Thank you Netgalley and Entangled for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For me personally, I think I was expecting more. I wasn't immediately hooked and it felt like it read young. Until we got to the spicy intimate scenes. It felt like it was just dropped in there as a "this is what people want in books now, so make sure it's included somewhere." Is there chemistry there with the FMC and the MMC? Yes. If anything, the more tender intimate parts were more effective than just a plop. This easily could have been something that was targeted YA otherwise. I think I was more hopeful to enjoy it with my own personal experiences in the diversity/inclusivity realm of working in film and TV entertainment. I'm all here for the representation that is very much needed and needs to be discussed in the industry, but I think aside from it reading like a fanfic where you meet a celeb crush and act like you'll be dismissive about it, if it stayed in the realm of YA, there could be a focus on the story and the importance of everything while keeping out the spice. This is not to say there shouldn't be spice with a plus-size character. There are so many great stories that show that inclusivity. It's just this overall felt like it read young so the spice felt just dropped in.

It took me a little while to get into this book, but once I got to the 30% mark I was HOOKED. As a queer, large woman in a skinny, straight world, this book was everything I needed. The story was heartfelt and the characters were simply wonderful. I will be recommending this book in the future!!

I had a tough time with Because Fat Girl by Lauren Marie Fleming. Diana, the main character, felt more like a mouthpiece for discussions about her weight, queerness, and sexuality than a fully realized person. I understand these aspects are central to her life and experiences, but there was no room for her personality or thoughts outside those topics. Everything she did or thought seemed tied to her weight or sexuality, leaving little to no depth beyond that.
The chemistry between Diana and the male lead never came across as convincing, either. I struggled to get through the first 30% before putting the book down. I found myself wishing the dialogue, both in Diana’s head and with others, had done more to showcase her as a person beyond her body and her sexuality. If there had been more balance, I might have enjoyed the book more. The premise had potential, but it just didn’t connect for me.

A heartfelt, empowering story celebrating love, resilience, and self-acceptance. Diana’s journey from grief to reclaiming her dreams is inspiring, and her unexpected romance with a Hollywood star adds charm. This beautifully diverse tale captures the struggle and triumph of being unapologetically yourself while navigating the challenges of fame and creative passion.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*

I really enjoyed "Because Fat Girl" as a fat person. It's over the top rom-com material but self-aware and fun. I found the romance bit somewhat boring and I am no fan of the rich guy fixes things trope, but then again... The book is full of sassy queer characters and I loved that. I'm not here to pass a literary criticism judgement, this is a guilty pleasure book and a good one. Is the ending super hardcore happy? Absolutely. Is it so cheesy it hurts? Yes. Did I like that? Yes. So whatever, I want more books with happy fat protagonists.

I love books about proud queer women chasing their dreams! Diana felt like a real person to me. I enjoyed reading about her passion for filmmaking, her fashion sense, and her loyalty to her friends and loved ones. Diana’s flaws and insecurities only made her seem more human and relatable.

Drew (who is called Andy by those who love him) is such a swoony, perfect love interest! He’s patient and gradually earns Diana’s trust. He always shows up for her and brings cheese fries to make her smile!

Despite Diana enjoying Drew’s company, Diana is hesitant about dating him, since he’s a heterosexual cis man. She’s afraid that dating him will change how the queer community perceives her. Her internal monologues really shine a light on the harms of biphobia.

I also adored the side characters in this book! I would definitely read a second book just to get to see more of them. I especially loved Jacqueline who is Drew’s mom and a lesbian author. Drew adores his mom, and it is clear why.

Parts of the book felt a bit overly explanatory, as the author describes different issues affecting fat people and queer people. At times, the explanations disrupted the narrative a bit for me. But I think the explanations would have been educational for a younger version of myself who was less familiar with the topics being discussed, so I can see why the author decided to include the explanations. Hopefully these explanations help the book reach audiences who are newer to the topics being discussed!

As a side note, I feel like a I’ve read quite a few queer romances that feature a Hollywood setting. I think this book is my favorite in that sub-category!

Overall, I recommend this book! I even purchased a copy for a loved one as a gift because I enjoyed it that much.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

Highlights:
- queer protagonist
- aspiring Hollywood filmmaker
- M/F romance
- body positive
- falling for a movie star

I really struggled with this book for at least the first half. I almost didn’t finish it multiple times. I am an ally for lgbtq+ people and prefer to have diversity in the books I read, but I don’t want to be lectured about the inequities and constant struggles each group of people has to deal with. It felt like a little plot followed by a lecture and a little more plot for quite a while.
I’m glad I stuck with it though, because I did enjoy the ending and I did start to care about how things would turn out for the characters. Although the ending was a little unbelievable, it was a big HEA.

