I LOVED this book and I’m rooting so hard for Danielle Allen. This is the perfect contemporary romance for the summer. The characters were genuine, steamy, and hilarious.

4.5

Fantastic steamy summer romance! This delivered on everything I wanted it to and just made me so happy reading it. Absolutely adored out couple the communication happening and the steam levels.

Aaliyah wants to celebrate her 30th birthday with a boyfriend. But that means rejoining the dating scene that hasn’t worked well for her in the past. With encouragement from her friends and a few suggestions from bartender Ahmad, Aaliyah is on a dating app and meeting new men. Will Aaliyah find a new man by swiping in an app or has she already met him?

This is a fun summer read! Not only is it funny, but Curvy Girl Summer has memorable characters, emotional depth, and some spice.

I enjoyed seeing Aaliyah and Ahmad’s relationship evolve from strangers to friends to more. It’s a slow burn that’s realistic and so entertaining with their banter.

I loved Aaliyah’s friends, Nina and Jazz. The supportive sister love among these women is heartwarming. They give each other tough love too. I wouldn’t mind reading Nina and Jazz’s stories.

What can I say about Aaliyah’s family? 🤔 I could be kind and call them well-intentioned but misguided, however know there are aspects of their behavior (particularly one relative) that go far beyond that.

I had the opportunity to read and listen to Curvy Girl Summer. If you have the chance, definitely pick up the audiobook as it enhances the reading experience. Narrator Wesleigh Siobhan brings Aaliyah’s sassiness, unshakable confidence, and humor to life as well as her frustration with her family.

I devoured Curvy Girl Summer in one day. It was such a great read and listen!

This book gives a great depiction of life as a plus-size woman. This book couldn't be more clear about what we go through with dating, family, and inner struggles. I loved this book. It was great and I laughed at the two main characters and how they played and interacted with each other. It gave me all the feels. It is a slow burn but you get satisfaction during your read. It's heartwarming.

This book is pure magic from the first page!! I am obsessed and I never wanted it to end. Everyone must read this asap. I fell in love with the characters, their romance, everything.

Listend to this audio book instead, really enjoyed the story, the characters but as per usual lack of communication was annoying, not just a plot device

This book is added to my list of favorite romance novels. Aaliyah James is the FMC of this of this steamy summer romance and I loved everything about her. Beautiful, smart and funny. After signing up for the dating app TenderFish, I'd also call her resilient because there were alot of frogs before she got to her prince. Aside from bad dates, her family's meddling is another issue. I still think even after finishing the book her uncle should be punched in the face. I loved the chats between Aaliyah and her besties. Always keeping it real while cracking jokes with each other. The backforth jokes between Ahmad and Aaliyah reminded me of how me and my husband joke on each other and kept me laughing. The chemistry between these two had me yelling at them like just say you like each other already! I loved the friends to lovers trope but realized I can be a bit impatient with the slow burn type relationship. I almost lost my mind with all the misunderstandings happening between the two.😂 Overall this was so good and enjoyable to read. A must add to your summer TBR! A special thanks to @netgalley and Bramble for the arc.

I absolutely adored this book! It had witty dialogue, strong chemistry, a slow-building romance, and plenty of steamy moments that had me hooked.
Aaliyah and Ahmad were such compelling characters. Their banter kept me laughing, and Ahmad's support for Aaliyah, especially in navigating her online dating struggles, was heartwarming. Despite some frustrating moments with Aaliyah's fat-phobic uncle, her journey towards self-acceptance was empowering. If you're into captivating and steamy romances, this book is a must-read!

“Sometimes you have to kiss a few frogs to find your Prince Charming.”

Y’all I absolutely loved this book literally read it in less than 2 days. The audio and the book itself lived up to the hype for me!!! Being that this is my first book by the author I can truly say I was not disappointed and I’m looking forward to reading more of her books.

I loved Aaliyah and Ahmad together I really felt they were compatible even when he was the wingman. From the friend zone to the he my bae zone their chemistry and vibe was everything. The banter gave the book so much life. Her best friend Nina loved her swear we all need a Nina. Uncle Al was one of those family members you gotta go ahead and put in they place before stuff get ugly. The way he was overstepping and providing advice that wasn’t needed Aaliyah was bound to take him out before the Lord did. 😂

Online dating is always a gamble and Tender Fish put my girl through it. The dates she went on were a mess except Lennox he had a little potential. Now be prepared it’s kind of a slow-burn but the build up was sooooo worth it. The spark between her and Ahmad could’ve happened a little sooner but where would the fun be in that. Once Ahmad took it there I was like yaaaaas finally serve my good sis that 2pc with a side of hell yeah and super size it!!!

