I’m not a huge romance girly but I LOVEDDDDDD this one! I saw the high reviews on this book and it was well deserved.

This book was told through Aaliyah’s POV. Aaliyah is a strong, independent, intelligent, witty, sassy, and knows exactly what she wants in life and a relationship. It was great to see the plus size representation in this book and experience the judgement when it comes to dating that society has with plus size women. I also loved the friendships in this story. Aaliyah’s friend circle is goals and her friendship and banter between Aaliyah and Ahmad was chef’s kiss. The way they met and watching their friendship develop was everything and more.

The narrator was phenomenal! Wesleigh Siobhan never disappoints. There hasn’t been a single audiobook that I’ve listened to that she has narrated on that I didn’t like. Her ability to bring out each characters’ voice and personality is so good. She just draws you in and captivates you.

This book is a great summer read and will have you falling in love with love. 💜

𝔾𝕠𝕠𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕂𝕟𝕠𝕨
✨Plus Size Representation
✨Spicy Moments
✨Slow Burn
✨Funny Banter
✨Black Love

If you're in need of a steamy romance perfect for summer, look no further than CURVY GIRL SUMMER! This audiobook was a joy to listen to, and the narrator put in an incredible performance. I especially loved the scences that featured Aaliyah chatting with her friends — the dialogue felt so true to life! The slow burn romance was great for the most part. The sarcastic-but-loving teasing our MCs did was laugh-out-loud funny, and the chemistry was clear from the jump. I didn't love the miscommunication that just. kept. happening. from like 50% on. What I did love was Aaliyah's unwavering love for her body despite allll the bullshit she faces from her family and potential dates about her weight. She knows she's beautiful and worthy as she is!!

Aaliyah is tired of casual sex and with her 30th birthday coming up, she turns to online dating. Her family is pressuring her to marry and have kids. Because of the pressure she is now determined to find a boyfriend for her birthday party. She luckily has help from her handsome bartender, Ahmad. With the challenges of online dating, will she find her man online?

I laughed, I swooned, I fell in love, and I also felt the heartache and healing throughout this story.

I absolutely loved this story!

i don't even know where to start with this book!! i loved it so bad like when i say BOOK OF THE SUMMERRRRRR, i mean it. i've never described a book as sexy but this book is so sexy!! i am so obsessed with it. Aaliyah is intentionally dating, looking for a date for her birthday and then there's this one bartender... it was a SLOOWWWW BURNNNN and i usually hate those? but i really enjoyed this one. i think it's because she was dating throughout the whole book so the slow burn wasn't painful. it was a tiny bit painful at the end because Aaliyah was being soooo stubborn but it's cool! i loved their connection and their banter. a lot of books claim to be "humor" and they aren't that funny but this book had me chuckling all the time like it was genuinely funny. one of my favorite books ever i fear! please read thisss

Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen

Thank you so muchMacmillan Audio, Bramble, + NetGalley for the free audiobook. #MacAudio2024

✨My thoughts:
Geezus this book is everything and it’s so hot for summer! The audiobook was so freaking good, I felt like I was in the book. Honestly, there’s not a single thing I didn’t love about this book! It’s spicy, the friendships are the best, and the message is chefs kiss. Starting with the female friendships, Nina and Jas were the best friends anyone could ever wish for. Sweet, sassy, and not afraid to tell you the truth, the kind of friends everyone needs in their lives. The romance was so so good. The tension between Aaliyah and Ahmad was so thick, in the best way, the banter was to die for, and I loved that they were friends first. But really… when Ahmad asked “Can I have that? Can I have what I want?” I’m pretty sure I died and went to heaven. My goodness I forgot I was reading a book for a second. And lastly, the messages were outstanding, I definitely got teary eyed. To the parents who have lost a child & have other children… your child may not understand what it’s like to list a child of their own but they do know what it’s like to lose a sibling and both hurt, both are different, & both come with it’s own difficulties. Be gentle with each other and cognizant of the trauma it brings to each of you. And also, love yourself & live the life that aligns with you. Other people’s expectations are not your responsibility. You know what’s best for you, so do that. Always always stand your ground. There’s so much more I could add but I should wrap it up! Curvy Girl Summer is one of my favorites of 2024 and it’s a must read for the summer. Happy pub day!! It’s out today 6/11/24!

