Curvy girl

Plus size MFC
Hot bartender
Diversity
On line dating
Slow burn
Audio


This was a well told story featuring Aaliyah and Ahmad.
I loved Aaliyah. She definitely was comfortable in her own skin. Confident, successful and smart. She was the total package. She is fun and supportive. Her family feels she needs to in a relationship. Her 30th birthday is coming soon. Her relationships have been less than stellar.
When her latest date leaves her hanging, bartender Ahmad suggests a dating app. She will use his bar as the meeting spot so that he can make sure she is safe. Their relationship goes from strangers to friends very fast.

She goes out with him and his friends, they hang out together at the bar. They have great chemistry and the banter is fun.

Both characters have hidden secrets and insecurities when it comes to relationships. Ahmad has some deep emotional hangups that makes it hard for him to move forward in his romantic life.

Even with that, the story will have you laughing with the banter and the crazy dates. The side characters add to the fun.

Absolutely LOVE the narrator, one of my faves. She really brought the story to life, honestly.

Review about the story itself:
I will always stan the way Danielle Allen writes stories.

I LOVE a friends to lovers story as well, which was the surprising part of this book! These two meet at a bar while she waits for her blind date, he is the bar tender. After she is clearly ditched and they kinda make friends, he vows to help her with her dating life and meeting men for dates. Kinda to look out for her safety and give her tips.

What ends up happening is a deep bond that forms. Which leads to such charged sexual tension. I love how that unfolded.
Steamy scenes are always good if they are written by Danielle Allen.

I will say this book is HEAVY on fat phobia. If some readers are still working with explicit conversations about being fat in society then I would advise you skip. For the readers that stick around, especially thin ones... know that for a fat woman, this is our life. This is normal. Yeah, let that sink in. I hope it inspires some, to tackle those dangerous conversations, to help, defend, and be a true ally for bigger bodies.

SPIIIICCCCYYYYYY!!!!!

This book was an amazing listen that was entertaining and very real. I was completely able to relate to the main character Aaliyah being a plus sized woman myself. I have bee met with many of the same situations she experienced during her quest for love. The stereotyping and small minded thinking, the idea that I should accept anything because I am plus sized and should feel privileged to even be considered romantically.

Ahmad is the partner that every girl is looking for. Patient, kind, cautious because he wants to get it right, passionate, and willing to see his partner. It didn't hurt that he was easy on the eyes! I thought their friendship turned relationship was a refreshing ride. There is a point in the story that you realize that they will be a couple but, Danielle wrote their story well that you were invested and wanted to see how they got to that point.

The spice scenes were SPICY!!! WHEW!! Let us not look over the voice actor Wesleigh Siobhan, sister-girl, you did that! 10/10

This was a complete experience!!!

Did not finish this book after 6%.

I received this for free as an advanced reader copy in audiobook form.

The narrator did a good job, but there are elements I just cannot stand in my romances.

There are so many good reviews out there, but none that I could find that would have told me about the graphic sex scene with the ex boyfriend in the first chapter. In the best of times, I hate sex with other people than between the love interests. However, on-page graphically detailed sex with another person!? Definitely ICK. And the fact that she's going through a "dry spell" so she makes a booty call? Gross. I don't believe in sex as a need and definitely get a GIANT ick for having sex with someone you know is a manwhore (who cheated on her). And she's all thinking "oh, this is so good" while I'm over here 🤮

I tried to skip past the first chapter and get into a place where the book would become good... but then we get an interaction with another man who wants to get with her... and then we get a scene where her fat uncle is trying to body shame her for being fat and telling her that's the reason she's single.

This book isn't for me. I tried, but blech.

Overall I enjoyed myself with this book. I love Aaliyah through and through. She is looking for love and not willing to settle. As she sets out looking for an opportunity for a real connection before her 30th birthday she encounters Ahmad working at the bar. They hit it off as friends and he vows to help her while she's under the impression he is married. She values herself and set boundaries with family and the men she encounters and never waivers on the way she views herself. Ahmad, a man overcoming his trauma wins you over as a friend, then as a romantic interest. The connection is genuine and real and you root for them the whole time.

Possible spoiler:
The only downfall it has is the ending. We have a Cinderella moment and not epilogue or more to give us a glimpse into what more happened after they finally let love win.

