I enjoyed reading Aaliyah’s journey to finding a date for her 30th birthday to prove a point to her family that she can get a man instead of them setting one up for her. I also enjoyed the funny banter between her and the bartender it made this book that much enjoyable.

Sometimes you come across a book that leaves a deep remark right in your heart and mind, well this one was kinda book for me.

This is my very first read from the author's work ❤️

This one talks about so many issues, all together yet it's not a messy but a beautiful combination of several topics that the 21st century girl is facing.

Body Positivity 💫 a stable relationship ✨ and accepting one own self and being happy with the life 🤌

The characters were so relatable and the protagonist 🤌✨💫 i love her..!!

This was definitely a slow burn, but overall enjoyable. If you know the struggles of being single and dating, you will definitely enjoy this read. I enjoyed the chemistry between the two main characters. I loved that the main female lead was a plus size character. I really felt connected to the story and connected to the characters. If you want something fun, I would give this a try.

Thank you NetGalley for the free Arc

Rating: 3.75

From the first chapter I was thrown off because it was giving erotica 😭.. I didn’t anticipate this to be a slow burn but that also took away for me. I also may have missed the tw about the fat phobia that would be in the book.

There were a lot of cons that kinda took away for me but I pushed on and I loved Aaliyah and her take no mess attitude and how she still made it through. The development was really good as well.

I loved these two so much. They were so cute together. Their bantering was top notch, chemistry was sizzling but the slow burn damn nearly killed me. I was screaming at every page for them to get together. So frustrating!! But the pay off was worth it in the end.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable read. It was sweet, spicy and hilarious. Highly recommended!!

Thanks to Danielle Allen, Bramble and Netgalley for the ARC!

Curvy Girl Summer was such a fun read overall! I definitely want to give a trigger warning for extremely blatant fatphobia from both Aaliyah's family and her dates. Personally, I loved the fat rep and thought it felt authentic AND I adored Aaliyah's take no sh*t attitude. She loved herself and demanded that from others, it just didn't shy away from what life is like when you are fat. Was it the only thing about Aaliyah? Absolutely not, but it shows how it's often the only thing someone else sees. This book was filled with personal growth (and I love good character development) for both main characters with Aaliyah's specifically having nothing to do with her weight. In that was it was WONDERFUL. Truly.

Now for the romance, since it's central to the plot! Danielle Allen gives us one hell of a slow burn - the tension is off the charts from the beginning. I didn't know if I'd like Aaliyah going on dates with other people, but it allowed the spectacular banter to be showcased and their friendship to set the stage for what is sure to be an epic relationship. I loved Ahmad, the FMC, and think he's prime book boyfriend material. He had his own development ARC and it helped with Aaliyah's as well. They just complimented eachother wonderfully.

My only issue with the book is that it probably could be 50 pages shorter due to some unnecessary repetition. That made the pacing drag a bit when I was ready for the plot to advance. Other than that it's a great read!

Thank you Netgalley, publisher Bramble, and author Danielle Allen for providing this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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If you read my reviews, you know I am immediately suspicious of a book with an average rating over 4 stars, and even more suspicious of a book that has absolutely no one- or two-star reviews. After all, 3 is average, right? Not every book is for every one, of course.

Bullshit.

Enter CURVY GIRL SUMMER.

This book is [screams incoherently]. The characters! The family dynamics! The plot! The premise! The secrets! The stakes! The MOTHER of all slow burns (but goddamn when the sparks turn into flames, it's an inferno)! And even though this is a sloooow burn, there's just enough little sparks sprinkled throughout like sexy confetti to keep the reader from getting impatient and thinking "God, will y'all hurry up and bang already?" and instead, will have you squealing in giddy delight as they inch closer, and closer together.