Happy reading 📖

This is 1 of 2 summer Black romance novels that I’ve read that is a must read for summer 2024! 𝐶𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑦 𝐺𝑖𝑟𝑙 𝑆𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑟 is for the grown and sexy! This one came out the door giving me everything I needed in the first chapter! It continued to give throughout and to the end!

I loved this one because Aaliyah was strong and confident in her skin and didn’t let words or criticism from anyone change her or that she wasn’t everything!
From her ex trying to put her down because she didn’t want him, to her own uncle telling her she didn’t have a man because of her weight, and her family making her feel like she had to have or should have a boyfriend for her 30th birthday party.

“𝑭*%𝒌 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒚…. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒆. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝑴𝒀 𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒌𝒆!”

I also loved that Ahmad was protective of her from the beginning. The banter between the two of them throughout the book was so spot on and realistic. It felt as though I was listening to a real conversation with two people giving each other the business, in a good way. The chemistry between the two of them jumped off the pages baby! I loved it!

Wesleigh Siobhan did her thing with this audiobook! I loved listening to this one from beginning to end! This was my first book by Danielle Allen and she did not disappoint!

I really enjoyed this book. I was hooked within the first few chapters and ate it up in an afternoon.

The humor within the book gave me a few genuine laighs and I adored the banter between Aaliyah and Ahmad. Aaliyahs dating journey was so real and relatable to many of the horror stories I've heard in recent years.

I also enjoyed the plus size representation and spotlights on mental health and dealing with complex family relationships.

I did become a tad frustrated because so much could've been resolved with just basic communication, but I understand that would've made the story a novella and wrapped things up too quickly.

#bookworm #bookstagram #bookreview
#blackgirlsreadtoo #fiction #romancenovel #blackromance #arcreview #arcreader #netgalley

This book right here?! I loved every second of this audiobook. @authordanielleallen has a fan in me FOR LIFE. I don’t want to hype this book too much but I’m really struggling not to🤪

Ahmad is so funny! I think this is the best banter I have ever read. I stand corrected yall. THIS IS MY BOOK OF SUMMER☀️

AVAILABLE June 11th. Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the arc.

#netgalley #arc #romancebooks #audiobooks #bookstagram #newrelease #books #audiobooklover

Summary:
After a disastrous one-night stand with an ex, Aaliyah realizes this is not what she wants from her life and she knows exactly what she wants for her future. But her family can’t stay out of her personal life, her parents are eager for grandchildren and her uncle, who has very strong opinions on how attractive women look, is convinced that unless she loses weight she will never find a good man and be happy. Aaliyah has had enough and in an effort to shut her interfering family down she announces she has a boyfriend and they will meet him at her 30th birthday party in 7 weeks. Only one little problem, there is no boyfriend. So Aaliyah with the help of her new bartender friend Ahmed, must help her find the perfect man to bring to her 30th birthday party before she runs out of time.

Thoughts:
I loved everything about this romance from Aayliah’s body positivity despite the trolls trying to bring her down and Ahmed’s protectiveness as he tries to push down his true feelings. This is one of those romances that I couldn’t put down because I just had to make sure that everything ended up ok in the end. I loved watching Aaliyah go through the disastrous dates that she found through the dating app and watching Ahmed’s reaction to each and every one. This is a lighthearted, summer romance read featuring a strong female protagonist. A perfect ending.