Aaliyah is determined to have a boyfriend by her 30th birthday but after another failed first date, she is started to become desperate. She decides to take on the world of online dating with the help of her friends and the local bartender, Ahmad.

This was my first by this author and I enjoyed it.

I really liked the body positivity throughout the book.

The book definitely made me appreciate that I am not out in the dating world!

Each main character goes through some personal growth which was nice to see.

I really loved her birthday party and how everything played out.

It did feel a touch too long for me but I really did enjoy this curvy girl romance.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ALC. Curvy Girl Summer was pleasantly surprising. The opening scene is a lot right out of the gate, but totally worth sticking with it (like, geez, buy me dinner first...). Banter filled, funny and swoony. An excellent choice for those who are picky about their friends to lovers reads. Highly recommend.

Note on the audio recording- the dead air between chapters were a tad long-- I kept thinking my app was crashing. Narrator was great!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the free audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was so fun to read. Very relatable!

WOAH! I was not expecting to like this so much that I listened to it in one sitting. Curvy Girl Summer is a slow burn and has just the right amount of spice and drama, I laughed, cried, and had to stop the audio when someone came in the room, it was that spicy. One thing I realized while listening to this book, I want a friend like Nina! Oh what fun we would have! This is the first book that I read by author Danielle Allen, but it definitely will not be the last!

Thank you to Netgalley for the audio ARC of this amazing book

Curvy Girl Summer - 5⭐ 3🌶️- NO SPOILERS

Holy. F***ing. Sh*t. I am firstly wondering how I've never read Danielle Allen before. I will 100% be reading more of her books, because this book was absolutely masterful.

Yes, this was a slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance with lots of spice-filled tension, but it also had some grit in the best way. When we meet Aaliyah, we learn pretty quickly that she is struggling to reconcile what people want for her and what she wants for herself. She lost her older sister who had been previously taking the brunt of familial expectation and she is a little unmoored. She lies to her worrying family that she has a boyfriend and will be bringing him to her 30th birthday party at the end of the summer. She is on dating apps and keeps picking crappy guys who are cheaters and liars, and she is on a date with yet another loser when she meets Ahmed, the bartender at a local spot called Onyx. There was an instant spark, but he was wearing a wedding ring so Aaliyah doesn't go there. They make a pact that she will bring a new date each Friday to his bar, and Ahmed would watch her back if the dates went south. A love rooted in absolute best-friendship blossoms throughout the novel.

People, when I tell you that this is a *love story* more than anything, I am not exaggerating. The story of Aaliyah and Ahmed covered loss and grief, it covered trauma and recovery, and it did all that while including mutual, loving, HOT AF sexual tension (and, later, actual sex). 🥵 When he finally kissed her, I audibly yelled! Ahmed is respectful and COMMANDING and knowledgeable. I feel like, so often, we read romance for the 'dream man,' but this made that perfect man seem so possible.

Anyway: 5 stars, 10 stars, 5 pumpkin loaves, red socks, or all the other rating systems out there. If you love romance and you want something with heart, run (don't walk) to buy this book. Please excuse me while I recommend Curvy Girl Summer to literally every person I know.

Thank you so much for this arc opportunity!

Immediately no, DNFd at 2%. Raunchy and extremely smutty from page 1 and that’s just not for me.

Really fantastic. I want to say Allen's best book yet but she hasn't pubbed a book recently that I haven't loved all the way down. This one though? She put her foot into it. Great story line, characters I want to hug (or FIGHT), amazing, snappy dialog... STEAM... and a love story with characters you want to root for. Amahd the Wing Man was SO out of order though! He had me CRACKING up.

This was my first book by Danielle Allen and I loved it. There was a point in the beginning, when I thought there was more telling than showing but it didn’t take long for the author to get into a good rhythm and flow.

My favorite part of the book was the fact that Aaliyah didn’t let the terrible dates or what her Uncle had to say, shake her confidence. She never changed herself in order to be more appealing to men because she knew exactly who she was and that she was more than enough. Too often, I think we see characters try to change themselves for a good portion of the book in order to find love, and I’m so glad Danielle didn’t go that route.