Overall, read the book y’all don’t miss out on all this greatness. The character development chefs kiss, the premise was perfect, even the side characters were needed. Everything flowed together so authentically I have nothing but good things to say about this one. If you’re looking for a funny slow-burn romance with spice this it. Special thanks to the author, @macmillan.audio #MacAudio2024 for my listening copy, & @brambleromance for my gifted e-ARC!!!

Y’all this was a sssssssssssllllllllllllllllllllllllooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwww BURN!!!!
It start with BANG but than nothing really happened. I’m giving this book a three stars because the beginning and end were strong.
I wish I had Ahmad’s POV because that could have better my experience. I understand this was about personal growth and I was proud when she stood up for herself at the end.
The biggest thing that affected my feelings was the miscommunication trope. It could have been resolved 50% in but it was dragged.

Her uncles is a piece of Sh*t and there no redeeming quality.

I would not call this book a beach read.

I would recommend for people who love slow burns with few sexy time but amazing dirty talk.

Aaliyah James is single and is ready to find the one. Her family is worried that she will never find love since she’s almost 30. Aaliyah is on a mission to find the perfect date and boyfriend for her 30th birthday celebration. But the party is only seven weeks away. With the urging of a local bartender named Ahmad Williamson that consoled her after her first failed blind date, Aaliyah tries an online dating app. Will she find the man of her dreams online?

Curvy Girl Summer takes us into the rough waters of the dating scene. Aaliyah James is a confident, sexy, curvaceous woman who knows what she does and doesn’t want from a man. Bravo to Danielle Allen for not brining us a stereotypical plus size woman character. Also, her weight is not the main topic of the story which is refreshing. Allen is spot on with how the current dating scene is no matter what age you are. This story wouldn’t be complete without some sexy scenes thrown into the mix. Curvy Girl Summer is a sexy and fun read by Danielle Allen.

Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert

This is the summeriest summer book to ever summer and I need more people to read it.

So we meet Aaliyah (great name, also mine) while she’s getting an itch scratched. If you were looking for a slow burn, sorry not sorry this is not it (well not really). Basically, she’s getting her pipes cleaned really well by the wrong guy. He’s an ex who won’t let go and she had cobwebs to clean. Easy work except the ex thinks he has a way back in and she shuts him down.

Then she meets with her family who fill her with their expectations of her life and she ends up caught in a lie about having an actual man. Then, she talks with her friends and realizes she really does want one and decides to go all the way in, on a dating app. To find a man before her 30th birthday.

She decides to have all the dates at a bar close to her home, based on the advice of Ahmad. The very hot, very not single bartender she struck a conversation up with.

Over the course of a few weeks she has date after date at this bar, always with an end of night recap with Ahmad. As the weeks go by, the dates one by one demonstrate how the dating pool is full of fecal matter. Yet, Aaliyah always enjoys the time spent bantering, teasing, and shading the hell out of Ahmad. And he her.

You might be wondering, how the hell do they two fall in love with him being not single and her having a timeline and I’ll just say it’s way worth the time to discover it (fyi, there is zero cheating between the MMC & FMC in this book.). This book has mystery, horrible dates who should be ushers in hell, and a beautiful, curvy, confident woman who deserves everything luxe in life.

The party she throws herself - BEAUTIFUL.

Both Aaliyah and Ahmad have complicated feelings of grief to work through and I’m grateful we were about to live it with Danielle Allen’s sparkling trad debut.

I didn’t realize dreamy bartender plus also app dating mentor was a concept I wanted in books but it is. The Holly Dates by Brittainy C. Cherry is my winter comfort read with this concept and now Curvy Girl Summer is my summer one!

PS - Thank you for redeeming Ahmad’s for me. Now I can think of this Ahmad instead of the wasteman I spent a summer in a situationship with.

CW: Fatphobia (not from the MC), complicated grief

Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen was the perfect romance to kick off summer with! I'm picturing myself on someone's sister's yacht with these curves strapped in an all-white bikini as I type this!

Curvy Girl Summer is glimpse into the world of Aaliyah, a woman on the brink of 30, convinced by her family that a change in her relationship status will change her life. As many women do, Aaliyah wonders if she is behind in life and is beginning to measure her success in timelines. Has she accomplished "the perfect life" she thought she would have by 30? After being confronted by her uncle at a family gathering honoring her late sister Aniyah, Aaliyah mulls over her single status. These thoughts move her to join a dating website to find a suitable "date" by her 30th birthday. Somehow, her uncle's comments about her plus size weight being the reason she doesn't have a man prompts her to prove him wrong.

During these weekly dates she sets up via "swipes on the app," she builds an alliance with Ahmad, the friendly bartender at local pub. And while it appears that they both have undeniable chemistry, he is off-limits for a few reasons. So, while we see Aaliyah go on date after date leading up to her birthday, readers get to see a budding friendship between Aaliyah and Ahmad. Will it become something more? Or will she find love before her 30th birthday within the app? You gotta read yourself to find out!