So this was the summer book I needed! It gave self love black love healing and friendship! I really enjoyed all the character forms the main characters to the friends. It flowed extremely well. Even though I figured out what was going on with Ahmad early on it was no fault of the writing(I just read too much). This book handled fake dating and miscommunication in a cute and unique way. The spice was on point! The only thing keeping it from a 5 star was 2 things
1. I wanted to knock Aaliyah head between a dryer for not seeing that he was in love with her at her party!
2. I would have liked and epilogue or just one more chapter of there first date

I was gifted the audiobook from NetGalley and wow, was it a gift! Wesleigh Siobhan read the story with perfection! The experience created was masterful from the first word to the last. Danielle Allen crafted a story of a sister navigating the dating world and the expectations of her parents. I LOVED everything about this reading experience.

I absolutely loved this audiobook! At first I had to adjust to the narration but once I did I enjoyed it. I loved witnessing the progression of Aaliyah and Ahmad. I couldn’t wait to see who Aaliyah would end up with. Her friends were a fun addition as well. I loved the humor throughout most of the characters too. This is not an overly spicy book and you won’t get to it right away but it was a good read. It was refreshing to see Aaliyah be confident in her body and to stand up for herself when she felt she was being disrespected. Many time a curvy woman character can be seen as having low self esteem and I think Aaliyah loved her curves! I think it would have been cool to have more narrators but Wesleigh always does a great job.

I’m overjoyed to see this book for Danielle as I remember reading her earlier work and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Baby, this was an interesting one! Haha. From the moment that I pressed play (on my car radio might I add) I knew I was in for a wild ride. The first scene was an unexpected introduction but something told me to keep going and I was glad I did. I've been a big girl most of my life so I've experienced a lot of the similar situations that Aaliyah did. The family "health" interventions, the men who expect you to be happy they gave you smallest chance, and the horrendous dates. Whew! I hate online dating too, sis! But I'm happy that my girl ended up finding love. Such a cute and spicy read! And you know Wesleigh Siobhan did her thing with the narration as always.

Thanks to MacMillian Audio for providing my free copy for an honest review!

Rating: 4.25/5

“𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙪𝙥 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 […] 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙪𝙥 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

Aaliyah wants to bring a date to her 30th birthday party. When she is stood up on a blind date, the friendly bartender talks her into trying out a dating app. He suggests she bring all her dates to his bar so that he can look out for her, and so that she can feel more comfortable.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book, and all her dates (which never really go all that well. 😂)

The spice was spicing, thank goodness, because that burn was slow! There was so much tension between the two main characters, even if THEY couldn’t see it, I was just dying for them to figure it out!

Ahmad was such a cutie, the perfect gentleman…most of the time….👀

Audiobook notes: Wesleigh Siobhan was fabulous! I loved all her voices, and she brought the perfect amount of emotion to each performance.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for providing me an ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What this book is giving:
✅ Contemporary Romance
✅ Single POV
✅ Slow Burn
✅ App Dating
✅ Stranger Bartender to Friend to…
✅ Positive Therapy Rep
✅ Plus Size Rep

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5

Ok so boom… I felt like I had to open this review like that because one of the best parts of this book was the friendship! I loved her friends and I need yall to buy these up so we can get books from the friends POV too ok!

With that being said, her friends were hilarious. And I loved that they were all so different from each other so that we got to see all different sides of each of Aaliyah’s dates. She knew all the different crazy ways they could possibly go just from talking to them before hand. AND they weren’t afraid to tell her that what she was doing didn’t make sense or that they didn’t agree with her. And let me just say, those are your real friends. The ones that will tell you like it is and keep you from looking crazy in the end. (Soooooo I’mma just put it out there in the universe. I just KNOW we’re about to get a book about friend in a small town meeting their person while they’re with their aunt? Right? Right Mrs. Allen?!)

As for Aaliyah, I liked her, but she was the most oblivious child lol I was yelling “COME HERE” at her ass the whole book. She was making me so mad being stubborn for no reason. It was NO REASON she kept acting like she didn’t have feelings for him. I still don’t understand what that was all about. Have I just read too many romances and I just know not to make decisions on behalf of anyone else? Or is that just common sense? I didn’t know if I should have been mad at her or not. But I do know that she was mad petty for continuing to act like she didn’t understand what was going on between them. And I think I was annoyed because girl you didn’t even hear him out when he told you what was going on. It felt like you were more embarrassed for acting like that and then just wanted to push him away because of it.

