Loved the narrators and loved the story. In the most of tragedy the author was able to craft a beautifully written story that held my attention and had me wanting more. I devoured this book in days and the narrators were so good.

This book had a wonderful hook. The first chapter was wild. Then, we went down a long slog of a middle that built to another hot and steamy scene. It was ok. I appreciate the opportunity to listen to this book. I hope everyone gives it a chance.

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. The audio book had great charisma, but sometimes felt a little bit slow. I enjoyed it as a visual text more than the audio.

The narration for this book was so good. She really kept me connected to the story. Keep her for all your other audiobook projects! :)

The story was good and I love the little secret/not secret in this book. I love the joking back and forth. It was laugh and had me connecting with the characters more.
It felt effortless to fall into this story for long listening bouts. Where some books you have to push your self some to get into it, this book wasn’t like that.

So Aaliyah is my girl! She knows how to dress and how to work every curve God blessed her with. I love seeing that in books. Curvy women don’t all hate their bodies and that needs to be shown. So A+ on that. Only thing I wanted from Aaliyah was to tell a certain person off from the jump. But I understand she has respect and stuff them but they needed it.
My boy Ahmad knows he fine and funny. The way he made me laugh out loud and kept Aaliyah on her toes was too good. I really liked how he was open about things l, well as open as he could be. However, I needed him to realize his feeling and stuff a lot sooner. But I get it he was still doing the work.

All in all this was a good read. It’s funny, it has its sexy time, and times when things go deep. I truly enjoyed reading this.
It’s the prefect beach read or by the pool. But I’m telling you you won’t want to put it down.

5 Stars!!
This. Was. Everything.

I was laughing. I was crying. I never wanted this to end! The BANTER. OH MY GOD. I seriously could go on and on about this book and ya know what? I'm going to.

As a plus size woman who reads LOTS of books, it gets exhausting constantly hearing about how tiny and petite FMCs typically are. Or, in cases where the FMC IS "plus-size," none of her attributes actually sound like a REAL plus-size woman. Aaliyah is unapologetically fat.

The way the author incorporated fatphobia was so real. Being on dating apps as a fat person is honestly the actual worst. Although I've never had a family member be as explicitly fatphobic as her uncle, I do have lots of people close to me that I know judge me for my size and see me as lesser than.

Aaliyah did. not. care. what people had to say about her body. Yeah. she's fat. AND??? Oh but they're so concerned for her health!!! Uh, have you seen her lab work she recently got done? No?? Exactly.

Okay enough about Aaliyah. Let's talk about AHMAD. Dude is SO fineeee! You could FEEL the chemistry between them through the pages and oh my god. The scene in the bar closet????? I DIED. They're actually perfect.

I'd also like to note I physically SCREAMED when (view spoiler) SCREAMED.

This will be in the running for my top 10 of this year. It's more than 5 stars, it's 10. I can't get over it. All the characters were written SO well. The besties? Iconic. Love them. I'm so excited I finally got around to reading this ARC. It was amazing and the best part is that it's out now and you can read it because everyone should thank youuuuuu!

“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!!!

4.5 stars!

I LOVED Danielle Allen's "Curvy Girl Summer" so much. What a wonderful, witty, sexy book featuring an amazing plus-size women! I laughed consistently at the easy banter between Aaliyah and Ahmad. This book is FUNNY, everyone!! You're going to be laughing the entire length of the book. It's also spicy, steamy, swoony, and strong! Aaliyah was such a terrific character. She knows what she wants and she's not willing to settle for less. Before all is revealed, I knew there was something else going on with Ahmad, so it makes sense why he does and says the things he does when it finally comes out. Both of them are well-written, fully fleshed-out, and realistic characters. Danielle Allen really knows her way around a relationship! As Aaliyah and Ahmad's friendship grows, so do their feelings of lust and love for one another. Ahmad keeps his distance as Aaliyah goes on many different dates with men at the bar where he works. He lets her know that each one she meets is wrong for her for one reason or another. Still, Aaliyah keeps trying, oblivious (or unwilling to see!!?!) what is right in front of her. Aaliyah's attraction grows the longer she sees that Ahmad embodies all of the traits and characteristics of the man she wants long-term. I liked witnessing all of the dates Aaliyah goes on as a big, curvy woman looking for "forever." Some of the guys she meets are nice and down to earth on the surface, but the longer she gets to know them, she comes to realize they are the same trash bags who have a deep hatred of fat women and aren't afraid to let her know it to her face. This aspect felt the most realistic out of all. I am married, but I cannot imagine dating right now... this book made me feel for any thick woman having to go through half of what Aaliyah goes through! God, I truly loved Aaliyah as a character. And Ahmad! SWOON!! All of the secondary characters are perfect, too! I hope we get Ahmad's sister's story, too! Finally, Wesleigh Siobhan is FANTASTIC as the audiobook's narrator. She really brings these characters to life in a fresh, spectacular, fitting way. I loved her narration!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Danielle Allen, and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Good steamy novel, and good cast of characters, but also some frustrations on the lack of communication between the characters.

