One to Watch

5 stars ★ Holy hell, five. I don't know where to start. As someone on the larger size of the weighing scale, you don't really find representation in romance books. (Not that I'm complaining, sometimes you just want to read about pretty and thin girls.) You're so accustomed to the lacking mention of large-sized clothes and fat that you don't realize how refreshing it feels to resonate with the main character for once. And even as a famous fashion blogger, Bea still has her insecurities. Just like you do.

I loved the journey of Bea's self-worth, learning to accept who you are in spite of the audience all around you who abhors what you look like. Her fears are my fears. Bea is written so well she reminds me of me, and it gets me thinking: show more hey, if she can be happy, can't i be, too? can't i be confident in my own skin, too? (unlikely, but it provides me a sunny reminder of what could be.)

The social media element was executed fantastically. I loved how the author incorporated e-mails, slack channel conversations, tabloids, scripts, and podcasts into the book in order to give the readers more of a you're actually following the show in real life feel. I became so invested in the Main Squeeze I forgot it didn't exist. What a page-turner!

Now give me Bea and Asher and the kids moments because I'm a sucker for cute family moments. BOOK TWO? Did I dream about a book two? Pretty sure I saw the blurb somewhere. show less

I read this in the same way that I would binge a reality dating show, for which I am a big sucker. Of course, I'm fairly selective because they are mostly terrible, with the issues Bea cites in her story. But this book gave me exactly what was missing in those shows, and then some! I loved Bea, she was so real in my opinion. Kate Stayman-London really nailed Bea - from introducing us to her when she had already matured and decided she would live her life unapologetically, never mind pity porn about a sad-sack life and pulling out of it (that was left firmly in high school), to her honesty in body affirmation and how it is successful only as a daily habit, and not immune to doubt and projected ideas. On top of the great body-positivity, show more we were treated to an ace character and a nonbinary baber, which might have been wokequeerbait but it was handled really well and thoughtfully in my view. I don't read romance generally, but this was a really lovely little novel. show less

This book has really committed to diversity and puts it upfront as a major plot point, which is lovely to see. I see myself in Bea. What she wrestles with here are things I am still dancing with myself. Her relationship with Ray, especially the conclusion she draws, feels so very familiar.

I really appreciate that Asher's jealousy is seen as an issue, not as a sign of true love. I loved to see an Aro presented in such a beautiful manner.

And most of all, as a solo poly, I loved that we got Luc. When he said, "For me, love is not possessive. I would never ask this of you and I hope you would not ask it of me", I felt him so much since this is also my philosophy. I love that we got to see how loving and caring he is while also embracing show more his desire for other people.

Yes, I know I will never see a mainstream novel not turn someone like us into a villain for refusing to equate sexual fidelity with proof of connection and love, but this was damn close. If there are more stories in this world to come, don't you dare turn him mono! I know the rake reformed by the love of a good woman is a very popular trope but I am so, so tired of it. And in a book all about representation, I am asking for mine as well.

Another great touch is having all the social media commentary throughout the book. Hearing some of the events through their eyes really helped give a broad perspective and added a ton of humour to the book.

So why am I not giving it 5 stars? Because I didn't fall in love with it. I am not sure why. It certainly made me think but, like Bea at the beginning, something is holding me back. show less

Holy freaking crap! I cannot express how much I loved this book. Now granted, I'm a Bachelor fan. Maybe I should hide that...but I won't. Yes, it's dumb. Yes, it's stupid. But honestly, it provides me a respite from real life. (And who doesn't need that sometimes ;))

So I loved a book that poked fun at the Bachelor and yet promoted body positivity, accepting yourself, etc. I mean, the concept of using a plus sized woman as the lead of the show definitely seems foreign to the Bachelor (even I would be considered "plus sized" in their eyes.) but in "One to Watch" that is what happens.

We get the typical Bachelor tropes--the people who aren't there "for the right reasons," the "bad boy," the token "fat guy." We get producer created drama, show more overnight dates, hometown dates. I felt like I was watching a whole season contained within these pages.

But I really appreciated the ultimate storyline--putting yourself out there. Rejecting negative thinking. Bea's internal dialogue is one that I feel all women struggle with and have at some point in their lives. (Even though I am not a fan of sex outside of marriage, I really resonated with Bea's struggles when two of the guys rejected the overnight date. They said it wasn't about her....but what was she to think?) Additionally, this book does not have Bea get miraculously skinny. She stays her size. Since the book has made a point about her being healthy, we know she is just curvy. And she embraces it. Women need this message.