FMC Aaliyah is an incredibly relatable character: she's curvy (at a size 20, she's not just a "little thicc"), she's a careerwoman, she's independent and has her own car and apartment, she's got goals, she's got dreams, and she's not here to settle for sub-par men. She comes from a moderately wealthy background, since, after all, her uncle owns a (small) yacht (but still, a yacht's a yacht). She's got her ride or die besties that call her on her bullshit when it needs calling, and she's got family that meddles but means well but the meddling is still unnecessary and unwelcome, and she has to balance family love/duty/honor with her self respect. My god. The complexity. Chef's kiss.

MMC Ahmad is going down in history as one of the best book boyfriends ever. In fact, he is the reason I had to stop reading, open Goodreads, and create a best-book-boyfriend shelf. This man can stand up next to the romantasy girlies' coveted Rhysand. Yes, really. Ahmad's non-spoiler best-book-boyfriend credentials are: the man has boundaries and enforces them, he loves his family, he has his day job and his bartending gig (so we love a man who can hustle), he watches out for the ladies at his bar, he's not ashamed to admit he's gone to therapy, and when his boys are "being boys" he will straighten them out if needed. Ahmad's SPOILER-FULL best-book-boyfriend credentials are: [he eats wink-wink-nudge-nudge like he's starving and makes sure she gets hers first, sometimes multiple times, before he gets his. We stan a gentleman. He's thoughtful, and shows his affection with multiple Love Languages including acts of services, quality time, gift giving. Words of affirmation isn't his primary style, since his default setting is sarcastic jokester, but when a situation is serious, he can verbalize. (hide spoiler)] And the biggest spoiler on why he's god-tier man is [he faces his trauma/phobia for our girl, yes he does. (hide spoiler)] The way I hollered, omg.

In the interest of fairness, it's worth mentioning I *did* rush through this read. I usually take 4-7 days to read a book of this length, but when I got the ARC approval late on the 6th and I saw this book was publishing on the 11th, I wanted to make sure I read it and had my review ready to go before publishing day. I did spend the majority of my Saturday reading, but also, it wasn't a difficult choice and I didn't have to force myself, in any way, shape, form, or fashion, to sit and read all day.

The story was intriguing and kept me guessing on when they were going to realize their feelings (and after realizing, when were they going to do something about them-- helloooo), and to see what new shenanigans this dating app was going to bring for Aaliyah. I've read a few "woes of dating"-esque books before, and my disappointment with those was not enough bad dates were shown on page! Those books usually show two bad dates and then there's a time skip with a Spongebob-narrator type of situation, "Many bad dates laterrrr" but not here. We actually get to see all the first dates in all their glory, for better or worse. I honestly loved that. It was endlessly entertaining, but also a little emotionally heavier in the sense we as readers of different backgrounds and different bodies get to peek behind the curtain of what it's like to date as a 30 year old fat Black woman. Sometimes, we get to see what's it's like to just be a 30 year old fat Black woman existing in a bar. The catcallers, man. The catcallers.

Because this is a slow burn, and because we get to see all the dates happen at the bar where Ahmad works, we get a front row view to Ahmad and Aaliyah's blossoming friendship. Their banter and sarcasm and nickname-giving was so real. They both give it as good as they get though, which makes for wildly amusing on-page interactions while they roast each other. Ahmad's nicknames for Aaliyah vary from day to day, based on what she's wearing: a yellow dress, black and white stripes, a pink romper... Aaliyah routinely probes at Ahamd's "child size" or "smedium" shirts that he can barely squeeze over his "fat head". This dialog, y'all. This perfectly captures the way people really talk to each other, right down to the affectionate but snarky "I can't stand your ass! See you next Friday."

This book is moderately spicy, with three partnered scenes and one solo scene. Like I mentioned earlier in this review, this is a slow burn, but when it finally ignites, it is a veritable inferno.

If you're looking for a strong independent woman who don't need no man, but wants a partner, this is that book. If you're looking for a confident and capable woman who tolerates no shit from nobody, not even her loudmouth uncle, this is that book. If you're looking for a tender story about vulnerability and healing after the death of a loved one, that's this book, too. If you're looking for summer vibes with lakes and boats and brunches, that's also this book.

