Set amidst the summer of a newly-upgraded Renaissance Faire, Ashley Shumacher’s young adult romance The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway (2023) is a sweet story of Madeline, a fat girl dealing with grief after the loss of her mother and her reluctant falling for a bespectacled, lute-playing boy, Arthur. Arthur’s dads have recently bought the park,Continue reading “The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway”
Tag Archives: Contemporary Romance
Something Wild and Wonderful
Something Wild and Wonderful (2023) by Anita Kelly is the kind of romance book that makes me love romances! In his first mile of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in the desert of southern California, Alexei meets Ben, who Alexei stops from stepping on a rattlesnake in the middle of the trail. Alexei is hikingContinue reading “Something Wild and Wonderful”
My Big Fat Fake Marriage
I enjoyed the ride of My Big Fat Fake Marriage (publication day March 11, 2025) by Charlotte Stein, although there weren’t any surprises. The banter, though, is superb!! Set somewhere in England, Hazel, who goes by Connie as an adult, works for a marketing company and is somewhat jaded, although she is close to herContinue reading “My Big Fat Fake Marriage”
A Jingle Bell Mingle
So . . . I was able to attend one of the book tour events for A Jingle Bell Mingle (2024) with the authors, Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone. I’ve been a Julie Murphy fan since Dumplin’ (excellent book and Netflix movie). They are hilarious, as expected, and my funniest experience had to be talkingContinue reading “A Jingle Bell Mingle”
The Pairing
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston (publication date August 6, 2024) is a delightfully sexy romp through Europe on a food and wine tour with two former best friends and former lovers Theo and Kit. I really loved McQuiston’s Red, White, and Royal Blue and there are so many things I loved about this book! First,Continue reading “The Pairing”
At First Spite
At First Spite (February 13, 2024) is the incomparable Olivia Dade’s newest romance, the first in her Harlot’s Bay series, set in a fictional coastal Maryland small town. She is always explicitly fat-positive, and At First Spite is no exception. We first meet Athena Greydon at her engagement party to pediatrician Johnny Vine, where sheContinue reading “At First Spite”
Les Be Honest
I had high hopes for Les Be Honest (Pub. Date February 13, 2024) by Sarah Robinson, a multicultural queer lesbian romance by the author of Baby Bank, which I really enjoyed. The story is told from the perspective of Yasmeen, a queer black millennial trust fund young adult with ADHD, who has just had toContinue reading “Les Be Honest”
A Holly Jolly Ever After
Finishing up the year right–with the third fat-positive romance review in a row–is A Holly Jolly Ever After (2023) by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone, the team that brought us A Merry Little Meet Cute. This time, we have Kallum, the “funny” member of the boy band INK, who has moved home to run aContinue reading “A Holly Jolly Ever After”
On the Plus Side
I was delighted by On the Plus Side by Jenny Howe (publication date 12/26/2023)! A romance featuring a plus-size female main character in a reality makeover show has been done before, but never incorporating the tenets of fat liberation so well. Everly is a receptionist at a marketing firm, having landed there after obtaining anContinue reading “On the Plus Side”
Get a Life, Chloe Brown
Get a Life, Chloe Brown (2019) by Talia Hibbert is the first of the Brown Sisters trilogy, and a sheer delight! I will be putting the other two–Take a Hint, Dani Brown (2020) and Act Your Age, Eve Brown (2021)– on my TBR list in 2024. Why was I so delighted? Hibbert checks all ofContinue reading “Get a Life, Chloe Brown”
Reading While Fat 