One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger who has amazing friends, a devoted family, legions of Insta followers--and a massively broken heart. Like the rest of America, Bea indulges in her weekly obsession: the hit reality show Main Squeeze. The fantasy dates! The kiss-off rejections! The surprising amount of guys named Chad! But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Since when is being a size zero a prerequisite for getting engaged on television?
Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition--under no circumstances will she actually fall in love. She's in this to supercharge her career, subvert harmful anti-fat beauty standards, inspire women across America, and get a free hot air balloon ride. That's it.
But when the cameras start rolling, Bea realizes things are more complicated than she anticipated. She's in a whirlwind of sumptuous couture, Internet culture wars, sexy suitors, and an opportunity (or two, or five) to find messy, real-life love in the midst of a made-for-TV fairy tale. Bea has to decide whether it might just be worth trusting these men--and herself--for a chance to live happily ever after.
This was a really sweet and entertaining read!
Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition--under no circumstances will she actually fall in love. She's in this to supercharge her career, subvert harmful anti-fat beauty standards, inspire women across America, and get a free hot air balloon ride. That's it.
But when the cameras start rolling, Bea realizes things are more complicated than she anticipated. She's in a whirlwind of sumptuous couture, Internet culture wars, sexy suitors, and an opportunity (or two, or five) to find messy, real-life love in the midst of a made-for-TV fairy tale. Bea has to decide whether it might just be worth trusting these men--and herself--for a chance to live happily ever after.
I found the plot to be really snappy and was left blindsided by a handful of plot twists. Basically, it really did play out like what I’ve heard of the Bachelor. It was hilariously similar actually, from what I can tell (I’ve never watched the show). At the beginning, there were a lot of guys (obviously) but once they get narrowed down, the fun really starts!
However, since the book isn’t just about the Main Squeeze, we also get to hear a lot about the difference between reel life and real life. This was also super interesting and added a whole new layer to the story. I have to give kudos to the author, because it was well fleshed out without being cynical. That’s a very delicate balance to achieve, and I think that One to Watch achieved it pretty perfectly.
The other bit of the story was obviously focused on Bea’s experiences in the fashion industry as a plus-size woman. She is large, but has worked hard to acquire the confidence to be comfortable in her skin. My only slight disappointment with this story was that every time Bea eats something, it’s junk food. Obviously, we don’t see every meal she eats but it’s a little weird that she’s only shown eating junk food. And she doesn’t exercise even once. According to Bea, she has no health issues. We are to assume that she’s healthy, but the story doesn’t show us any of this which makes it easy to fall into the mindset that she is obese and unhealthy due to bad lifestyle choices. I know it’s minor, but it was bothering me a bit.
By superimposing all these narratives, the novel is able to really explore Bea’s psyche, which it does exceptionally well. Some of her insecurities stem from her body, others form her life experiences, others from people who have hurt her, and some are just common fears. Still, we get to really root for Bea.
The media articles, text messages, and celebrity tweets inserted throughout the book are absolutely hilarious as well. This book handled social media very well, and was one of the most realistic portraits of an “influencer” that I’ve read.
One to Watch came in with an exciting premise, and it really delivered on all the fronts.
However, since the book isn’t just about the Main Squeeze, we also get to hear a lot about the difference between reel life and real life. This was also super interesting and added a whole new layer to the story. I have to give kudos to the author, because it was well fleshed out without being cynical. That’s a very delicate balance to achieve, and I think that One to Watch achieved it pretty perfectly.
The other bit of the story was obviously focused on Bea’s experiences in the fashion industry as a plus-size woman. She is large, but has worked hard to acquire the confidence to be comfortable in her skin. My only slight disappointment with this story was that every time Bea eats something, it’s junk food. Obviously, we don’t see every meal she eats but it’s a little weird that she’s only shown eating junk food. And she doesn’t exercise even once. According to Bea, she has no health issues. We are to assume that she’s healthy, but the story doesn’t show us any of this which makes it easy to fall into the mindset that she is obese and unhealthy due to bad lifestyle choices. I know it’s minor, but it was bothering me a bit.
By superimposing all these narratives, the novel is able to really explore Bea’s psyche, which it does exceptionally well. Some of her insecurities stem from her body, others form her life experiences, others from people who have hurt her, and some are just common fears. Still, we get to really root for Bea.
The media articles, text messages, and celebrity tweets inserted throughout the book are absolutely hilarious as well. This book handled social media very well, and was one of the most realistic portraits of an “influencer” that I’ve read.
One to Watch came in with an exciting premise, and it really delivered on all the fronts.
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