Honestly, I think this book healed something in me that I didn't know needed healing.

This was definitely a ride. This story takes you through disaster dates like no other. The main character goes through so many battles with people who are closest to her and even strangers who criticize her constantly. I was annoyed with all of the excessive criticism but the execution of the story was worth finishing.

Wow!!! I had a blast reading this book and listening to the Audio book. Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and TOR publishing for granting me the ARC of this story. This author has been on my radar for a while, but this book out did all my expectations! I can't wait to put a physical copy on my shelves.

This is a perfect-burn romance, fun, easy to read, and absolutely hilarious! The chemistry between Aaliyah and Ahmad, the FMC and MMC was perfect, and the spice scenes were chiefs kiss. I'm ready to find Ahmad and become sister wife because I know he's about to be the book bae of the summer. This book had my blushing, talking out loud at my screen, and cackling at the banter between our characters.

In this story, we meet Aaliyah, who is dealing with grief while also learning to accept herself and her own journey through life. She is simultaneously entering the dating game and playing all the reindeer games that come along with it. Here enters Ahmad, a sexy bartender and IT professional, who offers to look out for her and eventually becomes her friend/ wingman. While all of this is happening, we get to see Ahmad address his own grief, and Aaliyah navigate societal and family pressure about her life and future. I loved seeing her express her emotional intelligence in the dating scene and stand her ground with her family. Ahmad was super funny, very attentive and aware of Aaliyah, and sexy as hell. Did I mention that the few spicy scenes were aptly placed and gave the most wonderful visuals🌶🌶🌶. The audio narrators did a fantastic job and definitely added to my enjoyment of the story.

I definitely recommend this book if you like romance, to laugh with your books, just the right amount of spice, friendships, and a FMC that sticks up for herself.

Aaliyah is preparing for her 30th birthday party. This birthday is a big deal for her and she is planning a wonderful celebration. The problem is she does not want to enter into another decade of life without a man/boyfriend.

After learning the hard truth of what her uncle and and family members believed about her and what they believed the reason there is no man in her life, the pressure was on for her to prove her family wrong. Starting a quest to meet someone through an online dating app, Aaliyah experienced a murky, tainted and ridiculously disappointing dates with men from the app. Thankfully she had her friend Ahmad, to tell her the truth and to have her back! Will her confidence and self-love be enough for her or will she meet her person as she enters her new decade.

I truly enjoyed this book and loved the way the author developed Aaliyah's character. I enjoyed most of the characters except the uncle. It seemed his excessive body shaming did not align with the overall personality of the rest of the family members and friends. I loved the confidence Aaliyah had even while navigating through a world where people were mean and overly concerned about the woman's body size.

Thank you NetGalley, Danielle Allen, Macmillan Audio, and Tor Publishing Group for providing an ARC for me to review. I loved everything about this book. I can't wait to read the. next book from Danielle Allen.

Thank you Negalley, the publisher, and Ms. Allen for this ebook arc. When I tell you I was praying to the Netgalley God's for this arc!
Ms. Allen... you did not tell me this was going to be the slow burn of all slow burns! The tension was sooo good I was yelling at my kindle at midnight like "THIS MAN IS IN LOOOOVE GIRL".
Curvy girl is filled with friendship, love, trauma, growth and of course.. some good smutt. This was definitely a 5 star read and I could not stop laughing and kicking my feet. I am so excited for the world to get their hands on Aaliyah and Ahmad's story!

I got both the audio and the ebook of this book, It was sexy, funny. and even frustrating. I loved it so much. Danielle Allen is writing some great stuff and for this to her her trad debut, I am so shocked. She is a force in the indie romance world.

This was my first time reading a book by Danielle Allen, and I have to say, it was awesome. I tried to guess how the story would unfold as I read, and I eventually figured it out, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment. The friendship between Aaliyah and Ahmad was the best part of the book. If you're into a sweet romance for a chill weekend read, this book is perfect for you.