There’s not a lot that I agree with a man on, but when I do, I get annoyed lol No really, I was so mad at Aaliyah for making me side with Ahmad that she was stubborn. lmao I was like girl see what you made me do?! But Ahmad held a special place in my heart so I was ok being on his side for a while. He reminded me so much of my husband lol My husband is the type to joke and play around all the time. He is always the life of the party and will make me laugh by playing all the time. We been together 14 years and till this day we still rag on each other randomly. So basically, safe to say I loved Ahmad. I was so like screaming at her to stop and scoop him before someone else does lol *SPOILER* I will say the ending threw me for a little bit. I just knew he was going to be the last one to show up on one of her dates. And in a way he was, but she just did it in a different way…. And that made me more mad at her. You see what this man did for you and you out here acting like you don’t care? *END SPOILER*

The rep in this tho? FANTASTIC!! I hated having to sit through the fat shaming and the fetisizing and name calling, but it was so real. And the bit from the family side pissed me off because Lordt knows I’ve lived through it. I felt very much like I could have been Aaliyah in so many of those scenes. I did enjoy seeing her loved properly in the ending though without having to change herself. And I especially liked how she put her foot down and said, “ENOUGH” to everyone that was being weird to her. She wasn’t letting anyone take her joy and I admired that so much. And I LOVED that Allen kept her fat and fabulous. She didn’t have to change and there was no magic man that made her skinny. She deserved her happiness in the body she was already in. (Also I gotta know……… Why are consistently showing how hard they worked to get together but not showing their happiness when it finally happens, except for a few pages or a couple chapters? I WANT TO SEE MORE OF THEM TOGETHER AND HOW THEIR RELATIONSHIP GOES. Especially if it was a struggle to get there in the beginning like with these two!)

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention her dates tho. I LOVE social media themed books because with social media you just never know what you’re going to get. And this book proves that theory. Every last date she went on was extra and weird af lol I laughed a good amount at Ahmad, but damn it every man that didn’t have my lip curling in disgust had me howling in laughter. (One of them had me doing both tho I gotta admit.)

This book was a fun time and I absolutely hope that there is more to come after Ahmad and Aaliyah. Not only do I want to see the other friends, but I also want to see her friends get theirs too. We need all of em!

Thank you to NetGalley for my audiobook ARC!

Curvy Girl Summer is the perfect kickoff to Summer reading 🏖

Aaliyah is about to turn thirty with no boyfriend prospects in sight. When her family starts to apply pressure about her marital status and her weight (rude!), Aaliyah must come with a date for her birthday party.

Armed with Tenderfish, the online dating app, two vocal best friends, and a very attractive bar tender wingman, she dives into the world of online dating. When Ashanti keeps attracting frogs instead of Prince, she starts to wonder if she may be the problem. Is her family right? If only the bartender was single....

This slow burn romance gives you all the spice and all the feels. Aliyah faces the question so many of us face: Will I find that someone to love?

Danielle Allen gives us characters to root for by bringing to light how we are quick to stereotype someone with getting to know the real person. I was hooked from the beginning and would definitely recommend this book to my romance lovers ❤️ 😍

💬: He pointed at my drink.
"What are you drinking?"
"Malibu Sunrise, it's delicious"
'It looks good but I can't be seen drinking that."
I blinked rapidly, "Oh?"

Allen, Danielle. Curvy Girl Summer (Chapter 6, p.?). Bramble. NetGalley Advanced Reader's Copy.