Overall, I enjoyed this book so much. I loved the storytelling. I loved getting to know the characters. I didn't want to put this book down! And when I did, picking it back up felt like playing catch-up with my "homegirl" Aaliyah.

Oftentimes I so badly wanted Aaliyah to get out of her head, but I understood that fear and insecurity were the reasons see stayed there so much. I also wanted to fight a few people for her-- especially Uncle Al. But I won't go too deep into that in this review. The pacing was on point, the characters were memorable, and I felt all of the feels reading this book. I will admit, however, I wanted more at the end. As a Danielle Allen fan, I went into this one with high expectations. And I was not disappointed! I def recommend this one to be read before the summer ends!

4.5 Stars

Major thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

Unfortunately this one was just hard for me to get into. I started hot and heavy before doing a lot of character building and I think that threw me for a loop. And then the tone of the writing just wasn't grabbing my attention. It might have just been a case of wrong place/wrong time for me, but I'm sure many romance lovers, especially readers who resonate with the struggles of online dating, will enjoy this!

We all know Danielle gift with the pen is fierce, and being traditionally published didn't change anything.

You have to be two sumin' to understand the depth of the words and experiences throughout this book. It hit a tough personal spot for me. The uncle is my mother in my life. All my life and I talked up for myself way before it was respectful. I didn't care then about speaking my mind and don't care even more now. Hats off to all of us with the confidence and friends who support us NO MATTER WHAT!!!!

Aaliyah had the mouthpiece to shut up every snide remark and diss. Ahmad was there because he was her for the queen she was. He had his demons, and their relationship helped him when a therapist couldn't in the long run. Their banter was much needed and had me in stitches. Showing up and providing encouragement when it was truly needed. Stubborn but a flame nonetheless.

A must read. Now, I am even more nervous to make that dating app profile. LBVS

I devoured this book in a single sitting. Even when I needed to go to the bathroom, I barely peeled my eyes away (yes, it was a disaster opening the door without looking, but I managed). Aaliyah and Ahmad gave me everything that I needed in a romance book. Their banter was top tier & their scenes together were electric from the start. This is definitely my favorite romance book of the month and easily top 10 of the year so far. This is my first book by this author, but it definitely isn’t my last.

Let me tell yall, this book was so entertaining. It was funny, heartwarming, spicy, and just overall a good time. Honestly if dating in 2024 is anything like depicted in this book, I will pray for yall, because yall are in the trenches!! I really loved both main characters so much. I also just loved how fleshed out the whole story was as well. This is a strangers, to friends, to lovers trope that I have not read in a really long time, and is one of my favorites! It also talks about grief and how different people deal with it. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a good time because I flew through this book in 2 days!

This is a book that anyone can read and enjoy. I love loved the summer vibes, it was a flirty romance story that feels like can happen to anyone.
Every date in the story was believable and funny at the same time. I enjoyed watching Aaliyah grow as a character but also remain true to who she is, she never lost her confidence and that was a joy to read.

I also loved that Danielle didn't make the plus-sized woman be the only identity that Aaliyah had, yes she's plus-sized but that wasn't the totality of who she was and I appreciated it.

This is definitely the summer book that will be a classic for romance readers.

This is one of the best romances I have read this year by far. I felt Aaliyah on a spiritual level. It is hard out here for a curvy girl and as I am getting older, I find myself pressured to lose weight to be more digestible to men. The spice is this was next level. It wasn't on every page, or even in every chapter. It was just good.

Curvy Girl Summer follows Aaliyah as she gets back in the dating world in order to find a boyfriend by her 30th birthday. Prompted by the bartender across the road from her, she joins the apps and goes on a string of unsuccessful dates. But this story is not only about finding a man, it is about loving yourself without bounds. Danielle did her big one. Aaliyah is relatable. Her experience is real. And the book is just funny! I really appreciated the banter in this. CAWPILE= 10s across the board! I stan.

I wanted to read a light palate cleanser after some heavy books, and Curvy Girl Summer was the perfect book to ease into summer! It's not my usual genre but I'm glad that I read it.

It was a very slow burn but the chemistry between Aaliyah and Ahmad was amazing. I am so tired of insta love and glad this one took its time to grow. Partners who roast each other are my favorite and the banter between them was great.

I loved that the book started off with a bang! Aaliyah and her friends were realistically written characters. I felt like I was talking to my own friends and the dialogue didn't feel fake and cringey. Any curvy girl who has spent time on dating apps has come across the exact same dudes Aaliyah did, and I think Danielle Allen captured her feelings accurately. I feel like a lot of romance has characters who don't feel modern, realistic, or sensible but I got a good amount of that here.

Uncle Al is the worst.

Wesleigh Siobhan was an incredible narrator.

Definitely read this one if you need something light!