Y'all this book was so fun and in a time where we need fun reads, my hold for "one to Watch" came in just when I needed it to. show less

I am famously not much of a television watcher. Yeah, I know. My avid tv watcher husband wonders how we managed to ever get together given how different our interests are. ::shrug:: So it will surprise absolutely no one who knows me to hear that I've never seen even an episode of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette (are they considered different shows?). I do like to defy expectations though so even without having any interest whatsoever in the show, I couldn't wait to read Kate Stayman-London's novel One to Watch, which clearly owes a lot to the Bachelor franchise.



Bea Schumacher is a plus-size fashion blogger who hasn't been particularly lucky in love, having just been ghosted by the old friend she has always fantasized about after show more sleeping with him despite knowing that he's engaged to someone else. After the ghosting quickly followed by a not so great Tinder date, she tweets out some critical comments about the way that plus size people are always excluded from reality shows like her favorite, Main Squeeze. Her tweets go viral, leading to her being contacted to be the show's first plus size lead. She's officially done with love but decides to go on the show in order to up representation, having no idea how vulnerable being this much in the limelight will make her or how far she still has to go to be as confident inside as she is outside.




I don't think there's really anyone out there who thinks that reality shows are fully real, is there? Stayman-London has captured some crazy staged situations and ratings grabbing shenanigans on the show that feel like something that real producers might try to pull. When Bea is filming the show, the story is fun and flirty, right up until it isn't, and she is fat shamed and her own publicly hidden insecurities come racing to the fore again. She might present as sassy and confident but she hasn't fully freed herself from the attitudes and stereotypes she's heard all her life. The novel is told in tweets, texts, blog entries, transcripts, and interviews woven through the more traditional narrative, grounding this firmly in the present day. At times this felt like overkill especially for a reader who doesn't often immerse herself in all of these various media sources. The novel is humorous and cute but when Bea is hurt, the reader is hurt along with her. It makes sense that the men Bea has to choose from on Main Squeeze are also a diverse bunch since she's the first plus size lead. It does feel a bit unrealistic that almost all of the men Bea seriously considers are from an under represented group themselves and in some ways the careful inclusion of each group feels a little too much like tokenism. The ending was entirely predictable even as it leaves the reader with a huge smile and plenty of warm fuzzies. Readers who enjoy rom coms, especially those that tackle a slightly unusual social issue, and who love it when a heroine grows and learns to truly accept herself, will find much to enjoy here. show less

Damn, if only the Bachelor franchise could produce a narrative this addicting and compelling. The author took the premise of the show took that shit to a whole new level. I would love to see the author write a story based on Love Island. I would eat that shit up.

What was good:
- The author was able to explore Bea's uncertainty and insecurities without the writing being overindulgent or tiresome. I loved being in Bea's head. This makes the story's attempts at exploring topics like fatphobia and body image that much more impactful.
- Perfect balance of MESS and romance. When watching the Bachelorette in real life, I'm only there for the contestant on contestant drama because the way they portray romantic connections on the show feels show more either saccharine or contrived (except for Tayshia and any of her final 4, but I stand by this for every Bachelor). Bea and her final pick, despite their differences, was a couple easy to root for.
- Men who made to the final 4 or 5 perfectly teetered between "shippable" without the reader being completely sure. Love triangles (or hexagons in this case) are hard to get right for exactly this reason: how well can the author get the reader to be equally invested in each choice. Despite not reading a ton of romance books, I know this is hard to achieve.
- I really enjoyed how reading about Bea's history with Ray. From the beginning of their friendship to the moment she finally garnered the courage and confidence to confront that bitch in France. That was the moment that it become abundantly clear Bea wasn't the same girl we met in Chapter 1.

What wasn't (nitpicking):
Luc blaming his ho behaviour on Bea had somehow missing the fact that their relationship was mutually polyamorous?? Which would be totally fair, but this is something they never discussed. Bea was openly and very publicly seeing other men on the show, Luc was sleeping with the producer with the door locked in a dank room. And her forgiving him in a day?? And her being angrier at Lauren???? And Lauren not getting reprimanded because none of her male predecessors were??? Is the solution to stopping abusive power dynamics and sexual relationships in the workplace letting female leadership do it as well??

Luc had me for at least 50 pages tho. I thought they were something. :( show less

If you look at my list of books, you can see that I'm mostly into dark and grim fiction/non-fiction. However, in addition to being dark and grim myself, I'm also a plus-sized woman. I picked up this book because the protagonist is a plus-sized woman, one who is somewhat comfortable with herself. I'll be honest, I loved the book. The characters were well-formed, the plot wasn't too unrealistic and the little twists and turns kept me guessing what was going to happen. I will definitely be on the lookout for more fiction by Ms. Stayman-London.