This book had me from the very first page! Aaliyah is a twenty-nine-year-old woman ambushed by her mom and uncle at a family gathering with an unwanted date set up and concerns about her weight being the cause of her single status. Determined to prove her family's unwarranted concerns false, she decides to make dating a priority, but the dating scene has more frogs than princes. One night, when she's waiting at a bar and her date doesn't show up, the bartender offers her some uncolicited advice. This begins a cute slow-burn romance and a series of comical dates. Danielle Allen's writing is top-tier here because the banter between Aaliyah and Ahmad had me kicking my feet. I will say that Aaliyah did frustrate me a bit with her tendency to jump to conclusions and her inability to say what her true feelings were, but in the end she finally got it together, and I was happy to see her get her happy ending.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bramble publishing for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Y’all, I freaking LOVED this book.

It had banter, chemistry, a slow burn romance, steam…just all the things that make me swoon.

Aaliyah and Ahmad were incredible main characters. Their banter constantly had me laughing. I also loved that Ahmad provided Aaliyah a safe space to meet up with online dates, which she desperately needed with some of the mess she faced. I also loved that Ahmad kept Aaliyah grounded and challenged her views on what she was accepting in a dating partners versus what she deserved.

The one part of the book that really irritated me was Aaliyah’s fat phobic uncle who says some truly vile things. However, Aaliyah doesn’t put up with his nonsense embraces every part of her self.

If you’re looking for an unputdownable sexy romance, definitely pick this one up!

I feel so SEEEN. I was reading this book and asking myself if it was about me because I felt Aaliyah. I remember being 30 and that pressure that maybe I should be further along. I also felt her as a 35 year old, fat, black woman actively dating men. I’ve gone on those dates before, went on one a few weeks ago. I so admire her confidence, she never wavered on that and that spoke volumes. After that 2nd date, honestly I would have given up. I also don’t have an Ahmad behind the bar. THAT MAN. First of all the banter between those two was *chefs kiss*……and I want to say more but I want you to experience this for yourself. There was something very….idk vulnerable about him and that was such a beautiful surprise. I will say I would have loved a few chapters from his POV, I know this isn’t HIS story but that would have put it over the top for me. Also loved Nina and Jazz, they were the perfect friends.

On a personal note, I’ve been reading Danielle Allen for years and I’m so proud of her. I’m so excited for the new readers that will become fans of hers. Her pen is exceptional and more people need to know about it. This is a great way to be introduced to her as an author and one of my favorite reads of 2024 so far!!

Thank you Bramble and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts and feelings are my own

‘There’s a lot that can happen in seven weeks.”

Aaliyah is on the cusp of thirty and feels like she doesn’t know where her life is going. Those feelings coupled with a meddling family, fuels her determination of finding a boyfriend. Deciding to join a dating app, she has the full support of her friends as well as the local bartender, Ahmad. But will she be successful at finding love, or will she forever be the queen of first dates?

There was so much to love about Curvy Girl Summer. The dating, the spice, the body positivity, the laugh out loud moments. But let’s talk about the star of the show, Aaliyah. If I had to describe her in one word, then that word would have to be…relatable. She’s a character that I was able to easily connect with( although, she also had a few moments where I wanted to reach in and bring her to her senses). She was confident, fierce, and a great friend.

I wouldn’t call this book a slow burn. It literally starts with a bang. I will say that I appreciated how Allen really took the time to develop every aspect and build the tension. And the tension? Whew! When it comes to spice, the door is wide open, and I have no complaints. The chemistry between the characters was off the charts and I especially liked their fun banter.

I really enjoyed how this story handles some very sensitive topics. There were some moments of fat phobia and shaming. It tackles grief as well as family boundaries. Speaking of those boundaries, Aaliyah’s uncle had me seeing red. He was completely unredeemable to me, but some people have family members just like him, unfortunately. I absolutely loved this story and cannot wait to grab my copy!

4.5

One of my favorite reads of the year, hands down. Danielle Allen spins a tale like nobody else! This book starts with a bang, then simmers to a boil. Some of these characters made me yell at the book. Some of them made me laugh out loud. Aliyah is a character after my own heart. This was supremely well done.