I thought the book was nice enough, but the writing, at times, felt more like grudges the writer was trying to get back at random exes or former co-workers or family.... by stating very specfic, random things and writing these brief characters into the book when it doesn't make sense for that character to make a "cameo" in the book at that time or to have had that conversation. It also ruined some of the momentum building of the story. I did enjoy the diverse characters and their perspectives!

Wish fulfillment...

Diana is another casualty of the Hollywood field of unfulfilled dreams. She's overweight, works at a department store, lives with her sister and isn't working in Hollywood. She meets Andy, aka Drew Williams, a Hollywood action star., Andy is really sweet and sincere. Things change for Diana once they meet. Filled with Hollywood name dropping, its a fun, snarky look at the people in front the camera, but not really behind the scenes.

This was really different from books that I normally read, but I really liked it.

This is a book about a queer fat woman trying to achieve her dreams in Hollywood of winning an Oscar. This book was well written and really grabbed my attention early on. I did expect a little more romance going into this, but I wasn't disappointed. The pacing was great and I never felt bored while reading.

Because Fat Girl is a heartfelt exploration of self-acceptance, ambition, and identity. Diana Smith, the queer, plus-sized protagonist we've needed. Her journey is one that will resonate with anyone who has ever struggled to feel seen.

Lauren Marie Fleming has crafted a compelling narrative that challenges stereotypes and uplifts readers. It’s a story about chasing dreams and embracing who you are.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

I was drawn to this book by title alone because I am a fat girl, and I love to see that representation. It also helped that the author is local to me. I went in completely blind, and I was not disappointed.

I really enjoyed it. The book is super funny, but also super emotional. It drew me in and kept me there until I was closing the last page. I felt very empowered by this book. If you believe everyone deserves a happy ending or even need the convincing for yourself that you do, then this is the book for you.

My favorite quote is, "For me, saying 'because fat girl' is both a reclamation of the term fat and a rallying cry for the better treatment of fat people...It encompasses the good, the bad, the everything of life as a fat feminine person in this world."

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley. I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

4.5 stars, rounded to 5.

I absolutely loved this story. As a person who identifies as many thing the MC is or stands for, it was amazing to read myself and see myself "portrayed on the screen" as the book would say. From the complex family to the sweetest found family, I think this book nailed every aspect. I'm a huge sucker for the famous person + normie trope, so this book tickled that itch for me without being so over the top cheesy.

Jaqueline was the queen of this book. Her character was fun and whimsy and strong and badass. I want to be a mom like her some day!

This story follows a woman who just moved with her sister and works in the world of Hollywood. I have to say when I read the summary, this book sounded really intriging. I wanted to find out who Diana is and how she will change Hollywood. The beginning was pretty good but then it just got kind of mild. There weren't many conflicts and too many pieces were just getting jumbled together. I felt as though the author wanted to make their point but just too many were happening at the same time. I did enjoy the setting and seeing how the industry could be like. This book is told from Diane's pov.

Diane is a great character and I enjoyed seeing her development. She's comfortable in her own skin and I loved how she didn't care for others (well except for the pops). There were many side characters in this book but the main ones were Diane's best friend and Drew. I liked Drew who was more down to heart big time hollywood star. There is romance in this book but I wish that Diane got to explore more of her sexuality. The romance is instant love, friends to lovers, and slow burn.

The ending was good but not the best. I just wish there were more conflicts or conflicts that stood out. It's still a great read as it deals with societal topics though I wish it was explored in a different way.

*this book was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

Rating: 4/5
I received this eARC for my honest.

I really enjoyed this book. I found the love of Hollywood in all its beauty and ugliness to have been handled great. I didn’t feel as though it was made up but something that could happen. I liked that you will find this book to be more of a fiction for a lot of the plot but you will find a good mix of romance in it as well. I liked the rep for the curvy girls in the world, the ones that are queer and the struggles that they have to deal with. I liked that this book was fast-paced and easy to read, it was just a refreshing book. I laughed a lot in this book with the banter between the characters but you will find a lot of emotionally moments as well that will help heal the characters.