The chemistry and banter between Ahmad and Aaliyah was AMAZING! They roasted each other without being mean and punching down. Ahmad was the perfect gentleman, and I like how they built a friendship first, even if they were both too foolish to admit how much they liked each other.

I can’t wait to read more by Danielle.

Published Date: June 11, 2024
Published by: Bramble / Macmillan Audio
Pages: 368 /Audio 12 hours

I received this ARC via NetGalley &Macmillian Audio in exchange for my honest opinion. This was not my first book from author Danielle Brown, so I knew this was going to be a great read. First let me start out by saying, that there are triggers ( body shaming, grief, car accident, heart issues, water trauma). Aaliyah and Ahmad meet at his father’s bar and after a failed date, he convinces her to join a dating site. Aaliyah joins the dating sites, and she meets her dates at the bar, so that Ahmad can “protect” and be her wingman. After several failed dates is it Aaliyah, or the men? Is Ahmad sabotaging them. I do think that this book could’ve been a couple of hours shorter what it was had the writer condensed some of the dates. With a few weeks until her 30th birthday party, Aaliyah went on a date every Friday, with the hopes of having a boyfriend that she could introduce her family to. Danielle did not skimp on the sex. It was some steamy scenes. This is a great book to read over the summer and it will give you all the feels,

Macmillan Audio and NetGalley provided an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

This book. This BOOK. THIS BOOK. Whew!

I’m a fan of Danielle Allen’s writing, Wesleigh Siobhan’s narration, and this cover art so I had high expectations. I am happy to report this audiobook did not disappoint. I laughed, scowled, teared up, bit my lip, crossed my legs, and screamed hallelujah throughout this fantastic story.

Aaliyah is a smart, funny, loyal, and beautiful plus sized Black woman. She is a perfect romcom FMC because she has that special mix of confidence, wit, charm, and stubbornness that leads to shenanigans and heartfelt moments.

Ahmad is funny, smart, caring, and capital F Fine. He is top tier book bae material, no doubt.


RUN, don’t walk, to scoop this book up the moment it drops!

Thank you again Netgalley

Omg 😳 all I can say is if y'all don't go get this 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ read right now. So look im a #thrillerbae but @authordanielleallen had me hooked from page one..

Anyway, Aaliyah was my favorite 🥰🤩 she was unapologetically herself. Even when her family tried ridiculing her she still felt the way she felt about what she wanted and deserved..

It's #hotgirlsummer and Aaliyah wants a man but she doesn't feel the need to date 🌹 she ready to be in a relationship.. ,(I mean I feel her on type because when I was single I didn't care to date) anyway who would have thought the man of your dreams was right in front of you the whole time...

Mr.Ahmad 👀🫣 let's just say everyone needs him as a friend..but if your lucky maybe a man 😘..

Moral of the story.. just be you. What's for you will always find you 😊

This book was amazing! I highly recommend it..

OMG!! First of al... I can't stand Aaliyah's uncle. Secondly, this narration by Wesleigh Siobhan (the GOAT of Black female narrators IMO) was superb. Danielle Allen manages to weave a slow burn story that didn't feel like a slow burn... into a story of finding voice, love right under your nose and second starts at life. It was so beautiful.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book. I absolutely loved this book from beginning to end. I loved it so much that I stayed up all night to finish it. I definitely recommend this book to everyone to read. It’s a great romance novel that also focus on family relationships, holding on to trauma from your past and how it influences your decisions in present life. I could definitely relate to the main character. It felt as if the author was telling my story. But most importantly to me was the message of self acceptance that resonated with me. I look forward to reading more novels from this author.

I listened to the audio and finished by reading the physical book. Curvy Girl Summer is the escape you want for a summer read. Although completely inappropriate for my normal target audience of Teen girl readers, Curvy Girl Summer will be a hit with my female teachers! Curvy Girl Summer is escapism at its best. Our main character Aaliyah is turning 30 and is convinced to try online dating. Never short of male companionship, Aaliyah is persuaded by her friends to spice up her life before turning the big 3-0. Aaliyah is charming, witty and plus sized. She is more than a match for any man who comes along. The book is full of positive plus size energy and great banter. If you are looking for a Curvy Girl summer of your own, I highly recommend Allen's new book.

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.