story is more than falling in love. At its hearts, its story about finding strength in your self and others.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for providing an eARC for an honest review.

Thank you for Read Forever Publishing for a chance to read an early copy of this digital ARC. I snagged this one during one weekend when it was set as a "Read Now." Rosie has had somewhat of a hard life. She has barely just been making it, having given up her dreams of going to college to take of her sick mother. She got a job as a waitress where she met many interesting people, including an elderly man, Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown dies and leaves Rosie the greatest gift she has ever been given: an $80 million winning lottery ticket. Her life changes in an instant. It was definitely fun to see what Rosie did with the money; I think we've all had that thought of what we would do and what we would spend it on if we were to win the lottery. She ends up in the small town of Galway, where she meets a big, burly, lumberjack grump of a man, named Angus. The two don't exactly hit it off, but when Angus is hired to help Rosie fix up her new home, things will change. This is definitely a fun and easy read with many different layers to it. There is plenty of steam to go around, although the beginning is quite a bit of a slow burn. When Rosie and Angus kissed, I was like, "FINALLY!" It seemed like it took them forever to kiss and admit their feelings to each other, but once they did, it was on. There's also the element of Rosie being fat and curvy, and her horrible history with males and getting made fun of and teased throughout her high school years. There's plenty of body positivity in this book. Angus is sweet with Rosie in that "he only likes her" kind of way, which I always love a good grumpy x sunshine trope. When he isn't renovating and remodeling houses, Angus works as a counselor to veterans with PTSD and other problems, which added yet another layer to this story. So there's a lot going on, but definitely something for everyone.

When I went into this book, I was excited to read another romance following a plus-size main character. I will always do my best to promote different body sizes in romance because everyone needs their own love story.
This book follows Rose, who has recently won the lottery and has left behind the place she knew and is on the road to find something different where no one knows her. She stumbles upon this small town after getting stuck in the snow and rescued by a yeti-sized hot man, and falls in love with the quaint little southern community.

What follows is Rose trying to build a new life for herself while grappling with this huge amount of money she has been given. She hires Angus to help remodel the home she’s purchased, and Angus is a very grumpy loner who’d prefer to do his work and leave. Rose loves to talk and the two are the polar opposite. You can guess what happens from there.

Unfortunately this book did not work for me. I did not like the writing style, especially when it came to Angus. I found his lack of talking and thinking in sentence fragments to really bother me and seemed caveman-like, which I am not a fan of. I thought their dynamic was cute at first, he’s the grumpiest of grump and she’s bright sunshine and she’ll melt those walls he has built up. Which is was, until it wasn’t.

Rose keeps the lottery a secret from everyone until she decides what to do with it. When Angus finds out, he loses his mind. The third-act conflict in this story really did not sit well with me. It’s the fact he found out Rose has all this money and doesn’t need him to fix her that really ground my gears. This man is also a licensed therapist and the way he treated her in the end made no sense. The final third of the book did not feel like the characters we got to know in the first two-thirds and it just stunk.

It was going to be about a 3.5 star book until it ended, and then it dropped to 2 stars. There were aspects I liked, including the found family, the small town setting and the original grumpy-sunshine trope. I also liked how her size wasn't not something she had to overcome. She wasn't shamed of who she was or what she looked like, but the bad majorly outweighed the good.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Curves for Days by Laura Moher is a delightful southern romance that skillfully explores the complexities of relationships and personal growth. With a charming plus-size heroine and a gruff, grumpy hero, this book offers a mix of heartwarming moments and serious topics that are thoughtfully addressed.

Rose Barnes, our feisty and relatable protagonist, finds herself thrust into the spotlight after winning the lottery. Seeking solace and anonymity, she escapes to a small town in North Carolina. It is there that she encounters Angus, a big, burly, and bearded contractor working on her new house. At first, Rose wonders why Angus is always grumpy around her, but as their paths continue to cross, she discovers a kind-hearted man with a surprising sense of humor.

The chemistry between Rose and Angus is palpable, and their unlikely friendship blossoms into a deep love. Angus, known for always giving more than he receives, is determined to help Rose overcome what he perceives as financial troubles. However, Rose harbors a multi-million-dollar secret that could jeopardize their budding relationship.

The dual first-person narrative provides an intimate view into the minds of both Rose and Angus, allowing readers to empathize with their struggles and insecurities. Moher has crafted complex and well-rounded characters who undergo significant growth throughout the story. In particular, Rose's journey of self-love and self-acceptance is beautifully portrayed, adding depth to the narrative.

While the story predominantly exudes a cozy atmosphere, it does touch upon serious themes such as fat phobia, body shaming, and mental health issues. Moher handles these topics with sensitivity and skill, ensuring they are addressed in a meaningful and respectful manner.

The book features several open-door spicy scenes, adding a layer of passion to the romance. However, readers should be aware of trigger warnings, including rape, bullying, slut shaming, and discussions of suicidal thoughts and actions.

The small town setting of Galway, North Carolina, serves as a charming backdrop for the unfolding romance. The side characters are dynamic and engaging, contributing to the sense of a close-knit community and found family.

One minor drawback of the book is a weak third act, characterized by a prolonged and unnecessary breakup. It feels out of character for Angus and disrupts the overall flow of the story. However, despite this setback, Curves for Days remains a heartwarming and enjoyable read.

Laura Moher's storytelling skills shine through in this small-town romance. The slow-burn relationship, opposites-attract dynamic, and the exploration of hidden truths and secrets keep readers engaged. Moreover, the author's attention to detail and ability to create a well-developed world make for a satisfying reading experience.

For those seeking a sweet and gentle summer read with a touch of angst, Curves for Days is a perfect companion. Laura Moher has crafted a captivating tale of love, self-discovery, and the power of finding acceptance in unexpected places. I look forward to reading more from this author and continuing the Big Love From Galway series.

Thank you so much Netgalley for approving me to read this arc in exchange for a review.
I absolutely loved this book and felt like I could connect and relate with the MC. Absolutely devoured this book.