📖Genres: romance, contemporary, contemporary romance

📚Page Count: 210

🎧Audiobook Length: 12h 23min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5/5
----

Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen is about Aaliyah James a plus sized 29 year old who wants to find a boyfriend for her 30th birthday celebration. Aaliyah's family members think that she's getting older and her time find a boyfriend, get married, and have children is running out. Annoyed with her family's comments, she lets them know that she does have a boyfriend and that he'll be at her 30th birthday celebration. She doesn't have a boyfriend yet but with online dating, how hard could finding one be? When the first date goes not as planned, the local bartender, at the bar where the date took place seems to be kind and funny enough to make Aaliyah feel hopeful about finding more people to date. The more she spends time with Ahmad the closer she feels to him. Will she find a boyfriend in time for her birthday and will he be from the online dating app "Tinderfish" or will he be the funny, handsome, and caring bartender?

Reading this book was such a great reading experience. This is my first slow burn romance novel and now I still why people like this trope so much. There's so much built up sexual an romantic tension and it feels as if everything will erupt during the climax of the book. I loved how Aaliyah and Ahmad teased each other relentlessly, it was so cute. It was so nice that they both loved concerts, live shows, and music in general. The miscommunication trope was in there and it was so annoying, like the situation was very obvious but the main character was just not getting it. That was annoying but the book was so good overall that I'm not going to change my rating because of that annoyance. Something the author did a really good job of including is what it feels like to be a plus size woman dating with dating apps and websites in the real world.

The audio book narrator was really good, I enjoyed their voice for all the characters. Sometimes when an author voices several or many characters some of the voices sound off but that was NOT the case with Wesleigh Siobhan and their narration. All of the words are clear and concise and the individual voices they use for each character fits so well with the story.

Talk about a slow burn! There are two spicy scenes and let me be honest, the spicy scenes don't start happening until well over 80% through the book. The scenes come late in the book but I honestly think it was worth it. I don't really like spicy scenes with unprotected sex with almost strangers or first time lovers, though I did like the scenes in general. I'm giving the spicy scenes four chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️out of five chilies

This book was a pleasant surprise! I really enjoyed myself while listening to this audiobook. It was fantastic. I'm giving this 5 out of 5 stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5/5 Stars

Thank you <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/">[NetGalley.com]</a>, Danielle Allen (the author), and Macmillan Audio (publisher) for the arc (advanced reader's copy) of the audiobook.

This was cute. I liked Aaliyah having tough conversations both within herself and with her loved ones on what it means to be both turning 30/a bigger woman, not meeting some of societies major expectations, and ultimately choosing herself, because it’s HER life, and HER happiness that matters most.

Some of my issues were with the length and repetitiveness in both conversations and some of the narrative, and I believe some things could have been cut so we could speed ahead.

The timing of certain major plot points had me pulling out my hair a bit because I am NOT a patient person, but when it was good? It was GREAT!!! The banter was cute, the convos real, and honestly? This would EAT as a little show on HBO or something.

Overall, while I definitely got annoyed at some parts, it was a cute little read! And the narrator gets REALLY into it ;) I’m sure a lot of women will relate to many parts of Aaliyah’s story.

Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for my copy!!

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.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to review Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen (Narrated by Wesleigh Siobhan). When I tell you I enjoyed this story so much. Now don't get me wrong, this was a slow burn (hahah), but it was an enjoyable journey to be on. To me, it read like a movie that you would see on lifetime and I was here for it. (THE OPENING SCENE... get ready to clinch your pearls heheh).

The plot was solid with the female main character, Aaliyah, navigating life as she is about to enter her 30's. Trying to please her family, live her life, and find a solid man to build with is very relatable for women across the world. Then to top it off, she is plus size which adds to the story and makes it more relatable for a specific community that is normally not represented in the genre.

The way the main mail character; Ahmad, is introduced was perfect and we knew that they would end up together because the chemistry was there from the first scene! The story progressed beautifully and I was happy with the end result!

I really enjoyed this book so much and the narration was amazing! This would be a 5 star read for me (4.5), however, my only gripe was the ending. It seemed very abrupt to me like the story line had to be wrapped up quickly to fit into the page maximum. I don't know if that is true but it bothered me and I wish the ending was tied up a little better.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book EPSECIALLY on Audio!!