I thought the characters were well developed and you can see the love that the author put into this book to make the characters easy to connect/relate to. I liked Diana character, and I liked that she was able to stand up for herself at the end of the book, but you will see the changes that she takes throughout the book. However, I do have to say that I didn’t like that she trying to make herself believe that she was not good enough, or straight enough, or that she couldn’t trust Andy because of past relationships that happened years and years ago. She would go on and on about it and I found that to be a little annoying, but not enough to stop reading the book. Andy was a great MMC, he has the charm, the smarts, and he is so down to earth that I found myself saying out loud “woman, if you don’t give him a chance I will…. Well if I wasn’t married and if he was real lol”. I liked that he was caring, understanding and didn’t push Diana but was there for her and proving to her that he was a great guy. I liked that he didn’t care about who she loved in the past or that she was a curvy woman, even though we all know that people can be so harsh to woman that are curvier and dating a heartthrob. People can be so rude! I liked the side characters a lot and you will see growth from them as well in the book. So for me it’s a well rounded book with a lot of friends to lovers, queer rep, curvy woman rep, frenemies and so much more.

If you haven’t read this book and it’s on your TBR you need to read it.

I want to thank NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to review this book.

Fat Girl is one of my favorite reads this year. This book made me feel so many emotions, from anger to outrage and sadness. I loved how the author, Lauren Marie Fleming, wrote Diana's character with a practical side and that their happily ever after did not just depend on a partner. Diana is fat and queer and trying to make it in Hollywood as a writer; this book follows her journey and the societal weight and expectations that come with being queer and fat women. This book had comfort, insecurities, representation of the queer & trans, and what it is like to find a community and let those people see you finally. This book is definitely one you should pick up and read!

Thank you, Net Galley, for the advanced copy.

Thank you so much to Entangled Publishing for a copy of this book!

Listen I am kicking myself for waiting to read this book. I absolutely LOVED this book and it is not getting the flowers it deserves.
This book is a mixed fiction & romance. The romance weaves throughout the book but we really don't see the characters fully connect until later in the book.

It is hard to put into words why I enjoyed this book so much. If you know me, you know I love pop culture and all things Hollywood, so that aspect really pulled me in. The way that Fleming wrote the characters and the chapters just had me tapping on my screen page after page. I am not a queer person so I appreciated getting Diana's inner monologue on how she struggled to be falling for a man. What frustrated me was how she kept suppression her feelings for Andy because of a failed relationship years and years ago and only dated non men since. And it frustrated me because all relationships have a chance of failing. Whether you are with a she, he or they, they all have a potential to fall apart.

Andy/Drew was the MMC of my book dreams. He was just such a gem throughout this book. And his mom was such a fun side character! He just was so drawn to Diana from the moment they met at a party and pretty much the whole book is him trying to convince Diana that he is the one for her. There was a moment where she texts him during a date and he suddenly appears with a requested cheese fries - SWOON. He just loved her for who she was. Diana was apprehensive about Andy from the very beginning. And I understood why she did not think the romance would not work. The public is very critical of bigger bodied women and if she would be ripped to pieces if she was seen dating a famous movie star.

I loved all the side characters in this book especially Chris. We went on a journey with Diana throughout the book (she is the star of the show) but a big part of this book is her relationship with Chris, Andy's best friend. And honestly I need a book about him.

This book snuck up on me as a favorite of mine this year. I highly recommend!

If you enjoy behind the scenes of movie making, frenemies, friends to lover, diverse cast, queer rep and so much more!

Some of my favorite lines:
"I know fatphobia is a big issue for gay men, trans people and nonbinary folk too. And straight men don't have a pass from it, but life will always be easier for white, straight, cis men like Drew, even when they're fat."

"Grief had left me living in sweatpants for so long that I'd forgotten how much I loved making a statement as I walked into a room."

"I haven't felt this closeted since college. You'd think it would be easier, saying you're falling for a guy."

"You act this way every time you fall for someone, regardless of their gender. You go in the downward spiral of insecurity until you've convinced yourself there's no way this person could like you. Or if they like you, then there has to be something with them. Just stop already."

Read as a group read and I'm so glad I did. I loved every moment of it! This book is a delightful exploration of community life, filled with quirky characters and laugh-out-loud situations. DeWitt’s writing is both witty and heartfelt, making the ups and downs of co-op living feel relatable and entertaining.

The interactions among the residents are hilarious and often touching, showcasing the chaos and camaraderie that come with sharing a space. I could totally see this as a movie—imagine the ensemble cast bringing these vibrant personalities to life on screen! The blend of humor, romance, and life lessons would resonate with anyone who’s ever lived in a close-knit community. Left a smile on my face. If you’re looking for a fun, feel-good story, this one is a must!

This fell a little flat for me towards the halfway to endpoint, but I did enjoy this book for the most part. I love the plus size rep/queer rep and thought the story itself had a unique premise.

I enjoyed this book. Loved the cover. The discription intrigued me and caught my eye! The characters were well matched.
Would be interested in reading more by this author!