When I read “Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Survival of the Thickest” I instantly knew I would love Curvy Girl Summer! It had me cracking up, blushing and rooting for a HEA! It’s full of disastrous dates, complicated family relationships, beautiful friendships, steamy spice, all the feels and undeniable chemistry!

📱 Dating App
😹 Hoot & a Half
🍹Charming Bartender
🗣️ Banter
🔥 Steamy
💖 Swoon Worthy
⏳ Deadline
🎧 Audiobook
♥️ Friends to Lovers
🎢 Emotional Rollercoaster

Curvy Girl Summer was such a fun & flirty read! From the hilarious banter to the swoony romance, this is one of my new go-to romantic comedy recs!

Method Read: 🎧
Wesleigh Siobhan did a fantastic job narrating and bringing Curvy Girl Summer to life! 10/10 recommend the audiobook!

Thank you so much Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy!

I loved this book so much. Everything was perfect. It was such a good listen. This was probably my favorite book of the year. I’ll also be looking for more books by this author and narrator

i decided to dnf this book although this book was funny, enjoyable and i really did love the characters and there story but i wasn’t in the mood to read the book for some reason

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!

This book jumped right in with the spice - and then backed way off into more of a slow burn romance story.

Read this book if you enjoy:
> Slow burn romance
> Friends to lovers
> MMC helping the FMC 'date'
> He falls first
> Open door spice

At its core, this story was a really excellent narrative with a strong FMC who knows her worth and has a firm hold on her confidence. At the same time, her dating adventures become a carousel of guys who are not the right guy for her - for a variety of different reasons. There is a lot of sass and spunk with some humorous asides that kept this storyline moving quickly. While there are some deeper issues (tw: death of a sibling) under the surface and some family members that are way out of line (looking at you, uncle!) - the overall vibe of this book is very summer fling in nature. The title of this book is actually perfect.

I really enjoyed the audio version of this book. The narration is excellent and brings the story to life in an immersive way. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ALC of this book.

I listened to the audio of this book which is not yet on good reads. Here are my thoughts throughout the book, I hope these convince you to read it:
-married?!
-Funny
-While her fatness is a center part of the story it’s not something that MC wants to change
-Girl let’s be for real why are you here at the bar an hour early every time
-*give her an umbrellas* “I wouldn’t want you to get wet” - okay!
-this wedding band thing is so stupid - alright disregard I understand him now
-fucking finally! A kiss!!!
-not while on a date!!
-can I have this dance?! Ahhhhhhh kicking screaming
-I wish he would just express his feelings. He keeps waiting for Aaliyah to say something
-I wanted a bigger surprise but ok

Wow, this book started out with a bang (literally). I loved the narration of the story, and what it added to Allen's vision. I enjoyed Aaliyah's journey as she looks for the right person for her, while also caring for herself.

This book was EVERYTHING I wanted. it was absolute perfection. I want more from this world! I want to devour everything. HIGHLY recommend.

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.

The narration was phenomenal!! Like the narration was so good, I think it's what made me literally laugh out loud. Do not read the first chapter of this book on the car stereo while your kids are in the car, LOLOLOL, it is spicy out the gate. This is a headphone only book if you have kids in the house hahaha. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a good time because I flew through this book in 2 days!

This book was such a joy. The banter between Aaliyah and Ahmad is unmatched. The chemistry is undeniable. Curvy Girl Summer is a vibrant and vivacious story about Aaliyah soon to be 30 year old. The pressure of entering a new decade and era in life doesn’t come easy when you have the reminder that your clock is ticking. Especially, when your birthday is around the corner. Can Aaliyah prove that curves are exactly what is needed to get the man of her dreams? You will have to read and find that out! Out now! Get your copies! Special Thank you to @Macmillan Audio and @netgalley for the advance copy. Shout out to @Wesleigh Siobhan did her thing on the audio!

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.

The voice actors for this were amazing. I felt engulfed in this story entirely.

Curvy Girl Summer is so damn spicy from the very first page. Danielle Allen wastes no time, and I love that in a romance novel. The characters are well developed and the storytelling, propulsive. Excited to read whatever comes next from this author!