"Curvy Girl Summer" by Danielle Allen is an absolute delight! This fun, sizzling, and heartwarming novel blends humor and romance in a way that keeps you hooked from the first page. Imagine Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Survival of the Thickest, but with an even more relatable protagonist navigating the wild world of online dating.

Aaliyah is about to hit the big 3-0 and is determined to have a boyfriend by her birthday. After a blind date disaster, the charming local bartender Ahmad suggests she try her luck on a dating app. This kicks off a series of hilarious, cringeworthy, and sometimes touching dates, all while Ahmad keeps a protective eye on her.

What makes this book stand out is Aaliyah herself—she's confident, real, and relatable. Despite dealing with fatphobic comments from her family, she remains determined and self-assured. The friendship and eventual romance that blossoms between her and Ahmad are pure gold. Their banter is sharp, their chemistry electric, and their journey from friends to lovers feels genuine and earned.

The book also does a great job of addressing serious themes like body positivity and the perils of modern dating without losing its light-hearted, fun vibe. Plus, the representation is spot on, with Aaliyah’s experiences as a plus-size Black woman adding depth and authenticity to the story.

While the plot might have a few predictable moments, the execution is so engaging that you won’t mind. And yes, there are some steamy scenes, so be prepared!

Overall, "Curvy Girl Summer" is a must-read for anyone looking for a feel-good, romantic escape. It’s perfect for fans of contemporary romance who enjoy a mix of humor, heart, and a bit of heat. Danielle Allen has penned a winner that’s sure to make you laugh, swoon, and cheer for love.

Thanks to Bramble and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you so much to Colored Pages Tour and Bramble Books for the advance copy of this book!

This book will be published on June 11th,

The cover and title grabbed my attention right away. As a plus size woman, I try to read and promote books where there is a plus size character represented. And Aaliyah was such a great female protagonist!

"Just because a woman is fat doesn't mean she can't get a man. She just may not have found the man she wants. Automatically assuming that she doesn't have a man because she can't get one because of her weight is the problem."

Aaliyah's family has put so much pressure on her to not only be in a relationship but to marry and have a child by the time she turns 30. I honestly do not know how she held her ground but she did such a great job with her parents and her uncle (who truly was the villain in this story). She also has this shadow of older sister Aniyah who had everything right on paper. Aaliyah is constantly being compared and what I have learned as I am pushing 40 is that success comes in many ways. Unfortunately for the older generation, they only see success as one thing when in reality it's a multitudes of things. I just loved her love for herself and she knew what she wanted and was not going to settle.

The relationship Aaliyah has with her two girlfriends Jazmyn and Nina always made me laugh while reading. I love how honest they all were one another and the constant support they gave to each other. It loved the scenes when they would interact. The banter between the three and even when it would just be Aaliyah with one of the girls it always made me laugh. Here was one convo that made me laugh: "Deep down, I think you're a romantic." "Ew no. Romance is dead. I just want a handful of steady, reliable men to spend my time with."

The biggest relationship we see in this book is Aaliyah's relationship with Ahmad. He struck up this random friendship with Aaliyah after she went to his bar for her first blind date and we just got to see their relationship progress. Their banter was SO good and it felt like such a believable relationship between a bartender and a pateron. He was so sweet to Aaliyah and I loved the part when Ahmad took her out with his friends. When they finally do get together, it was so so hot! Allen really did an exceptional job with the spice.

I thought the pacing of the book for the most part was pretty good. The middle got to be a bit repetitive with the dates and having them fail. I was not familiar with Danielle's writing before but I will certainly be following her writing from now!

Just want to also give a heads up that there are fatphobia/antifat comments made in this book from the family members as well as tasteless men so please proceed with caution.

I will end on a quote that particularly struck a chord with me: "Being fat, existing in my body and not being ashamed of who I am and how I look was only an act of confidence to people who view me as if something was wrong with me."

4.5